Has iPhone Started A Touch Screen Mobile Phone War?

At MacWorld Expo 2007, Jobs announced that the iPhone will launch in June in the US. The 4 gigabyte version will cost 499 dollars. The 8 gigabyte version will cost 599 dollars. The device features a touch-screen input technology called Multi- Touch, controlled by sliding a finger across its touch-sensitive, 9- centimetre (3.5-inch), 160-pixel-per-inch display. The display automatically switches between landscape or portrait mode thanks to a built-in sensor.
The iPhone, which runs the Macintosh operating system, seamlessly syncs data with a desktop computer, including music and videos from iTunes, contacts, calendars, photos, notes, contacts, bookmarks and email accounts.
The 11.6-millimetre thick device also sports a 2-megapixel camera, headset jack, 3.5-millimetre audio jack, SIM tray, a sleep-wake switch, speaker, microphone and an iPod dock connector. The quad-band GSM plus EDGE phone also has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 capabilities. Future versions will carry 3G capabilities. The iPhone includes all the features of a regular video iPod. It also has Apple's Safari web browser, allowing it to view standard web pages, rather than WAP versions of pages. Integrated Google Maps functionality lets users look up a business and drop its phone number directly into the dialer.
The phone offers easy conference calling and a Visual Voicemail feature, which allows users to skip directly to voice mails they want to hear.
The device's photo management software enables users to zoom in and out of pictures with a "pinching" motion, and to orient pictures in standard or landscape mode. When playing music, the iPhone can automatically adjust levels up or down as calls come in.

Two weeks after, LG Electronics and Prada have presented a touch-screen mobile comparable to the Apple iPhone. "An extra-wide LCD screen maximizes visual impact, allowing the user to benefit from several key features of the phone, including the 2-megapixel camera featuring Schneider-Kreuznach lens, video player and document viewer capacity," the manufacturer said. The phone also has an integrated MP3 player, and the internal 8-megabyte memory can be upgraded via the external memory slot. The aim had been to combine Prada's attention to detail and quality with LG's mobile technology. The partnership with Prada for the phone's development was decided last December. Obviously, the phone is being touted as LG's "answer" to the Apple iPhone. According LG and Prada, the phone will be available from end February in Prada stores and selected mobile phone shops in Germany, Britain, France and Italy, costing 600 euros (780 dollars) and above.

But the story is far from over. Two days ago, Samsung has joined Apple and LG into the club of touchscreen mobile phones manufacturers. The company unveiled the F700 handset, which is the only one of the three to support the latest mobile network. The phone is the first that is compatible with 3G (third generation) WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) in addition to conventional GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications). It also works with the companion HSDPA and EDGE data transmission systems so, on 3G networks, it can receive data at up to 7.2Mbps (bits per second).
The phone features a 2.8-inch 440x240 screen to control calling, internet access, and music functions. Media playback support includes multiple AAC audio formats, Real, and variants of MPEG-4 including H.264.
Samsung's Ultra Smart F700 also includes VibeTonz, a vibration system introduced in the recent W559 that simulates tactile feedback to touchscreen presses. On the iPhone, many reviewers complained about the lack of feedback in typing on such a small surface with your thumbs. Guess what? Samsung's F700 also includes a slide-out keyboard to accommodate typing and Web browsing.
Samsung's innovation features a 5-megapixel camera offering auto-focus that bests the iPhone's 2-megapixel unit. A microSD slot will expand the memory for storing photos and music. Apparently, Samsung will not use Windows Mobile 6.0, also to be unveiled at 3GSM next week.
The F700 will be on show at next week’s 3GSM expo in Barcelona, Spain, and it will become the fourth member of Samsung’s “Ultra” family of phones. Samsung hasn’t decided when or where the phone will be launched nor at what price, said Stephanie Wong, a spokeswoman for the company in Seoul.

The Ultra Smart F700 measures 4.1 by 2.9 by 0.6 inches, only barely thicker than the iPhone, by about a fifth of an inch. It will also feature Bluetooth 2.0+.

And there are rumors that other producers are ready to join the game. According to media, Asus, Microsoft and even Nintendo are considering touch-screen mobile phones. As you may see, after a battle of next-generation gaming consoles, we are heading into a touch-screen mobile phones war. Who’s going to win?