6 (Worthy) Alternatives to the iPhone

They’re everywhere, and if you don’t have one already, you want one. Or maybe you already do. You love the sleek design, the applications, the ease of use and the “look at me aren’t I so cool like all these other people?” status it seemingly brings you. If you want it, you hate yourself for wanting it. If you have one, you hate yourself even more. What can you do, though?

It’s the curse of the iPhone.

If you want the features that an iPhone gives you without the douchebaggery that comes with actually owning one, we’ve got you covered. Below are six phones that look cool, are easy to use and have a crapload of features. And unlike the so-called “hipsters” and their fancy little Apple products that everyone else has, you’ll be able to go “Oh, THIS phone? You’ve probably never heard of it. It’s from an obscure Japanese manufacturer.” (That won’t be true, but they won’t know that)

The Motorola Droid

We’re gonna start with the obvious one here and get it out of the way. Not just because it’s obvious, but because it’s actually a pretty damn good phone.

The Motorola Droid is Verizon’s latest “iPhone killer” to hit the market, since the Blackberry Storm failed to light the world on fire like everyone said it would. It’s the first Verizon device to run on Google’s Android operating system, and it’s a beaut. It has a touchscreen, with not only a larger display than the iPhone, but also a pullout keyboard, saving you the hassle of tossing your phone across the room in frustration because the DAMN TOUCH KEYPAD WON’T WORK PROPERLY. It’s heavier than the iPhone by about an ounce, too. The Droid has about 256MB of built in storage and can hold MicroSD cards of up to 16GB. The bad news, however, is that you can’t use the SD card to store applications – only media.

However, like the iPhone, it has a TON of apps available. Unlike your standard Verizon phone, Verizon’s smart phones don’t generally have any restrictions on what applications you can download. The upside: more freedom. The downside: unless it’s coming from a reputable publisher, you never know what else you’re gonna get on your device besides just that “Bikini Girl a Day” application.

Contract prices on the Droid vary by outlet, but you can buy one outright at the MSRP at $599.99. Also, keep in mind, by activating this on the Verizon network, you’ll more than likely be required to subscribe to a data plan of some sort. More Droid specs here.

HTC Google Nexus One

Google’s online products have changed the way we use the Internet. Now, like Microsoft before it, they’re getting into the hardware business. Designed by Google themselves and manufactured by HTC, this fancy-pants touch screen smart phone runs on, of course, Google Android 2.1.

First off, this phone just looks nice. The 800×480 display makes it really easy to see and use applications and they run smoothly. However, despite the revolutionary hype this phone has gotten, it’s really not all that different from any other Android phone – which is not to say that’s a bad thing, as Android is just friggin’ awesome.

Here’s the kicker though. It’s an unlocked GSM phone, which is a rarity in the US market. You can purchase through Google with no contract needed for about $530, and then get yourself a SIM card from your favorite GSM carrier and get service. Or, you can purchase it with a 2-year contract with T-Mobile for $180 – and it’s still unlocked. Most GSM carriers in the states should also be able to offer you a data-only plan if you just want the Internet features.

Another note worth mentioning: although you can run it on AT&T’s network, it won’t work on their 3G network.

The Nexus One for GSM is currently only available through Google themselves. Using CDMA? Fear not. Verizon Wireless should have a CDMA version available early this year.

HTC Hero

If you’re looking for a good smart phone, but for some reason want to be on Sprint, you may consider the HTC Hero. Yet another phone running Android, the Hero also uses what the manufacturers are calling “HTC Sense”. We’re not sure exactly what that means other than it’s supposed to “personalize your phone experience based on your needs” and it’s the only phone running Android that has it.

Again, this is another touch-screen phone with a few dedicated buttons on the bottom for optional navigation and making/ending phone calls. It looks damn cool, too. It’s light – about 4 ounces, a little less than the iPhone 3G S. It has the same size display as the iPhone, as well, making Web browsing and reading emails pretty easy.

