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But with this month's release of the iPhone 3.0, Apple Inc. faces stiff competition from the Palm Pre and Nokia N97 -- two other next-wave smartphones that boast massive data-storage capabilities and cameras with more features than the iPhone.
Here's how these big three stack up:
Apple iPhone 3.0
The latest version of Apple's iPhone comes in two varieties: the 16GB ($199) and 32GB ($299) for new and qualifying AT&T customers who sign up for two-year contracts. The star power of this smart phone is hard to beat, especially with the extensive new applications on the updated version.
Boasting a 3-megapixel camera for stills and video, the latest iPhone offers 100 new features via the OS 3.0 update (free for existing iPhone owners). The iList includes the ability to cut/copy/paste from e-mail and Web pages; send MMS messages with text, video, photos and audio; and compete with friends via peer-to-peer gaming. The phone has a landscape keyboard for easier typing, and you can now whip out the iPhone to buy or rent movies, TV shows and audiobooks from iTunes.
I've spent some time with the new iPhone software and love the Searchlight feature, which lets me hunt for items in the same way I search on my home computer. Just type in a name, for instance, and a list pops up with e-mail messages or files containing that name. This improvement underscores how iPhones and competitor models are transforming mobile phones into pocket supercomputers.
One of my favorite features about the iPhone: Free software updates from Apple are offered periodically. It's like getting a new-and-improved version of your old phone every now and then -- without an additional fee.
iPhone service plans start at $69.99 a month, going up as high as $129.99, and include voice and data services. Texting can be added to a plan for as little as $5 a month (200 text messages) or as much as $20 a month (unlimited texts.)
What's sorely missing: A flash for the camera.
Available: In Apple and AT&T stores and at apple.com and att.com.
Palm Pre
Sprint's Palm Pre ($199, 8GB) offers some tough competition to the iPhone and even some exclusive features. Operating on the Palm webOS platform, this smart phone is small and light but powerful, with a 3-megapixel camera and flash (one up on the iPhone), touch screen and slide-out QWERTY keyboard. While the iPhone service is exclusive to AT&T, Palm Pre is designed for use with Sprint.
One of its best features is the ability to run multiple applications at the same time like a PC or Mac, something no other competitor can yet claim. Flick the screen to move from app to app or document to document without closing anything. Users also access "combined messaging," which means you can follow a conversation from text to instant message to Google Talk in a chat format. Check your contact feature to find out if a friend is online.
Sprint Palm Pre plans start at $69.99 and you must sign up for a 2-year contract, also the case with the new iPhone. All Sprint plans include unlimited messaging (text, photo, video) and Web browsing, turn-by-turn GPS navigation and Sprint mobile TV service.
What's sorely missing: More memory than 8G. More apps. Palm Pre launched this month with a small number of apps, compared with iPhone's 50,000.
Available: In Sprint stores and at sprint.com..
Nokia N97
Nokia's new phone ($699, 32GB) needs its own theme song, considering it is an iPhone on steroids. It comes with a 5-megapixel Carl Zeiss optics camera (compared with the others' 3) that shoots video and still photos with a built-in dual flash. And unlike the others in this bunch, the N97 performs live video streaming. Just point the camera at the blue-watered beach and your friends will be green with envy over life in South Florida. With thousands of apps and pieces of content, it doesn't beat the iPhone, but at that size, who cares?
Take in full Web page viewing on a 16:9 sliding tilt-display with Flash to support Internet videos. You can type via touch screen or the large slide-out QWERTY board. And use the GPS mapping apps to find your destination with ease on foot, with turn-by-turn Pedestrian Navigation, or by car, with voice-guided Drive Navigation.
The sticker price is shocking until you realize the extra expense gives owners the ability to use the "open" phone with any company service that uses a GSM network. In the United States, those are AT&T and T-Mobile. The iPhone, of course, can still only be used with AT&T.
What's sorely missing: Hard to say with this one, but like the others, it would be nice if all smartphones worked on any network.
Available: Online at NokiaUSA.com.
Daniel Vasquez can be reached at dvasquez@SunSentinel.com, 954-356-4219 or 561-243-6600, Ext. 4219. To see more columns from Daniel Vasquez, go to SunSentinel.com/Vasquez.
Consumer blog
Check out Daniel Vasquez's Consumer Talk blog for ways to spend your money wisely, use technology to make life easier, and keep your family safe and healthy at SunSentinel.com/consumerblog
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