It takes someone like Steve Jobs to make an iPhone, the very device that has literally taken the world by storm. As of today some 21 million devices of various models starting from the iPhone to the iPhone 3G and the 3GS have been sold. Downloads at the Apple Store have crossed the 3 billion mark in just 18 months. Even if these figures are exaggerated by 10% we can safely say that iPhone has sold like no other mobile phone has. Like it or not this makes it the most popular device on the planet. Try as the may Nokia (with Maemo), HTC (with Android) and Samsung (with Bada or TouchWiz UI) are no match for the iPhone.

But now it seems Google with HTC has got the iPhone in the crosshairs with the much touted and hyped about device called as the Nexus One. It is said that the looks alone are enough to make one drool. Both companies have worked hard in an effort to beat the mobile phone the world loves so much. The device is going to have a Snapdragon CPU clocking at a cool 1 GHz, it will boast of Android 2.1 besides having a 5 MP camera. The important specs are:

• 3.7″ capacitive Touch screen with 480 x 800 display.
• 512 MB of ROM and RAM
• 4 GB microSD card (included) and expandable microSD up to 32GB

I think it will be a long time before Nexus will be able to make a serious dent in iPhone’s popularity. Yes, iPhone’s market share will go down but it will take a sometime, ingenuity and good luck for Nexus One or any other mobile phone to beat the iPhone. Simply because people the world will not stop using their devices and Apple will not stop making/selling new models. In my opinion the coming months will see intense competition which is good for the buyers. The unlocked device it is said will cost around $530, whereas a two year contract with T-Mobile will cost something like $200.

It is designed exclusively for music lovers who don’t mind a little bit  of chatting and texting in between. What else can you expect from a sleek phone which happens to be a hear turner as far as looks are concerned, but the 32 GB of storage is something really outstanding, did I mention 35 hours of music playback, which translates in to 16 days of standby time? They say the device will give you access to over six million tracks.

Also included is a 3.2” capacitive touch screen display. The smart device has 5 MP camera with dual LED flash and off course Carl Zeiss optics, besides having Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, TV out, video editing, online sharing, web browser, A-GPS, Ovi Maps, lots of games and 3G. The home screen can accommodate 20 of your friends and some widgets for some of the top social networking websites like Face book, thus allowing 24/7 connectivity.

The mobile phone is being launched in the UK on Friday that is 27 November 2009 for £449  that is about $742. It is available in two color combinations that is White/Blue and Black/Red. More info is available at the Nokia website.

The N900 from Nokia announced in September 2009 at Stuttgart Germany has finally been released. The smartphone has all the features of any leading mobile phone of the day, GSM, HSDPA, WiFi, 3.5″  TFT touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboard, 32 GB internal storage with options for expansion via external storage, DLNA, 5 MP cam, Dual LED flash, video light, geo-tagging, digital compass,  A-GPS  etc etc. The most outstanding feature however, is the open source Maemo operating system running the device.

Maemo is a faster OS and supports running of multiple applications. Users can for instance surf the web and listen to music at the same time. The Maemo operating system  is similar to a PC’s OS. Best of all it is open source.

José-Luis Martinez who happens to be Vice President for N series devices said the following about the N900.

“The Nokia N900 has generated a lot of interest since its public launch in August, which has been reflected in the device preorders. What’s exciting is the Maemo software, which takes its cues from the desktop computer and offers a full browsing experience like no other handset. We believe the Nokia N900 will be a very compelling device for people who are passionate about technology.”

Well if that be the case then is the N900 going to pose a challenge to the iPhone? And what about the new entrant Android? Does the Android have another competitor? More infor on the Maemo is available at the Nokia Maemo website. The mobile phone info is at the Nokia website. Watch the Nokia N900 video review at Youtube.

Much has been written about the Android which is still to come in many smart phones, and still there are speculations as to how it will fair in comparison with the iPhone. Whether iPhone will have a competitor or not is still not sure but it seems all the top mobile phone makers are gearing up, teaming up and trying to make a device which will at least in theory threaten the iPhone market share. However, these are mere speculations, now we won’t give a verdict in fact we can’t till the time the actual Android based phones are unveiled, used and compared to the iPhone. Now Verizon is planning to release a device made by Motorola, running Android off course and using the all powerful Verizon’s network.

