Budget-friendly cell phones

RIM BlackBerry Curve 3G 9330 (Sprint)

Cnet rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (very good)

The good: The Curve 3G 9330 has a very responsive optical track pad, convenient external media keys, Wi-Fi, stereo Bluetooth, GPS, EV-DO, a 2-megapixel camera, and a media player. It's upgradeable to OS 6, and is very affordable.

The bad: The Curve 3G 9330 only has EV-DO Rev. 0, the microSD card slot is located behind the battery cover, and photo quality is mediocre.

The price: Up to $50, depending on contract

The bottom line: The BlackBerry Curve 3G 9330 is a very affordable entry-level smart phone with a solid feature set and great call quality.

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LG Optimus T (T-Mobile)

Cnet rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (very good)

The good: The Optimus T has a simple touch-screen design, Wi-Fi, GPS, Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities, 3G support, and a 3.2-megapixel camera, and it ships with Android 2.2. It's also very affordable.

The bad: The LG Optimus T has a slower processor and lower resolution display than higher-end smart phones. There's no LED flash, and it doesn't have HD video capture. Flash 10.1 is not available with the browser even though Android 2.2 technically supports it.

The price: Up to $290, depending on contract

The bottom line: The LG Optimus T is one of the best entry-level smart phones you can buy, with a feature set that is on par with devices more than twice its price.

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Motorola Bravo (AT&T;)

Cnet rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (very good)

The good: The Bravo has a nice 3.7-inch WVGA display, a slim build, and multimedia-friendly features that include DLNA support. Call quality is good.

The bad: The Bravo ships with a MotoBlur overlay, which may not be for everyone. The microSD card slot is located behind the battery. You can't uninstall or remove preloaded apps.

The price: Up to $450, depending on contract

The bottom line: The Motorola Bravo is a midrange Android smart phone with solid multimedia features.

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Samsung Continuum (Verizon Wireless)

Cnet rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (very good)

The good: The Continuum features two displays; the smaller ticker window is a great tool for quickly accessing information and multitasking. It has a 1-GHz processor and a 5-megapixel camera with HD video capture. It offers full wireless options and can be used as a mobile hotspot.

The bad: The smaller screen makes for a more cramped typing experience. Ticker display currently isn't available for third-party apps. Runs Android 2.1, and Bing is set as the default search engine. You can't uninstall preloaded apps and services.

The price: Up to $530, depending on contract

The bottom line: More than just a gimmick, the Samsung Continuum's secondary display is a useful management and multitasking tool, but its constant flow of information might not appeal to everybody.

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These Cnet staff members contributed to this report: senior editor Bonnie Cha, associate editor Nicole Lee and senior editor Laura K. Cucullu. For more reviews, visit www.cnet.com.

This article appeared on page E - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle