Touchscreen mobile phones are officially all the rage – BlackBerry has just launched its first ever device to do away with a physical keyboard in favour of a touchscreen interface.
- Review: BlackBerry makes storming debut in touchscreen battle
- BlackBerry Storm hands on: Review of reviews
The iPhone has set a high standard in terms of what we expect touchscreen phones to be able to do, and other mobile phone manufacturers have struggled to keep up.
But in the last couple of weeks, three promising handsets have been unveiled that could provide a stiff challenge to Apple’s iPhone. Here, we compare the iPhone with the pretenders to its crown.
Apple iPhone 3G
Available from free, O2 tariffs starting from £30 per month apple.com/uk/iphone
Pros: Multi-touch interface for zooming in and out of web pages and photos, full Safari web browser with online access via high speed 3G networks and Wi-Fi, push-email, built in GPS and Google Maps software, additional programs and software can be downloaded from the App Store, music can be purchased from iTunes Music Store when in wireless internet zone.
Cons: No support for Flash, which means some online videos cannot be played from within web pages, virtual keyboard can be tricky to type on, two-megapixel camera is poor quality and lacks the ability to capture video, no copy and paste function, cannot send and receive picture text messages.
BlackBerry Storm
Available from free, Vodafone tariffs starting from £35 per month blackberry.vodafone.co.uk
Pros: Innovative ClickThrough touchscreen, where presses result in a clicking sound and a sensation akin to pressing a physical button, very high quality screen perfect for watching movies on, decent 3.2-megapixel camera doubles as a camcorder, can open and edit Office documents on the go, great email device, can download songs over-the-air from Vodafone Music Store, fast internet access via 3G network, GPS and maps, support for A2DP Bluetooth protocol, can be connected to computer and used as modem.
Cons: No Wi-Fi support, few extra applications currently available from BlackBerry application store, device feels bulkier and chunkier than the iPhone.
Nokia 5800 XpressMusic
£tbc, likely to be available SIM-free at launch nokia.co.uk
Pros: Unlimited over-the-air music downloads from Nokia Music Store bundled in the handset price, touchscreen with choice of Qwerty keyboard, alphanumeric or handwriting recognition input, three-megapixel camera with video capture, one-touch access to most frequently contacted friends, supports Flash websites and videos, fast web access.
Cons: No multi-touch support, so interface less intuitive than iPhone, Symbian operating system cannot be as easily personalised as the Apple or BlackBerry OS, lacks smartphone features, clearly aimed at consumers as an entertainment device.
T-Mobile G1
Available from free, T-Mobile tariffs starting from £30 per month t-mobileg1.com
Pros: Runs the open source Android operating system, backed by Google, so plenty of scope for downloading new applications and programs to the phone in future, features a touchscreen interface and slide-out Qwerty keyboard for speedy typing, can run several programs simultaneously, has built-in GPS and mapping software, built-in compass for quick and easy navigation, one-click access to Google search bar.
Cons: Device is chunky and less stylish and streamlined than any of the others, first attempt at an Android phone and future handsets are sure to be better, music download service from Amazon MP3 currently only available in the US.
