Without a doubt, the iPhone is causing a sensation in the world of mobile phones. With its touchscreen technology, versatility, and attractive Apple design, the iPhone seems to be the must-have for 2007. However, its hefty price tag and AT&T exclusivity make it an unfeasible option for some.

So where do you go if you want a media phone with all the features of an iPhone? Unfortunately, there is no such thing at the moment. The iPhone’s wi-fi capability and touchscreen interface are quite unique, though competitors are surely on the way. However, there are some alternatives to the iPhone, for example the bar-style Samsung Blackjack, the clamshell-shaped Samsung SYNC a707 and the slider-style Nokia 5300, which are available for the attractive price of being free.

iPhone Alternatives: What You’ll Get

It should be noted that while all three of these media phones are good alternatives to the iPhone, none of them really constitute what you’d call a replacement. They’re all attractive, full-featured phones, but if you really like the design and cachet of the iPhone, you might want to just bite the bullet and buy one. But before you drop $400 on one, consider that the iPhone hardly has the market cornered on cool features:

Digital camera: A built-in digital camera isn’t a rarity on a cell phone these days, and all three of the cell phones mentioned above have at least one built-in 1-megapixel camera. Samsung’s Blackjack, for example, has a full-featured 2+ megapixel camera loaded with options, while the Nokia 5300’s 1 megapixel camera supports streaming video.

Bluetooth: While the Blackjack, Samsung a707, and Nokia 5300 lack the wi-fi capability of the iPhone, they all feature Bluetooth technology, which means they’ll work with the latest Bluetooth devices like wireless headsets and stereo headsets. They also have built-in WAP browsing, which means you can still browse the Web from your cell phone if you want to.

Music players: A cell phone with a music player is also quite common, and all three of these iPhone alternatives come with a built-in music player. They may not have the animated menus and album screens that the iPhone features, but they also play music, making the iPhone’s visual appeal a feature you can’t miss. The Samsung a707 even features hotkeys and external touch-sensitive controls for the music player. Not bad, considering the price.

iPhone Alternatives: What You Won’t Get… Or Will You?

Now the not so good news. There are, like it or not, some things that the iPhone has that these phones don’t. However, these multimedia phones don’t fall short as you might think.

Lots of onboard memory: While the iPhone ships with a metric ton of built-in memory, 8 GB for the last generation, it cannot be expanded as the iPhone lacks a memory card slot. While the Samsung Blackjack, Samsung a707, and Nokia 5300 don’t come with much built-in memory, they all come with MicroSD card slots, which means they can be expanded by up to 2GB, making room for plenty of media.

Touch screen design: There’s no getting around it: the iPhone’s touchscreen is great. But, if you anticipate a lot of typing and don’t want fingerprints all over your phone, consider the Samsung Blackjack, which comes with a full QWERTY keyboard. Not quite as cutting-edge, but easily just as functional, maybe even more so.

Wireless: Again, this is where the iPhone [http://www.wirefly.com/cell-phone-accessories/wireless/Apple/iPhone-4GB/56214] It has a definite plus: wi-fi capability for easy internet access. However, that doesn’t mean these other cell phones can’t compete; all three come with built-in EDGE technology and PC sync, so they can connect to a laptop and surf wirelessly on your cell phone’s Internet connection.

The Nokia 5300, for example, features Class 10 EDGE and can send and receive email via POP3, IMAP or SMTP, while the Samsung Blackjack is a full multimedia phone with an office document viewer and Windows Mobile 5.

The price tag! Finally, some good news. The iPhone is a sleek-looking device, but it comes with a price to match: $399 for the 8GB model. Still, it’s hard to beat “free,” which is where the rest of these cell phones sign up with a new cell phone plan. If functionality means more to you than fashion, you can pick up one of these multimedia phones and spend that money elsewhere.