Forget iPhone 3G S: Eight Great New iPhone Alternatives

Apple unveiled its latest smartphone offerings this week, in the form of two new devices: the 16GB and 32GB iPhone 3G S. That's all fine and good for Apple fanatics; you can have your spiffed up iPhones. Here are eight more devices we like just as much - or more - than Cupertino's new mobile wares.

By Al Sacco

After much hype—and a bit of hysteria—Apple finally unveiled its new iPhone this week at its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco: the iPhone 3G S.

iPhone 3G S is packed with all of the existing features of the iPhone 3G, and according to Apple "everything [inside] is faster." We're not so sure about that statement, but there's one thing that is certain: There are plenty of alternative devices on the market you should see before dropping a chunk of change on the iPhone 3G S—even if you're a Mac-crazed iPhone lover.

What follows is our collection of the eight best high-end smartphones available today, from companies like Research In Motion, Palm, HTC and Nokia. You'll also find our reasons why you might want one—or all—of them over the new iPhone.

Pop on the slides for specifics.

iPhone 3G S

Description: Apple's new iPhone 3G S looks just like earlier iPhone models, but its belly is full of new innovations. Specifically, there's now a 32GB version; a new 3.0 megapixel camera with video capture and autofocus; a built-in compass feature, which integrates with Apple's native Maps app; and "better" battery life.

Pricing: $199 with new two-year AT&T service agreement, 16GB; $299 with two-year contract, 32GB.

Availability: June 19, 2009 in the U.S.

Palm Pre

Description: Palm's first webOS-based device finally arrived after months of rumors. Packed with features and a shiny new user interface, the Pre represents struggling Palm's last ditch effort to get back into the smartphone game along with Apple and RIM—and based on early first impressions, the Pre just might do the trick.

Pricing: $199.99 with new, two-year Sprint service agreement and $100 mail-in rebate.

Availability: June 6, 2009 via Sprint, though supply shortages are expected due to very strong demand.

What Pre Has That iPhone Doesn't: More compact size; physical, full QWERTY keyboard; brand new webOS handheld software.

HTC Touch Pro2

Description: HTC's follow-up to its popular Touch Pro, a.k.a. Fuze, the Touch Pro2packs a punch in the form of Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional software, a mean, 3.6-inch touch screen and a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard. Sleek and stunning—if a bit clunky compared to the iPhone—the Touch Pro2 represents the current cream of the Windows Mobile crop.

Pricing: £510 (approximately US$845)unlocked.

Availability: TouchPro2 is available unlocked through European retailers, but it's not currently for sale in the United States. Rumors suggest the device will hit U.S. carriers' shelves in late summer/early fall.

What Touch Pro2 Has That iPhone Doesn't: Large, physical QWERTY keyboard; slider design; Windows Mobile 6.1 OS software.

BlackBerry Storm

Description: The Storm 9530 is the world's first BlackBerry with a touch screen, and despite some early software "hiccups" it's now one of RIM's most popular devices—and Verizon Wireless' best selling BlackBerry. Its large display and included 8GB memory card make it a multimedia machine. The Storm's SurePre's touch screen may not quite equal the iPhone touch-experience—yet—but it didwin RIM a Mobile World Congress award.

Pricing: $199.99 with new, two-year Verizon Wireless service agreement.

Availability: Now via Verizon Wireless in the U.S.

What Storm Has That iPhone Doesn't:"Clicky" touch screen provides tactile feedback to improve typing; BlackBerry's messaging and security features; more virtual keyboard orientation options.

Nokia E71x

Description: Nokia's U.S. version of the popular, candy-bar styled Nokia E71 packs all the punch of its European counterpart, including a great—if a bit small—full QWERTY keyboard. The E71x delivers a quality digital camera and the Symbian S60 mobile OS—within an extremely thin form factor.

Pricing: $99.99 with new two-year AT&T service agreement and after $50 mail-in rebate.

Availability: Immediately via AT&T in the U.S.

What the E71x Has That iPhone Doesn't:Full QWERTY, physical keyboard; expandable memory; Symbian, S60 3.2 mobile OS; 3.2 megapixel digital camera with auto focus, flash and video capture.

HTC Magic

Description: HTC's Magic smartphone, a.k.a., the G2 (Google Phone 2) or I/O, is the second U.S. Android-powered device. It also runs the latest iteration of search-giant Google's mobile OS, Android 1.5, dubbed "Cupcake," with new features like an on-screen keyboard, integrated device-wide search and video recording.

Pricing & Availability: Vodafone U.K. currently offers the Magic for free with qualifying monthly service plans. T-Mobile will release the device under the name "myTouch 3G" during the summer of 2009.

What the Magic Has That iPhone Doesn't:Google's latest Android OS 1.5; trackball and on-screen navigation; expandable memory.

