Apple may well have introduced a sexy new way of using a mobile phone, but the other manufacturers have been quick to catch up, with Sony showing off their new UIQ interface.
It's not a big surprise that the traditional handset manufacturers would look to launch their own versions of Apple's iPhone simple interface which has had the world queuing up to get their grubby mitts on it.
Last week saw the launch of Nokia's S60 Touch.
Last week saw the launch of Nokia's S60 Touch.
S60 Touch offers a similar users experience to the iPhone, but supports both finger and stylus input, tactile feedback, and is backwards compatible with the existing S60 platform. Admittedly it won't have the multi-touch compatibility of the iPhone, but otherwise it's on a par with Apple.
This week sees the turn of Sony Ericsson to show off their wares with their new UIQ interface.
Their new interface is even more closely matched to the iPhone, even down to the looks, and it's hard to tell them apart. The UIQ of old wasn't renowned for its ease of use, however this should make all the difference.
With two major players catching up with Apple on the interface side of things, coupled with the potential range of features available and not so restrictive contracts, we can expect these new interfaces to overtake Apple when they're launched in handsets sometime next year.
Apple will have to pull something big out of the bag to stay in the game.