Indeed, 2009 may go down as the year of the smartphone. When the Palm Pre arrived in June, the iPhone was its natural competition. While Apple’s darlings still dominate, the playing field has since become considerably more crowded, with competitors running Google’s Android operating system, new Windows phones from Microsoft, enhanced BlackBerry devices attracting as many consumer users as enterprise ones, and even PC maker Dell joining the fray. Here are some of the year’s most notable phones, whether for the user bases they’ve inspired or the buzz they’ve helped build.
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