Holiday gift guide 2006: On a shopping spree

Workhorses

The workhorses in our holiday gift guide are not your usual cameraphones to take on your family weekends. In fact those devices are strictly business-oriented and they don't have a camera for a good reason. Let's just say that there are some sensitive workplaces where your bosses would get really edgy if you show up with a digital camera in your pocket - be it a mobile phone.

So if you or your loved one just happens to work at some place like that, rest assured that they do not need to be deprived of the current technological advances in the mobile world.

It's not a coincidence that Nokia has produced their Nokia E50 ($249*) "budget" smartphone in two variants - one with a camera and a second one without one.

Another E-series Nokia smartphone comes with no camera at all. The Nokia E60 ($262*) managed to impress us with its strict minimalist design and the various connectivity options it offers.

Nokia E50 | review • Nokia E60 | review

Sony Ericsson smartphones are based on the Symbian OS too, but they have another user interface, called UIQ. It's totally different from the S60 used by Nokia and is optimized for use with touchscreens. The Sony Ericsson M600 ($309*) is a touchscreen Symbian smartphone with a QWERTY keypad and again, no camera at all. Its strict lines and forms leave no doubt we are talking business here.

Sony Ericsson M600

 

Business phone: Nokia E60

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Conclusion

So it's time for us to wrap it up and go look for some gifts for our loved ones too. This article was our attempt at saving you some time when looking for a holiday present for your friends or relatives, or even one for yourself. We won't make claims that its thorough and exhaustive or that it covers all the available options in the different categories. What we wanted to show you are the highlights of this year's achievements in the mobile industry. However, if you still don't find the right handset, please feel free to continue browsing our mobile phones database using the Phone Finder.

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* All prices are taken from Plemix.com. Your local street prices might differ. All prices valid at the time of publishing.