For the past 8 months I have been using the iPhone 3G, and I can honestly say I have never been happier with a piece of hardware. I actually bought it cash, and yes it was worth every penny. However, in my pre-iPhone days I was completely sold on the Nokia E-Series. If anyone asked me what phone I would recommend these days, my first reply is typically any Nokia E-series. They are built well, have excellent battery life and they easy enough to use. In fact I advised people to get a Nokia E-Series before I would recommend an iPhone - but this was also a cost issue.
While I see the value of a qwerty keyboard, I believe the true innovation in interfaces on current phones currently lie with touch screens. I have tremendous respect for a well designed, intuitive interface like an iPhone. It has truly opened up a world of new competition between phone makers.
For this very reason I feel it is time I revisit some other brand's phones just to see how they have caught up to the iPhone in these 2 years. (Sorry for hammering on about the iPhone, but it is currently the yardstick with which every other phone will be compared.) In the coming weeks I will spend some time with the Nokia 5800 and then after that I will use the Blackberry Storm. I am also looking forward to using the new Nokia E75, seeing as I want to see how the e-series has developed since I last used it.
Those devices have to be very very very good to prevent me from getting the next iPhone though...
