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Can you guess how many text messages we as Americans send on a monthly basis? Try 28.8 billion. With 243.4 million cellular subscribers (as of June 2007), we’re each sending on average about 100 text messages a month. If you’re not bringing up that average yourself, you surely know someone who does — I have a sibling who sends and receives no fewer than 300 messages a month. So if we’re spending all this time tapping out messages, we might as well explore the phones that are best for this.

The only criteria here is that I’m excluding smartphones — including BlackBerrys. With their QWERTY keyboards, they clearly would have dominated here.

7. Motorola RAZR

Whether we’re talking about the V3 or the V9, I’ve always enjoyed the Motorola RAZR’s large keypad for texting. As far as phones without full- or half-keyboards go, it’s definitely one of the best. Of course, I might have people disagree with me here. I know some people who don’t like the flatness of the keys. But after a few days with the RAZR, it’s easy to get used to.

6. Kyocera KX12

A phone doesn’t have to be expensive to perform texting duties well. The Kyocera KX12 is one of the more obscure items on this list, but it definitely serves its purpose. The reason it makes it: Large, raised keys. That means you can text and not look — not that we recommend that or anything.

5. LG Rumor/Scoop

It looks like a candybar, but it slides out to reveal a QWERTY keyboard. The keys are a bit small, though, which kind of makes it less attractive than other keyboard-based phones. But it’s quick and easy, which gives it an edge.

4. Samsung Alias/u740

This phone was all the craze among the college-aged crowd when it hit the market. Seriously, it seemed like almost everyone I know that age has it. Not that I can blame them. It’s not only functional with the QWERTY keyboard, but it’s also sleek with its two-way flip. Same as the Rumor, it fails a bit in the size of the keys. But like the RAZR, it’s easy to get used to.

3. Pantech Duo

Okay, so I’m stretching a bit here, since the Duo runs Windows Mobile, and can be considered a smartphone. But it looks just like your everyday, normal phone, so I’m going to bend the rules on this one. This is kind of like the Alias, in that it morphs two ways. The first slide gives you a numeric keypad, while sliding it lengthwise reveals a QWERTY keyboard (and I’m definitely going for a record for most frequent use of QWERTY in an article).

2. LG enV

By day, it’s a normal candybar. By night, it’s a sweet flip-open phone that features a full keyboard (yes, QWERTY), plus navigational controls. The screen is a bit small, but that’s forgivable in this instance. The keyboard is one of my favorites, as they keys are big enough, and they’re set off well enough that I’m mashing a bunch of them at once (”Your fingers are too fat to dial this phone. To obtain a special dialing wand, please mash the keypad with your palm.”)

1. Sidekick

Whether we’re talking the Sidekick Slide, the LX, or even the original, there’s a reason you see these things everywhere. They’re excellent devices for tapping out messages to friends. If there was a contest between BlackBerry users and Sidekick users to see who typed faster with their thumbs, I really don’t know who would come out ahead.

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