Sleeper Smartphones, Super Devices from CTIA

ORLANDA, Fla. (TheStreet) -- Apple(AAPL) , Samsung, Motorola(MOT) and maybe even HTC spend millions convincing us the smartphone game is theirs alone to lose. But the fact is, plenty of other brands offer great prices and real innovation.

That is, if you know where to look.

With the two major cellphone-industry events -- the International CTIA Wireless 2011 and Mobile World Congress -- out of the way, the smart, smartphone money is able to lens in on the less well-known phones and mobile tools that still stoke legit small-business, market-moving potential:

BLU Products
If one company stood out at the just-wrapping International CTIA Wireless 2011, it was the Miami-based spinoff of Latin American cellphone company BLU Products. BLU operates in 25 mostly Latin American countries. And from what I saw, for good reason. This is a mobile provider that knows the right price and features that calls to my cheapskate small-business heart.

Most BLU devices are unlocked, cheap and theoretically will work on many carriers. I liked BLU's Smart World phone, which had a solid three-inch screen; the BLU Tango, an attractive Android 2.2 touch device; and was particularly impressed with a cool knockoff of the BlackBerry(RIMM) Bold, called the BLU Cubo.

For sure, issues remain. Will carriers tango with BLU? What's the support like? Will the phones hold up? And so on. But small-businesses people can expect to see BLU's low-cost units popping up at cellular retailers later this year and shouldn't be surprised to see lots of smart folks using them.

It's official: BLU is cool.

Kyocera Echo ($199, via Sprint with contract)
Due out April 17, the Kyocera(KYO) Echo makes what appears to be the worst possible smartphone argument: If a phone with one touch screen is good, one with two is better. But believe it, Kyocera might be right.