Head to Head: Upcoming Line Ups for the 'Big Time' Service Providers in 2011

2011 is seeing the release of a lot of new phones. Companies such as Motorola and Samsung are putting out a lot of new models for the big time service providers (i.e Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint) to pick up and offer service with. For someone whose scanning the market, it could be pretty overwhelming to find a phone you want now knowing that there's always something coming out in the next few weeks.

As all these companies compete for the change out of your pocket, I compiled this list. Here you can see them competing laid out in a manner easy enough for the average buyer to understand without undertaking a pretty hardcore brain-fart. And in popular American fashion, I've decided to use a bit of a Baseball-esque twist. However, for the sake of length, we'll limit each team to three contenders each.

 So without further or due, here it is, Verizon's 2011 Upcoming Line Up:

HTC Thunderbolt

Leading off, we have the HTC Thunderbolt (shown right.). The Thunderbolt promises just about every feature you could ask for in a hand held and a couple you might only expect in a computer! Running with the famed new 4G service, it's packing pretty fast web page loading and downloading speeds. It has an 8 megapixel camera which is top of the line as far as phones come and even allows video calling. To give you a comparison, your average digital camera will have anywhere from 3 to 9, making this phone among the top in that category as well.
The only con that's being reported faithfully is the battery life. It's no surprise that with the over powering processing power of this phone, the battery will suffer. According to SlashGear's HTC Thunderbolt review, 2 hours and 45 minutes of downloading, tweeting, and emailing will leave the phone at around 8% battery. Slashgear also went on to say that a user will get on average 182 minutes of basic texting, browsing, and a couple phone calls before seeing the low battery light turn on.
 Overall, this phone is a powerhouse of modern cellphone technology. The battery slacks, sure, but who could expect a long battery life out of such a phone? This phone is available for service through Verizon here for $299.99

Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY shown in white with a white DK300 Multimedia dock

Next up, we have the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY. This phone's innovative design (shown left) alone would earn it a spot on this list. This phone definitely does it all. The Xperia PLAY comes fully loaded with a 5.1 megapixel camera capable of video recording, flash, video chatting, and geo-tagging to fill your photos with tags about everything in them! It also carries your standard web browsing options, voice recording, SMS/MMS messaging, and chat style texting which is pretty typical of all Android-supporting phones. It has a standard QWERTY keyboard found on screen and comes with your basic phonebook, calendar, alarm clock, calculator, document reader, etc. But, this isn't anything new as far as a phone goes. I mean sure, the front face camera and video chat is a relatively new option as far as phones go, but that's not what sets it apart. So what does, you ask? I'll tell you.

Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY shown with the Playstation Certified gaming controller.

It's this bad boy right here (right). This PlayStation controller built right on to one of the panels of the phone slides out from underneath the screen and allows the user to immerse his or herself into the world of hand-held gaming. Supporting 3D gaming, this phone opens itself up as a new gaming platform similar to the PSP. In essence, this addition marries the PSP to the world of smartphone technology breeding something unknown. As for now, it is not clear whether or not the phone will have any actual games sold separately in stores other than the games available on Android's app store.
This baby is due for release in the first quarter of 2011 though no specific date has been mentioned yet. Service for this phone will be available through Verizon only as of now and no official prices have been dropped. For more information on the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY check out Phonearena.com's page here or Sony Ericsson's official page here.

Closing off for team Verizon, we have the Blackberry Monaco. The Monaco has a couple alias' such as the Blackberry Storm 3, Blackberry Storm 2.5, or the Blackberry 9570. Now, Blackberry isn't a brand I'm typically fond off. I tried my hand at the original Blackberry Storm and was definitely less than pleased. And yet, Blackberry still sells incredibly well with all its other models on the market. For this reason, and that it's the only real innovation in Blackberry design announced so far, will I be placing this phone on my Verizon line up.

The Blackberry Monaco

 The Blackberry Monaco (shown left) has been announced as the third generation Storm. It's relatively small as far as smart phones go with a 3.7 inch display. It runs your standard Blackberry operating system meaning it won't seem to foreign to past Blackberry users. It promises your average Blackberry browser, 5 megapixel camera with flash, auto focus and stabilizer, bluetooth, and can handle all the major multimedia formats like MP3, WMA, MPEG4, and WMV. And, I'm sure, will offer the famed BBM app. which tends to attract so many. However, many users tend to complain about Blackberry's slacking applications. I might be going out on a limb here, but I bet that with the all touch screen model capable of handling multi-touch (giving more options than just one single click), there's a potential for better control with all types of apps and overall phone functionality. The Monaco has been was announced last year and is due (unofficially) around the second quarter of 2011.  For more about the Blackberry Monaco check out Phone Arena's  web page here.

