Unfortunately, the local release date for the Omnia has been pushed back several times, however it's now become apparent that it should be available in Australia in the next week or so - great news for the anti-Apple brigade who have been waiting for a smartphone alternative.

What is really getting people excited about the Samsung Omnia is the innovative 3.2-inch touchscreen. Yes, touchscreens on phones are nothing new, but Samsung's TouchWiz software interface is. You can drag-and-drop widgets and generally navigate the Windows Mobile interface with greater ease than ever before.

Other features include the Microsoft Office Mobile suite with real-time synchronisation with Outlook as well as Internet Explorer and Opera web browsers (as well as support for 3G and GPRS networks).

Of course, any phone that wants to challenge the iPhone needs to offer substantial multimedia functionality, and the Omnia doesn't disappoint. You can use the included Touch Player to play a range of files, including MP3, WMA, AAC, MP4 and DiVX. There is also support for podcasts, an FM radio player and a streaming media player. All your media content can be stored on the internal memory, which comes as either 8GB or 16GB out-of-the-box (expandable up to 16GB). Also included is a 5-megapixel camera, which offers a flash and face detection, amongst other advanced features.

Last but not least, there is the Omnia's slick external styling, which is nothing less than we've come to expect from Samsung mobile phones.

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By Caroline Warnes