Since the iPhone hit the world stage in 2007, however, other mobile manufacturers have been working hard to develop their own competitive alternatives – and now there are several models on the market that can give the iPhone a run for its money. Here are five of the best.

HTC Magic: Undoubtedly one of the most elegant mobile phones out there, the HTC Magic is packed with fantastic features. It boasts a high-resolution 3.2 inch touchscreen, a pocket-friendly 113mm x 56mm body and a widget-based UI. The HTC Magic runs on Google’s Android operating system, so it also enjoys slick web-browsing and an unrivalled maps and location feature.

Sony Ericsson Vivaz: Available in stylish silver or eye-catching red, the Sony Ericsson Vivaz puts the fun in functionality. Its high definition eight megapixel camera and impressive music play make it a great choice for media buffs – and you can even watch videos back by plugging it into your TV. Add to that easy online photo and video sharing, an excellent widescreen feature and a sleek, curvaceous design, and you have a serious challenger to the iPhone’s crown. The Sony Ericsson Vivaz is available on Vodafone £30 pay monthly plans.

Palm Pre: With a sliding four-line Qwerty keyboard and a 3.1 inch touch screen, the Palm Pre is ideal for sending emails or browsing the web. Its WebOS operating system, complete with ripple effect, makes it enjoyable to use, and there are an increasing range of downloadable apps which could come to rival the supremacy of Apple’s App Store.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1: Another Sony Ericsson smartphone to make the contenders list, the Xperia X1 is an ideal choice for business use. Combining a futuristic design with a resistive touch screen and a slide-out metallic keyboard, it provides a no-nonsense, user-friendly alternative to the iPhone’s fun interface. The Qwerty keyboard is a great touch, and 400MB of memory means that this phone offers plenty of useful storage space.

Blackberry Storm 9500: Last but not least, the Blackberry Storm 9500 is an all-singing, all-dancing mobile with a fast 3G connection and Blackberry’s tried and tested push email function. It has access to a good App Centre and its unique ‘ClickThrough’ screen sets it up as a serious iPhone rival. A classic Blackberry with a modern twist, this model is perfect for email fanatics.

• Magic your keyboard bigger: The only drawback of the iPhone’s highly sensitive touch-screen keypad is that it can be fiddly for larger fingers. If you’re browsing or sending emails through Safari and want to type a little more fluently, then turn the phone to access the horizontal mode before tapping on the address bar – the keyboard is larger and easier to use in this orientation

• Store files: In many ways, an iPhone acts like a miniature laptop – you can use it to browse the web, read emails, make notes and play games. One thing you can’t do on the majority of iPhones is to store files; and that’s where Ecamm Network’s iPhoneDrive comes in. This great program allows Mac users to transfer files to and from their iPhone using a simple drag and drop function. Perfect for when you need to access stored information on the go.

• Find contacts more easily: The iPhone’s contact book function is one of its innovative features – users can find friends by scrolling up and down or tapping on the alphabet to the right of the screen. Whilst you’re familiarizing yourself with the touch screen, however, there is a third and even easier method you can use to find contacts – simply slide up and down the alphabet to scroll through your address book simply and at speed.

• Dealing with malfunctions: Users report that the iPhone can occasionally stop responding – if this happens to you and pressing the Home button doesn’t restore the screen, press and hold the sleep and Home buttons at the same time for approximately 10 seconds – the Apple logo should appear and a reboot will be initialized.

• Get directions at the touch of a button: One of the iPhone’s fantastic features is the Maps application, which can identify your location and give you directions to a destination of your choice. Access directions fast by bookmarking recent locations or contacts – great for keeping information at your fingertips while driving

The iPhone is undoubtedly one of the most user-friendly mobile models on the market, but its competitors are increasingly gaining ground. If you’re keen to consider the alternatives, then look at the HTC Magic and Blackberry Storm 9500. The Sony Ericsson X10 is also set to be a strong challenger – it will be available from Vodafone on pay monthly contracts and is due for release in the UK in April.

Check out more photos at ShowiPhoneWallpapers.com

The giveaway includes the following prizes:

* Grand prize: (1) iPod touch 8GB

* Second place prize: (1) $25 iTunes gift card

* Third place prize: (1) $10 iTunes gift card

Full contest details are located online. Winners for the contest will be announced on April 11 on the contest website.

