- Nokia N95 8 GB Unlocked Cell Phone with 5 MP Camera, 3G, GPS, Media Player--U.S. Version with Warranty (Black)

There are 5 subflavors of the N95 released to date:
* The original N95 (a.k.a. N95-1, a.k.a. RM-159) targeted mainly the European and Asian markets; while it had quad-band GSM (2G) support for use in nearly every country, including the USA, it had support only for the international W-CDMA (UMTS/HSDPA, a.k.a. 3G/3.5G) frequency (commonly referred to as UMTS-2100). Nonetheless, this phone was later made available for retail in the USA as well, through Nokia's flagship stores, online site, and 3rd party retailers. It had manual shutter lens protection (you would slide it open to start the camera), 64MB of runtime/dynamic memory (RAM), and a 900 mAh battery. Common complaints about this phone was that it would often run out of memory when several applications were open, and that the battery life was too short.

* The N95-2 (a.k.a. "N95 8GB", a.k.a. RM-320) increased the screen size from 2.6" to 2.8" (diagonal), increased RAM from 64MB to 128MB, increased the battery size from 900 mAh to 1200 mAh, removed the slider mechanism for opening the camera lens, replaced the µSDHC card slot with 8GB of internal flash, and replaced the silver faceplate with an all-black design. However, the bands supported were the same: W-CDMA 2100MHz, GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz - so although it will work fine with both AT&T Wireless, T-Mobile USA and Rogers, it does not support 3G/3.5G network speeds in North America. Nonetheless, as with the N95-1, Nokia has sold this phone in North America as well until just a few weeks ago; so possibly, this is the phone sold here (Unfortunately, Nokia's own sales channels do not normally make this distinction, and Amazon's product description is also somewhat lacking).

* The N95-3 (a.k.a. "N95 NAM", RM-160) is the first model targeted for North America. Most of the exterior design is similar to the N95-1 (Silver faceplate, 2.6" screen, µSDHC slot), but like the N95-2, it has 128MB of RAM, a 1200 mAh battery, and no manual slider for the camera shutter. The main reason for its existence is that it swapped the original UMTS-2100 (WCDMA) frequency for UMTS-850 and UMTS-1900, so that it would work with AT&T Wireless's 3G/3.5G network. Until just a few days/weeks ago, this would have been the "best" choice for US customers.

* The N95-4 (a.k.a. "N95 8GB NAM", RM-421) is identical to the N95-2, except that like the N95-3, it swaps UMTS-2100 for UMTS-850/1900. It was released just a couple of weeks ago, though, so if Amazon got their inventory of "n95 8gb" devices from Nokia prior to this, it would have been the N95-2 rather than the N95-4. (The exterior and labeling of both is the same). Also, the firmware revision numbers are different, so some utilities (like the "Nokia Multimedia Transfer" application and iSync plugin for Mac OS X) do not yet recognize this phone.

- Nokia 1600 Unlocked Cell Phone--U.S. Version with Warranty (Gray)

I bought my (unlocked) Nokia 1600 cell phone about five months ago. I had been looking for an efficient, basic and inexpensive cell phone that had to fit easily in my shirt's pocket. I use it with a prepaid minutes scheme in non-professional conditions. I did not feel any need for multimedia applications like built-in camera, MP3 player and the like. My simple needs were to be able to send and receive both vocal messages and SMS in a convenient way.

I have been using almost exclusively Nokia cell phones since 1998 as they operate in a very intuitive kind of way. As proof of this, the Nokia 1600 comes with a very simplified user's manual that experimented users can easily skip: once you buy it, you almost immediately get going.

I greatly appreciated the multilingual language support (mainly for English, French, Italian and Spanish.)

My experience with the Nokia 1600 is that it is quite ergonomic and features a superfine (and I mean: SUPERFINE) LI-Ion battery that goes on seemingly forever. This is a decisive advantage at this price point.