The device which is coming out by the end of October is being dubbed as the “Droid”. Not much details are known but it will use Verizon’s network and has an keyboard besides the touch screen ability. The OS version is 2.0 which they say is an improved and works better. The aim is to put all those things in it which the iPhone doesn’t have for example a  5 MP camera, ability to take pictures in the dark, a keyboard, run multiple apps, open development, interchangeable batteries, take pictures in the dark/less lit up areas etc.

The screen size is a cool 3.7”! and it uses a TI OMAP3430 processor which by far has been performing well in terms of speed and response. More info is available at DroidDoes.

October 2009 happens to be a very important month, somehow. We have Microsoft releasing Windows 7, Ubuntu releasing Karmic Koala and now it is HTC’s Android based Hero Smartphone hitting the shelves on 11 October in connivance with Sprint. The Hero is no ordinary phone, it is smart by all standards. Upon release and further use it will become clear how it fares against the iPhone, Blackberry or even the Windows Mobile 6.5 based devices. The phone has WLAN, GPS, a 5 MP camera, 3.2” screen, 2 GB memory (expandable via microSD card), USB support, Bluetooth, handwriting recognition, trackball, ability to sync with Google services like Gmail/Google maps, push email, music download from Amazon’s mp3 store and stereo Bluetooth to name a few.

It seems Android is going strong, if the media reports are anything to go by. We have Motorola’s Cliq coming out somewhere in November, Samsung’s Moment, and even Dell planning an Android based device in collaboration with AT&T, besides Sony eying the Android. As if all this wasn’t enough there is even talk of Google and Verizon teaming up for more Android based gizmos. This sounds really good for Google, things are looking up we guess. Dell’s party may also include T-Mobile. The buzz is that Google is coming out be a strong contender for iPhone, in the coming years off course. We are keeping our fingers crossed, everything takes time!

Samsung was declared the biggest phone provider in the US during the second quarter of 2009 by Strategy Analytics. Rightly so, with a jaw dropping phone coming out every fortnight I wouldn’t be surprised if they told me it wasn’t only the second quarter rather an all year phenomenon. Now there is news in the air that Samsung Behold II is going to run Android in its chest and will be provided exclusively by T-Mobile. The Behold II is a 3G phone with a 3.2” AMOLED screen. It will provide access to Google assisted applications like Google Maps, Gmail, Google Search, Google Talk and even Youtube besides the plethora of games and applications available from Android. The gizmo is poised to have a 5 MP camera which will work as a camcorder as well. Off course the phone also has Samsung’s proprietary TouchWiz interface installed over the Android base. Other features include LED flash with the camera, Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi and support for 16 GB of memory extension via microSD card. No mention of price or probable date of release, but it is expected before the end of current year.

As is Nokia N97 wasn’t enough now we have N97 Mini coming out which is a stepbrother to the hottest selling mobile phone on the planet. The mini is very much a N97, with a smaller form factor and some changes. The notable differences are:

• Size: 113 x 52.5 x 14.2 mm against 117.2 x 55.3 x 15.9 mm
• Weight: 138 g against 150 g
• Standby Time: 320 hours GSM, 310 hours WCDMA : 430 hours GSM, 400 hours WCDMA
• Talk Time: 430 mins GSM, 240 mins WCDMA against 570 mins GSM 360 mins WCDMA
• Internal Memory: 8 GB against 16 GB internal
• slightly reconfigured keyboard, no camera lens cover.

Other than these it is very much the original N97 running Symbian OS version 9.4, S60 5th edition. There is WLAN, A-GPS, Quad band, Bluetooth, 5 MP camera etc etc. The big question is why have another smaller mobile phone with almost the same space? Is it to confuse the general public, a marketing gimmick or the rather reduced price tag? Actually rumor has it that a competitor had planned to launch a smaller version of the phone with the name “Mini” and Nokia decided to thwart off the effort; what a pre-emptive launch of a Nokia N97 Mini. They say it is going to cost a little less than the original, at least Vodafone has confirmed its availability in the UK for free on a £35.00 per month package deal. Elsewhere it is going to be launched by mid October 2009, till that happens let us keep our fingers crossed.