Mother's Day Gift Guide

This year's Mother's Day is approaching fast, so we thought you're probably already thinking of how to make this very special person incredibly happy on that beautiful day. And in our typical importunate manner when it comes to celebrations of this kind, we'll naturally step in and offer you a small guide that will let you choose the best phone there is for your mom. We will present our suggestions in categories, based on the carrier that offers them. So, let's skip the small talk and get down to business...

Verizon Wireless:

If your mom loves technology (which we secretly doubt, but still...), we believe one of the best options currently in Verizon's catalog is the HTC Droid Incredible. This hot Android 2.1 smartphone managed to captivate the hearts of power users in no time, thanks to its large 3.7-inch AMOLED display, fast 1GHz Snapdragon chipset and 8MP camera with flash. What's more important is that it has the user-friendly Sense UI on top of the raw operating system, so it won't be too hard for your mom to get the hang of it, even if she's not used an Android up till now.

We can't miss the fact that Verizon was initially advertising the Palm Pre Plus as a phone for mom (somehow, this phone just can't get the proper advertising, although AT&T seems to be heading in the right direction). Personally, we believe it's much more than a lady phone (not that there's something wrong with that), but still, of course it's a good choice for your mom, after all it's a wonderful and intuitive smartphone.

If your mom is really into messaging, then one of the better choices at Verizon's right now that won't break the bank is the LG enV3. A pretty decent device, equipped with a full QWERTY keyboard and 2.6-inch main screen that lacks the hassle of being a smartphone.

Finally, what some people need is just a simple cell phone that will let them call their son or daughter. For those customers, we would recommend the Motorola Entice W766, which is a pretty stable and balanced performer.



AT&T:

It is true that AT&T customers do not get so much new smartphones as Verizon customers do, but AT&T has the privilege of being the only carrier to offer the almighty Apple iPhone 3GS. Your mom will be delighted to surf the web, play games, listen to music and communicate with this Cupertino-made piece of gadgetry. Oh, and it will soon get multitasking too!

The Android mania is here, and almost everyone with interest in the industry is into it. If this includes your mom, then we can't help but note that AT&T has the Motorola BACKFLIP in its lineup. It is a sleek Android 1.5 smartphone with unique design and some very nice features, such as a 3.1-inch capacitive display and 5MP camera. It also has a social-centric MOTOBLUR interface that will surely keep you in the loop.

But not everything in life is technology. Pure style can also be enough in order to make you buy a new phone. This is where the Nokia 6750 Mural comes in. This super-elegant clamshell easily resonates a fashionable appeal with its uniform shiny look all around. It even has a nicely hidden external OLED display that comes to life with an elegant glow. If you demand extraordinary design and no additional special features, the Mural is a perfect choice.



Sprint:

We've seen many new phones hit Sprint's catalog during the last year, but none of them was as impressive as the webOS-powered Palm Pre. The Pre's innovative operating system is quite versatile, while the device itself looks very good and packs a full QWERTY keyboard. Beautiful handset, really. But if your mom happens to find it a bit on the bulkier side, then you can always go for the Palm Pixi - a very compact and functional smartphone that also takes advantage of Palm's intuitive webOS platform.

If global trends are more important to you however, then the Android-based HTC Hero seems like the better phone. The Hero is more on the affordable side now and packs the beautiful Sense UI that allows for a pretty cool user experience. A 3.2-inch HVGA screen, 5MP camera, 3.5mm jack and GPS are all part of the Hero's attractive body.

A truly feminine feature phone found in Sprint's lineup is the LG Lotus Elite LX610. Even though the original Lotus looked somewhat better, the Lotus Elite is not bad, and packs a touch panel on the front side. It also has a full QWERTY keyboard that will let mom send you as many texts as her plan allows. What? What's that expression on your face?



T-Mobile:

T-Mobile has been on the forefront of the Android invasion that has taken over the market, since the very beginning. Unfortunately, the HTC myTouch 3G Slide will not be available probably until June, but you can still have a pretty extensive Android catalog to choose from, including the HTC Nexus One, myTouch 3G, Samsung Behold II and the Motorola CLIQ XT. Which one should you choose? Depends on your mom's needs. The Google Phone (N1) is no doubt the most technologically-advanced smartphone among the rest, with its giant 3.7-inch AMOLED screen and up-to-date Android 2.1 operating system.

The Motorola CLIQ XT is a nice upgrade to the CLIQ and a pretty capable handset on the overall. Although it does not pack a physical QWERTY keyboard, its messaging capabilities are very good. On top of that it adds multi-touch support and Flash Lite to enable you to watch YouTube videos directly in the browser.


Of course, for those not fond of Android, there's always the option of getting the HTC TouchPro2 - a lovely Windows Mobile-powered smartphone with full QWERTY keyboard. Ideal for business users.

Another business-centric handset that is also worth mentioning here is the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700, which is capable of making your text and email correspondence a breeze.

The Nokia 5130 XpressMusic is the perfect choice if you can't afford to spend a lot on a present, or your mom doesn't really care for the overwhelming functionality that today's smartphones offer. After all, life is about music and joy, right?



So, this was our Mother's Day Gift Guide. We sincerely hope that you've found some pretty intriguing suggestions here that will surely appeal to your mom and will make her happy on that very special day.

In the end, we would like to conclude with a suggestion for a little text you can send to your mom, in case you do not have the opportunity to meet her in person on May 9:

A mother’s work is never done
She works from morning until dawn
She spreads her love
And keeps you warm
But only once a year we say
Mother we wish you 'Happy Mother's Day!'