iPhone 'killers' stand up and be counted
Samsung? LG? HTC? Who'll crucify the Jesus Phone?
Today may be iPhone Day across the UK, but Apple’s must-have handset isn’t the only cutting-edge touchscreen beauty available in Blighty.
Whilst many love the iPhone for its ease of use and style, some have criticised it for the network provider lockdown, lack of 3G connectivity and high cost. So, what other handsets could you consider instead as you brave the crush at your local Apple, Carphone Warehouse or O2 store at the 6pm launch tonight?
Samsung’s F700, aka the Croix, has already been hailed an iPhone killer and it hits shops this month, offering a 3.2in display and slide-out Qwerty micro-keyboard. However, Samsung told us in September that the handset would only be available on Vodafone’s network.
Samsung's F700
iPhone Beater Score
The 3G phone uses HSDPA to deliver download speeds of up to 3.6Mb/s, although it bizarrely doesn’t have Wi-Fi connectivity.
Alternatively, LG’s KU990 Viewty 3.6Mb/s HSDPA 3G handset, with tri-band GSM for voice, is already available and provides users with a 5.1-megapixel camera with a flash, autofocus and image-stabilisation technology - a much higher spec than the iPhone’s basic two-megapixel snapper.
LG's Viewty
iPhone Beater Score
Its 3in touchscreen is ready to display a variety of image and video formats, like the iPhone, but here your movies and pics can be stored on a Micro SD card, although one’s not included in the box.
LG recently unveiled the KS20 handset too. It looks strikingly similar to the KU990, and while it only has a 2.8in touchscreen for viewing web pages, it makes up for it by incorporating 802.11b/g Wi-Fi in addition to its 3.6Mb/s HSDPA 3G connectivity. It’s also a tri-band GSM/GPRS phone.
LG's LG-KS20
iPhone Beater Score
While the KS20’s two-megapixel camera is less impressive than the KU990’s five-megapixels, some might consider the KS20 a web handset first and camera phone second, and the KU990 the exact opposite.
COMMENTS
There is no Iphone Killer in existence !!!
The Iphone is a marvel, the quality of the device is second to none. The display is large. The Operating System is the Best enviroment for any phone. Silly whinging about it not having 3G, is nonsense , or issues with it being locked down. Too many people abuse devices for there own benefit, if dont want to use O2 then you wont get an Iphone simple. Itunes pc/mac connectivity is easy to use unlike alot mp3 are quite the opposite. The iphone is designed to do on what it says on the can.
Its guarante any one who get a demo of an Iphone will buy it. Its the phone other manufacturers will have to follow....
Enough with "fanboi" and "JesusPhone" already
Could people please grow up and stop sounding like a bunch of twats, we are only talking about bits of niche hardware.
@George
Why would anyone compare a smartphone and "ultrabasic" in terms of sales? One is a voice communication device supposed to sell in the 100 millions and the other is a high-priced toy that can also make voice calls.
@Matt Bryant
I looked at the BB Pearl but the sales people warned me off it so I got the Curve instead (same price). Since talking to actual Pearl owners, the majority appear to wish they had bought the Curve too.
To compare the iPhone and Curve would be a good one to make, if they weren't designed for different market segments. One is a great media player with a mediocre phone while the other is a great email device with a half decent phone. They seem to have a few things in common though. Neither can compete on the other's strength, both are EDGE and both have crap cameras (from my experience anyway).
RE: Samsung? LG? HTC? Who'll crucify the Jesus Phone?
For me the network lockin, cost and lack of 3G all kill the iPhone - Might be good for the elderly, who have difficulty with mini joysticks.
Paris Hilton angle
But which one does Paris own?
Anyhow, I vote for my w900i, a real brick of a phone, you know its in your pocket, you always look happy to meet people, and it works without fail.
(except if you ever unlock it and change sim, then it will become a flasher and never work again)
Re: Flip phone needed!
@Richard: The Sony Ericsson P910i (I have one) has a qwerty keyboard on the back of a flip-down numeric keyboard, which normally half-covers the screen. The numeric keyboard is there on the P800 and P900 as well (but no qwerty); the P990 has the qwerty keyboard below the screen on the main device. The problem with qwerty on a flip is that, in the P910i's case, the phone is really top-heavy, because the flip is necessarily a minor component (it can be completely removed, and one can rely on the touch screen). For a full clamshell smart phone, see any of the Nokia Communicator series. In order for the keyboard to be a reasonable size, the clamshell is huge, and the main screen is landscape format (but not touch screen).
The smart phones with a touch screen usually want the touch screen to be available without having to open anything - the keyboard is optional, and you use the touch screen for normal phone operations. Hence several Windows Mobile devices (from HTC, the aforementioned G900, et al.) have the touch screen facing out, and a full size keyboard which slides from under it; you don't have to have the keyboard if you want to use the phone one handed. A vertical clamshell, which would still allow the phone to be used one handed, would necessarily have less space for the keyboard. Having a touch screen on the upper half of the clamshell would also make it a bit unstable (barring a clever arrangement like the Psion 5's).
The problem with an exposed touch screen, of course, is that the phone really needs to sit in a case. At least, it does if you have half as much junk in your pockets as I do - I'd have an iPhone in a case as well, no matter how solid the screen is supposed to be. I'd feel less bad about risking a clamshell or slider (although my 8850 is in a case too).
