Ask the expert: Which touchscreen phone to buy?

Q. I was thinking of buying an iPhone 3G, then just read about the T-Mobile G1 Google phone, and now I’ve just heard about Nokia 5800 XpressMusic (or The Tube). Which is the best mobile phone to go for?

A. They’re all good phones, but for very different reasons. In terms of specs, they’re on par with each other. All have touchscreens, Wi-Fi, GPS and come packing 8GB of memory as a minimum. We’ve summed up each one below, so you can tell which will be the best for you.

Solution 1: Best for simplicity, and reliability
The iPhone 3G is a technophobe’s dream. There are no unusually-marked buttons, and an extremely gentle learning curve. Just fire it up, and revel in the easy to use software. It’ll even back itself up automatically whenever you plug it into your home PC, and since it’s an iPod too, offers one of the best portable music experiences around. The only drawback is you’ll be locked to the O2 network, and might not find all the applications available for other phones.
Best option: iPhone 3G – From £99

Solution 2: Best for tinkerers and app addicts
The T-Moble G1 comes ready to be loaded with tons of applications, as well as getting you online through the web or e-mail. but, while the iPhone limits the applications that can be installed to those Apple has approved, the G1 will let you install any software for the Android platfom. That means a plethora of apps are available, from shopping lists to social media tools. Since the G1’s Android software is open source, anyone can tinker with it too, and there’s already a burgeoning development community. You could even learn the programming language and join in yourself!
Best option: T-Mobile G1 – From £free

Solution 3: Best on a budget
Nokia’s 5800 XpressMusic is the Finish phone firm’s first touchscreen mobile, and while other companies have made their finger-friendly phones exclusive (and expensive) items, Nokia’s is reassuringly sensible in its pricing. You’ll find it available on Pay As You Go without breaking the bank, and it packs tons of neat features too. There’s GPS, Wi-Fi, an extremely capable web browser, e-mail and a music player that’s fully featured too. There’s also stereo Bluetooth (which is lacking from the iPhone and G1) and if you buy it with Nokia’s Comes With Music service, you’ll get unlimited free music downloads too!
Best option: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic – £219 SIM free

Get chatting about the latest mobile phones over at the PriceRunner forum.

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