PocketBracket Feature Highlights:

* Unlimited Brackets

* Pools

* Share Facebook and Twitter

* All Game Scores

* Automate Brackets

“I reviewed this app recently and really like what the creator has done with it,” said Mike Vallez, founder of Crazy Mike’s Apps. “The app has a great user interface, is very easy to use and makes tracking your college brackets enjoyable.”

PocketBracket allows anyone to create unlimited NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament brackets. Brackets are automatically scored and ranked on the PocketBracket Network. Users can also create and join pools to compete among friends, family, and coworkers. In addition, follow the tournament with game and score updates. The app comes preloaded with 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament data so you can test-drive the application before the 2010 tournament. You can create sample brackets and begin organizing your pools. Once 2010 data is available on Selection Sunday, PocketBracket will automatically update and remove your sample brackets and your pools will be ready for the 2010 tournament.

PocketBracket is currently the only application of its kind in the mobile marketpace. With an initial release to the iPhone App Store last year, PocketBracket quickly became the best and most popular NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament app. On Selection Sunday, PocketBracket climbed to #1 in Sports and the Top 100 app categories. This year, PocketBracket 2.0 was released to the App Store with dozens of new features, including a new user interface. PocketBracket included additional features in response to user feedback. PocketBracket really allows users to drive the app’s direction. PocketBracket also released to the Android Market with a full-featured version.

PocketBracket evolves the way you complete your NCAA Tournament brackets. First, there’s no more paper. PocketBracket sarcastically boasts that “2.5 million trees will survive” by using the application. Second, it automatically scores and ranks your brackets. No more adding up points yourself. Finally, PocketBracket has a “SmartPick” feature that will advance a team to later rounds of the tournament. No more repeatedly filling in a team to the final rounds. The bottom line, you will totally score with PocketBracket. PocketBracket Network Challenge begins March 14th, 2010 – Game On!

Device Requirements:

* iPhone and iPod touch

* Requires iPhone OS 3.1.2 or later

* 0.4 MB

Pricing and Availability:

PocketBracket: College Basketball Tournament half price right not at only $0.99 (USD) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Sports category. Review copies are available upon request.

Crazy Mike’s Apps
PocketBracket 2010 iPod Touch Giveaway
Purchase and Download

CrazyMike is a Crazy iPhone app review website, providers of iPhone app reviews; written, video, and podcast. Specializing in iPhone app marketing for developers and iPhone consumer tips for iPhone app purchasing. Copyright (C) 2010 CrazyMike. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

With GameFinder, gamers can check out games that were recently reviewed on Slide To Play, explore games by genre, or browse through exclusively programmed lists, such as STP Games of the Month, zombie-themed games, or great games under a dollar. GameFinder also treats gamers to price discount tracking, as well as a robust set of multimedia features. They can view screenshots for each game with GameFinder’s image browser, watch the latest game trailers, and see hands-on preview and review videos for the biggest releases.

“GameFinder is a ‘Must Have’ app for anyone who is serious about finding good iPhone games quickly and at the lowest prices,” said Andrew Podolsky, Editor in Chief of Slide To Play. “This app takes the wealth of available information about App Store games and breaks it down into easy-to-use categories like New Slide To Play Reviews, New Slide To Play Videos, Editors’ Lists, and specific genres like Match-3 puzzles or first-person shooters. Plus, a full mobile version of Slide To Play with all our latest news, previews, and features is just a tap away through GameFinder.”

“After publishing nearly 800 iPhone game reviews over the past 18 months, we’re thrilled to release our own App Store offering,” said Steve Palley, Founder and General Manager of Slide To Play. “GameFinder boils down all of Slide To Play’s highly regarded coverage into an easy-to-use, perfectly free app. Whether you’re a new iPhone or iTouch gamer or you have been playing as long as we have, GameFinder will help you pick out games you’re sure to love.”

Device Requirements:
* iPhone and iPod touch
* Requires iPhone OS 3.1.2 or later
* 0.8 MB

Pricing and Availability:
GameFinder 1.0.1 is free and available exclusively through the App Store in the Entertainment category.

