The Best Phones of 2. Dial Up the Perfect Phone. For most of us, mobile phones are at the center of our universe. The typical feature set of these palm size marvels is astounding. Its your phone, your messaging device, your web browser, your camera, your music player, your GPS, and more. Were a smartphone dominated nation, with 4. G LTE networks beating many home internet connections in terms of speed. We have more good wireless carrier options than weve had in years, thanks to vigorous competition between the four major carriers and smaller virtual carriers like Google Fi. But some of our choices have constricted a bit The smartphone OS marketplace is basically down to Apples i. OS and Googles Android, and its hard to find a really good simple voice phone nowadays. Here at PCMag, we review almost every smartphone released on AT T, Sprint, T Mobile, Verizon Wireless, and many of their sub brands such as Boost, Cricket, and Metro. PCS. The 1. 0 in the chart above are our top picks across all of the options available right now. But what should you be looking for when buying a cell phone Here are some key points to consider First, Choose a Carrier. Despite all the recent hardware and mobile software innovation, your wireless service provider remains your most important decision. No matter what device you buy, its a doorstop unless you have solid wireless coverage. Maybe you have friends and family on the same carrier that you talk to for free, and you dont want that to change with your next phone. Maybe youre lusting after a certain devicesay, an unlocked smartphone for international travel. And of course, you want to choose a carrier that offers fair prices, and provides the best coverage in your area. These are all good reasons to put the carrier decision first. We have two major features to help you choose a carrier. For our Readers Choice Awards, PCMag readers tell us which carriers they prefer based on coverage, call quality, device selection, and other factors. And for our Fastest Mobile Networks feature, we send drivers to 3. The Official BlackBerry Press Room. Discover the latest BlackBerry news, learn about events and explore product release information. InformationWeek. com News, analysis and research for business technology professionals, plus peertopeer knowledge sharing. Engage with our community. Note. Information is provided on an as is basis and could include technical, typographical or other errors. Ford makes no warranties, representations, or. This guide covers the top internet radio services to help you pick the best one for your listening habits. A Blackberry Storm smartphone displays the Slacker Personal Radio application in Golden, Colorado, Feb. Photo REUTERSRick Wilking. The free service limits. Slacker Radio is an online music streaming service available in the US and Canada. Listeners can access the service on the web and through mobile apps on multiple. US cities to scope out which smartphone carriers have the best data coverage. Because each of the national carriers sells a wide variety of phones, choosing your service provider should be your first move. Heres a quick rundown of what each one offers AT Ts strongest areas of the country are the Midwest, Southeast, Texas, and, this year, northern California. GhavU56luZxfAiJYio7sATAIrUwjBI6hyppmwrRVnrTyQK9CmNmVn8LtJ3Ca_NL-sfU=h900' alt='Slacker Radio Download Blackberry' title='Slacker Radio Download Blackberry' />After a few struggling years, its speeds really jumped up in our 2. G evolution markets throughout the year. G evolution isnt 5. G, but its faster 4. G than AT T previously had. AT T owns Direc. TV, so it has some pricing bundles if youre also interested in satellite TV services. Sprint has had a rocky few years. Its LTE network is improving quickly, but its still the worst rated carrier by our readers because of several years of network troubles. That said, if youre willing to bet on a rising star, Sprint has promotional service plans that can often be insanely cheap, especially if youre switching from another carrier. See How We Test Cell Phones. T Mobiles fortunes have changed radically in the past few years thanks to maverick CEO John Legere and his Uncarrier plan. Its now the best rated of the big four carriers by our readers in the Readers Choice Awards. In our Fastest Mobile Networks tests, it was basically neck and neck with Verizon on speed and reliability. New low band spectrum has radically expanded the carriers LTE network, so it can finally balance terrific speeds in cities with decent coverage in suburban areas. T Mobile also has the best international roaming plan, including to Canada and Mexico. Verizon Wireless is famed for its top notch network quality and good customer service. Its prices can be higher than the competition, but its combination of very reliable coverage and good speeds made Verizon our Fastest Mobile Networks winner this year. Verizon also has the largest 4. Avia Test Dvd on this page. G LTE network in the US. US Cellular is only available in about half the country. It has a reputation for good customer service, but has been suffering recently in our surveys as readers have said its prices and LTE network quality dont match up to some of the alternatives. Inspiration 7 5 Crack Serial Codes. There is also a wild slew of virtual operators who use the big four networks, but offer lower monthly rates, cheaper international calls, or other benefits. Theyre usually better for lighter users and most dont have family plans. The top four carriers in our Readers Choice poll last year were all virtual Consumer Cellular and Cricket on AT T, Boost Mobile on Sprint, and Google Fi, which combines Sprint, T Mobile, and US Cellular. AT T owns Cricket Sprint owns Boost and Virgin T Mobile owns Metro. PCS and Google owns Google Fi. Tracfone is another prominent virtual carrier, with spinoff brands like Straight Talk, Family Mobile, and Net. We spotlight some of our favorites in The Best Cheap Cell Phone Plans Youve Never Heard Of. Locked or UnlockedAs carriers have moved to increasingly more confusing service and pricing plans, the value of unlocked phones has been rising accordingly. Unlocked phones are bought from a third party store or directly from the manufacturer, and arent tied to any specific carrier. Usually, you can use them with AT T or T Mobile. But there are a few popular unlocked phonesmost notably the Samsung Galaxy S8, the Google Pixel series, the Moto E, G, and X series, and recent i. Phonesthat work just fine on all the national and prepaid carriers. If you buy an unlocked phone, youll be able to move it freely between compatible carriers. But even if you dont intend to ever change your carrier, unlocked phones are free of carrier bloatware and with Android phones often receive software and OS updates more quickly than the carrier versions do. If you want to spend around 1. Sausage Fattener Vst Mac. Motorola and Huawei both make good unlocked phones in that price range, and you can find a solid array from those brands on Amazon. Smartphones. As more people become accustomed to instant email, web, music, and messaging access at all times of the day, regardless of where they are, smartphones have become almost indispensable. That said, theres plenty of variety out therenot to mention devotees of specific OS platforms. That makes sense, though sometimes, a platforms user interface or app selection just speaks to you, and thats all there is to it. With that in mind, and at the risk of attracting flames, lets break it down as well as we can for those who arent so fully vested. Theres actually less diversity in smartphone platforms and designs than there was a few years ago. Right now, Android and i. OS are the two top smartphone platforms, both in US sales and in availability of third party apps. The i. Phone has the best app store and the best media features. But Apples tightly controlled ecosystem can feel stifling to some, and i. OS isnt easy to customize or modify. Theres far more variety among Android handsets, and its open source nature makes it a tweakers dream. But it also means fragmented third party app compatibility, occasional bugs, carrier installed bloatware you cant remove, and scattered, often sporadic OS updates. In terms of form factor, its difficult to find a smartphone that isnt a solid black slab any more. The only remaining, high quality phone with a physical keyboard is the Blackberry Key.