Hundreds of addresses can be stored (more than I'll ever need) and up to about 60 SMS can be stored.

Although colour was not a prerequisite, I enjoyed the standard colour display. Moreover, my tired eyes long for the large size fonts available.

The main drawback is tied to its ultra light weight (80,3 gr) as the unit's shell structure only ensures moderate durability if dropped repeatedly (although mine already survived quite a few stressful events!).

A minor drawback is that I really miss the "polite" Nokia ringing tone.

Sound quality and network sensibility deserve a solid 4-star rating. SMS use is good but not really outstanding and I would award this feature three stars.

I also dig the joint alarm clock and reminder options as my vintage memory cells keep worsening.

Another interesting feature of this model is the ability to lock the phone with a five-digit secret code, as I like to enjoy a little bit of privacy.

I should also add that I still own two other Nokia cell phones: an obsolete, but damn solid, Nokia 3410 (that I keep as an occasional back-up) and a very good, more upscale Nokia 6101, which I exclusively use for professional applications. Three years ago, I offered a still older Nokia 3210 to a friend of mine and it is still performing very well.

If all you will ever need from a cell phone is the possibility to conveniently make or receive contacts with other people, this inexpensive Nokia 1600 unit is the right choice for you!

- Motorola RAZR V3 Unlocked Cell Phone with Video Player--International Version with No Warranty (Black)

The RAZR has a camera, a web-browser, Instant messaging capability, and a whole array of other features all of which are listed in the product description. To the extent that the RAZR does these things adequately I will offer little, if any, comment--mainly because I don't care about them. That to which I can and will attest is that the RAZR exceeds my expectation on how it serves AS A PHONE.

Using my own criteria, a wireless phone should draw and hold a signal; It's earpiece should deliver clear sound at a volume which can compete with background noise; it's mouthpiece should pick up the users voice clearly; it should be compact enough to allow for placement in clothing pockets without creating prominent bulges; it should be solidly built out of durable materials which are not prone to scratching; it should have decent battery life. And yes, anything for which I pay hundreds of dollars should be designed with aesthetics in mind: there are far too many wireless phones which look like disposable children's toys, or like awkward, all-purpose, button-riddled gadgets.

Using the above criteria, the RAZR V3, particularly the Black model, is close to perfect. The sound from the ear piece could certainly be louder, but I have yet to have a caller's voice drowned out by the noise of busy New York City streets. The people to whom I'm speaking have reported to have heard my voice loudly and clearly. Battery life could be longer, but then, the same could be said about many wireless phones which are bulkier and have larger batteries. I have used the phone on both T-Mobile and Cingular networks and found that it draws a strong signal on both; it has never dropped a call. I found the speaker phone to be loud and clear despite my expectations to the contrary. Is the much-lamented Motorola phone book program clunky? Yes it is. But the RAZR's voice-dialing works well, making it possible to avoid scrolling through the phone book if one hates it that much.

I'll try to boil it down with a somewhat clumsy analogy: Complaining that the RAZR doesn't do enough in the way of tech-gimmicks to justify its price (which is considerably lower that it was when it was introduced) is like complaining that an exotic sports car isn't worth the money because it doesn't have a cup holder, a GPS system, and DVD player like the Minivan you've been looking to buy. That ridiculousness ignores the engineering that makes the sports car a superior performer on the road, and the attention put toward making it sleek and aesthetically pleasing. The RAZR's performance has made concern over signal strength a thing of the past. and its design is unmatched--not just for it's ultra-compactness, but for the solidity of it's build. That makes it worth what I paid for it. And my inability to speak to the quality of other phones on the market put them out of consideration.

Besides, as they say, black is beautiful.

That the RAZR cannot serve as a business-card scanner doesn't trouble me. For those who need to have whichever feature-laden mobile gadget is most desired at the moment, buy a Samsung MM-A800, clip on you belt (you'll need to), and earn yourself the right to say your phone can do just about everything--poorly.