You don't have to be a tech geek or a fashion forward technology fanatic to notice that a faster, slimmer, or more expensive model is released practically every day. Before you pick up the trendiest phone, check out the cell phone brand. You will want to know about previous phone releases, buyouts, and where they stand in the smartphone game.
It's All About the Brand
There are a lot of phones currently on the market, but what do you know about the manufacturers? We have an overview of some of the leading cell phone brands out there.
* '''Apple''': After launching the iPhone in 2007, Apple quickly became the cell phone brand to beat. Yes, they make more than computers. Their phones are exclusive to AT&T and yield some of the best features including touch screens, high megapixel photo and video cameras, and a variety of applications known as apps. These applications cover everything from games to sports updates to navigation.
* '''Motorola''': Way back in the late 1990s (we know, that's practically forever) Motorola came out with the world's smallest phone, the Startac. The mobile communications company that started over 80-plus years ago is a leading groundbreaker when it comes to cell phones. In 2004, they released the RAZR, and more recently unveiled the DROID, CLIQ, and BackFlip.
* '''Nokia''': Everyone knows this Finnish company, but what they might not know is that not many service providers actually carry Nokia phones. This doesn't mean they don't make quality phones. Their smart phones such as the Nokia E71 was released in 2008 and competed with the BlackBerry at a much affordable price. One year later, they debuted the X6 and X3, music and social networking-based cell phones.
* '''Palm''': HP now owns this once leading cell phone company after it lost its spot at the top of the cell phone tower thanks to Apple and HTC. Palm also introduced webOS, which like the iPhone has a touch screen, calendar, and contacts. However, users can run more than one application at the same time.
* '''Samsung''': Here's a company that runs the gamut of cell phones from every day phones to high-tech smartphones that use Windows. If you're a fan of QWERTY keypads, then you have Samsung to thank. They were the first cell phone brand to incorporate this keyboard.