For our next team in this head to head, we have AT&T.

LG Thrill 4G

 Leading off for AT&T, we have the LG Thrill. This 4G phone has the basic sleek design of Droid while using the optimal 4G service to guarantee fast web browsing and download speeds. The LG Thrill is the first American Version of the LG Optimus 3D. The phone (shown right) is your standard run of the mill Android phone. It comes with your basic SMS/MMS messaging service, Google Talk (instant messaging service), Email, and any other messaging program found on the Android market. It has a 5 megapixel camera capable of video recording and 3D recording. The media abilities are again, basic; not that you would actually need much else. It's able to play your most common video and audio formats such as WMA, WMV, MP3, MPEG4, AVI, and DivX. There's really not a whole lot to talk about as far as the Thrill goes. There is one thing worth mentioning though. That would be the world's first 3D screen that functions without the need for glasses. This is pretty cool because I know everybody would be way more interested in 3D technology if we didn't have to wear those weird multi-colored glasses. The LG Thrill 4G is set to release sometime soon although no official date has been set by AT&T or LG.

HTC HD7S

 Next up, we have the HTC HD7S. The HD7S is a redefined version of the previously released HTC HD7; better known to AT&T buyers as the HTC Surround. This hand held (pictured left) runs on a Windows 7 operating system for phones. For anyone whose handled a phone using window's previous operating system, you'll notice the difference. CNET's Bonnie Cha describe it as "A complete overhaul of the company's mobile operating system..". As well as the revamped operating system, the HTC HD7S also packs a super LCD display on the 4.3 inch display as oppose to the regular LCD display on the older version. The rest is pretty identical to the previous HD7. The only spec's really worth looking at are those promised by the operating system, such as the Xbox Live integration and the built in Zune Service; allowing users to download movies and music at their whim. The camera works at 5 megapixels which ranks average amongst smart phones today. The phone's processing speed runs at 1 GHz and packs a decent 576 MB of RAM. For anyone whose not sure what that means exactly, it's basically just how fast the phone runs while opening apps, or with multiple apps open, etc. Basically, the more GHz or RAM you have, the quicker the phone will run. The rest of the spec's are virtually the same as the HTC HD7, so for more on the HD7's specs you can check HTC's official webpage for it here or you can check out Phonearena.com's previewed specs about the HTC HD7S here though not all facts there are confirmed and may be incorrect. The HD7S was only announced on March 21st of this year so no release day has been mentioned as of yet.

The iPad 2 shown here in black and white

Closing it out for AT&T we have the Apple iPad 2. Apple's next generation of the famed iPad is here and it's just as popular, if not more. The original iPad sold an estimated 300,000 units on its debut day where as the iPad 2 claimed about 500,000 its debut weekend. Now I know everything on this list thus far is a phone, but AT&T is offering a 3G wireless plan for the iPad 2 so this definitely belongs. The iPad 2 packs a 1GHz dual core processor and 512 MB of RAM which means.. its pretty damn fast. And for all that processing power, it only weighs about a pound and change. It has two cameras, one on the back supporting 1080p video recording and one in the front for your photogenic self or for some iChat/face time. The screen is pretty big itself, standing at a whopping 9.7 inches with its LED display. The battery life is pretty good for a hand held like the iPad. For all the work it puts in, it should last you anywhere from 8-12 hours depending on the amount of time you use it. The body itself doesn't have many options, it comes in either white or black. It also comes with three memory options: 16 GB for the average Joe, 32 GB for the above average Joe, and 64 GB for the average Joe with pockets as deep as the Grand Canyon. The only major recurring problem that most people have with the iPad 2 is the lack of a flash player. This means many interactive parts of websites, even some online videos may not be viewed. The lack of Flash compatibility is a huge blow and shouldn't be underestimated when you see how many websites actually use Flash. The iPad 2 can be bought at $499.00 for the 16 GB, $599.00 for the 32 GB, and $699.00 for the 64 GB at Apple's online store here. AT&T is also selling the iPad 2 on their website at $629.00 for the 16 GB and $729.00 for the 32 GB but both include 3G wifi service.
You can read more about the Ipad 2 at Slashgear or user reviews on CNET here.

