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Attack Of The iPhone Killers

forbes.com — It's like a scene from a bad horror movie. Samsung and Research in Motion are among the companies trundling down the steps into the basement. And down there, waiting for them, is Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs and his chainsaw collection. Dudes, don't go down there.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jun 24, 2008

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  • eltrev, on 06/24/2008, -4/+141The most promising iPhone Killers I've seen so far are gravity and concrete.
  • jboswell2000, on 06/24/2008, -4/+87I think people are just a little bit bored of the "iphone killer" story, no matter whether you're a fan of the iphone or not.
  • graemee, on 06/24/2008, -0/+45Don't give up on school.
  • inactive, on 06/24/2008, -4/+39These articles are getting really annoying. Enough with the 'iPhone killer' *****, that's the way the market works: a product does well, and another company wants to take a cut from the apparently lucrative market. Not every market has to be flooded with '(product) killer'
    Call it competition and move on.
  • inactive, on 06/24/2008, -8/+41That Forbes add is REALLY ***** annoying.
  • robEstyles, on 06/24/2008, -0/+24When has anything that is a so-called "INSERT POPULAR ITEM HERE"-Killer every actually done that.
  • SnapETom, on 06/24/2008, -6/+29All you ever hear on the commercials from these "iPhone killers" are OMG!! WE HAVE A TOUCHSCREEN!!!

    It's not touch, It's The ***** OS, Stupid! It's having easy integration with my desktop software. It's having a screen tilt that changes smoothly, and not the clunky, redraw-in-pieces of Windows mobile devices. It's having an awesome, standards-compliant browser. Until these iPhone killer wannabes solve, or even understand, this, they'll never be iPhone killers.
  • bigsteve, on 06/24/2008, -0/+19Exactly. Its as if the creators of these "killer" phones think they'll just bring out a phone that "has a touchscreen too" and they'll go right up against the iPhone, and are actually surprised when they're laughed off the stage. Ever actually used one of these things? It's awful.
  • jazzboyrules, on 06/24/2008, -5/+20Which ad?
    /Use ABP
  • bigsteve, on 06/24/2008, -2/+15Remember when we had Osama bin Laden cornered in Afghanistan, and we were like "ready, aim.... nah screw it, the Mujahedeen will get him! We're done here!" That's kinda what Google is doing. Android was shaping up to have features that might really make me consider it over the iPhone. Then they said "Okay! We're ready! Now ... we're going to have Motorola make the phone...when it's done drooling on itself and coloring."

    If you want something done right, do it yourself.
  • MadKennyP, on 06/24/2008, -6/+19I agree with mhender. I am an iPhone owner and really like it, but a year after its release it's not really that innovative any more. I think the user interface is still better than any other phone (if you're OK with no keyboard), but there are a lot of phones that are nearly as good.

    Get over the "iPhone killer" mentality. New phones will come out with a different feature set that may be better in some ways and not as good in others. Buy what you like.
  • inactive, on 06/24/2008, -5/+18I was so excited for the HTC Touch Diamond... until it came out. Now I just can't wait to waste my money on the new iPhone.
  • Hosalabad, on 06/24/2008, -1/+12Buried as spam.

    A picture of the RIM building doesn't constitute any useful information about their phone.
  • Galaxylander, on 06/24/2008, -1/+12How? If it was any company other then Apple you wouldn't have said that. You can love a product without being a fanboy. I love the PS2 but I hate Sony and everything they stand for. Don't be a dink.
  • moomza, on 06/24/2008, -0/+9I only agree half way. The Samsung Gravity™ may have potential to compete with the iPhone, but the Kyocera Concrete™ is buggy and just feels like a brick.

  • lpmiller, on 06/24/2008, -5/+14gonna need bigger guns.
  • zenmasher, on 06/24/2008, -5/+14Went to see the Hulk the other night and they had an ad for the new iPhone killer
    .
    Exclusive to Sprint.

    hahahhahahahahahahahahaha... Sprint ....hahahahahahaha...oh, *****, that was funny.
  • Galaxylander, on 06/24/2008, -1/+92.0 firmware will make it innovative- soon you'll be rolling in the apps :)
  • subliminalurge, on 06/24/2008, -0/+8Sorry, any phone that runs Windows Mobile must be automatically disqualified for consideration.

    If all I wanted was a list of features, I'd carry the product brochure around in my pocket. Maybe it's just my age catching up with me, but I want a product that also makes those features pleasant to use.
  • subliminalurge, on 06/24/2008, -0/+8"All that it means is that we will get more on screen keyboards which are just horrible."

    In my experience, it hasn't worked out that way in actual practice. I've owned a variety of smartphones with hard keyboards (Treos, Blackjacks, a Q, and a Blackberry). I can type much faster on the iPhone than I could on any of them. I will admit that it took me 3 or 4 days to really get the hang of the on-screen keyboard, but after that it's actually much faster to use. I think that's where a lot of the resistance to it comes from, people poke around on one for 10 minutes in the Apple store, and decide that it's harder to use. It's not harder, it's just different than what you're used to.

    Also, typing speed aside, it's hard to overstate the HUGE advantage of having all of that real estate available for the display at times when you're not making use of the keyboard. This was always my #1 bitch about my other smartphones, too much space wasted on the damn keyboard which necessitated a tiny screen.
  • cawpin, on 06/24/2008, -1/+9Well, considering there is a spell check button attached to the comment box, you shouldn't have typos. And, they're/there/their isn't a typo. It's not knowing the difference.
  • uselessexpert, on 06/24/2008, -4/+12Don't get me wrong, the iPhone is a hell of a gadget. I personally love the damn thing.
    But in my travels I encounter more and more people with Blackberrys than iPhones.

