Many companies have begun mimicking the iPhone’s operational concept and are showing their own products, which they hope will even improve on Apple’s approach.

HTC had already announced their own "Touch" model before the iPhone went on sale. Like the iPhone, the Touch is controlled exclusively with your fingertips. However, it uses the Windows Mobile 6 operating instead. The phone has built in WiFi connectivity but lacks 3G wireless (UMTS) support. Nonetheless, the Touch (€370) found many fans among business users thanks to its Outlook email functionality, Bluetooth module and 2 megapixel camera.

Its successor, called the HTC Touch Dual, was announced just before CeBIT opened. The name does not signal that this is a dual-SIM phone but refers to the two input methods. Apparently, many Touch users found controlling Windows Mobile with only their fingers too cumbersome, which is why the Touch Dual now sports a slide-out keyboard as well. This time around, while WiFi support is absent, the phone comes with HSDPA (3G wireless). The rest of the feature list is similar to that of its predecessor. The Touch Dual will sell for around €470.

Samsung’s SGH-F480 is another iPhone challenger. It does away with a keyboard altogether, relying instead on a touchscreen with 320 x 240 pixels. So far, Samsung has been rather tight-lipped about any more information. However, we know that the built-in 5 megapixel camera comes with an image stabilizer for better photos. The remaining feature list of this HSDPA/Edge cell phone, which includes a media player, FM radio, internet services such as a pre-configured Google Mail account, and video editing functions, can be called quite generous.

HTC has set up its CeBIT presence in Hall 26 at stand A40. Samsung can be found in the same Hall at stand D60.