Now our final team for our match up: Sprint.

HTC EVO Shift 4G with QWERTY keyboard

Leading off, we have the HTC EVO Shift 4G. This phone (pictured left) is pretty identical to the previous HTC EVO 4G, just scaled down a tad. As all other HTC phones, the EVO Shift 4G runs the Android operating system. It has a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera which is normal as far as phones go, supports geo-tagging to tag photos with all types of notes and what-not, LED flash, and a video camera capable of recording in 720p (one stop down from the famed 1080p). Another difference from the original HTC EVO 4G is that this phone features a slide down QWERTY keyboard with a D-Pad. The D-Pad and keyboard are preferred by so many users who aren't really cool with the whole touch screen advance just yet. It also features GPS and turn by turn navigation. It has all your other basic phone needs like SMS texting, HTML and Flash compatible web browsing, and supports all major media formats like MP3, WMA, MPEG4, and WMV. However, a problem I noticed right off the bat was the battery life. The talk time on this phone is around 6 hours. That ranks it pretty low against other phones of today. I mean, even the iPad 2 will last you about 10 hours! Though virtually all CNET user reviews for this phone rank it amongst the best they've ever used, they also all mention how unfortunate the battery life is. However, most people seem to really love the phone; definitely worth a look. This phone is available through Sprint here at $149.99. And for more about the HTC EVO Shift 4G you can check out Phone Arena's page here.

The Google Nexus S 4G

Next up, we have the Google Nexus S 4G. This phone (shown right) runs on Google's new version of the Android operating system, Android 2.3. It has a 4 inch touch screen with a 480 x 800 resolution, which ranks it amongst the best. It runs a 100 MHz processor with 512 MB of RAM which means this phone runs pretty lightning quick with little to no wait time on anything. It supports WI-FI and Bluetooth technology. The camera is a 5 megapixel camera with flash and autofocus which also supports video recording and video calling. The Nexus S 4G supports HTML and Flash for web browsing which helps provide a more total browsing experience. The main strength to this phone is the 4G capability which takes your typical download speeds and throws them right out at the windows at virtually the speed of light. The phone is said to have an option allowing you to turn WiMAX on and off. WiMAX on will give you the 4G speed but take more of the battery life than usual where WiMAX off would be considered a battery saving mode. This phone was announced on March 21st and is expected for release during the spring term of 2011, though nothing is official as of yet. For more on the Google Nexus S 4G you can check Phone Arena's page here or Engadget's announcement here.

RIM Blackberry 4G Playbook

Finally, closing out our competition we have the RIM Blackberry 4G Playbook. At first glance, one might mistake this for an iPad just turned on its side. And you wouldn't be too far off in thinking so. The Playbook (shown right) has the potential to pack just as much punch, if not more, than the iPad. It's smaller than the iPad with a 7 inch display and weighing about 14 ounces. With this tablet, Blackberry is trying to keep its business usages up by offering full email, instant messaging, wifi capabilities (even with the 4G service already), computer synchronization, HDMI connection which is high definition multimedia interface (basically, just a single plus which is capable of transmitting HD video and audio rather than using the multiple A/V cables of the past), and internet browsing complete with HTML, HTML5, Flash, and Javascript (for a computer-like web browsing experience). You will also be able to sync it with your Blackberry smartphone for access to things like your email, address book, calendar, and even BBM. In addition to that, the Playbook also supports audio playback in MP3 and video playback in MPEG4 and WMV. It comes with a 5 megapixel rear camera good for taking photos and a 3 megapixel front camera good for video calling. We can't forget the strong processing power with 1 GB of RAM and 1000 MHz dual core processor unleashing incredibly fast download and upload speeds as well as smooth app running. The only thing I'm worried about with this tablet is the app capability. So far, Blackberry has been slacking when it comes to their app store in comparison to other big timers like Android or Apple.  If they can step up their app game specifically for this release, I think this can easily run against the iPad for best hand held tablet on the market. It will release with three options, 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB. All three are available for pre-order through Best Buy here. According to their estimated shipping option, standard shipping on a pre-order of the Blackberry 4G Playbook should have it delivered between April 19th and April 26th of this year. For more about the Blackberry 4G Playbook developed by RIM, check out Phone Arena's page here and Blackberry's official page here.