Top mobile devices of 2005

In mobile computing, we saw fast and flashy Ferarris, found that tablets had become easier to swallow, and got brutal in the test lab in our AMD vs. Intel laptop battle.

Mobile telephony was characterised by heightened convergence, the return of the "brick" (albeit a 3G-enabled brick), and a blurring of the distinction between phone and PDA. Slider and clamshell designs continued to make inroads in the Australian market, which seems to have finally accepted that a candybar-shaped mobile isn't the only way to go.

We take a look back at the mobile devices that defined 2005 and offer our picks. The 10 products were chosen based on innovative design, superior performance, or because they offer a killer feature or two that sets them apart from the pack.

        Editor's Choice 2005

Sony Ericsson K750i Read review	We can barely fault the 2-megapixel K750i from Sony Ericsson, which is a very compelling and easy-to-use handset for mobile users looking to upgrade.
Motorola A1000 Read review	For business users needing to keep in touch with the office on the road, the A1000 is a viable option. Others may find that life is too short to wait for applications to load.
Samsung D600 Read review	Samsung's D600 builds on the success of the D500, voted the best phone of 2005 by the GSM Association, by brightening up the screen, adding a 2-megapixel camera, a Transflash memory card slot for up to 512MB of storage and a TV output.
Sony Ericsson Z800i Read review	A top-shelf 3G offering with a focus on multimedia, the Z800i is a real crowd-pleaser despite its bulk factor.
Nokia N70 Read review	It might be the baby of Nokia's N Series, but the N70 still sports a 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth and a 64MB reduced-size MMC.
Panasonic VS3 Read review	It has been a while since we've put a Panasonic mobile through its paces and we must say we are impressed with the overall performance of the VS3.
O2 Xda Atom Read review	The Xda Atom has Wi-Fi, a 2-megapixel camera and runs on Windows Mobile 5.0, yet shares the same dimensions as the Xda II Mini.
Dell Inspiron 630m Read review	Dell's mid-range Inspiron 630m provides excellent value for money with a hearty system under its hood, a 14.1-inch widescreen display and the option of Windows Media Center.
ThinkPad X32 Read review	For businesspeople who work long hours on the road, the ThinkPad X32 offers an excellent combination of light weight, sufficient screen and keyboard space, plenty of ports and lengthy battery life.
Apple PowerBook G4 (12-inch, SuperDrive) Read review	Though pricier than the 12-inch iBook G4 and some comparable PC laptops, the 12-inch PowerBook G4's performance, solid set of features and software, and killer design will overjoy intermediate and advanced mobile users.