The European Imaging and Sound Association [EISA] have announced their top choices for the Mobile Devices of the Year and the list is just what you would expect. Apple wins the European Tablet award, cited especially for the ability to bring magazines and newspaper into the digital world. The Beyerdynamic T 50 p win best headphones of the year, with EISA saying you can wear them for hours with no discomfort and that the sound quality is out of this world. It better be for $350. Next we have the Garmin Nüvi 3790t as winner of the portable navigation device of the year … but seriously, who uses personal navigation devices anymore?
Now here’s what you’ve been waiting for, the phones. Who won the smartphone of the year award? Samsung with their Galaxy S. EISA calls it a “jewel in the crown” and they’ve absolutely creamed themselves over the quality of the screen. Remember that this device goes under 4 different names in the United Stated: Verizon calls it the Fasinate, AT&T calls it the Captivate, Sprint calls it the Epic 4G since it has a QWERTY keyboard and WiMAX, and T-Mobile calls in the Vibrant. Samsung’s Wave also won an award, it’s the “Social Media Phone” of the year. Whatever that means. Say “social media” to me at a party and prepare to get a face full of whatever beverage I may be holding.
And as for regular plain jane handsets, that award goes to Sony Ericsson with their 2.55 inch screen Android powered X10 Mini. Our own Simon Sage walked away impressed after reviewing that device, so it’s no surprise seeing it earn top marks. With device manufacturers pushing the boundaries of the size of our pockets, it’s good to see someone working in the reverse direction to make smartphones not only more portable, but more pleasurable to use.
Do you see anyone missing from this list? Nokia. The upcoming N8 wasn’t mentioned, the N900 wasn’t mentioned, none of Nokia’s cheap yet highly featured Symbian devices were mentioned … so what gives? As much as I like the Sony Ericsson X10 Mini, I still think the Nokia C5 deserves some recognition as being super cheap, yet loaded with features.
Maybe next year?