As Google has finally introduced its own branded Superphone for its mobile OS platform Android - the Nexus One - it is automatically pitted against Apple´s iPhone, that still reigns supreme and has been able to beat down all competitors like the Palm Pre and the late Motorola Droid so far. But now it is 2010 and the competition has finally waken up! So let´s focus on the upcoming battle:

The Champion: Apple iPhone 3GS

There is no need to introduce the iPhone anymore, as it is well known and documented. It is the darling of the masses and not just the icon of a die hard Apple Fan base anymore. Its design is unrivaled and much desired and just enjoys its place as one of the Must-Have-Gadgets of the late decade.

Pros:

• • Touchscreen (Interface Usability and User Experience)

  • App Store (120.000+ Apps)

  • 3^rd Party Support (ranging from Bose Sound Docks to Sensor Kits for Nike Running Shoes)

  • Design and Quality ( lots of details and cosy feeling)

  • Must-Have item of the cool guys (incl. envious glares by haters and wannabes)

Cons:

• • Size (too big for the Jeans and breaks the display a lot)

  • Battery Life (that must be a joke?)

  • Politics (Carrier exclusive Simlock, AppStore Rejects, etc)

  • Price (Expensive long term Contracts and Phone)

  • Lack of Google Voice (famous PR Disaster)

The Competitor: Google Nexus One

As the Nexus One still has to hit our local streets for a really deep testing, some things have emerged from the reviews on the web so far. It seems to be the most mature Android phone and the biggest competitor to Apple so far and has at least some Google native features that even die hard fans say surely work better then on the iPhone.

Pros:

• • Navigation (just watch this Maps demo in Satellite mode.. awesome!)

  • Google Gmail and Voice Integration

  • Open Source OS – Android (Cost effective and portable to many Devices)

  • Price & Politics (freely available, no hassles, free competition)

  • Power (superior speed and advanced hardware)

Cons:

• • Size (from the pictures I have seen so far, it looks like the Nexus One is even bigger then the iPhone which is not acceptable at all, especially if you consider the fact that the screen resolution is higher on the Apple Touchscreen)

  • Game Quality (needs to catch up with the iPhone)

  • Chrome Browser (still not as good as the iPhone)

  • AppStore (this will surly change soon as more developers flock around the Android API)

  • 3^rd Party Products (No single phone will sport as many accessories as the iPhone)

Of course it is all about the hardware

I instantly was all excited when I heard that Google would be betting on HTC hardware, as the Taiwanese manufacturer has proven time and again that it can built sleek looking and well working devices that rock and can fight for top spot positions in the mobile market. That said, it is quite obvious that in the incredible fast moving consumer electronics industry, all the shine and glory can only last as long as the next generation of hardware. This will also ensure that the battle for supremacy will always continue and press coverage will stay high all the time, as there will always be the next competitor around the corner. And there is always the awareness that your expensive little toy will be worth next to nothing next round. At least for me that is one very sobering fact as far as my purse and my willingness to open it too wide is concerned.

What do you really need?

Every user has his own understanding of the perfect gadget, as everybody wants and needs different things, which is just reasonable. But there are still some things most people will look for as the basic features to even make the temperature rise:

• • High Resolution OLED Touchscreens that work in daylight and with clumsy fingers

  • Advanced Contact Management needs to include the standard calendar and messenger systems like SMS, MMS, eMail, Video Calls, Skype, Google Voice, Twitter client, Instant Messengers, Social Bookmarking and access widgets for your favorite Community

  • If you want these features to work at all, you need to have fast 3G, HSDPA and the latest WLAN included

  • Autofocus (Video-) Camera with LED Lights and High Resolution

  • GPS Map Navigation with Turn by Turn, Lane Assistant and TMC

  • Great Sound quality

  • Long lasting battery life

  • Easy Sync functionality with your Windows or Mac systems at work and at home

  • Full featured MP3 Player with a standard 3,5mm plug connection

  • extendable / additional storage capacity

What´s up on our wishlist for the next generation?

• - Augmented Reality for Location based Services
  - Advanced game quality
  - Voice to Text transcription with Text Editor
  - Google Wave

Summary

Without going into much details any more you should see that there is still a lot of potential to make these little gems even better. Not everything that a user could take for granted is yet on the feature list and there is no single gadget yet to feature all of the above list! At least some Merchants take the initiative and offer the iPhone in Germany unlocked and free of contract even against the will of Apple and the Telekom.

Alternatives

But all the praise for any Superphone aside, there are still the most obvious drawbacks of price, missing features to make it perfect and carrier exclusive politics. If you are sick of the eternal battle and just want to have a good mobile phone right now, there are at least 2 Smartphones around that are much more cost effective and can do the trick for most things as well:

The Nokia 5800 / 5530 Express Music and Samsung S8000 Jet. The drawback is that both are using their brands own OS Systems and are not portable to anything in the future, but they work quite well, as I had the chance to toy around with both phones and listened to some praise of their owners. The Samsung makes a strong statement as far as quality to the touch and the OLED display is concerned, while the Nokia 5530 is just a price breaker! Also the Jet has the most perfect Jeans fitting size of any devise on the market as the iPhone and others are still just too big!

When will I finally make the switch?

I have been looking for a new toy, ever since I sold my Sony Ericsson W810 after only 2 weeks because - for me - it was an interface failure, lacked essential features and just looking cool did not do the job. Next I switched to my good old Nokia 6300 and I still carry it around because it just works great. Period.

But it is not a Smartphone by any means and so I started what could be called an obsessive observation of the emerging development of the touchscreen phone market which was dominated in no time by the Apple iPhone. As it seems now, there is little change to be expected about the iPhone´s price and carrier politics for this year – at least not in Germany. While the iPhone is already regularly available without SIMlock in Italy, Belgium, Greece and the UK, it is too hard to swallow and accept that German customers are still treated as heavily milked cash cows.

The overall negative experience and the associated feelings that come with this mess does not justify such a high price for the iPhone or for any other mobile devise to be ranged clearly above 500 Euro. Just imagine how cheap Netbooks and Labtops have become. I am already sure that I will not make the switch to the next generation of the iPhone as well, as I just cannot imagine that Apples “Golden Boy” will come even near any reasonable price range. So I will wait for the Cebit in March and see if Nokia or Samsung or maybe even Sony Ericsson can come up with a slick and small Android phone that serves the masses with a price tag of no more than 400-500 Euro including Navigation.