The advent of the new strain of technologies comes with many surprises and shocks. Google entering the cell phone business was a bit of both. Another realm that they were just waiting to conquer. With the introduction of their Android Operating System Google has officially marked its part of the territory. Commented on by Microsoft as “Free like a Puppy”, Android’s potential to churn out some real beauts is un debated, but it remains to be seen the amount of work and research that needs to go into bring out the best out of this genie lamp. The harder they rub, the better the outcome. So, pardon the cliche, the blood, sweat and tears of companies like HTC, Motorola and Google has witnessed products that have each hit the market almost uniquely.

Either in design, the UI, the responses or totally innovation with regards to the Android saga. Google’s eagerly waited debut with the Nexus One has witnessed Android 2.1’s capabilities while HTC Tattoo was the first to show an Android phone that can molt when its owner deems appropriate. With that we enter the list of the top 10 Android phones as of date, and let me tell you, from rank 3 downwards it was no easy task separating one from the other.

10. HTC Tattoo

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The HTC tattoo, also known as HTC Click runs on Android 1.6 and HTC Sense. The phone has a display of 2.8” which is resistive! Unlike the other HTC phones that come with a TFT capacititative, the manufacturers felt that the resistive touch gives better resolution to touch and decreases the cost of production. It comes with a standard 3.5 mm jack. The phone has a 4-way navi-control with an enter button. The phone has customizable covers that can be replaced by covers from the HTC site. The tattoo isn’t a very powerful device and has average specs overall. It comes with an average 3.2 MP camera with the usual Quad Band works. Connectivity wise, it doesn’t leave anything out but the functionality could have been much improved.

9. Samsung Moment (Sprint)

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The Samsung moment from Sprint has vibrant display and comes loaded with features. The interaction with the UI comes a little less than average with the sluggish controls. The camera also falls short of attaining moderate versatility sans the editing features. The multimedia capabilities are pulled down due to the average speakerphone quality. Concluding, the phone is just about enough to keep the owner at peace but leaves much… much to be yearned for.

8. Samsung Behold II

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With Wi-Fi, GPS, 3G, Bluetooth (the usual works) included, Samsung Behold II’s first impression is quite stunning. The exciting AMOLED screen boasts satisfying multimedia desires, which the software assists in assuring. The phone, on the other hand, is quite expensive, has an internal memory of 180 MB and is deemed “not worth the money”. The phone runs Android 1.5. The camera is a 5 MP autofocus and has been delivered as more than acceptable.

7. HTC Dream

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Looking at this list, it’s quite obvious that HTC is a very reliable brand when it comes to buying Android phones. Dream is another entrant in the top 10. The phone slides open to a QWERTY keyboard and has additional side controls that have media functions and general operating roles. The display is a 3.2 inch screen with 65 K colors. The camera is a mere 3.15 MP auto focus. The phone however wouldn’t place much interest in the younger generation due to its executive façade. The phone fails to gather brownie points due to the absence of a much needed standard jack.

6. Motorola CLIQ (DEXT MB220)

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This Quad Band enabled machine harbors a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The screen is a 3.1 inch, 320×480 pixels TFT capacitative touchscreen, which apparently feels almost resistive. Though people might look upon the slide-out as a refreshing detour from the candy bar, the phone appears bulky, industrial and would appear a very conspicuous lump in the pockets of tight apparels. The keyboard, however, has been well designed for the most with beveled keys that allows easy typing. But the placement of the space and two other keys at the bottom on a slope makes typing a conscious effort. The battery life of this device is also under much scrutiny after reviews claimed it shutting down of low battery without even displaying early warnings. Summarizing, despite the certain shortcomings, the Cliq appears a capable phone.

5. HTC Magic

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The HTC Magic is yet another Candy Bar form phone. The striking features of this phone are its design factors that make the phone oh-so-appealing. The phone is sleek and the UI is quite intuitive and app friendly. Where it doesn’t satisfy is the lack of the standard jack. While the camera isn’t much to rant about, the 3.15 MP Autofocus shooter can convince the not-so-serious cellphone purchasers. Overall, the phone comes as a pleasing package.

4. Samsung i7500 Galaxy

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The Samsung i7500 Galaxy is a cozy phone with a decent 3.0” AMOLED display. The camera is a 5MP autofocus with an LED flash. The phone possesses an internal memory of 8GB and comes with a MicroSD slot expandable upto 32 GB. The candy bar style form factor is oft seen and overall, the phone looks typically Samsung.

3. Motorola Droid

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Motorola Droid looks flat. Much like its keyboard and this affects the control one has over the speed. The phone does not match up to its counterparts in the multimedia field. But enough with the negatives, let’s look into things one can derive fulfillment from. The phone runs a speedy Android 2.0 and has done well to improve response time. The UI is beautiful and quite intuitive. The web browser is crisp and quick and the battery life offers very good talk time. Messaging on the phone is a pleasure and the phone’s innate contact management capabilities are comforting. The droid came out as one of the fastest phones of its time (November, 2009 ) and it still remains an amazing device to hold.

2. HTC Hero

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The HTC Hero comes a well deserved second and was formerly tops before the Nexus launched. The angular design of the Hero adds to the comfort (though unconventional). It has a 3.2” screen with a capacitative touchscreen. To save redundancy, I’ll lay it down here that all the phones in this review have a TFT capacitative touchscreen. The phone comes with a standard 3.5 mm jack and a microSD slot and it was the first device to introduce Adobe Flash.

1. Nexus One

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The Nexus One has emerged the android phone to own. The combination of the Android 2.1 and the 1 GHz Snap Dragon CPU make the UI extremely quick. The aesthetics of the UI and the phone’s design itself make it a very pleasant device to work with. The 3.7 inch, AMOLED, high resolution (480×800) screen gives the Google phone media playing capabilities that is almost unmatched. Despite some downfalls which are attributed to customer care and plans, the phone’s hardware and software invites many more adherents than dissidents. It’s worth the mention that the Nexus One hosts a commonplace 5 MP camera, but leaves us something to look forward to in a possible Nexus Two.