8. Motorola Droid

Verizon Wireless
$299 (with new two-year contract)

Here's the skinny: If you don't buy Apple's hit iPhone, buy a Droid. Sporting Android 2.0, the updated mobile operating system developed by a Google-led consortium, the Droid and its 3.7-in. screen with its clear 854-by-480 display reels you in. The 5.0 megapixel digital camera, touchscreen interface, and hideaway keyboard are further enticements. If those features don't do the trick, you'll probably be won over by Droid's use of the Verizon Wireless speedy 3G network, its ability to run several tasks at once, and the fact it has a longer battery life than the iPhone 3Gs. Android Market Place's 10,000 or so applications don't hold a candle to the 100,000-plus available on the App Store, but Motorola's Droid is the first device we've seen that gives the iPhone a real run for its money.