BlackBerry Thunder
Details on the phone itself are thin. However, it's hard to imagine Research in Motion being able to back up the wide, media-friendly screen (seen in leaked images) with the wealth of multimedia content Apple has packed into its iTune store for its iPhones, iPods and Macs. Research in Motion might do better than Apple if it were to roll out a phone with tiny plastic keys aimed at prying your credit card company's vice president away from her CrackBerry. But Apple is too smart to go there.
Samsung Instinct
Samsung's iPhone killer, the Instinct, isn't about to amaze anyone. The phone is little more than an iPhone knockoff, right down to the blank black face and chrome trim--a disappointment from a company that shouldn't stoop to knock off anyone. Worse yet, the phone's look--and $199 retail price--invites comparison to a competitor the Instinct doesn't match. Unlike the new iPhone, the Instinct lacks wi-fi, has less memory and its touch-sensitive interface is less sophisticated.
Google Phone
Next up, Google, another company with an inside track at Apple. Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt holds a seat on Apple's board. And he's admitted that he's had to sit out some meetings, with Google readying an effort to pump its software into Internet-friendly phones due in the fourth quarter from such manufacturers as HTC, Samsung and LG Electronics. At first glance, Google's so-called Android effort poses quite a threat, since Google has a host of online services it can pour into the handsets. The challenge: timing. By the time the first of these handsets arrive, Apple could already be synonymous with Web-friendly phones.
HTC Touch
This was an iPhone knockoff before there was an iPhone to knock off. In other words, it's no knockoff. HTC's engineers toiled long and hard to design a touch-sensitive smart phone, only to see Steve Jobs launch a phone, weeks later, incorporating many of the same ideas. And while the Touch hasn't matched the iPhone's hype, it hints that HTC may be the company with the best odds of one day cranking out a handset that knocks Steve Jobs & Co. on their butts.
Nokia N95
This phone is a chunky monkey. But it packs some pretty amazing capabilities into a hefty package, like a five-megapixel camera with a fancy Carl Zeiss lens. Couple that with a capable media player, slick blogging software and a broad selection of games, and this phone is a radically different approach to building a media-friendly phone, compared with the iPhone.
Sony Ericsson Walkman w580i
When word first got out that Sony Ericsson would pair its slick handsets with music, selling the gadgets under the "Walkman" brand, many feared the result would be an iPod killer. That hasn't happened. Nevertheless, these handsets have done well, particularly in Japan.
AT&T Tilt
OK, Tilt isn't as pretty as the iPhone. But that's its secret weapon. Bear with us here. For starters, no one will accuse you of packing an iPhone knockoff. And sure, it's ugly, but this handset makes up for it by cramming tons of capability into its 6.1 ounces. This gadget, which is built for AT&T by Taiwan's HTC, has a wi-fi connection, Bluetooth, a three-megapixel camera and a satellite navigation system. And that's just for starters. Not only does this device cruise along on high-speed 3G networks, but its Windows Mobile software allows users to crack open and edit Word documents using a slide-out keypad and a tilt screen.
