When the iPhone came out last year it revolutionized the premium hand set industry and changed the playing field considerably. It was good looking, intuitive to use and most importantly, it was cool. Whereas Nokia, Samsung, Motorola and LG were in the mobile phone business for years, from just day one of release Apple clearly established itself as the leader in premium cell phone innovation.
Samsung and LG’s first round attempt to match the iPhone have fallen somewhat flat. The LG Prada and Samsung F700 have just not received the same kind of popular attention (or mojo, if you will) as the iPhone. Needless to say, neither has made the same sales impact. So, after a year it’s round two and Samsung is set to release the Instinct and the Glyde and LG is coming out with the Vu. Like LG and Samsung did four years ago when they battled the industry leading RAZR, they are not matching killer app for killer app, but are competing by launching a steady parade of imperfect products that, over time, come closer and closer to the bullseye.
LG Vu
Samsung Glyde
Per Grace Aquino, PC World contributing editor and columnist for Bloomberg, who reviewed both the Samsung Glyde and LG Vu, they still have some work ahead of them.
For now, if you want a cheaper alternative to the iPhone that has GPS, a faster Web connection, and the ability to record video clips, the Glyde is a decent choice. You must also be willing to accept some of its flaws: clunky software, an erratic touch screen and short battery life.
Would I buy this over the iPhone? No. It’s simply not as fun to use, and most of its features–especially its browser–are inferior to the iPhone’s. Some people might consider buying a Vu for the mobile TV programming and for AT&T’s Video Share. But even that isn’t a very compelling reason, with the 3G iPhone set to appear any day now.
Round two, it appears, still goes to Apple- and the 3G version of the iPhone isn’t even out yet.
13 Comments
Notwithstanding the fact that the Prada phone was here, I doubt the Vu or the Glyde will be released here in Korea, which is disappointing. Some of the best phones the two companies make never make it to their home markets. Or they are a shadow of what they could be.
Take for example my Samsung Blackjack. While in The States it runs Windows Mobile 6, and consumers could upgrade for free, Here we are locked to WinMo 5.
Ostensibly this is because of the Government mandated WIPI middleware required to be installed in all internet capable phones in Korea. Apparently Microsoft is having a sh*t of a time fitting it into WinMo 6 and so consumers in Korea are Sh*t out of luck on the upgrade, and when it finally works will probably be forced by the Telcos into buying new handsets to fill their coffers.
How does this all look for an iPhone in Korea? Apple’s one handset to rule them all model is not friendly to the adding of(arguably unnecessary) middleware, so unless KTF releases the 3G iPhone and ignores the regulations (Hints from KTF shareholder Japanese Telco NTTDoCoMo suggest they might) there is noIphone for you!
#1
WIPI will vanish soon or later. BlackBerry already managed to work around the regulation.
cellular-news.com/story/31132.php
By the way, what I like about iPhone is its SDK which allows you(developers) to develop softwares AND distribute them. This create a community no ads can compete against it.
#1
FYI
Well, most phones sold are entry level sets. So, I really don’t think LG or Samsung are ‘losing the battle’ at all.
@Toru - Indeed it may have been the ETRI press release I was thinking of. I would love an iPhone, but also a nice snazzy Sony Ericsson or a Nokia N95 might do the trick!
Regarding the iPhone… battery power still sux, but it’s growing on me. When the 3G version comes out and the contract on my Blackjack expires, I’m gonna think of getting me one.
They should really make it available in Korea. It may force LG and Samsung to really think about upgrading their own phones a little more seriously. That and Blackberry. At this point, neither LG and Samsung have any products that match the best products from Apple or Research in Motion.
Was the satiric “A Modest Proposal: For Preventing the Importation of Mad Cow to Korea” really pulled?
The Prada phone was never meant to compete with the iphone. It came out before the iphone, and sales have actually been really good. It was a success for Prada and LG.
@BKW
I think it was pulled because some of the commenters were lacking irrational beliefs and causing irritation to the Marmot’s hole. But we should be careful to discuss this here as the Marmot is probably monitoring this conversation and he could decide to pull us off too. I want to stay here so I recommend keeping your head down at the Marmots hole.
thanks dong9
This entry might as well be written by a Choeongyecheon Candlelight Vigil’er cause it’s full of misinformation and bias.
First, the LG Prada and Samsung F700 both predated the release of the iPhone by months.
What Samsung and LG have recently released are their initial responses to the iPhone, which surely caught them off-guard, and shouldn’t be expected to match the usability as they were designed in months as opposed to the years that Apple had the luxury of.
Though the Samsung and LG phone offer something that Apple doesn’t–a user changeable battery. Apple peeves me.
HTC is coming soon.
Wonder if chiamatt works for LG? He got really peeved when a guest blogger took a shot at a LG phone.
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