Ever since you read this article’s title a whole three seconds ago, you’ve probably been feeling a growing sense of doubt and mistrust. But we’re going to say it anyway: there is life without the iPhone. How? Well, we’re not suggesting you ditch the smartphone altogether, but there are other smartphones out there. And some can function just as well - and dare we say it - if not better, than the iPhone.
Because we’re dealing with iPhone alternatives here, prepare for a focus on smartphones, touchscreens, camera phones and large storage space.
Nokia N97
The N97 is Nokia’s answer to Apple’s iPhone, and you could argue the N97 has a superior display. It measures at 3.5 inches and 360 X 640 pixels. Unlike the iPhone, it has a slide-out angled keyboard, and you could contend that it’s more fun to press than a touchscreen. With a 32GB internal storage, unsurprisingly it’s the perfect competitor against the iPhone 3GS 32GB. If the N97’s 55.3 x 117.2 x 15.9 mm dimensions are too big for your pocket, you may opt for the N97 mini with similar functionality. We must admit though, the N97 doesn’t quite have the iPhone’s sturdy and slick look and feel.
BlackBerry Bold
BlackBerry phones are well-known for their focus on mobile email, making them a worthy contender for an iPhone alternative. This bulky phone differs in a major way from the iPhone: it’s not a touchscreen. But in terms of overall design and keyboard pressing, this phone is just as sexy.
Samsung Omnia
The Samsung i900 Omnia was released just a week after the iPhone 3G, and it’s difficult not to compare the Samsung i900 Omnia to its popular counterpart: you can choose either 8GB or 16GB of storage, and the Samsung i900 Omnia boasts a wide touchscreen, solid minimal design, Wi-Fi, accelerometer, and built in GPS. Sound familiar? The Samsung i900 Omnia even prides itself on some of the same flaws of the iPhone: they’re both easily scratched, and they each leave you yearning for a little extra speed.
But the Samsung i900 deserves more than just comparisons, and it packs in more features than some others of its kind. The 5-megapixel camera has a flash, autofocus, face tracking, smile detection and geo-indexing. The touchscreen is brilliant: 65K colour, and a resolution of 240 X 400 pixels (and yes, the dimensions are almost identical to the iPhone).