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| iPhone Alternatives |
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By Erik Larkin, PC World
Can't get an iPhone? Here's how some hot cell phones from other manufacturers measure up. Does the iPhone frenzy have you yearning for a new phone? Before you take that expensive leap, take a look at these five new and buzz-worthy phones, and check out our chart comparing their specs with the iPhone's. Maybe the iPhone really is your dream handset, or maybe you want GPS, or a full keyboard, or a faster data connection. Or maybe you just don't want to plunk down a whopping $500. Here are a few intriguing options. The HTC Touch has a large touch screen like the iPhone, but uses Windows Mobile instead of Mac OS X. Helio's Ocean has both a keyboard and a phone keypad, and also adds in some GPS services, but doesn't have Wi-Fi capabilities. For its part, Nokia's N95 mini-computer has full GPS, a capable 5-megapixel camera, and a host of other features, but it will cost you plenty. The BlackBerry Curve, a business favorite, adds a camera and multimedia playback to its popular e-mail handling. Last, and least in price, the Samsung Upstage is a relative bargain with video recording and full GPS. Of course, there are other interesting phones beyond what we could fit in our comparison. The LG Prada, for example, is making waves with its iPhone-like minimalist design, and the capable Treo 750 is a new model in the line of the original smart phones. |
| The iPhone vs. Its Competition | ||||||
| Feature | Apple iPhone | HTC Touch | Helio Ocean | Nokia N95 | BlackBerry Curve | Samsung Upstage |
| Cost | $500 (4GB) or $600 (8GB) with a two-year contract | $600 for an unlocked phone from Dynamism | $295 from Helio | $750 for an unlocked phone from Nokia | $300 with a two-year contract; $200 after mail-in rebate | $80 with a two-year contract |
| Service provider | AT&T | Unlocked | Helio (Sprint network) | Unlocked | AT&T | Sprint |
| Cell voice networks | GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900) | GSM (900, 1800, 1900) | CDMA | GSM (850,1800,1900) | GSM (800,850,1800,1900) | CDMA |
| Data networks | EDGE | EDGE, GPRS | EvDO | EDGE, GPRS, HSDPA, UMTS | EDGE, GPRS | EvDO |
| Display | 3.5 inches, 320 by 480 pixels; landscape or portrait layout | 2.8 inches, 240 by 320 pixels; portrait or landscape layout | 2.4 inches, 240 by 320 pixels; landscape or portrait layout | 2.6 inches, 240 by 320 pixels; portrait or landscape layout | 2.5 inches, 240 by 320 pixels | Phone display: 1.4 inches,
176 by 65 pixels Media display: 2.1 inches, 176 by 220 pixels |
| Dimensions (inches) | 4.5 by 2.4 by 0.46 | 3.9 by 2.3 by 0.55 | 4.33 by 2.2 by 0.86 | 3.9 by 2.1 by 0.83 | 4.2 by 2.4 by 0.6 | 4.1 by 1.7 by 0.4 |
| Weight (ounces) | 4.8 | 4 | 5.61 | 4.23 | 3.9 | 2.6 |
| Camera | 2 megapixels | 2 megapixels | 2 megapixels with flash | 5 megapixels with flash | 2 megapixels with flash | 1.3 megapixels |
| Controls | Touch screen, software keyboard | Touch screen, software keyboard | Navigation pad, slide-out keyboard, slide-out phone keypad | Navigation pad, slide-out phone keypad, slide-out multimedia controls; no keyboard | Keyboard, navigation pad, trackball | Phone side: phone keypad Media side: navigational pad; no keyboard |
| Built-in memory | 4GB or 8GB | 64MB | 200MB | 160MB | 64MB | 70MB |
| Memory expansion | None | microSD | microSD | microSD | microSD | microSD |
| Operating system | OS X | Windows Mobile | Custom | Symbian | BlackBerry OS | Custom |
| Third-party applications | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Battery life (manufacturer's talk-time rating) | 8 hours | 5 hours | 5.1 hours | 4 hours | 4 hours | 2.5 hours (6.3 with extended battery) |
| Video capabilities | Playback | Playback, recording | Playback, recording | Playback, recording | Playback | Playback, recording |
| Music formats | MP3, AAC, Audible, Apple Lossless, .wav | AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MP3, WMA, .wav | MP3, AAC, WMA | MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA | AAC, AAC+, WMA, MP3 | AAC, MP3 |
| E-mail connections | POP3, IMAP | POP3, IMAP, push | POP3, IMAP, push from AOL, Hotmail, and Yahoo | POP3, IMAP, push | POP3, IMAP, push | POP3, IMAP |
| Web browsing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GPS | No | No | For Google Maps tie-in and friend locator | Yes | No | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11b/g | 802.11b/g | None | 802.11b/g | None | None |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
