In the age of iPhones, Samsung Galaxies, and LG G2s, it's difficult to remember that there used to be other phones. These 10 phones used to be the hottest on the market, even though now many people have forgotten they existed.
Motorola Razr
The Razr had long battery life, a huge plus for power talkers. Powerful for its time, with lots of bells and whistles, users and critics alike embraced it. Life on the top in the tech world is fleeting, however, especially once Apple stepped up its game.
The Sidekick
Bright, sleek, and high-tech looking, T-Mobile's Sidekick offered a sliding screen and separate typing pad. It looked like a video game controller and geeks loved it. Until newer phones that had more options arrived, that is.
The Shine
LG's Shine certainly shone in 2006, selling more than 200,000 phones by November of that year. The no contract options sweetened the deal and it was very popular in Korea. None of this made the Shine a permanent contender, but it had a good run.
BlackBerry Pearl
RIM's BlackBerry Pearl had everything going for it. Attractive color options, plenty of customization, and its e-mail friendly programming helped make BlackBerry the king of phones, along with the Curve. As iPhones offered more and gained popularity, however, BlackBerry's fortunes changed fast.
Motorola Pebl
No doubt about it: people loved the Pebl. Small, versatile, and easy to use, it gained fans fast. It was also relatively inexpensive compared to other phones, which was another bonus. That wasn't enough to keep it around forever, but it was popular for its time.
BlackBerry Curve
The Curve took the business world by storm. Internet, Microsoft Outlook, and IE ready, an easy-to-use calendar for scheduling meetings, and total customization of text and email tones made this the phone that shot BlackBerry to business phone domination. Sadly, RIM didn't change with consumer demand, and by the time the company realized its mistake, it was too late.
LG Chocolate
Years before its popular G series came out, LG had a sweet thing going with its Chocolate phone. It boasted a 3-inch display, 1 GB internal memory, and a media player--all for less than $100. It was one of the most affordable 'dumb' phones out there, and had everything users loved. Until they decided they wanted 'smart' phones, that is.
Nextel i860
Nextel's i860 was all the rage not so long ago. You never missed a call or message because the phone loudly beeped and chirped. Users loved that you could open this flip phone with the push of a button, too. Unfortunately for Nextel, love of phones is a fleeting thing.
Sony Erikson w610i
Sony's Walkman phone was a music lover's dream. It held up to 470 songs, had a great camera, and decent reception. What it didn't have was a good display or fast speed, which meant it didn't have a chance once smartphones rolled out.
Nokia N97
When Nokia released this phone, the full flip-out QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi, 32 GB internal memory, and up to 9.5 hours of talk time seemed amazing to users. Rightly so: it was quite advanced for its time. Times change fast with technology, however, and the N97 ended up being yet another on a long list of phones that you rarely see anymore.