Slide To Play
GameFinder 1.0.1
Download from iTunes
YouTube Video
Screenshot
App Icon

Slide To Play is a premiere Web source for iPhone game reviews, previews, news, features, and media. The site was founded by veterans of GameSpot and Yahoo! in September 2008, and aims to set the gold standard for professionalism and quality of content in this emerging space. Copyright (C) 2008-2010 Slide To Play. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Easy to learn, but difficult to master, players will enjoy the challenge of successfully serving as many beers in a row as possible. Also, the basic concept and intuitive gameplay will be familiar to many players, but Beer Toss brings a new twist on the genre, as well as numerous whimsical touches.

Beer Toss features four unique locations for the player to travel to, including Munich, Germany, home of the famous Oktoberfest beer festival, and the rolling hills of Ireland. As a bonus, Beer Toss also includes a Beer Fridge that displays special beer trophies earned while playing the game.

In addition, Beer Toss incorporates enticing artwork and characters, background music and sounds that create an ambiance of bustling beer-loving crowds, and numerous other features that help the player get into the lively mood of Beer Toss. Beer Toss is also Open Feint enabled, which allows players to track multiple achievements, compare scores worldwide and connect with their friends.

“Beer Toss is a fun way for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users to take a break,” said Justin Maples, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Broken Thumbs Apps. “We focused on creating a fun atmosphere around the familiar and intuitive flicking motion. Fans of movies like Beerfest and Old School, and people who are in college or like to remember their college days, will especially like Beer Toss, but this game was designed to be enjoyed by everyone.”

Device Requirements:

* iPhone and iPod touch

* Requires iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later

* 13.7 MB

Pricing And Availability:

Beer Toss 1.0 is now available worldwide exclusively on the Apple App Store for a price of $0.99 (USD). Review copies are available upon request.

Beer Toss 1.0
Purchase and Download
YouTube Video

Broken Thumbs Apps is an independent, family-owned and operated iPhone application developer, located down the street from Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California and was founded in 2009. The team consists of four full-time people: a brother and sister, their dad and a childhood friend, each of whom brings diverse work experiences to the development of fun, casual mobile apps. Copyright 2010 Broken Thumbs Apps. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Los Angeles, CA – E! Entertainment, the global leader for celebrity and entertainment news and information, today announces the relaunch of its popular E! Online mobile app for the iPhone and Android platforms. In addition to a “facelift” and EVEN more engaging video content, the app now features the network’s signature “E! Talk Box”, which allows users to record their own video submissions for possible inclusion on E! and/or E! Online.

The E! Online mobile app will also bring viewers unparalleled coverage from the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 7, as well as leading up to the big event and in the days that follow, including news story updates directly from the red carpet, Fashion Police photos and exclusive video clips. As part of the app update, a new carousel navigation menu above the news section highlights the award season coverage with special video content and a new “Live from the Red Carpet” section.

Since its release in May 2009, the E! Online mobile application has been the go-to source for everything entertainment news and pop culture-related. Over 1.4 million iPhone and Android users enjoy the app on a regular basis, garnering 54 million page views and 1.3 million video views in January alone.

The new “E! Talk Box” feature adds a unique interactive twist to the application. For the first time, users can record their own video commentary (on supported handsets) on hot topics and celebrity headlines and submit them directly to E! where a few selected video responses will be featured on the air and online.

“With this relaunch, we’re taking the E! Online app to the next level in terms of both content and interactivity,” said John Najarian, Executive Vice President, Digital Media and Business Development, Comcast Entertainment Group, “E! fans are passionate when it comes to their favorite celebrities and the E! Talk Box feature allows them to be heard loud and clear anywhere, anytime with a chance to end up on our air.”

Additional features in the E! Online App include:

* Download full episodes of the hottest E! shows like The Soup, The Girls Next Door and Keeping Up with the Kardashians

* Keep up with the E! Online movie reviews and bloggers like Watch with Kristin and Ted Casablanca’s Awful Truth

* Keep tabs on your favorite celebrities by creating your own celeb list – E! Online will deliver all the news from those celebs directly to your phone

Device Requirements:
* iPhone and iPod touch
* Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later
* 1.2 MB

Pricing and Availability:
The E! Online mobile app is available now on iTunes and in the Android Marketplace as a free download. For more information visit E! Online under the mobile category.

