A Bunch of Nice Smartphones Coming Soon

Few weeks ago, I wrote an article about "Exciting Windows Mobile Smartphones" which was to show a bunch of upcoming smartphones that are very attractive to a mobile fanatic like myself. Since then, a slew of smartphones have begun to show face and I am here to list a few from my watchlist:

Samsung Omnia aka SGH-i900 (GSM, $800-900, WM Pro 6.1, already available, 3G but not US Supported). The Omnia is a Windows Mobile Professional power house. Like the iPhone, a large LCD w/o keyboard gives it a clean design (resolution is 240x400) Featuring a built-in 8 or 16GB of storage and if that is not enough, you can always add another 8 or 16GB microSD for storage hogs. Samsung has put in a unique TouchWiz UI similiar to HTC's touch-flo layer on top of the basic WinMo control. Also included, is full version of Opera Mobile allowing desktop-like web browsing.

BlackBerry Bold (GSM, est $300, BB OS, release in Oct, 2008, 3G AT&T), the blackberry bold is kind of an old news but it has yet to be released. Its the latest revision of the tried and true QWERTY form factor that made BlackBerry(s) famous. I had a full write up on how important this phone will be for BlackBerry here.

BlackBerry Thunder aka 9500 (CDMA, Verizon, est. $250 contract price, BB OS w/ Touchscreen, release in Q4, 2008, 3G EV-Do). The first ever Touchscreen BlackBerry without a keyboard has definitely rocked the industry with its presence (or phantom presence). This phone has long been in the rumor and I am still surprised to see it come true. From the pre-release photos, I see a very slick product that is known for its reliability and communications ability which will give the iPhone's design a run for the money. Although this unverified video seen here hasn't impress me with its UI and response time, so I hope the video is fake. In any case, this phone should be a strong contender for 2009.

HTC Dream or G1, aka Google Android Phone (GSM, est. $199 contract price, Android OS, est. release 10/13/2008, 3G Tmobile USA). HTC Dream is going to change the smartphone and mobile industry thanks to the first-ever Google Android OS. It will be the first device from the Open Handset Alliance setforth by Google and there are tons of 3rd party applications coming out soon. With Google's massive support for everyone involved, I strongly believe this phone is going to rock the house. On top of the amazing hardware specs (3G, WiFi, Graphics Acceleration, large touchscreen LCD, full QWERTY keyboard, etc.), the Android OS is going to include a full suite of Google apps (Gmail, Gmap, Gtalk, Docs, Picasa, etc.). I may not be able to get this phone right away as I am already tied to an AT&T contract, but you can be sure I will be buying an Android-powered phone shortly. I also anticipate this phone to be as successful for T-Mobile as the iPhone has been for AT&T.

HTC Touch HD (GSM, Unknown $$$, WM Pro 6.1, releasing Q4, 3G, hopefully 3G US also). HTC Diamond has been talk of the town, unfortunately, when compared to the iPhone, it falls a little shy with the LCD screen size and the lack of 3.5mm audio jack has been a turn-off for me personally. Well, HTC has heard their users loud and clear with the Touch HD. An enormous 3.8" LCD touchscreen with 400x800 WVGA high resolution which of course playsback the famous Touch-Flo beautifully. Engadget just got done with a hands-on test with one, overall verdict is positive. Because of this phone, I am now holding off from buying a HTC Diamond.

So these are some of the upcoming smartphones that I am looking out for in the near future, if I missed any good handsets, feel free to give me a shout-out.