Samsung Trumps iPhone

Apple's much ballyhooed iPhone announcement last month left many wondering how people would react to typing on a touch-screen with no tactile feedback. Samsung yesterday announced a new touch-screen phone that directly addresses that issue. The Samsung Ultra Smart F700 uses technology called VibeTonz from Immersion Corporation that sends tiny vibrations to your fingertips when you touch on-screen keys.

The F700 looks a lot like an iPhone, with a similar form factor. The front has one small button below a large screen. It also sports a slide-out keyboard, which makes me think that Samsung is responding to iPhone by accelerating implementation of VibeTonz in a phone that was originally intended to be more traditional.

Samsung's announcement, coupled with last month's LG Prada touch-screen phone announcement, makes it clear that Apple has no corner on the touch-screen smartphone market. Steve Jobs may have announced the next generation in cell phones, gotten our attention and given its form legitimacy, but Apple will have a lot of competition from established vendors who are not intimidated and actually think Apple has something to prove on their turf, not vice-versa.

Copyright © 2007 Philip Bookman

Technorati: Business Strategy, Apple, Samsung, SmartPhone, iPhone.