BlackBerry Bold 9000

Description: RIM's first 3G, GSM BlackBerry packs a blazing 624-MHz processor and stunning 360 x 420 display, making it one of the most powerful and functional smartphones on the market. The Bold 9000 is slightly larger than the iPhone 3G, but its impressive feature set, including one of the best keyboards to ever grace a mobile device, more than makes up for the extra bulk.

Pricing: $199.99 along with new two-year AT&T service agreement and after $100 mail-in rebate.

Availability: Immediately via AT&T in the U.S.

What the Bold Has That iPhone Doesn't:Large, functional full QWERTY physical keyboard; BlackBerry's renowned messaging and security features; faster processor.

Nokia N97

Description: Nokia's latest "multimedia computer," the N97 could really be grouped in an entirely different category than the new iPhones; however, its multimedia-centric nature and massive touch screen clearly make it an iPhone competitor—and one that could actually give Apple a run for its money in the consumer device space.

Pricing & Availability: Available in Nokia flagship stores in the U.S. for $699.00. No official U.S. carrier as of yet.

What the N97 Has That iPhone Doesn't:Large, full QWERTY physical keyboard; 32GB of built-in storage capacity along with expandable memory slot; large 3.5", 640 x 360 resistive touch screen; high-quality 5 megapixel camera.

Bundles of Unreleased 'Berrys

Description: Not one of these RIM devices has been officially announced—let alone assigned a release date—but it would be wrong of me not to mention them, since each and every one could put the new iPhones to shame in its own right. The BlackBerry Touris a CDMA, BlackBerry Bold/Curve 8900 hybrid; the Onyx is a "bolder," sleeker Bold 9000; the Magnum reportedly has both a Bold-like keyboard and a Storm-ish touch screen; and finally, the Storm 2, is, well, you guessed it, an enhanced Storm with new features like Wi-Fi.

Pricing & Availability: Nothing official but predicted $200 - $400; all expected to be released in 2009.

What BlackBerry Has That iPhone Doesn't: Revered keyboards; SurePress touch technology; BlackBerry's renowned messaging and security features.

Finally, Nokia gets brutally honest!

by Sriram Vadlamani | featured, Mobiles | 3 Comments - Leave a comment!

Nokia is bleeding. There’s no doubt about it. It has been bleeding for quite some time. What everyone is concerned about is not about Nokia’s bleeding but does Nokia acknowledge it? Finally it did. In what happens to be the most brutal and honest assessment of Nokia’s predicament, its CEO Stephen Elop has sent out a memo to its employees. Like all things corporate, the memo leaked and we can all read it. The full text of the memo is down below and I recommend a complete reading. As you won’t find this honest assessment from any company. And when we do, we have to commend. We have to commend the gumption of Stephen Elop for calling a spade a spade – a novelty in the Nokia world.
The biggest problem of a problem is the acknowledgement. Once a problem is acknowledged tackling it would become easier. Nokia as per Mr. Elop is on a burning platform from all sides. If I may oversimplify Mr. Elop’s 1200 word message, Nokia is facing a three-fold threat. The first threat is at the top-end from the closed system of Apple. The second threat is from the open sourced Android system of Google which recently overtook Symbian and which is found on most of non-Apple smartphones.  The third threat is at the low-end from the phones using MediaTek chips in the emerging markets, Micromax, Spice, Karbonn and ilk.
photo © 2008 aresjoberg | more info(via: Wylio)
Elop recognizes that Meego isn’t working out and they quickly need another ecosystem. Right now Nokia has a two-pronged strategy – Symbian, Meego. It has to ditch either one of them or get in bed with either Microsoft or Android. Given Elop’s tone anything is possible. Nokia likes strong control and partially closed systems like Microsoft. Nokia might also liken completely open system like Android.
Nokia has to quickly decide the business they want to be in. People have argued that Nokia shouldn’t give up on Symbian too quickly and should not embrace Android or Microsoft. I disagree. Nokia is sailing on far too many ships. Nokia should take a cue from Samsung and do what it does best. Produce remarkable hardware, embrace the open source OS which has a great ecosystem (nothing comes close to Android) and upgrade its own operating systems to a pet project status. And yeah, it has to put either Meego or Symbian in cold storage. This takes care of Android and to some extent Apple. Would Nokia then be reduced to the status of HTC and ZTE? May be. But they aren’t doing that badly. ZTE just overtook RIM. How does that sound for a company which has targeted the low-end and embraced Android?Nokia’s music/touch screen phone Nokia 5230/5235 is one of Nokia’s top selling phones and people really love that phone. Imagine that phone running Android and accessing the plethora of apps to go with it? Wouldn’t the sales just touch the roof?
Nokia has to take care of the emerging markets. It has to launch phones and launch them fast. Micromax and its ilk will continue hitting Nokia with a sledgehammer. What Nokia got to do now is listen to the markets. Launching just one dual SIM phone in hot market like India just won’t cut it. Nokia has to think outside the box.
Elop has recognized this very well and has put it eloquently in the memo. Again a must read. Nokia will be discussing their new strategy on Feb 11. I am all ears.
Source : Engadget

