BlackBerry Bold 9700

$49.99 {Amazon}
The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is the most expensive smartphone on this list, at $49.99.  As with most BlackBerrys, the Bold 9700 isn’t terribly exciting.  It has a 2.4-inch screen, and a full QWERTY keyboard, and has the newer trackpad rather than scroll button that’s been met with mixed reactions.  Be forewarned: it will likely be obsolete after the BlackBerry and AT&T press conference on August 3rd, where we’ll hopefully see a phone running the new BlackBerry 6.  But for now, and for under $50, the Bold 9700 is still a pretty good choice.

Motorola Backflip

$0.01 {Amazon}
The Backflip is a strange phone.  You’ve probably seen the advertisements on TV touting the phone’s social networking capability using the Motoblur features.  What isn’t clear is that the phone’s design is a bit… backwards.  When folded closed, the keyboard is directly opposite the touchscreen rathe than sliding underneath the screen like it’s sister phone, the T-Mobile Cliq.  Behind the screen when the keyboard is folded out is a touchpad, with can be a bit confusing to use.  It still runs on Android 1.5, but will be updated to Android 2.1 within a few months.  For those who like to spend a lot of time on social networks, the Backflip is still a good choice.

Palm Pre Plus $49.99 {Verizon}:

The Palm Pre Plus is the fastest phone available running WebOS, though with only four such phones in existence, that might not be much to brag about.  WebOS has a slew of interesting features like Synergy which will merge your Gmail and Facebook contacts into the address book if you set it with those accounts.  It also handles multitasking with an elegant card system.  As for speed? It may run a bit slowly compared to recent competitors, and have a relatively small screen, but it’s not a bad phone by any stretch.

HTC Droid Eris $0.01 {Amazon}:

The HTC Droid Eris is essentially the same as the original HTC Hero, but with a different shell.  It now runs on Android 2.1 with HTC’s Sense UI over the top of it, similar to the HTC EVO or Droid Incredible. The processor is not nearly as fast as either of those phones (528 MHz as compared to 1 GHz for EVO and Incredible), but still runs fairly well.  It is certainly more easily pocketable than the likes of the EVO or the Droid X with it’s smaller 3.2-inch screen.  It won’t be getting any more OS updates, but being stuck on 2.1 at the moment isn’t so bad – particularly compared to those phones still stuck on Android 1.6 or lower.

LG Ally $0.01 {Amazon}

The LG Ally is the second phone on this list with a physical keyboard, but unlike the Pre Plus, it runs on Android 2.1.  The phone is actually fairly new, having launched on Verizon to little fanfare in May.  There’s no talk of a Froyo update as of yet, but as LG’s first Android phone, it’s a pretty good opening shot.  The phone’s processor would clock in around the Eris, but it runs on stock Android with an optional themes app that could mean less of a drain on the battery.  If you want a smartphone on Verizon with a physical keyboard that isn’t as cramped as the Pre Plus, and don’t want to spring for a Droid, the LG Ally is a good choice.