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SAMSUNG OMINIA
3.2-inch screen
$1,098
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MOBILE phones which feature touch screens are set to be all the rage this year as more manufacturers take aim at Apple's iPhone.
Two sleek models are creating a buzz ahead of the opening of the annual CommunicAsia telecom trade show today.
Samsung, the world's No. 2 phone maker, fired the first shot when it launched its Omnia model yesterday.
Meanwhile, Garmin, a newcomer to the cellphone market, is expected to unveil its own take on the touch-screen phenomenon, the nuvifone, today.
The launch of the two new devices comes soon after Taiwanese company HTC introduced its Touch Diamond, a model that many say comes closest to rivalling the iPhone.
Analysts expect industry leader Nokia to follow soon.
Touch screen phones have few or no buttons. Instead, users tap on icons on the screen to do everything from making calls to opening Web pages.
Apart from the ease of use, touch screens are also hailed because they give devices a futuristic look.
The iPhone, launched last year, sparked the trend.
Although it has sold a relatively minuscule six million devices since its launch, Apple turned the cellphone industry on its head because of the iPhone's technology, ease of use and design.
A new 3G version of the iPhone is due to be released on July 11 in the United States and other countries and later in the year in Singapore.
Now, with the hype over the iPhone's 3G incarnation building to fever pitch, competitors are touting the features of their own phones.
Samsung hopes that its Omnia, with its large 3.2-inch screen and 16GB of memory space for thousands of songs, will be in the mix.
Yesterday, the Korean company's executives demonstrated the phone's capabilities, running smooth videos, viewing pictures and sending text messages with it.
Ms Yonghee Lee, Samsung Mobile's vice-president for marketing, said the Omnia was better than the iPhone: 'Our call and SMS functions are easier to use... our camera is 5 megapixels, a leap from the iPhone's 2 megapixels.'
The Omnia goes on sale later this month for $1,098.
Operators may bring the price closer to $600 by forking out a $400 subsidy for users who sign new contracts.
The 8GB version of the iPhone 3G, meanwhile, goes on sale in the US for US$199 (S$274) with a cellphone contract. The 16GB model will cost US$299.
It is not yet known what SingTel will charge for the iPhone when it begins selling it later this year, though sources say that the phone is unlikely to cost more than the recommended US$199 or US$299.
Garmin's nuvifone, meanwhile, is expected to hit the market within the next three months, but its price is not fixed yet.
The phone features a 3.5-inch screen, the same size as the one on the iPhone. It has satellite tracking and features navigation aids that allow users to find the nearest petrol station or shopping centre, for example.
With a wealth of touch-screen choices coming up, research manager Aloysius Choong from consultancy firm IDC is predicting that the popularity of such phones will go through the roof.
He said: 'For too long, such smartphones have been too complex to use...With the easier interface now, we may actually see more users take up smartphones.'
siewtha@sph.com.sg
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY TAN WEIZHEN
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