Holiday Buyer's Guide: 5 high end smartphones

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

2010 has been nothing short of spectacular for  smartphone releases. We've seen some vast improvements in capabilities, more diversity in mobile operating systems and the build quality of these devices is as impressive as the long list of cool things you can do with them. Here are our picks for the top 5 high end smartphones of 2010.

Apple iPhone 4 - $649 (16GB) w/o contract from Apple, $159 on contract with various carriers

The cause célèbre of 2010 is also its most successful product and Apple's main money maker. The iPhone 4 trumped everyone's expectations with power (1GHz Apple A4 processor/512MB RAM), screen quality (Retina display) and a stunning new glass and steel enclosure as well as dual-camera setup for FaceTime video calls.

The iPhone 4's greatest strength is Apple's application ecosystem as well as the variety of ways one can use the device. Canada got an added bonus as unlocked versions of the iPhone 4 can be had at full price without signing up for a new plan.

Google Nexus One  (Android) - $549.99 on Mobilicity 

Google's Nexus One is the phone built by HTC for Google's developers and was sold in limited numbers globally.

It is still available on Mobilicity's network in Canada, one of the few places you can still get it. Sporting a gorgeous 3.7 AMOLED screen, Android OS 2.2, a 5 Megapixel camera all managed by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor with 512MB, which puts it in the super-smartphone category.

Users using earlier Google phones just need to sign in and all their vital information as well as purchased apps are ready for download in your new device.

Slick, smooth and exquisitely built, the Google Nexus One remains one of the top smartphones of 2010.

Nokia N8 (Symbian) - $79.99 on a three-year plan with Rogers

Widely anticipated and finally seeing daylight in November, Nokia's N8 Symbian smartphone is a love letter to sophisticated smartphone design and is  this year's best multimedia handset.

Clad in lightweight aluminum body with a gorgeous AMOLED screen and the latest Symbian OS, the N8 is one of the few, true penta-band handsets that is a true world phone.

A 12 Megapixel camera with Zeiss optics and a Xenon flash plus the ability to shoot and output HD movies in 720p make this the king of multimedia smartphones. Nokia has poured its heart, soul and sizeable resources into creating the best Symbian phone ever.

LG Optimus 7 (Windows Phone) - $99.99 on a three-year plan with Telus

The LG Optimus is one of the first Windows Phone 7 devices to accompany Microsoft's impressive new mobile OS.

A sleek and solid smartphone, the LG Optimus runs the new OS smoothly on a bright 3.8'inch WVGA screen which is also highly responsive to the touch-gesture friendly OS.

Being an LG handset also ensures the LG Optimus has  wireless DLNA connectivity to other devices such as TV's and PC's as well as some LG-specific Windows Phone apps.

BlackBerry Torch (BlackBerry OS 6)  - $599 no contract, starts at $149 on 3-year plans from various carriers

BlackBerry fans sure have a lot of reasons to rejoice. The BlackBerry Torch  (9800)  brings an all new touch-enabled screen and a smart slide out QWERTY keyboard.

Also upgraded is blackberry's OS which now has a better, stronger and faster WebKit based browser as well and some solid multimedia chops.

Backed by RIM's famed email and messaging infrastructure and a growing app ecosystem, the BlackBerry Torch is the device that takes RIM and its users to the next level.