E! Online Mobile 1.1.1: http://www.eonline.com/everywhere/mobile/index.jsp
Download From iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/e-online/id313624917?mt=8
Media Assets: http://photobucket.com/eonline

Based in Los Angeles, Comcast Entertainment Group operates E! Entertainment Television, the 24-hour network with programming dedicated to the world of entertainment, and E! Online; The Style Network, the destination for women 18-49 with a passion for the best in relatable, inspiring and transformational lifestyle programming; and G4, offering the last word on gaming, technology, animation, interactivity and “geek culture” for the male 18-34 demo. E! is currently available to 97 million cable and satellite subscribers in the U.S. and the E! Everywhere initiative underscores the company’s dedication to making E! content available on all new media platforms any time and anywhere from online to broadband video to wireless to radio to VOD. The Style Network currently counts 65 million cable and satellite subscribers and Mystyle.com keeps women up to date on all the latest fashion and beauty news on the web. G4 is available in 68 million cable and satellite homes nationwide and G4t
v is a top web destination for video game news and information. Copyright (C) 2010 Comcast Entertainment Group. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone & iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.

Photo Credits: AppleWallpaper.net and ShowiPhoneWallpapers.com

The Apple iPad at first glance seems like revolutionary device, and for all accounts it truly is, but I must agree with the masses that it’s really a large ipod touch.  I’m not down playing the ipod touch because I think it’s a really unique piece of equipment but I, like most, was hoping for more.

In my eyes the iPad’s market will be people who would like a device to surf the web, check email, play apps and watch movies and have the money to do this on a third device.  To me the ipad is purely ultra luxury.

I was part of the group who got in line to purchase the first iphone, I rubbed elbows with people while waiting in line for the iphone 3G and was really happy when they let you order the 3GS online.  I will also likely be getting the ipad, but I would be so happy to see some of these features be included at least in the second iteration.

Missing iPad features:

• No Multitasking.  This is huge especially if I’m supposed to believe this is a computer not a large smart phone.  While I’m surfing on the web form checking email I want to be able to have instant messenger up and running so I can communicate with people online.  I also want to listen to Pandora while doing work on my iPad but at this point that is not possible.
• No Flash.  I’m ok with the iphone not having flash, I mean it doesn’t really affect me because I’m not power surfing the web like I do on my computer.  But if the iPad is going to be my alternative to my laptop for surfing the web then I need flash.  At least until HTML5 takes over..
• No USB Port. I realize there is a special camera connection kit but what about connecting other devices?  What about printing.  I don’t do much printing but I still must print my boarding passes, is that not possible with the iPad?
• No Camera.  This isn’t a iPad killer by any means but it would be nice to do ichat while sitting on my couch using my iPad.

There are tons of other sites out there listing all the missing iPad features but I’m not going to harp on it.  We all know what’s missing and we said the same thing with the iphone.  But at the end of the day it’s cool device and if does enough for you to justify the cost then you’ll probably get one too.

“The collection, considered the largest feature film box set ever released for a single artist, contains 34 classic Eastwood films from the Warner library and highlights the breadth and depth of his work — from Where Eagles Dare through Gran Torino. Included are his “Dirty Harry” movies, his Best Picture Oscar® dramas and nominees, his Westerns, his war movies, his comedies, and more.”

If you’re into movies even a little bit I’m sure you’ve seen at least one of Clint Eastwood’s movies.  I mean come on, Dirty Harry with his 357 magnum and tag line, “Go ahead, make my day” is legend.  Along with being a great actor Eastwood is also an acclaimed director.  I’m sure you’ll recognize one of the movies he directed such as: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Space Cowboys, Flags of our Fathers, Gran Torino, the list goes on and on.

I personally downloaded “Dirty Harry” from iTunes and put it on my phone.  The download took just a few minutes and before I knew it I was watching Police Inspector “Dirty Harry” Callahan a San Francisco cop who has  little regard for rules but who always gets results.

Check out the Clint Eastwood 35 Films, 35 Years at Warner Bros or download any of the 20 movies directly from iTunes.  Either way you’ll love watching these classics again and again.