We are pretty familiar with High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), the 3.5G technology that lets you achieve broadband-like speeds on your mobile phone through the cellular network. This only describes transfers from the network to the end-user. If you are moving data the other way round, its equivalent is High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA). This feature is found in fewer mobile phones than HSDPA, unsurprising since there aren’t as many mobile operators that support it.

But if your operator does have an HSUPA service, you are looking at upload speeds of up to a theoretical 5.76Mbps. Realistically, many handsets have an upper limit of just 2Mbps but that’s still much faster than the regular 384Kbps on 3G and HSDPA phones. HSUPA is especially useful for those who find themselves attaching large documents to email messages.

It’s not just about work, either. Those who love to take photos using their phones can now upload them immediately to social-networking sites much faster–your friends who are at home can see you having fun while you are still in the midst of it. Check with your operator if it supports HSUPA. If it does, here are five handhelds you can consider which will maximize your upload rates. 

	1.	HTC Touch HD    The good: Huge 3.8-inch WVGA display; 3.5mm audio jack; improvements made to TouchFLO 3D; 5-megapixel camera; nice design. The bad: Lacks a directional pad; short battery life; no LED for camera; orientation sensor doesn’t work in some applications. The bottom line: While it probably won’t strike a chord with the average iPhone user, the Touch HD is a great effort from HTC, demonstrating that it can still put more into its already formidable range of high-end handsets.
	2.	Sony Ericsson Xperia X1    The good: 3.5mm audio jack; full set of connectivity features; GPS; good 3.2-megapixel camera; excellent WVGA display; nice design. The bad: Panel interface can be slow; camera interface and focusing slow; average battery life; optical joystick not particularly useful. The bottom line: Sony Ericsson’s first attempt at a Windows Mobile phone is a good one which will satisfy productivity and entertainment needs.
	3.	i-mate Ultimate 9502    The good: Full suite of connectivity features; VGA display; separate mini-USB and audio jack; TV-out for presentations. The bad: Large and heavy; lacks user-available RAM; security software needs improvement; no bundled GPS software or maps; can be unresponsive at times. The bottom line: Though it comes with a ton of features including a sharp VGA display, the implementation of its software needs refinement for it to live up to its “Ultimate” title.
	4.	HP iPaq Data Messenger    First take Though not really prolific last year in launching new handhelds and mobile phones, HP’s current portfolio is still pretty comprehensive. The latest is the Data Messenger which comes with a slide-out QWERTY keypad.
	5.	HTC Dream    First take The HTC Dream has the honor of being the very first handset powered by Google’s Android operating system (OS). Not only is it the first, it is also the only one as the other manufacturers, which are in the Open Handset Alliance (an alliance of tech companies started by Google responsible for Android), have not announced devices which will make use of this open OS.

[By John Chan]