MANILA, Philippines—I was there when Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone at Macworld in 2007, I was among those who got goosebumps as he demonstrated the phone’s pinch-pull navigation.
The goosebumps returned this year, when Samsung officially announced the Omnia, and product specialist Youngjoon Kim handed me the phone so I could experience the haptic technology that fooled my fingers into believing I was touching actual keys and not just the phone’s screen.
We are living in very exciting times, gadget-wise. So many companies are scrambling to make the best touch screen phone and that’s great news for us consumers.
Here’s a rundown of touch screen phones that you can enjoy. Some are already available on the market—while some have yet to be released in the country. We will be waiting patiently.
Apple’s iPhone 3G
Memory: 8GB or 16GB Why it’s cool: It’s an iPod, a phone and a web browser in one. And it’s undeniably sleek and sexy. Screen-size: 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display Touch screen magic: Customizable home screen so you can open your applications with a single tap; pinch and pull navigation; no stylus needed. Other features: 2.0 megapixel camera; Safari; supports 3G, Wi-Fi and EDGE networks; iTunes Wi-Fi music store; complete iPod functions; advanced photo applications. Online thumbs-up: “I love my iPhone 3G, almost as if it were a tiny, glass-and-plastic member of my family.” –jabancroft Availability: Watch out for it later this year.
Samsung’s Omnia
Memory: 8GB or 16GB internal memory and 32GB external memory Why it’s cool: Its name means “everything” in Latin—and Samsung promises this phone can do everything for you. The phone is the marriage of style and function. Screen-size: 3.2-inch WQVGA LCD screen Touch screen magic: TouchWiz touch-screen capabilities; tap, sweep, drag and drop functions; haptic technology; handwriting recognition Other features: 5-megapixel camera which is equipped with smile detection; optical mouse; Windows 6.1 operating system; FM radio, torchlight; business card reader Online thumbs-up: “Samsung Omnia is one of the best phones around. With its powerful features, sleek design, 5-megapixel camera, it’s really one of a kind!” –nggarmum Availability: Watch out for it later this year.
LG’s Secret
Memory: 100 MB internal memory and up to 4GB external memory Why it’s cool: Its casing is made of carbon fibre—the same material used for cars and planes. Screen-size: 2.4” Touch Haptic TFT LCD Touch screen magic: Users can access five multimedia functions with this phone’s touch-screen capability—music, photos, games, documents and the FM radio. Other features: 5 megapixel camera; Neon touch navigation; Movie Maker; Google package; compatible with Microsoft documents; HSDPA Online thumbs-up: “I just cannot wait to carry this beauty around and show it off! I also like the fact that it’s the slimmest 5-megapixel camera phone around.” –Dawn Yang Availability: Now available in the market.
Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X1
Memory: Up to 400 MB Phone Memory Why it’s cool: Bound to be Sony Ericsson’s flagship phone, it brings together the communication and entertainment tools you need in one package. Screen-size: 3 inch wide VGA Touch screen magic: The three-inch touch screen is a 65,536-color TFT WVGA display; handwriting recognition Other features: 3.2 megapixel camera; aGPS; WiFi; GSM/EDGE; UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA; arc-sliding QWERTY keyboard; 4-way key; joystick; Opera Mobile 9.5 or Skyfire browser; Windows Mobile 6 Operating System Online thumbs-up: “Upon laying eyes on it, I decided immediately that this will be my next phone. No doubt, it was love at first sight.” –xhydra Availability: Will be available later this year.
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