Starting with the Apple iPhone, we've seen a parade of cool handsets with big, roomy touch screens and groundbreaking interfaces. Check out LG's upcoming KE850 Prada phone, the just-announced Ultra Smart F700 from Samsung and more.
Looks like Apple doesn't exactly have a corner on the touch-screen market. When the iPhone was first introduced last month during CES 2007, we all "oohed" and "ahhed" over the 3.5-inch screen and the innovative, all-touch user interface (and even the single "Home" button just beneath the main screen is touch-sensitive). But in the past few weeks, we've been seeing more and more manufacturers going the touch-screen way.
LG made a splash last month with its Prada-designed KE850, a stylish (one would hope so) handset with a jumbo-sized touch screen and a Flash-powered interface, which promises at least some of the snazzy graphics we saw during the iPhone keynote. The KE850 matches the iPhone's EDGE data capabilities, Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity and 2-megapixel camera, but takes the lead in the productivity department with its document viewer, which is compatible with Word, PowerPoint and Excel files.
We also took notice of Samsung's import SGH-E890, a touch-screen phone with a 2.3-inch QVGA display and some decent, if not mind-blowing features, including a 1.3-megapixel camera, EDGE support, microSD memory expansion, Bluetooth and a media player. Sure, the E890 can't hold a candle to the "wow" factor of the iPhone or the LG/Prada handset, but it's an interesting step in the touch-screen direction nontheless.
Finally, Samsung has outdone itself with the gorgeous Ultra Smart F700, which takes a clear shot across the iPhone's bow with its 2.8-inch touch screen, 5-megapixel camera and -- get this -- a slide-out QWERTY keypad for hard-core texters. Even better, the F700 comes loaded with Immersion's VibeTonz, a clever technology that sends a subtle vibration through the handset when you tap virtual buttons on the phone's touch screen; it's an ingenious way of adding much-needed tactile feedback to touch-screen devices.
Where's Motorola in all this? Just look to the Linux-based, touch-screen MOTOMING for a hint that the phone giant is jumping on the bandwagon (albeit with a stylus in hand). We wouldn't be surprised to see both Moto and Nokia making some big touch-screen announcements in the near future. Stay tuned.
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Samsung Ultra Smart F700
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When: October 2007 Worth: $800
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We finally get a hands-on look at Samsung's Ultra Smart flagship phone, the F700. With a touch screen, sliding keypad and a unique interface, does it belong at the head of the class?
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