    I for one, would not give up my Blackberry for an iPhone.
  • ivosilva, on 06/24/2008, -3/+11And a blender...
  • HolyChimp, on 06/24/2008, -0/+7The iPhone has always been about the software. The flashy multitouch interface is nice and all, but without nice software to make it all work the iPhone would be nothing.
    That said, the iPohne could do with some improvement, like why can I get a bigger keyboard in Safari but not in email or SMS? Why can't I view my calendar landscape?
  • IphtashuFitz, on 06/24/2008, -2/+9The first plugin I always install when installing Firefox (my browser of choice) is FlashBlock. I never see those annoying ads or lots of other annoying flash animations thanks to that handy little plugin.
  • Bob24, on 06/24/2008, -1/+8Not sure why you've been dugg down because the Samsung i900 Omnia certainly should be on this list.
  • NickLee808, on 06/24/2008, -8/+14Samsung Instinct? No.
    But the Omnia? Oh yes.
  • hackntossh, on 08/27/2008, -0/+6Dugg down for having to read "iphone killer" in the title.
  • ElectricKetchup, on 06/24/2008, -0/+6If you know a product better than the iPhone, name the product, or at least give a link. I don't care which continent it is in.
  • emkaysmith, on 06/24/2008, -1/+7I keep ad-blocker running in Firefox and I never see those suckers. You should try it.
  • XiberKernel, on 06/24/2008, -5/+11With the 3G iPhone coming out, we're going to see Apple's Market share rise. Unless these 'killers' have a fast and accurate interface coupled with slick marketing, they're just sub-par. Android-based phones may catch up in a few years, but i don't think they will 'kill' the iphone.
  • MadKennyP, on 06/24/2008, -0/+6I agree. The App Store could really make the iPhone outstanding. I'm anxious to see it become available.
  • mochaman, on 06/24/2008, -0/+6We know that Apple's competition can produce cool handsets, but what they need to is get their software act together. However their problem is that so far most of them are trying a me too strategy. Let's face they were cough sleeping at their wheel and now are trying to play catch up. Given the current state of affairs I think Apple has a good couple years jump I hope they can catch sooner. We need competition!
  • modsuperstar, on 06/24/2008, -1/+7With Apple it's always been about the software and hardware integration. The iPod was such a hit because it introduced a scroll wheel that worked fantastically with the software to enable you to scroll through you library quickly and efficiently. Apply are control freaks, wanting to have their fingers on all aspects of their products. Apple is just typically the company that takes existing concepts like touchscreen and just implements it right. Then everyone just follows in their wake. I know Apple can do no right in your eyes and everything they do is worthless, but not all of us subscribe to your Church of Moron philosophies.
  • thcobbs, on 06/24/2008, -1/+7them thar*
  • joshualamgroup, on 06/24/2008, -0/+5Try AdBlock Plus.
  • kronzdigg, on 06/24/2008, -7/+12Those are so ugly. Why can't these companies see that people want a beautiful phone that works beautifully. btw love my iphone had it nearly a year with 8 drops to ground and still works great (I can't believe I haven't broken the screen). Can't wait for the new one.
  • iiiears, on 06/24/2008, -0/+5If Google wants to addd applications for the future web. They must develop for phones. In 10 years people won't own anything that isn't "portable". Will you trust only one or two companies to look out for your interests?- Just my .02
  • JQP123, on 06/24/2008, -0/+5They've said this before ... but we're still waiting.

    *If* they make the july launch date, cloning the user friendiness of the iPhone is still probably years away.

  • sadilak, on 06/24/2008, -1/+6I think you misunderstood what he meant when he said "Average". When compared to the other smartphones (esp the blackberry), the iPhone lacks tethering capability (business users care about that) , MMS and Video capturing and Zooming/flash options found in its competitors. Why people love the IPhone is because it is different, easy to use and the fact that you can actually use a touchscreen without having to poke around with a stylus.


  • leftfield, on 06/24/2008, -2/+7thur*
  • inactive, on 06/24/2008, -2/+7It disappears after a little while. Nevertheless, I hate floating ads.
  • shuffle, on 06/24/2008, -7/+12I don't know... the iphone sounds like a fantastic device, but it doesn't sound unbeatable. I do think it will be given a run for it's money shortly. The google Android platform sounds like it can do it, and if anyone has enough clout and budget to truly make a run to be an "iphone killer" it's google. Apple's strength has always been UI, so if the "want to be" competitors can nail that (and obviously have a tempting feature set) they should be able to do well. There are a lot of Apple haters out there...
  • bigsteve, on 06/24/2008, -3/+7Windows Mobile is like using Windows 98 on the back of a playing card with a toothpick. Bluetooth stereo is what you pick as the dominant factor? Please. Hey WinMo, I tried to call you, but it went straight to voice mail because you were rebooting for the third time today.
  • kashk5, on 06/24/2008, -0/+4You're absolutely correct about the UI. These other phone companies are still thinking hardware (i.e. large touch screens, media players, GPS, etc.) but Apple has shown that it's not the hardware that matters to most people, it's the software. Google has caught on with its Android platform, but other companies, especially Microsoft, need to make their smartphone software easier to use rather than just continue tacking on more hardware that's impossible to use for the average person.
  • Eminemdrdre00, on 06/24/2008, -0/+4There already an iPhone killer, its called iPhone3G
  • inactive, on 06/24/2008, -2/+6The only problem is, those phones are all like $600 - $800.
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