TEST: Apple iPhone 3GS smartphone contenders

The iPhone 3GS isn't the biggest or grandest of updates, but for us, it does enough to
maintain Apple's number one spot. We assume Apple has taken an "if it's
not broke, don't fix it" approach.

Gone, however, are the days when Apple's mobile was a class apart from
its rivals. All of the smartphones here give it a run for its money,
beating the iPhone in some key areas, notably the camera, and running
it close in others, including the touchscreen – until recently, the
iPhone's was, well, untouchable.

So we have the Palm Pre, with its elegantly integrated mail, calendar
system and super-slick webOS. Then there are two contenders from HTC –
the Android-powered Magic and the more traditional Windows Mobile
experience of the Touch Pro 2 – both excellent in their own ways.


Nokia's N Series continues to grow with the new- N97, which adds a pull-out
keypad to the range. Finally, the Samsung i8910 HD takes the fight to
Apple on the media front, with a superb AMOLED widescreen and eight-meg
camera. This time last year, Samsung's "iPhone beaters" were laughable
– the excellence of the i8910 shows how far Apple's competition has
come...