• Новости
• Блоги
• Аналитика
• Новости компаний
• В СНГ и в мире
• Анонсы

Challenge to iPhone heats up

The battle to dominate the mobile smartphone market is about to heat up with the launch of long-awaited handsets by Google, Nokia and Sony Ericsson.

On Tuesday, Google is due to unveil the first smartphone powered by the internet search company’s Android operating system.

Next Tuesday, Sony Ericsson is due to launch its X1 smartphone with Nokia poised to unveil its first smartphone with a touchscreen facia two days later. All three handsets will compete with Apple’s iPhone.

Some industry analysts say the new smartphones will struggle to match the iPhone. “The bottom line is that the iPhone will remain in a different class,” said Carolina Milanesi, analyst at Gartner.

The Google smartphone, called the G1, has been made by HTC, the Taiwanese mobile manufacturer. It will be available with T-Mobile, the mobile operator owned by Deutsche Telekom, Germany’s leading telecoms company. The G1, with Google’s Android operating system in its guts, has a large touchscreen facia. A qwerty keyboard slides out of the handset’s side for tasks such as typing e-mails.

Similarly to Apple’s iPhone, users of the G1 will be able to customise their handsets by downloading software applications capable of running mobile internet services.

T-Mobile’s US subsidiary is expected to start selling the G1 next month for $199. That price will put it on a par with Apple’s iPhone. The G1 is likely to go on sale in the UK in November, and in Germany early next year.

Sony Ericsson’s X1 smartphone is intended to improve the mobile maker’s small market share in the US, but the handset launches first in the UK, Germany and Sweden on September 30.

Given the popularity of Apple’s iPhone, Nokia has been criticised by some analysts for not producing a touchscreen smartphone sooner. Nokia’s touchscreen smartphone will be available with the company’s new music offering. Nokia’s Comes With Music service will offer consumers unlimited access to music by the world’s leading music companies for a year.

Источник: Financial Times

Оставить свой комментарий:

Комментарии по материалу