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It was about a year and a half ago that Apple’s original iPhone appeared on the scene and we did the Top Ten List of iPhone Killers. This time around, we pit the second-gen iPhone 3G against some of the best technology we have seen from other leaders in the mobile industry during the last six months. While all of them look drool-worthy in their own right, most of them lack one functionality that the original iPhone and iPhone 3G still boast about: multitouch. We will ignore this vital fact and continue on with the list for now, as most of the devices on the list have much more to offer in other areas compared to iPhone 3G. So without further ado, I present to you the top ten iPhone rivals that have surfaced over the past year, in no particular order.

LG Viewty KU990

While lack of a proper operating system might push this down the list for many, the Viewty KU990 has other qualities like 3G, a 5-megapixel camera, and a humongous 3-inch touchscreen display to watch those videos recorded in DivX format. A winning combination of pure style and some sensible technology for LG, but we would have like it a bit more if they had included GPS and some more goodies into the neat package.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

Announced during MWC 2008, this one has it all with an awesome 3-inch VGA display, Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional magic, a slide-out QWERTY keypad, and every connectivity options that anyone could ask for. We are still waiting for this to get out, but this surely marks a new start for Sony Ericsson on the smartphone front.

Nokia XpressMedia 5800

Also known as the Tube, this seems to be the only entrant from the leader in handsets for this year, but their promise of bringing in touchscreen cell phones to all price segments gives us a hope that there’s more in the future. The Nokia XpressMedia 5800 has all the good stuff including GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, and a 16-million touchscreen display with tactile feedback. Add Symbian to the mix and you have a great, if not perfect, iPhone killer.

Meizu MiniOne

The famous clone from China made it to the list last year and still looks to be hot, even though it only supports the Chinese version of 3G, TS-CDMA. Other than that, a 3.3-inch 720×480 display, a 533MHz processor, DMB TV tuner, WiFi, and GPS makes this a worthy competitor for the iPhone, 3G or otherwise.

HTC Touch Diamond

The Touch Diamond has been getting some well-deserved praise since it started doing the rounds on the interweb. This WM6.1 Pro powered device has a cool 2.8 inch VGA display, 4GB of internal flash memory, and a fast 528MHz processor along with a bevy of connectivity options. Clearly designed to kill the iPhone in mind, don’t you think?

BlackBerry Thunder

With its rumored multitouch touchscreen, this one is far from a proper release but what we have heard until now sure has us stoked to await its arrival. With RIM’s experience in business-oriented touchscreen smartphones and OS 4.7, this could shape up to be a nice little killer in a business suit.

Samsung Omnia

Ah, yes. The jewel in Samsung’s crown currently, Omnia or the i900 has all that the Touch Diamond boasts of and more. The bigger 3.2-inch touchscreen display and the 5-megapixel camera sure do play in Omnia’s favor but only the future will tell us whether this will emerge as a true touchscreen competitor, not just the iPhone 3G.

OpenMoko Neo FreeRunner

This latest iteration of the true “open-source” is already on the streets. Although it has all the base components needed to be a top-notch 3G smartphone with a 2.8-inch VGA touchscreen, aGPS, WiFi, and a 3-axis motion sensor among other things, it is now left to see what the developers will be able create for this Linux-based cell phone.

Samsung Instinct

With features like GPS, digital TV, and a large touchscreen display with haptics, it is no wonder the Samsung Instinct proved to be a bestseller for both Sprint and BestBuy. This along with the Omnia should keep Samsung above the iPhone for a year at least.

Philips X800

Although not exactly a stalwart in the touchscreen arena, X800 is worth a mention for the big edge-to-edge screen and its superb battery life of 35-day standby and 8 hours talktime. While Apple may not have anything to fear from the X800 in the States, it might have a very good competitor from Philips when it comes to the Asian countries.

Other Iphone Competitor List