With the huge success of the iPhone, Apple’s first phone better get ready for some company and competition. Everyone from established cell phone companies, like Samsung, to newbies in the cell industry, like Garmin and NVidia, are jumping on the touch-screen bandwagon. But can they compete with the trim, streamlined original? Here’s a look at some of the copycats and how they measure up:
Garmin Nuvifone
The GPS giant’s version of the touch-phone looks a little less smooth than the iPhone but still bares quite a resemblance to it. And with phones covering more bases all the time (photography, Bluetooth, mp3) it only makes sense that GPS will be a common part of phones in the near future - so who better to come up with a phone than a company that already has the extras down? Surprisingly, though, the GPS of this phone might not be up to par with the iPhone, as you cannot search intersections, but rather you need specific addresses or locations, and the touch-screen is also a bit harder to use than others we’ve reviewed.
Specifications
- 3.5″ Touch Display
- 3.5G data connectivity
- WiFi
- Speaker
- Mp3 Player
- Web Browser
- Photos (+Geo Tagging)
Samsung Tocco (F480)
Of the touch-screen phones I’ve found, I think this best rivals the look of the iPhone, with sleek lines and a smooth, simple face and lots of fun features - including a a homepage that you can drag favorites for easy access and a ”smile-shot” camera mode that automatically takes pictures when a loved one is smiling. While it is lacking in internal memory space, it has a micro-sD slot that supports up to 8GB of external memory, a perk over the iPhone in that there is room to expand. Definitely a cool phone, but can it compete with the soon-to-be-released new iPhone?
Specifications
- TOUCHWIZ UI: a 5-megapixel camera featuring auto focus and a CMOS video lens
- Super thin body: 11.6 mm thick by 98.4 mm tall and 55 mm wide
- 240 MB of internal memory
- A microSD card slot supporting up to 8GB, HSDPA and USB 2.0
- Battery capacity: 1000mAh
- Estimated talk time: 3 hours
- Estimated standby: 250 hours
Interested in more reviews?
Other look-alikes to check out…
The Verdict
Without even release dates for most of these Apple-alternatives, it’s going to be interesting to see which of these devices prevail. Apple’s full web browser and first-to-the-market advantage set a high standard for any competitor, but unique extras, along with flexibility and expandability, will help determine the success of these phones.
del.icio.us
digg 