We had a feeling we'd get a mixed bag of reviews as soon as we first saw the Motorola Krave ZN4 -- it's one of those love it or hate it type things, you know? In some cases, reviewers chose to focus on the positives, noting that it was cute, unique, a good music player and a phone that would last and last without a recharge. Another batch of critics couldn't hold back the whip, pointing out that it lacked WiFi, packed a lackluster browser, included yawn-worthy software and offered a keyboard that was "straight-up awkward." As expected, overall ratings hovered between just below average to just above average, and it seems this phone will be exactly what you make it out to be. Moto fans will likely have plenty to cheer about, but those without a dog in the fight may want to give the writeups below a more thorough glance before dropping $149.99 and agreeing to a super-sized 2-year commitment.

Read - PC Magazine
Read - PhoneScoop
Read - Laptop Mag
Read - DigitalTrends
Read - CNET

When the N95 was released, it was all but universally adored. Even today, nearly two full years after it was first revealed, it's still one of the most respected in Nokia's lineup. From the get-go, we knew the N96 was more evolutionary and less revolutionary; after all, the two handsets even look alike. The general consensus this time around is about what we expected: the N96 is a fine phone, and a worthy successor, but probably not worth the high price it's currently demanding. Oh sure, the call quality was stupendous, battery life was satisfactory and the multimedia playback was superb, but some critics were a bit displeased with the fit and finish given the premium price tag. All in all, don't go into the links below expecting any huge surprises -- the N96 is a nicely revamped, high-priced N95, and if that's what you're looking for, there doesn't seem to be any underlying issues that should hold you back from indulging.

Read - PhoneArena ("Nokia seems to have taken more of a lateral step than pushing forward with innovation.")
Read - MobileArsenal ("...doesn't have anything we didn't see before...")
Read - LordPercy ("...an improved, quality phone...")
Read - Mobile88 (4 out of 5 stars)

The Samsung Glyde was one of the most hyped phones on an American carrier in recent memory leading up to its launch, and there's one small problem with that: it's hard to live up to the fanfare, no matter how good (or bad) the phone might be. A common early complaint coming out of the gate seems to be the lack of support for Verizon's MediaFLO-based VCAST TV service, a service that the Glyde's main competition, the Voyager, supports. The UI's also getting panned for being a little more confusing that it needs to be; compounding matters is the fact that Phone Scoop describes it as a "push UI" on account of a fiddly touchscreen. For what it's worth, it seems that the keyboard is at least quite good -- so if you can put up with the negatives, the Glyde might still have a place in your pocket. Otherwise, the Voyager's still looking awfully good, isn't it?

Read - LAPTOP Magazine (2.5 / 5 stars, "...limited by a poor UI and unreliable performance")
Read - Phone Scoop ("The Glyde pairs a few of the best things from the physical and touch worlds")
Read - PHONE Magazine ("The Verizon Glyde isn't a bad cellphone, but it's outshone by its rivals")

Craving a BlackBerry 8300 "Curve" review with a little more journalistic juice to it than, say, John Mayer's? Look no further, friends; we've got you covered with a three-pack of previews for the device. Sentiment for Waterloo's latest QWERTY handset is overwhelmingly positive, focusing on a few key points: great keyboard, great media support (a 3.5mm jack sure doesn't hurt there), and surprisingly good battery life. The camera seems to be decent -- all 2 megapixels of it, anyway -- and none of the lucky previewers seemed too bummed about the EDGE-only data speeds. Throw in what might be the most attractive case on a RIM phone to date, and it seems the Curve might do the seemingly impossible by filling both Pearl and 8800 owners with envy when it launches on AT&T in the not-too-distant future.

Read - LAPTOP Magazine (4 / 5 stars, "...this is the best BlackBerry...")
Read - PC Magazine ("...an extremely promising BlackBerry for folks who want a fun device with a full keyboard")
Read - Airtime Manager ("...we're convinced that the new BlackBerry 8300 will have been worth the wait")

Impressive -- just six short months have elapsed from our initial hands-on of Sony Ericsson's latest superphone to the first set of honest-to-goodness reviews rolling in. Obviously, we kid; most every UIQ fan east of the Atlantic has been clamoring for this thing for a while now, but only recently have production units begun finding their way into loving homes. Delays aside, All About Symbian and phoneArena were more than happy to take delivery of the shiny new handsets in the name of putting them through their proper paces. All About Symbian seems to have come away with the more positive impression of the two, suggesting that the device is among the best PDA / phone combos currently on the market; phoneArena liked the keyboard and camera less, but thanks to freezes and crashes aplenty, both sites agreed that the P990 could've used a couple extra firmware revisions before getting pushed out the door.

Read - All About Symbian
Read - phoneArena

While we in the US sit sadly, sans Treo 750v, the first round of reviews and hands-on are coming in from Europe on what may be one of the sexiest smartphones around. Everyone's got a hands-on or review of some kind, and we're sure that you're far too busy tapping out SMSes to read 'em all, so we're going to boil 'em down for you. Treonauts enjoys the lighter weight (15 percent, its says) on the new 750v, and the folks at Shiny Shiny point out that some users may actually miss the now-gone antenna as some folks used it to grip whilst retrieving the phone from a pocket or purse. Pocketinfo has a lengthy review (with some very large photos) and likes it overall, but laments the lack of WiFi and a better cam. Finally, CNET weighs in as well with its minute-long video, and digs the rubberized exterior -- something that we had to add on previously with those adhesive egrips stickers. Enjoy your new Treos, European Vodafone subscribers, because remember: here in the States, our Treos still all have stub antennas whether we like it or not.

Read - Shiny Shiny
Read - CNET
Read - Treonauts
Read - Pocketinfo
Read - TreoCentral

Well that was quick. Looks like our own Boy Genius wasn't the only kid on the block to get his hands on the BlackBerry Pearl a few weeks early. Reviews aplenty are already extolling the virtues of the much anticipated phone, and while it's not all roses, the Pearl sure seems to do a lot of things right. What's getting the most love seems to be the utterly small -- for a QWERTY-ish smartphone, at least -- form factor, but the bright screen and bevy of software features get a lot of love too. Not everybody is stoked about the execution of the video and music players, but the reviewers at least didn't seem to be overwhelmed by any extra complexity introduced by the new stuff. CNET astutely notes that the phone lacks WiFi, which isn't much of a departure for RIM, but misses the mark set by some of the Pearl's smartphone compatriots. The SureType keyboard has just as many perks and annoyances as ever, but that's to be expected, and there's no arguing over the size savings the Pearl manages because of it. Overall, we're seeing good things for the Pearl and proud parent RIM, and as their media feature sets and design chops improve they might just have a shot at the consumer market yet.

Read - BusinessWeek
Read - International Herald Tribune
Read - New York Times
Read - CNET
Read - PC Magazine