Last Gadget Standing or Otherwise, the Trace Rocks

As far as cell handsets are concerned, 2006 has been a year of sexy-looking lemons (can anyone say Chocolate or Q?). Which is why I want to give a shout-out to the Samsung Trace and offer it up as a candidate for Last Gadget Standing. Like the Samsung x820, with which it shares a form factor/body, the Trace is simply the thinnest handset available that also happens to be a darn good phone.

I played around with the x820 all summer, then got my hands on the Trace, originally known as the t519 when T-Mobile released it in September. With the exception of a less high-end camera (just 1.3 megapixels on the Trace versus the x820's 2-megapixel shooter), the features and overall handling on both phones are essentially the same, which is to say extremely satisfying.

Alas, there is the matter of the Trace's color—a drab gray versus the x820's sleek black—but hey, you can't have everything. Despite its status as the thinnest phone on the market—about as thick as a pack of Dentyne Ice—the Trace is a quality handset that may well best many models thrice its size. Yes, it's thin enough to snap (if you're really determined to break it), as Gina pointed out in a post a couple of months ago, but everything else about this phone, from the buttons to the body, feels solid. And as far as I and my small pockets are concerned, phones can never be too thin.

I like the big and sturdy keypad buttons, which emit a choice of xylophone or standard tones when you press them (a feature that's big in Korea and with phone dorks such as myself). Even better is the large screen that's ideal for taking and viewing pictures or videos and for playing games. Call quality is excellent, and the Trace is so unnoticeable in my pocket or bag that it's actually hard to find sometimes between all the business cards and other crap (a worthwhile inconvenience, considering the lack of bulge the phone creates in my pants).

One thing the Trace has that the x820 lacks is T-Mobile's My Faves feature, which offers all-you-can-eat calling to call your favorite five people, regardless of their carriers. The quad-band Trace (the x820 is tri-band only) has a micro-SD slot (for the built-in music player or image viewer), Bluetooth, and EDGE (quasi-high-speed data capability). But here's the really great news: T-Mobile is selling it for only $99.

Besides a place in Last Gadget Standing, this phone deserves a place on some Best of 2006 lists—it just might be this year's handset to beat for good design, portability, convenience, and reliability. And it's the one I've been recommending to all my friends, regardless of their budgets.

Anyone out there with a Trace who'd like to weigh in, pro or contra?

Related links:

The Last Gadget Standing Starts Here

Will Wherify's Wherifone Be the Last Gadget Standing?

Are Electronics Getting Too Thin?