YOU'VE heard the hype. But there's no need to wait until the end of the year for Apple's hyped-to-the-heavens iPhone to hit stores here.
There are already two "iPhone killers" out in stores here that promise much of the jazz from Apple's gizmo and are winners on their own merit.
These are Samsung's Omnia i900 and HTC's Touch Diamond, two of the hottest phones today.
Both feature some of those "touch" functions that lets you use fingers - instead of buttons - to navigate webpages and photos.
Both also have several features, like built-in cameras, that better the iPhone.
But how do the two challengers measure up against each other? Here's a round-by-round knockout fight that I subjected them to.
Round 1: Looks
Winner: HTC Touch Diamond
THIS forms your first impression and it is actually the simplest category to decide.
Without a doubt, the HTC Touch Diamond has the better design. Its 110g frame is easily pocketable yet does not seem too small for all the information to be shown on-screen.
The slick shiny finish, though a magnet for fingerprints, is more attractive than Samsung's Omnia.
I'm not so sure about the "diamond" moniker for HTC's device, because the plastic cover at the back, meant to mimick the facets on a diamond, seem like a rehash of another (ugly) fashion phone from Nokia.
Fortunately, you don't have to look at the back too much.
The Samsung Omnia is far from ugly. But for an "iPhone killer", it looks too much like what it is trying to kill and does not seem inspired.
Round 2: Interface
Winner: A tie
HTC has easily the prettier interface, which in some ways, looks more attractive than Apple's.
Called TouchFlo 3D, it shows off stunning icons in 3D.
The best example of this is the rather flashy 3D animations you get for weather - if it is rainy, you get an eye-catching 3D car wiper doing its job on the screen.
A nice virtual rolodex of sorts also helps you scroll through contacts (complete with their pictures).
Beyond just eye candy, the menus here are intuitive for the most part. SMS messages feature prominently on a menu that you move your fingers along for different options.
The "touch" features extend to media viewing too, so you can slide your finger to scroll to the next picture.
But what brings the HTC Touch Diamond back to reality is the lag that it suffers from periodically.
There are workarounds from users online. There is also talk that new software updates from HTC will make the menus scroll faster.
But right now, the problem is that they can get sluggish at times, enough to make the whole "touch" thing less cool.
The Samsung Omnia, on the other hand, has much less flash than the HTC Touch Diamond, but seems to zip along faster.
It also scores for having haptic feedback, which means the screen vibrates when you touch it, to let you know you've hit a button, for example.
However, the Omnia loses points for letting the Windows Mobile interface peek its head out too often.
For example, there should have been an easier way to send an SMS than scroll through several menus. On regular phones, it's usually just a "left" or "right" tap on the keypad.
Thus, in the end, it is a tie in this important category. HTC has the prettier and better thought-out interface, but Samsung hits back with raw speed.
Round 3: Screen
Winner: HTC
NO QUESTIONS here. The Touch Diamond's sharper VGA screen beats the Samsung display hands down.
Remember that VGA is the same resolution once seen on old CRT monitors. Today, that same amount of detail is cramped into a much smaller screen, which means extreme sharpness.
Even though the screen is small, the HTC gadget shows off text sharply and images are just as pretty. Reading is made easy.
Round 4: Multimedia
Winner: Samsung
IN THIS round, the Omnia simply has more juice to play your videos, songs and slideshows with ease.
While the HTC Touch Diamond struggles with some of the media files while juggling with its snazzy but demanding interface, the mundane-looking Omnia runs them with aplomb.
I watched several 300MB videos captured from live TV and the nice 16:9 screen on the Omnia proved the winner here, filling the video to the edges of the display.
The Samsung gadget also has 16GB of memory packed in, while the HTC has only 4GB.
Round 5: Other features
Winner: Samsung
I GIVE this category to Samsung because it has so many more features that make it "more than a phone", as the tagline goes.
There's a handy 5-megapixel camera (compared to the HTC's 3-megapixel one) and built-in GPS (global positioning system) that comes with Aegis and Google maps, for example.
As an all-in-one device, it appears to be the better deal if you utilise all the features.
FINAL SAY
It is difficult to choose a winner. It's such a close call.
The HTC gizmo impresses more as a phone that is very well-designed.
But it needs either a faster processor or software updates to ensure that the menus zip along more smoothly.
The Omnia, on the other hand, gives raw power in your hands. The interface makes it less attractive and also less friendly to users switching from a regular phone, but it packs in all the multimedia goodies you'll need on the go.
What do you buy? Tough choice. If you are looking to step up from a regular phone, go for the HTC Touch Diamond. If you want all-out multimedia goodness and is apt at learning new interfaces, then the Omnia gives you the raw power.
This article was first published in The Straits Times, Digital Life on 1 July 2008.