Top 10 Best Upcoming Cell Phones

Sure, you want a new phone right now, but carriers and manufacturers have promised some truly spectacular, knock-your-socks-off phones coming to U.S. shelves between now and June. With 4G right around the corner and mobile hardware and software getting better and better, you should take a look at what’s coming down the pike in the next couple of months before you buy.

he first three weeks of the year have seen more than a dozen announcements from top U.S. carriers, and we’re sure to see more at the Mobile World Congress trade show in mid-February. Whether you’re with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon Wireless, there’s something exciting on the horizon.

It wasn’t easy keeping it to just 10, but we’ve come up with this list of the most exciting phones that you’ll be able to buy in the coming months. To check out pictures of these handsets,

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  10. Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc (AT&T?)

Sony Ericsson’s big comeback could come from this Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" phone with a razor-sharp screen, spectacular camera, and the ability to be manipulated by your TV’s remote control. While the company told us it wants to sell this phone here in the U.S, we’ve put it in last place on this list because Sony Ericsson has a lousy track record of getting its phones picked up by U.S. carriers. If it does appear, the Xperia Arc will most likely show up on AT&T.

Also notable: Sony Ericsson is expected to debut a "PlayStation phone" next month, though we don’t know whether that’s ever coming to the U.S. We should know more when MWC commences on Feb. 13.

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  9. HTC 7 Pro (Sprint)

Windows Phone 7 will debut on Sprint very, very soon with this big, sliding-QWERTY-keyboard model. Like many other Windows Phone 7 devices, the 7 Pro has a 1GHz processor and a 5-megapixel camera. The form factor is the selling point here, with a tilting screen that makes it look like a little laptop.

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8. LG Revolution (Verizon Wireless) 
Verizon debuted four new LTE, Android-based phones at CES this year. The LG Revolution’s key features include 1080p HD video capture and the ability to organize your Android apps into folders, preventing your app tray from getting much too long.

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7. Samsung Galaxy S 4G (T-Mobile)

T-Mobile’s Editors’ Choice-winning Samsung Vibrant is getting a faster cousin on February 13 with the introduction of the Galaxy S 4G, which T-Mobile pre-announced on January 20. We don’t know much about the new generation Galaxy S, although we’re hoping T-Mobile’s phone is the same as the dual-core Galaxy S lineup that Samsung is promising.

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6. Samsung Infuse 4G (AT&T)

Super-thin, with a super-huge, Super AMOLED Plus screen, the Samsung Infuse will give you a truly cinematic Android experience. The 4.5-inch display carries the same 800-by-480 resolution as most other smart phones, but Samsung says Super AMOLED Plus will improve its colors. The Infuse will be one of the first phones to run on AT&T’s fast HSPA+ network.

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5. HTC Thunderbolt (Verizon Wireless)

HTC is beloved for giving a bit more style and finish to its Android phones than some other manufacturers, and the 4G HTC Thunderbolt comes with the company’s award-winning Sense UI overlay. It also has an 8-megapixel camera and an HD video recorder, which may make this an excellent 4G phone for YouTube devotees.

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4. T-Mobile Sidekick 4G

The T-Mobile Sidekick is a cult device with an intensely faithful following. After Sidekick-maker Danger was bought by Microsoft, fans thought they’d never see a new model. T-Mobile recently said the Sidekick is coming back as a 4G HSPA+ Android phone, but didn’t give many details. This image seems to hint that it will eschew a swiveling screen for a slider design.

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3. Motorola Droid Bionic (Verizon Wireless)

The dual-core, NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor in the Motorola Droid Bionic means this 4G LTE phone will be up to twice as fast as other top smartphones. I’ve seen the Tegra difference when playing games, and it means sharper backgrounds, better shadows, and more enemies to fight. The Droid Bionic may very well be Verizon’s power leader when it launches.

2. Motorola Atrix (AT&T)

The most interesting phone I saw at CES and the one I’m personally waiting most anxiously for, the Motorola Atrix is an Android phone that turns into a Linux-powered, desktop or laptop PC when it’s popped into the appropriate dock. Could this replace a tablet, a netbook, or a home media center? I really want to find out.

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1. Apple iPhone 5

Sorry folks, we couldn’t ignore the next-gen Jesus phone. Nobody knows anything reliable about the upcoming iPhone, although noisy blog speculation is already in full force. We don’t know if it will be called iPhone 5, iPhone 4G, or something else. But we’re pretty sure it’s coming in June or July—iPhones always do. Surely Apple will have plenty of surprises for us, and it’s likely that a new iPhone will come with industry-leading features. The real question is, with a Verizon iPhone 4 coming in early February—can you wait that long?