Quote:
Originally Posted by
ObjectiveObserver 
As noted by others above, the iPod touch had already been around awhile (the first gen. iPhone was virtually identical in form factor to it). The Samsung says 'Music Player' across the top - if that wasn't a total rip-off of the iPod, I don't know what is. Case closed.

I would love it if someone made a compelling competing device that wasn't an Apple clone, but so far, no such luck.
first Ipod touch was announced in 2007. In fact, when it was announced, people called it "The iphone for people without a cellphone contract" Something Steve Jobs used when he brought out the ipod touch 4th generation. Previous to 2007, you had the ipod "Classic" (just known as the ipod at that time) and the ipod nano.
And here's the problem with your wish: There are only so many ways you can make a touchscreen device. Period. Until we get things like Flexible screens, or they finally find a way to make a touchscreen with a thinner border, touchscreen devices will ALWAYS be large screens surrounded by a border (usually black since it provides the best contrast ratio to the screen). The phone will ALWAYS be rectangular, as the public has shown time and again they other form factors (the Kin puck, the Lotus Square, etc) aren't something they're interested in.
In fact, other form factors that were popular in the past (slide out keyboards, blackberry style keyboards) are disappearing as touch screen technology is quickly surpassing normal keys when it comes to usability, and customers are demanding smaller and lighter devices (or conversly, larger screens for media)
So you have the UI, but a icon based, grid UI is about as old as computer GUI's are. Large, touch friendly icons are currently the most efficient way to display things on a touch screen. Even WindowsPhone7, which looks VERY different, still relies on large, finger friendly "Tiles" (instead of icons) with some fancy screen transitions. WindowsPhone7 is most likely the biggest change to phone interfaces that we've had in years (at least a decade) but it's struggling because it's TOO different.
Issues with the actual OS itself aside, people are unwilling to consider it because of how the tiles look.
Will someone come up with a new device that will blow the iphone (and everyone else) out of the water like the original iphone did with current smartphones? Yes. but it will most likely use technology that's not commercially viable yet.
Something like this:
http://dvice.com/archives/2006/10/bl...ept-is-one.php
(As an aside, looking up technology concepts is a good time waister, it's amazing to see what people can come up with when they're not limited by current gen technology. That concept came out before even the iphone was announced)