Sports phones are mobile phones that are designed specifically for people who are in love with athletics. Some of these phones are intended for athletes; they offer features and sizing which are suitable to people who want to carry their mobile phones with them into their workouts. Others are of interest to fans; people who want the most up-to-date sports news on their mobiles or who simply want a phone branded by their favorite sports company. This often overlooked area of mobile phone handsets first became popular about five years ago when companies started attaching pedometers to their phones. It has seen a revival with new phones in 2009 and there are some exciting things on the horizon for people interested in sports phones.

Here’s a look at ten mobile sports phones that are worth a pause in your workout:

1. Sagem PUMA cell phone. This newest sports phone is making some serious headlines and it hasn’t even been released yet. It’s a PUMA-branded mobile phone that will be completed in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup which happens next summer. There isn’t a lot of information available yet for this handset but rumors suggest that it will include the best of mobile phone features for sports fans and athletes alike. The PUMA brand alone should satisfy a lot of fans but it’s believed that the phone may also include such sporty features as a pedometer and/or heart rate tracker.

2. Samsung F110 Adidas miCoach.  The new PUMA phone isn’t the first branded sports phone to hit the market. Another popular one on the market today is the Samsung-Adidas phone released last year. It is also a branded sports phone that has features intended specifically for the active mobile user. Combining a heart rate monitor and stride sensor with application-based web log tools, this phone allows for complete tracking and monitoring of your workout activity.

3. Nokia N79 Active. Nokia realized that one option for creating an affordable mobile phone for athletes was to take an existing phone and to upgrade it with some sporty features and then rebrand it. They took the Nokia N79, released last year, and added a Bluetooth-enabled heart rate monitor, an arm band and updated Nokia Sports Tracker system which can track your distance for you as you hike or run. Since this is the smallest Nokia phone to date, it’s the perfect phone to take with you when you workout.

4. Motorola W7 Active Edition.  This phone has been compared to the Nokia N79 Active although it’s supposed to be a lower-end, more affordable version of the classier sports cell phone. It features a similar tracking system and pedometer but other details remain unclear. It’s a slider phone that’s currently only available in Asia and Latin America but there is some belief that it will be released in other markets at a future date.

5. Sony Ericsson W580i. Another slider phone that’s got features designed for athletic folks is this one which was released in 2007 and is still available today. It has a pedometer, a step counter and a calorie counter which makes it great for people who want to use their phone to keep track of their fitness. It’s also a Sony Walkman phone which means it has a good music player, something that a lot of people like to take advantage of when they’re working out!

6. Fujitsu F-09A. If you happen to be a fan of Japanese phones then this recent release is worth your attention. It has a built-in Exercise Monitor along with location-based services that make it easy to see where you’re going and how far you’ve come in your workout. It also has a lot of the other non-sports features that you’d want in a mobile phone such as an 8.1 megapixel camera, 3.4″ touchscreen and built-in on-device TV viewing.

7. FOMA SH706iw. This is another interesting product out of Japan. This one was released last year and is designed for people who don’t just want to keep track of their fitness because of their weight loss goals but who are specifically concerned about exercising for their health. It is designed to work in conjunction with a health website; it receives health information about the user from an on-device heart rate monitor as well as from attachable devices like pedometers for phones then it sends that information to the website for viewing and monitoring by doctors, fitness trainers and other health professionals.

8. BenQ M7 Mobile Phone.  Although this mobile phone isn’t advertised specifically as a sports phone, it’s definitely adequate for people who do a lot of adventurous activity. That’s because it’s designed to be particularly durable. It’s both dust-resistant and splash-proof so it’s suitable for athletes who enjoy hiking as well as those who engage in sports on or near the water. It also features advanced GPS-based tools including route recording, a compass and a speedometer which may all be useful to an athlete.

9. BlackBerry 9630 Niagara.  What if you’re not so much an athlete as a couch-surfing fan? Then there are mobile phones that are specifically designed to keep you in touch with the latest sports news. Of course, you can get sports news updates on most smartphones using various applications but the BlackBerry 9630 Niagara is specifically marketed to Fantasy Players who want instant access to sports scores, stats and game highlights. This one made a lot of headlines when it was first announced back in March but news about it has been quiet since its summer release date was pushed back to later this year.

10. The iPhone. This technically isn’t a fitness phone but it’s the phone that’s arguably got the best options for application downloads and videos. There are tons of great fitness apps out there these days and the iPhone is the ideal phone for downloading and using them. Additionally, the iPhone’s video capabilities make it a good phone for watching cell phone videos that are designed to aid you in your workouts (or just letting you watch your favorite game highlights). If you’re looking for a regular old smartphone that has a high likelihood of being a good fitness tool then the iPhone is a smart choice. Of course, other smartphones with app stores and high quality video screens would work as well.