They e-mail, browse the Web, instant message, take pictures, run applications or play videos and music. So it's easy to forget how uncomfortable they are to use as phones. Most are rectangular slabs that are awkward to hold against the ear, causing many smartphone users to also carry a basic cellphone just for calls.

At least one smartphone manufacturer is doing something about this. This week, Research In Motion introduced the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220, available for $150 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile.
This device is the first BlackBerry in a flip phone, or clamshell, form. Like RIM's mainstream, candy-bar-shaped BlackBerry Pearl, the Flip uses a SureType keyboard, which has condensed keys and relies on predictive text software.
After using the Pearl Flip for a week, I've found it to be a stylish messaging device that works well as a comfortable phone. I really liked its exterior screen, which is designed to show previews of incoming messages, saving people the trouble of flipping open the device. It runs on T-Mobile's slow EDGE network, but has built-in Wi-Fi and the ability to connect to saved, nearby wireless networks.
First-time smartphone buyers will likely find the Pearl Flip to be a good fit. When it flips open, a special hinge drops the top half of the device slightly behind the bottom half, and a handy trackball makes navigation easy. The Flip's Web browser enables streaming videos that look sharp on its interior screen, and a microSD card slot supports up to 16 gigabytes of memory.
But current BlackBerry owners who want to switch to a device with a more comfortable phone may have trouble adjusting to the Pearl Flip's SureType keyboard -- especially if they're used to a device with a full QWERTY keyboard. Though the Pearl Flip's keyboard is a generous size and its keys are flat and easy to press, its SureType design assigns two letters to almost every key, which can be frustrating to use when predictive text guesses a different word than that which is intended.
The Pearl Flip supports T-Mobile's Unlimited HotSpot Calling, a service that doesn't use any minutes on calls begun in Wi-Fi zones. Even if a user leaves the Wi-Fi zone in which he or she started a phone conversation, the call passes over to the T-Mobile cellular network without dropping out. This service costs $10 monthly in addition to regular service charges.
When I made calls on the Pearl Flip, friends on the other line noted how crisp and clear our connection sounded. And best of all, the Pearl Flip's long, clamshell profile was easy to hold and fit snugly and comfortably between my ear and shoulder when I needed two hands to carry things.
BlackBerry's signature red light blinks in this device's top corner to indicate new messages. The 1.6-inch exterior screen displays about 25 words (give or take) from newly received e-mails, instant messages, SMS, MMS, calendar notifications and task reminders. If a message is received from a contact to whom a photo is assigned, that photo also shows up on the external screen to identify the sender. Side buttons let users scroll up or down through these previews.
(Source: The Morning Call.com)