Even though Facebook has officially denied “building a mobile phone,” it may be a technicality referring to the fact that they aren’t likely to be building any hardware for the phone. If we go with that definition, Apple doesn’t actually build iPhones, since the manufacturing is outsourced, but most people would agree that’s splitting hairs.

Facebook on the go? There's an app for that, but there could soon be a phone too.

Also worth noting? Google, Apple and Microsoft have all denied working on phones, only to have phones eventually come to market. For Google, it was the Nexus One. Everyone knows what came from Apple’s not working on a phone rumors (a phone). And though Microsoft’s Zune phone never made it to market, they were working on it and eventually released the Kin.

Secrecy when working on a branded smartphone is nothing new, so the technical denials aren’t reason alone to doubt the rumors, but the more important question is if Facebook can make a phone that doesn’t flop.

Out of the previous examples, 2 of the 3 didn’t make it past the 1-year mark. Despite mostly positive reviews, the Nexus One was relegated to a developer phone after weak sales when Google’s try at selling the phone without an official carrier partner proved unsuccessful. The Microsoft Kin phones were killed off 2 months after launching, despite a promotion from Best Buy where the phone was literally given away. The flop of the Kin is what casts the largest shadow over the potential success of a Facebook phone.

The Kin phones were inexpensive, and targeted at young people who spend most of their time on social networks, but the expensive data plans never seemed to match up with the target market. There were internal politics which played a role as well, but the difficulties in getting everything to align – partners, pricing and platform – don’t bode well for the still in the works Facebook phone. While social networks make for popular apps, they’re still just features for many consumers.

There are things which could still make the project interesting, however. The team working on the Facebook phone has experience with operating systems, and even includes a former Android product manager. If Facebook pursues the phone as a test device for a Facebook mobile operating system, it would have to compete with Android, Apple’s iOS4 and Microsoft’s forthcoming Window’s Phone 7 platform. That may still give it better odds at success than trying to build a single iPhone or Blackberry killer device.

When Facebook opened their network up to developers, it was seen as a key to the massive growth and eventual domination that took place. Google already has the “open” thing covered with Android, but Facebook has proved successful as a platform for developers in the past. If they focus on the platform and can do it on one more device, there could be another serious contender in the smartphone competition.

The T-Mobile G2 is a smartphone designed largely with HSPA+ (T-Mobile’s 3G network with “4G speeds”), and seems to be the only phone currently available running on the stock Android 2.2.  Gone is the chin design of the G1, which is replaced by what looks like a riff on the Nexus One with a touchpad rather than a trackball.  The design is complete with a 3.7-inch screen.  Like the T-Mobile G1, the G2 has a slide-out landscape keyboard, but now without being shifted to the left side due to the lack of the chin. {Mashable}

The G2 also sports a 5 MP camera with LED flash that can shoot 720p video, has 4 GB of internal memory and an 8 GB microSD card installed.  Unfortunately, however, the G2 has an 800 MHz Snapdragon processor, which is relatively weak compared to other smartphones.  Like some other recent Android phones, the G2 also has Swype installed for easy text input should you not want to use the physical keyboard.  Of course, there’s also use the stock Android touchscreen keyboard if you find touch typing easier than swyping.

Now it looks like the Nexus One is back.  The phone is now replacing the Google Ion (better known as the HTC Dream or myTouch 3G) as the phone for developers to buy.  If you’re a developer, you can buy the phone unlocked at $529.  It comes preloaded with Android 2.1, but Google promises that it would be given an update to 2.2 shortly after it’s turned on. {Engadget}

While the developer Nexus One is unlocked, it only has bands that are capable of working on the T-Mobile network.  It’s also unclear if the phone can be rooted to allow for custom ROMs, but that will surely be figured out by some developers.

HTC also recently announced that the Nexus One would be shipping with S-LCD (Super LCD) screens rather than the short-of-supply AMOLED screens.  Google is still listing the Nexus One as having the old screen, but perhaps sometime soon the phones will start to ship with the newer screens that have the added advantage of. better visibility in direct sunlight. {Gizmodo}

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.

Dell has been touting it’s massive Streak smartphone for quite some time now.  The phone has been out in the UK for some time now, and is supposed to be coming to the US in “late July.”  It’s late July now, and we haven’t heard a lot from Dell about the release of the product.

On Tuesday Dell posted a video on YouTube announcing that, as rumored, the US version of the Dell Streak will only be available on AT&T’s network.  So it looks like that for now those hoping to get the 5-inch smartphone/tablet on T-Mobile will just have to wait, or deal with EDGE data.  The video also showed off the Streak running it’s customized skin on top of Android 2.1.  The phone will ship (and has shipped in the UK) running on Android 1.6, and an update to Froyo has been promised for shortly after launch.

On the same day Dell posted and took down a blog post detailing the pricing of the Dell Streak.  Before it was taken down sites like Engadget and Boy Genius Report were able to pull the important information.  It looks like Dell is planning on selling the Streak on AT&T for $299 with a two-year contract.  For those who don’t want to buy a contract, or just want to use the phone as a small Wi-Fi tablet (not a terrible idea for those who hate the iPad), it will be available unlocked for $529.  It seems a bit expensive, but given that the phone is almost in the realm of a tablet, and the unlocked Nexus One ran for $580, it’s not a terrible price by any means.

As for that “late July” time frame, we have no idea.  There’s still a few days left for Dell to release the smartphone, but it seems almost unlikely it’ll be out before the end of the month.  If you can’t wait for the phone, you can always sign up with Dell to be notified when it finally does go up for sale.

