The Five Biggest Phone Stories Of 2008

Here's a list of the five phones that generated the most buzz in the world of mobility. See who makes the cut and who doesn't.5. Nokia N97: Nokia's flagship phone for 2009 was announced earlier this month at Nokia World. We haven't had a lot of time to write about it, but the sheer volume of coverage generated by the world's No. 1 maker of cell phones was incredible. Web sites the world over hammered readers with facts, thoughts, and opinions. The N97 uber-media phone is sure to generate a lot more buzz when it comes out.

4. BlackBerry Storm: The first touch-screen smartphone from RIM made its tepid debut in late November. The lead up to it was intense, with bloggers and rumor sites churning out post after post. It still continues to generate buzz, as users have discovered quite a few bugs with the device and RIM is patching things up via firmware updates. I think we'll continue to hear more about the Storm well into 2009.

3. HTC G1 Android phone: The first phone to launch with Google's Android platform was a hit with the blogosphere. The wait sure was a long one. With the Android platform first announced in November 2007, it was a guessing game to see which OEM was going to come out with some Android-based hardware first. HTC took the bait and has reaped the benefits. With the G1 providing Android a foothold and giving it some much-needed visibility, I think Android has a bright future. Here's looking to more HTC-wrought Android phones in 2009.

2. BlackBerry Bold: Ah, the Bold. The reason the Bold was such a big story is because it was delayed for so long. RIM first unveiled the Storm at the Wireless Enterprise Symposium in May. It was originally slated for a July release. Then August. Then September. Then October. It finally saw the light of day in November. Each successive delay only generated more buzz for one of the sexiest BlackBerrys yet. This capable smartphone does the 3G-business-phone thing effortlessly and with plenty of style to back it up.

1. 3G iPhone: The 3G iPhone is not No. 1 on my list for the reasons you might think. The iPhone 3G was naught but a rumor at Macworld 2008. Hopes were dashed when Apple failed to trot it out during Steve Jobs' keynote. The blogosphere continued to speculate all the way until June, when Apple finally announced the 3G iPhone with the 2.0 firmware on board, as well as the Apps Store. Then the phone was released, and all hell broke loose. The activation issues faced by many (myself included) generated tons of negative press. The new phone was a buggy mess, creating more negative press. The buzz surrounding the 3G iPhone didn't really abate until Apple issued the 2.1 firmware update in September, which cleared up problems for many users. The 3G iPhone may not be the best phone on this list, but it was the most noteworthy.

Given how exciting 2008 was, I am looking forward to what 2009 has in store for us all.