Smartphones of the silver and small screens (pictures)

On May 3, the Alcatel One Touch Idol, left, makes its silver-screen debut in Marvel's "Iron Man 3" movie starring Robert Downey Jr. The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean smartphone is one of literally hundreds of cell phones advertised in cinema and TV shows throughout the years.

Daniel Craig's James Bond made good use of Sony's Xperia TL Android phone in 2012's "Skyfall."

You can count on Washington to be a BlackBerry stronghold. "House of Cards" congressman Peter Russo was one of several characters to bust out a BlackBerry, but perhaps the only one to make his a BlackBerry Porsche Design p9981.

You might assume that a super spy would rock an equally high-tech phone, but not "The Avengers'" Natasha Romanoff. In one scene, she pulls out an LG Lotus Elite feature phone. We're sure it's just one handset of many.

If you've been watching CBS' "Elementary" (disclaimer: CBS owns CNET), you may have noticed how communications centers on the iPhone 5, sometimes a little too lovingly to not stand out as product placement. iPhones have also played a prominent role in ABC shows "Nashville" and "Castle," among others.

You want to know how HTC and Microsoft get revenge? By placing the HTC Windows Phone 8X in shows like ABC's "Revenge" and "Scandal," and the CW's "Gossip Girl." Other HTC phones have also appeared in "The Vampire Diaries" and "Pretty Little Liars."

Without the T-Mobile Sidekick 2, iPhone 3GS, Nokia N97 Mini, and Motorola Droid, there would have been far fewer blood-curdling cries in "Scream 4." And much less fun.

We have yet to see the latest BlackBerry Z10 in TV or film (it's coming), but if you watch "Admissions," you'll see actress Tina Fey gripping a BlackBerry Bold 9790, the same phone you'll find in Netflix's "House of Cards."

Meanwhile, the cast of HBO's Newsroom uses the BlackBerry Bold 9000 and Bold 9900 during the show. The latter is also pocketed by Olympus Has Fallen actor Gerard Butler. Keep an eye out for Last Man Standing actor Tim Allen's phone. Word is, he's already "a BlackBerry person" in his own right.

Known for sky-high prices, premium materials, a personal concierge button, and status symbology, it's no wonder that characters in the latest "Mission Impossible" franchise flash Vertu phones like the Vertu Constellation Ayxta.

In this vampire romance, Bella and Edward whisper sweet nothings to each other through an LG Optimus V.

Microsoft and its partners made a big product placement charge with Windows Phone, with several handsets appearing on shows like ABC's "Castle" -- where Nathan Fillion's titular lead used the LG Quantum to demo Bing -- and CBS' "Hawaii 5-0." These days, the Microsoft Surface tablet is the computing giant's media darling.

What do the HTC Evo 4G and dual-screen Kyocera Echo have in common? Both are Sprint phones that cameo on Fox's "Fringe."

Actors Ryan Gosling and George Clooney face off in a political tale of cat-and-mouse, apparently executing their machinations with the Nokia E7 and Nokia E75.

"Iron Man 2" and "The Matrix Reloaded" are just two of many films to feature concept devices. In "Iron Man 2," protagonist Tony Stark peers straight through a transparent and unnamed LG phone. Years before, Samsung created this Matrix phone especially for "The Matrix Reloaded." (Note: CNET's photo and video content for the Matrix phone appears to have been compromised.)