Two Cool Windows Mobile Smart Phone Imports

If lookers such as the T-Mobile Dash, the Cingular 3125, or the new Palm 680 aren't catching your eye (or the eyes of the people around you), check out the Fujitsu Loox T830 and the HP RW-6965 Windows Mobile 5.0 smart phones. You can only find them in Europe and Asia, respectively, or at Dynamism (as of this week).

Besides its subdued grayish looks, the T830 has a built-in GPS receiver, which means you can get directions with downloadable apps such as iGo or TomTom Navigator without the need for a separate, Bluetooth-connected GPS module. It's also got built-in, 3G-grade UMTS 2100, which is great if you're in Shanghai, where that UMTS band is prevalent. But it's also likely you'll be able to soon access the UMTS 2100 3G networks of T-Mobile in the U.S., if and when that carrier's 3G networks get up and running by early next year. Until then, however, you'll have to settle for the GSM/GPRS networks this phone can easily access in the U.S.

The HP RW-6965 also has built-in GPS, but you'll need to get aftermarket North American navigation programs yourself. And instead of 3G UMTS, this Moto-Q-like smart phone uses the slower EDGE network for data, but has an added bonus of Wi-Fi, so you can get high-speed surfing and downloading speeds anywhere there's a hotspot.

Either of these phones will work with local GSM SIM cards while you're abroad, or with SIM cards from T-Mobile or Cingular. The main reason I like Dynamism over some of the other import sites is because the Chicago-based e-tailer provides personalized tech support—they'll make sure you get anything you buy from them up and running for the U.S.

That said, since these are imports, you won't get any subsidies from a U.S. carrier, which means you'll pay around $600-$700, just like people in other countries, where consumers don't typically get promotional discounts from carriers when they sign up for two-year contracts.

Distinctive-looking, fashion-y smart phones may be the order of the day, but nothing's more distinctive than some imports that most of your friends have probably never even seen or heard of.