Microsoft came by with a leather dopp kit of goodies today, and Mike Kobrin and I made eyes like saucers at all the Windows Mobile gadgets. I finally got to compare the T-Mobile SDA and Cingular 2125 smartphones in the same hand, getting a feel for their pros and cons: the 2125 is prettier and smaller, but the SDA has Wi-Fi. (I'm in the middle of reviewing the SDA right now; it's launching on February 13th.) I'm a big fan of Microsoft Smartphone, because I don't want to have to carry a big PDA-like thing around just to listen to music, watch videos, and most importantly surf the Web when I'm in need. (Yes, I know about Symbian. But Smartphone is glossier, at least until the Nokia N-series and E-series come out.)

The Web surfing thing is so big for me, I'm rather disappointed that Opera for Smartphone doesn't support Windows Mobile 5.

Oh, and guys? I know you want to run Skype on these things. Skype probably won't run well on the SDA, 2125, or MDA -- the slow 195 Mhz processors will just create a world of trouble with Skype, which is designed for 300 Mhz+ processors. Sure, try it if you like garble and audio dropouts (I will.)

If you're looking for the best built-in navigation system, it's likely coming from a Japanse vendor. In a recent survey of navigation systems conducted by J.D. Power & Associates, nine of the top ten systems were from Japanese suppliers, although not all were installed on Japanese cars.

The top-rated system was an Alpine touchscreen unit installed on the Acura TL (pictured at left), followed by a Xanavi system on the Infiniti M series. In fact, 29 of the 32 systems rated above average in Power's annual Navigation Usage and Satisfaction Study were from Japan: 14 cars using systems from Denso, 6 each from Alpine and Xanavi (a captive brand of Nisan/Infiniti), and one from Aisin.

In addition, Delphi had three systems above average, and Harman/Becker had two. Resondents who had bought or leased 2005 cars in the past year were asked to rate their nav systems for ease of use and routing capabilities -- which made up just over half the score -- as well as for appearance, update speed, quality of the information screen, and voice prompts. In the most current survey, Power said respondents expressed an interest in receiving realtime traffic updates overlaid on their systems, but only a handful of vehicles now have that.

The top ten: 1. Acura TL (Alpine); 2. Infiniti M (Xanavi); 3.Acura TSX (Alpine) and Chevy Corvette (Denso), a tie; 5. Acura RL (Alpine); 6. Honda Odyssey (Alpine); 7. Lexus RX 330 (Denso); 8. Audi A6 (Harman/Becker); 9. Nissan Quest (Xanavi); and 10. Toyota Sienna (Denso). Based on the survey winners, there is no one best configuration among touchscreens (found on several), cockpit controller-driven (on Infiniti and Audi), realtime traffic overlays (on Acura RL), and Navtec or TeleAtlas map data.

Among those below average were the VW Tourag (Bosch Blaupunkt) with the very lowest score, followed by the BMW X5 (Siemens VDO), Ford Escape Hybrid (Visteon), Cadillac DeVille (Denso), and Volvo V70 (Mitsubishi Electric). BMW's maligned iDrive cockpit controller wasn't a factor in the low showing of the X5 or X3, since those SUVs don't have iDrive; among the study's 11,212 responses, Power said, there weren't enough to be statistically valid for BMW's iDrive-plus-navigation cars, the 3 Series, 5 Series, 6 Series, and 7 Series.

Next Story....

Scroll down to see the entire survey.

Best Navigation Systems
J.D. Power & Associates 2005 Usage and Satisfaction Study

