The True iPhone Killer?

After a deluge of smartphones hit the market in the past year or so, a question has been on a lot of people's minds: who will topple Apple from the smartphone throne? Will it be RIM (Research In Motion) and it's family of Blackberrys, or Palm with the new Pre, with it's virtual and physical QWERTY keyboard, or will it be a Google Android phone? I say none of the above.

Last Wednesday, mobile giant, Nokia, announced the release of their newest (and greatest?) smartphone, the N97 mini. Having had three Nokia mobile devices myself, I eagerly dove into the details of the so-called true iPhone killer.

The N97 mini is a smaller version of the N97 released a few months ago, with a smaller body (4.4 x 2 x 0.5 inches), and less internal storage (8GB as compared to the 32 GB for the N97). The phone runs the very powerful Symbian S60 OS, the same platform that runs the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD, and the Sony Ericsson Satio.

It comes with 3G connectivity, Wi-fi, Bluetooth, GPS, FM transmitter, and a 5 megapixel camera. It has a 3.2 inch resistive touch screen with Ovi, an application that enables the user to completely integrate to Facebook. The phone retails for about $644 unlocked AND without a contract, which is very attractive for most consumers that like the freedom of choice.

Nokia does not stop there. The Finnish company also released the new X6, a slim touchscreen phone that enables users to download unlimited amount of music and keep it for FREE. It has 32GB of memory and can play up to 35 hours of music.

I say neither one of these two phone will truly kill the iPhone. But Nokia is closer than any other company. The brand has been in the smartphone business for more than 10 years, with a strong following in Asia and Europe. The strength of the iPhone is in it's sleek design, functionality, and the thousands of downloadable applications available to the user. If Nokia comes up with a phone with features from both the X6 with the N97 mini, and develop applications that won't cost the user a penny, then that in itself will threaten the iPhone. In the meantime, Apple will maintain its dominating reign on the tech landscape for quite awhile.

by Paula Purpera