The Acer will cost the US buyer $600

The smartphone is dubbed the Acer Stream, and it runs on a modified Android 2.1.  The Android version actually looks pretty slick, with the navigation bar halfway down the screen rather than on top.  Below the bar is a collection of 6 apps that can be changed by the user.  Above the bar is what appears to be screens of recently used functions, though that’s a bit unclear.  It looks fairly similar to the cards used in WebOS for multitasking.  Apps are accessed by flicking upwards, and revealing the rest of the apps which have to be navigated by flicking left and right between pages.  To add to the difference, the navigation bar is pushed to the bottom while inside any app.

The Stream is powered by a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, just like the Nexus One and other similar phones.  It has a 5 MP camera capable of 720p video without a flash, and HDMI out.  Acer is marketing the phone as a media-centric smartphone, so the company expects us to watch movies on the 3.7-inch AMOLED display, again just like the Nexus One.  It’s an interesting choice since HTC just stopped using the AMOLED screens on the Nexus One and Desire since they can’t be made fast enough.  Lack of AMOLED screens is the main cause of the constant waits for the Droid Incredible.

The phone, as of now will only be available via UK online retailer Expansys for £399.  For US buyers, that’s about $600 with the current exchange.  It is unlocked, but still more expensive than the Nexus One was before Google stopped selling it last week.

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.

To promote the Calvin Klein Jeans Fall 2010 line, the billboards are much simpler.  There’s two billboards in New York City, and one in Los Angeles, all of which feature the same design.  The ads have the words “Get It Uncensored,” with a large QR code below.  The idea being that those who are walking by the ad (or those who see a picture of the ad) with smartphones will scan the code, and go the the website it points to.  The website has a quick 40-second ad that is every bit as racy as the previous billboards (and seems to show a topless female model for about half a second).  After viewing the video, viewers can send it to their friends on Facebook and Twitter, so even those without smartphones will be able to see the video. {Mashable}

The idea of showing racy ads isn’t exactly new -  GoDaddy.com has been doing it for a while now.  The fact that the ads use QR codes to even view them may be a bit unusual.  In the US QR codes aren’t nearly as ubiquitous as they are in Japan where people have been using them for years.  Not only that, but a vast majority of cell phones users still use feature phone rather than smartphones.  It’s not unreasonable to think that fans of the Calvin Klein Jeans brand would be more likely to have smartphones than the average consumers though. Plus, the early adopters most likely to have an iPhone or Android phone are probably a good demographic, and points have to be given for creating a mobile campaign that gives passersby a reason to stop and share it.

With the new iPhone 4, the EVO 4G, Droid X, and Samsung Galaxy S among other still-great phones like the Google Nexus One, choosing a new phone can be tough.  Sure, each phone has their own strong points, but as important as the specs of the phone can be, there’s also network costs to keep in mind.  Comparing the phones themselves is more of a personal choice, whether you personally like the design of the phone, feature set, or the OS (though that’s usually a 1 of 3 choice of Android, BlackBerry or iOS).

Sprint’s EVO 4G and AT&T’s iPhone 4 are probably the most closely matched phones when it comes down to features, but when it comes to the network, which will really cost more in the long run? We took a look at the main carriers: AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon.  AT&T and T-Mobile are both GSM networks so the phones will work outside of the US, and you may even be able to get away with swapping out the SIM card when roaming internationally for a less exorbitant bill.  Sprint and Verizon, however, will not work outside of the US, but have 3G across their entire network. Something to consider if you’re waiting on the Verizon iPhone and travel internationally. Here’s our roundup of what smartphones will really cost you by network – including a look at the Pay-as-You-Go networks you may not have considered.

Table updated to correct discrepancies in maximum pricing

Pay As You Go: Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile

There are also smaller pay-as-you go carriers to consider. They charge a lot less for service and don’t require contracts, though service can be spotty at times. Boost charges $60 a month for a BlackBerry with unlimited everything, with a BlackBerry 8330 costing $250. That’s $1,690 should you choose to keep the phone for two years.

Virgin Mobile, on the other hand offers a great deal of $35 a month for a BlackBerry with 300 minutes and unlimited SMS and data, with a BlackBerry 8530 costing $299 on the service.  That comes out to the cheapest of all possible options at $1,140 for two years.  These types of services really donâ€t have any type of insurance on their phones though, so keep a close eye on your phone during that time.

Both Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile run on top of the Sprint network: so don’t count on being able to roam internationally with the plans, but if you like Sprint’s network otherwise either will save you quite a bit in the long run.

Can the BlackBerry 6 compete with the iPhone & Android?

Research In Motion, the makers of BlackBerry, realized this a while back, and introduced the first BlackBerry Storm.  Problem is, it wasn’t very good, and the OS didn’t seem to work very well with touchscreens.  Now RIM is showing off BlackBerry 6, the next version of the OS that’s geared toward smartphones, and it actually looks pretty good.  BlackBerry 6 looks to have some social networking built into the OS, making sharing info and finding info through Facebook and Twitter much easier than before.  The web browser is also greatly improved, and will be based on WebKit, the same engine that powers the web browsers in iOS, Android, and WebOS. {Mashable}

BlackBerry 6 is still distinctly a BlackBerry OS, it has a very similar aesthetic, but seems to be a bit closer to WebOS as well.  RIM has a history of potentially exciting products, like the Black Berry Storm, that are ultimately uninteresting or just don’t live up to potential.  That’s not to say BlackBerry 6 and whatever new device touchscreen-centric device might run it will be bad, but it’s enough to be a bit wary.  That being said, the UI is pretty exciting, and possibly the most interesting thing to happen to BlackBerry devices in quite some time.