However, the Hero also uses the HTC TouchFlo technology, which is the same thing they used on the HTC Touch Pro. Ok, if you’re not familiar with either of those, let us sort of sum it up in the easiest, least technical way possible: they both kind of suck. Our experience may have been bad because the Touch Pro was running Windows Mobile at the time, but it doesn’t bode well. So, if you type a lot, we suggest heading out to your local Sprint dealer and sending a few test emails before plunking down the cash.

1-year and 2-year contract prices vary, but you can get it outright with no contract for $399.99. More Hero specs here.

Kempler and Strauss W Phonewatch

We’re actually going to have a full, in-depth review of this bad boy coming up soon, but we wanted to share it with you now. The W Phonewatch is exactly what it sounds like – it’s a phone built into a digital watch. Simply pop the SIM card of your favorite company into the watch and, using the Bluetooth headset, chat away. Very Dick Tracy.

But it’s not just voice, either. The W Phonewatch is a full featured phone with texting capabilities, a digital camera that also takes video, an Mp3 player and it can even play games.

As I said before, we’ll get real hands on with this one very soon. In the meantime, check it out at the official Kempler & Strauss website. This one looks like it’s going to be a real “gadget guy’s” gadget.

Samsung Omnia 2

If you have to have a smart phone that runs on Windows Mobile (and we’re so sorry if you do), the Samsung Omnia 2 may at least make it less of a hassle. In fact, it’s possible you’ll enjoy the other aspects of the phone so much, you won’t even notice you’re running it.

Let’s get this out of the way right now: this screen is HUGE. It’s 480 by 800 pixels, which is just insane and it’s still only a little over 4 grams, which is in your iPhone range. Like most other smart phones, it has plenty of multimedia features: you can watch videos, listen to music, or read e-books – all that stuff. The Omnia is a little different in that it has a built in FM radio. In fact, it even gives you the option of recording FM programming and storing it to a media file for playback. It’s sort of like the high tech equivalent of when you were a kid and put that Radio Shack tape recorder up against your clock radio.

It also has an interesting cube-shaped menu interface, which you can rotate either by touch or by moving the phone. It should make a nice alternative to the frustrating Windows Mobile interface. Then again, you could have an interface where you bash the phone against your forehead repeatedly and it would be easier to use than that. Just sayin’.

Omnia  2 goes for $199 with a 2-year Verizon contract or $898 full retail, no contract.

More specs on the Omnia 2.

Pharos Traveler 137

Now, let’s imagine the following scenario: You have to have a phone with Windows Mobile, you’re on a GSM network and you want to have a phone no one else has. Also, if it was cool and worked well, that would be nice, too. Is that all? OK, cool. We’ve got just the thing for you.

Much like how RIM started making BlackBerries for email retrieval only at first, Pharos is well known for their GPS devices. It’s only in the last few years that they decided the phone market is just too lucrative to stay away from. Their latest is a nifty little touch screen device called the Traveler 137 that’s loaded with cool stuff.

Out of the four phones we featured here, the 137 is probably the heaviest, coming in at nearly five ounces. Its touch screen display is as huge as the Omnia 2, which makes for easy-to-read email, texts and Web pages. It’s a little light on the applications, as it also runs Windows Mobile 6.1. It does, however, come with 2 cameras. The first is a 3.1MP camera for your standard shot, located on the back on the phone. On the front is a .3MP for video conferencing. Yeah. Video conferencing right on your phone. Put that in your electric pipe and smoke it.

One of the other highlights of this device is, naturally, the GPS features. First is the actual live GPS service, not unlike Verizon’s VZ Navigator. You can pay per day, week or month to get live, turn-by-turn GPS navigation and also a locator for stuff like gas prices, movie times, etc. If you’re in a country where you don’t get service, you can still download a map of the entire country (the service is available in the US, Canada, Mexico and pretty much all of Europe) and use it to map out locations. Very nice.

Prices vary depending on where you purchase it on a T-Mobile contract, but you can buy it unlocked (meaning you can use it on any GSM network – or, essentially, any network that uses SIM cards) for $599.99. More Traveler specs.