Apple finds mobile phone pack on its tail

CUPERTINO, Calif., Oct. 13 (UPI) -- Apple's iPhone 3G has set the pace for touch-screen mobile phones, but a slew of U.S. and foreign competitors are nipping at its heels, analysts say.

"The iPhone pushed the technology, and now the others are saying, 'We'll push it more,' and that's led to innovation and more competition," Neil Strother, an analyst with Forrester Research told the San Francisco Chronicle.

"Apple set the bar and the others are trying to exceed it. They all seem to be getting pretty darn close now," he said.

Kirk Dawson, Sprint's area vice president for the Pacific Northwest called the iPhone a "catalyst" for the mobile phone market.

"Now that we've responded with a wide range of products, it's an easier conversation to have about what people want to do and what device meets their needs," he said.

The BlackBerry Storm on Verizon Wireless, due out by holiday shopping season and the G1 from T-Mobile and Google are poised to compete with the iPhone. The Samsung Instinct is also set to compete, the Chronicle reported Monday.

"We're really pushing the edge of the envelope ... and we're holding others to a higher standard of openness," said Desmond Smith, senior product manager with T-Mobile.