THE BEST Cellphones

Mixing assassins with Google’s Nexus One thankfully only results in a lot of shredded cardboard: Ninja’s Unboxing is a sharp warning to blister packs and shrink wrapping everywhere.

OtterBox’s Tandem Series is godsend for Palm Pre owners in search of a case: it features silicone-lined polycarbonate front and back shells that let you slide the screen smoothly.

Lenovo’s China-only Lephone includes a snap-on keyboard a-la the Ideapad U1; the phone itself features a 3.7″ touchscreen, 1 GHz Snapdragon CPU, and two cameras (one front-facing).

Available 1/25/2010 with Verizon, Palm doubles down with the Pre Plus (16 GB, no home button) and Pixi Plus (WiFi); both can also serve as 3G hotspots with up to 5 devices tethered.

Motorola’s Backflip is inside-out with both the keyboard and 3.1″ touch screen facing outwards; the 3G-capable phone runs Android 1.5 and includes WiFi, Bluetooth, and a 5 MP camera.

Google’s Nexus One is official: it’s available unlocked or via T-Mo/VZW and features a 3.7″ AMOLED touchscreen, 5 MP camera, video recording, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Android 2.1.

No, your phone is not haunted: Mac Funamizu’s Floater Phone concept features a curved bottom that lets it sit up by itself or wobble whenever it receives a call or text message.

Sony Ericsson’s Elm and Hazel are eco-friendly phones made from recycled plastics; each features a 5 MP camera, Wi-Fi, HSPA, a low-power charger, and minimal packaging.

Giant flip phones, two-line displays: Toddland revisits the 80s with this yuppie-friendly printed vinyl Buy Sell Buy Sell Wallet; it even comes with an antenna that extends and retracts.

Defend the universe on the go with Voltron, now available on iPhone and soon on other phones; it features 30 levels, isometric and 1-on-1 battles, and video from the TV show.

Andrew Mitchell’s Squibble Braille Interface concept features 779 ultrasonic motors to provide tactile and high contrast feedback; it’s designed to work with cellphones via Bluetooth.

Peek at the real world with Google Goggles; it’s a basic visual search for Android phones that can store business cards as well as ID books, art, businesses, and landmarks.

Zii’s Trinity is a 3.5G/4G phone that’ll run Android or Plaszma with drool-worthy specs: 3.1″ OLED multi-touch screen, 1080p out, front-facing camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and 3D graphics.

Ideal for folks living in chilly climes, Steve Hoefer teaches you how to make any pair of gloves touch screen-friendly: all you’ll need is a needle and about 12″ of conductive thread.

Available 12/7/09 at AT&T, LG’s eXpo targets road warriors with a detachable pico projector; the slider smartphone also features a 1 GHz CPU, 3.2″ touchscreen, and 5 MP camera.

Europe only: Nokia’s flagship music phone, the X6, offers unlimited free Nokia Music Store downloads; it boasts a 3.2″ display, 32 GB storage, HSPDA, Wi-Fi, and a 5 MP camera.

If you can get past the name, HP’s iPAQ Glisten is a BlackBerry alternative for AT&T; a 3G world-phone, it features an AMOLED touchscreen, WinMo 6.5, Wi-Fi, GPS, and full QWERTY.

‘Tis the season to be shiny: Incase’s Chrome Slider Cases are as bright as they are colorful, with black, gold, copper, and silver shells and pop-fluro interiors with rubber guardrails.

Worried about your phone frying your brain? Pong’s iPhone Case reduces radiation 65% (WIRED’s test here) by using passive antenna coupling to redirect energy away from your head.

Similar to Hard Graft’s Phone Card Wallet (albeit cheaper), Malcolm Fontier’s iMojito Wallet serves both as an iPhone case and can hold up to 6 credit cards; it’s made with PU and microfiber.

iPhone users aren’t the only ones saturating, cropping and flipping: the Photoshop Mobile App is now available on the Android Market and includes auto-upload and sharing.

Blackberry’s Curve 8530 does a double debut today at both Verizon ($99 on 11/20) and Sprint (price TBA); they both feature an optical trackpad, EVDO Rev.A, Wi-Fi, and 2 MP camera.

Available on Verizon 11/6, HTC’s Droid Eris is similar to Sprint’s Hero but at a lower pricepoint; it features a 3.2″ capacitive touchscreen, 5 MP camera, Wi-Fi, and Android 1.5 w/Sense UI.

The Xperia X10 is Sony Ericsson’s new flagship phone: it packs a speedy 1 GHz CPU, 4″ capacitive touchscreen, 8.1MP camera, “Rachael” Android UI, HSPA, Wi-Fi, and GPS.