Car (Supplier) Points

1. Acura TL (Alpine) 828
2. Infinti M (Xanavi) 817
3. Acura TSX (Alpine) 812
3. Corvette (Denso) 812
5. Acura RL (Alpine) 809
6. Honda Odyssey (Alpine) 808
7. Lexus RX 330 (Denso) 807
8. Audi A6 (Harman/Becker) 799
9. Nissan Qeust (Xanavi) 798
10. Toyonta Sienna (Denso) 796
11. Toyota Tundra (Denso) 791
12. Lincoln LS (Denso) 790
13. Lexus LS 430 (Denso) 789
14. Chevrolet Avalanche (Delphi) 788
14. Honda Accord (Alpine) 788
16. Lexus SC 430 (Denso) 787
17. Chevrolet Tahoe (Delphi) 786
18. Dodge Durango (Alpine) 784
18. Lincoln Aviator (Denso) 784
18. Lincoln Navigator (Denso) 784
18. Nissan Altima (Xanavi) 784
18. Nissan Pathfinder (Xanavi) 784
23. Chevrolet Trailblazer (Delphi) 783
24. Toyota 4Runner (Denso) 783
25. Dodge Grand Caravan (Alpine) 780
26. Infiniti FX (Xanavi) 779
27. Audi A4 (Aisin) 775
28. Audi A8 (Harman/Becker) 773
28. Lexus ES 330 (Denso) 773
28. Toyota Sequoia (Denso) 773
31. Nissan Maxima (Xanavi) 772
32. GMC Yukon/Denali (Delphi) 771
33. Toyota Highlander (Denso) 769
-- Industry average 767
34. Chevrolet Suburban (Delphi) 766
35. GMC Envoy (Delphi) 765
35. Mazda 3 (Panasonic) 765
37. Jeep Grand Cherokee (Alpine) 763
38. Nissan Z (Xanavi) 762
39. GMC Yukon XL/Denali XL (Delphi) 760
40. Infiniti G35 (Xanavi) 757
41. Buick Rendezvous (Delphi) 755
41. Mini Cooper/S (Siemens VDO) 755
43. Volvo XC90 (Mitsubishi) 753
44. Porsche Cayenne (Harman/Becker) 750
44. Toyota Prius (Denso) 750
44. Chrysler Town & Country (Alpine)750
47. Chrysler Pacifica (Alpine) 748
48. Cadillac CTS (Delphi) 746
49. Cadillac STS (Denso) 742
50. Honda Pilot (Alpine) 735
51. Jeep Liberty (Alpine) 734
52. Chrysler PT Cruiser (Alpine) 733
53. BMW X3 (Siemens VDO) 727
54. Dodge Ram (Harman/Becker) 722
55. Volvo V70 (Mitsubishi) 720
56. Cadillac DeVille (Denso) 719
57. Ford Escape Hybrid (Visteon) 703
58. BMW X5 (Siemens VDO) 699
59. VW Toureg (Bosch Blaupunkt) 689

Source: J.D. Power and Associates 2005 Navigation Usage and Satisfaction Study. Based on 1,000-point scale, measuring 11,212 respondents rating ease of use, routing capabilities, appearance, update speed, quality of the information screen, and voice prompts.

Ever been shopping at the mall, dancing at the club, or eating dinner at a restaurant when suddenly you hear a cool song, but don't know what it's called? Rocket Mobile, developer and marketer of mobile phone software applications, has come up with the solution: Song IDentity. Song IDentity is among one of the many applications available through MetroPCS Communications. This is how it works:

Hold the phone up to the music source for 10 seconds. Once the sample is recorded, it's sent to a server for recognition. The results are sent back to your phone, including artist and song title. It also e-mails you with links to more information about the band and places to buy the CD or buy an MP3.

Other applications developed by Rocket Mobile are National Geographic Wallpapers (photos from the National Geographic Society's Image Collections), and the soon to be released iNDie Music (music selections from worldwide independent labels) and MobileMix! (a ringtone composer).

Song IDentity is available on Verizon Wireless, Alltel, Midwest Wireless, nTelos, and Western Wireless. For more information, read Wireless Week's report.

I got a press release yesterday from Sprint with some odd results from a recent wireless-users survey.

Most notably, 60% of Sprint users have turned on their phone's backlight to look for something in the dark. If you often find yourself in the dark, you might want to take off your RAZRWire sunglasses, or get a phone like the Nokia 5140 (at left) with a built-in LED flashlight.

(PS - Nothing can make the RAZRWires look cool. You can put them away now.)

Other facts: you can make survey results look like anything, if you have the right options. Sprint says 27% of people want their phone to include a printer/scanner/fax, which only makes sense if you look at the odd other options given: thermometer, credit card, keychain and mirror. By the way, a lot of phones already have mirrors (next to the camera), and the Nokia 7280/7380's entire face turns into a mirror when the phone is off.

About a third of those surveyed also play games on their phones in the bathroom, which may reveal a tragic epidemic of constipation among Sprint users. I personally just hope nobody goes this far. (Carol, am I fired now?)