TECH REPORT

Three New iPhone Rivals

Meet Apple's new competition.

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If the first wave of iPhone competition was a shot over the bow, this fall's rollout is a full frontal assault. The latest Apple rivals are supersexy and support gee-whiz features such as touchscreen functionality and built-in GPS, but they also have capabilities the iPhone lacks. Here's how three phones stack up.

SPRINT HTC HERO

The Hero's main attraction is its always-on widgets, which provide stock quotes and Twitter feeds at a glance. The phone aggregates a variety of contact details, including call and text history and e-mail addresses. Unlike Sprint's other iPhone rival, the Palm Pre, it runs on Google Android, so it has access to thousands of apps. COST: $180

NOKIA N900

A phone with computer-like browser capability, the Nokia N900 works with websites that run Adobe Flash and lets you keep multiple windows open at the same time. The phone is not subsidized by a telecom company, which means users can choose their wireless carriers. But that also makes it pricey. COST: $650

SAMSUNG INSTINCT HD

The best option for shooting and watching videos, the successor to the Samsung Instinct supports recording in supercrisp 1080i high definition and includes an adapter that can be hooked up to an HDTV to play movies. The phone also has a 5-megapixel camera, which beats the iPhone by 2 million pixels. One downside: The Instinct HD does not support third-party apps. COST: $249

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John Brandon

John Brandon is a tech contributor at Inc. magazine and Inc. Technology. Before starting his writing career, he led a design and writing team at a large consumer electronics retailer. You can follow his tweets at twitter.com/jmbrandonbb. He lives outside of Minneapolis.

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