In November, the most talked about mobile phone will be available for Kenyan connoisseurs to sample, setting the stage for a true smart phone battle on the local turf.

Apple's much hyped iPhone will be making a debut in a market already trying to come to terms with the recent launch of gadgets that push the limits of the traditional telephonic device.

"Even after the long wait, we still have waiting lists for clients wishing to acquire this phone," said Nash Bilku, a sales executive at Elite Computers, one of three official Apple distributors in the country.

The iPhone, sometimes referred to as the Jesusphone, is the first phone to be single-handedly produced by the design-conscious Apple Inc, a company more famous for its flashy yet hard-working computers and the revolutionary iPod.

Falling under the definition of a smart phone, the iPhone is more similar to a mini computer than to a mobile phone. It is a fully multi-functional multimedia device, which can connect to the Internet through a mobile service provider GSM EDGE network.

It takes the firm's popular mobile music device, the iPod, and extends that multi-media experience to include wi-fi connectivity, email and web browsing and has 2.0 megapixel still camera capabilities.

Its true selling point is it user interface, which unlike other mobile phones or smart devices, is controlled through finger touch on a virtual keyboard rather than through actual buttons.

"The people who will want to buy this phone will want it because of its stylish looks and ability to do more through a simple interface," said Mr Bilku.

Apple sales of the device have soared to over a million since its debut early this year.

The company is said to be planning to double its iPhone production by the end of the year, hoping to sell 2.7 million models, up from the 1.5 million currently sold.

Mid this year, the market saw the introduction of the Blackberry, another smart device slated to give the new phone a run for its money.

Described as a wireless device which supports e-mail, mobile telephony, and other wireless information services, Blackberrys have earned the nickname "crackberry" due to their addictive and always connected capabilities.

Blackberrys are currently offered by both Celtel and Safaricom, whose connection plans start at around Sh5,000 a month per user.

It is primarily targeted at corporate companies who want their employees to access much of the same office functions while on the move. By April, this year, Research In Motion, the creators of Blackberry, announced a jump up to eight million BlackBerry subscribers, mostly due to their new 8800 model.

"This product is geared towards reducing employee downtime, it is a tailor made solution for corporate customers," said Anna Othoro, Marketing Director at Celtel during the firm's June launch of the service on its network.

Apple's iPhone will be more appealing to individuals who want much of the same functionality but prefer the unique interface of the phone. Comparatively, the Blackberry 8800 and the iPhone offer much of the same functions, but tend to differ on the design details that make them popular with their target users.

Although similarly sized, Apple's offering beats the Blackberry on storage space, battery life and multimedia options, but loses on the price and productivity .