Talking Smart: Cheap smart phones

One of the major barriers facing anyone who wants to upgrade their cell phone to a "smart" device is cost. Phones like the iPhone (review) AT&T Tilt (review) or Nokia N95 (review) will cost you several hundred dollars. There are some good options to get a new smart phone in your pocket on a budget, however. We'll be taking a look at our top five budget smart phones today.

Palm Centro (review): Palm's latest handset is targeted specifically at the budget smart phone buyer. Available from Sprint or AT&T the device will run you $99 with a two-year contract. The great thing about the Centro is it sports a full QWERTY keyboard, runs the easy to learn and use Palm OS interface and is smaller and cuter than the larger, and more expensive, Treo devices produced by Palm.

Samsung Blackjack II (review): Also weighing in at $99 with a two-year contract the Blackjack II is a Windows Mobile standard device that packs a lot of power into a slim form factor. It supports AT&T's high speed data network and sports a very usable QWERTY keyboard. Samsung addressed several of the drawbacks of the original Blackjack in this updated version, improving the battery life significantly and making the controls easier to use.

BlackBerry Pearl 8100: The new versions of the Pearl like the 8130 (review) are starting to appear on almost all carriers but in the meantime you can pick up the classic version from T-Mobile for only $99 with a contract. Although it lacks some of the nice upgrades like the two megapixel camera, it's still a small, attractive and powerful smart phone. The SureType QWERTY keyboard is very easy to use and it has the typical BlackBerry email prowess.

Cingular 3125: No longer available from AT&T you can still pick up this handset with a contract from Amazon.com for as little as $24.00 with a contract. Running Windows Mobile standard this is one of your few choices if you want a smart flip phone. The 3125 is thin, fairly attractive and can even be hacked so you can upgrade it to the latest version of Windows Mobile. The large keypad isn't as fast as a QWERTY but you should still be able to type out messages using T9 fairly quickly. Picking up last generation technology is a good way for non-technophiles to get powerful devices without paying the early-adopter tax.

BlackBerry Curve 8310 Refurbished: Another good way to pick up a smart phone on the cheap is to go with refurbished models. AT&T is offering their the BlackBerry Curve 8310, one of the best smart phones we saw last year, for only $50 refurbished. The 8310 differs from the 8320 (review) that we looked at only in that it supports GPS instead of Wi-Fi. The great thing about refurbished models is they come with the same warranty as new models so you don't have to worry about things going bad on you.

There you go, five handsets that will let you start sporting that ever so sexy smart phone goodness without breaking the bank. Once you have your smart phone you can start doing things on your phone that you never thought you could. And just like a computer, if the phone won't do what you want you can probably find software that will extend its capabilities.