Even though the iPhone is not available, it already has competitors trying to knock it off its pedestal. Samsung introduced its new Ultra Smart F700 this week.
Have a look here at PDANEWS for pictures and a full description. See even more large pictures HERE from Akihabaranews.
Unlike the iPhone, this device has 3G capabilities and a slide out keyboard, but talks about its new touch screen interface for controlling all functions as well. It also has something they call “VibeTonz”, a vibrating interaction to help make the touch screen work better.
It includes a 5 Mega-pixel auto focus camera, an MP-3 player, a large 2.78″ display that changes aspects with rotation of the device, bluetooth, built in calendar, contact manager, full HTML browser, and a “Drag and drop” touch screen user interface. It also supports the 7.2 Mbps High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) network interface.
This means, like the iPhone, it will access the internet, play music, take pictures, display video, handle e-mail, share photos, and, oh yea, make phone calls too.
While this is obviously not an iPhone, it is damn close with some things that the iPhone does not have yet. It also does NOT contain WM5 or other Wmobile items, so seems to be targeted to hit the iPhone rather then Wmobile phones.
Only one problem: no price mentioned, no network to fully support it yet (in the US) and no release date. It is showing at 3GSM World Congress, a telecommunications exhibition in Barcelona next week. They plan to test reaction to the phone before announcing plans to release it to the market.
But one things for sure, Apple has the rest of the market scared, and they are all scrambling to come up with similar devices. So, if the iPhone is not on your network, or too expensive for you, at least Apple has given the cell phone industry a good swift kick in the butt, and lots of new, cool phone gadgets will be coming out. Sounds like a win for everyone, iPhone or not.
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