Smart Phones of today

Vodafone is the first to take pre-orders for the upcoming BlackBerry Storm 2 and they plan to deliver on October 26th.  We had a feeling Vodafone would be the first to make an official announcement.  A couple of early week stories predicted this and it’s just the first of many official announcements to come.

It looks they will offer the phone for free on a 2 year contract with a monthly fee £35 or more.  The Vodafone Storm 9520 will be slightly different from other carriers but for the most part all features are the same as the 9550.  Customers in the UK and Ireland will be the first to get their hands on the new Storm 2.  Shortly after it become available in Germany, Netherlands and Spain.

BlackBerry Storm 2 Features:

• 3.25″ capacitive SurePress touchscreen
• resolution of 360 x 480 pixels
• runs at 802.11/g networks
• UMTP/HSPA data
• 2GB of memory, GPS,
• microSD memory expansion slot
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• 1400mAh battery
• 6 hours of talk on a 3G network
• bluetooth, GPS and runs the Blackberry 5 OS

Comments(0)

I know you’re interested in the BlackBerry Bold 9700 and it has just popped up on T-Mobile Germany’s official website here. The site also says that the Bold 9700 will be available next month (November). This is the first sign of many to come, we should be expecting an official announcement very soon.

So, whether you call it the Bold 2 , the 9700 , or the Onyx , come next month you’ll be able to lovingly place its 480 x 360 display, WiFi antennae and all that other hotness in a Curve -sized space inside your pocket

Comments(0)

Comparing Iphone to Blackberry is just like comparing Mercedes E class with Lincoln Towncar. The Blackberry tried to imitate some goodies from the Iphone, but basically they remained with their Typical bulky looks. Here I am referring to Blackberry Storm or Blackberry Bold. Everyone has their own personal perception on differences.

Iphone Pros

- Sleek design and sexy looks.
- Excellent user interface.
- Excellent stability for most of the applications.
- The presence of lots of useful applications from the applications store is icing.
- If you are a Mac Programmer, you can make an application for your very own needs due to the availability of the excellent SDK.
- Easily the best to device to hit the market since…..well, BlackBerry. I love the screen size, the applications, ease of use, safari browser, its iconic status, push email etc etc

Iphone Con

- Not yet great for enterprise use.
- Not as sturdy as the Blackberry and needs to be used delicately.
- Lacks the keyboards, which makes it really difficult to mail etc.
- Lacks Video recording.
- Lacks MMS, but this limitation is overcome as you have excellent browsing and mailing options.
- Can’t forward SMS and a real struggle to get MMS. Another downside is you can’t have multiple (non apple) apps running simultaneously which is a drawback if you want a decent sat nav application and then run something else!
- Batterly life is a bit poor but this is probably becuase the thing is so damn irresistable, that the screen is on most of the day!

Since I am comparing Iphone with BB, the pros in Iphone are more like Cons in BB and vice versa.

Generally for the Bold – A real bruiser of a device and easier to compose emails than the iphone. When you whip out a Blackberry, it says “this guy is all business” where as the iphone says “this guy is fun”. Most folks use any functionality other than email, calendar and contacts but thats always the way with a Blackberry – they just work!

It really boils down to the features that are critical to you. For eg, SMS usability, MMS, enterprise application integration, Flash, etc.

Both Apple and RIM are trying to reach beyond their usual demographic market which is only natural in this economy. The iPhone is a clever leisure gadget trying to make its way into the corporate world. The Bb Storm comes from a no nonsense family of reliable corporate communications where it has cornered the market.

Both have great features with minor drawbacks, however, its only a matter of time before both phones evolve to where the technical comparison is near comparable.

The only thing that will separate the two phones is clever marketing, cult followers, and consumer perceptions. Ask yourself if you’d rather close an important business deal with someone who carried an iPhone or Blackberry.

The questions you’ll need to ask is which phone would you want to be seen with by business associates? By friends? Which phone would be your preference because both, in time, will get the job done just the same.

For a more scientific approach I suggest that you list your requirements, and then prioritize or rank them. Then you can assess the features of iPhone vs Blackberry and score them. Finally, add up the score in the features list and you have your winner….

Comments(0)

Here is an interesting list of BlackBerry Storm features that the iPhone 3G lacks. These could make you want to buy a BlackBerry Storm over an iPhone 3G.

Touch Screen Provides Tactile/Haptic Feedback
iPhone owners have long been complaining about the lack of the tactile or haptic feedback. Meaning the iPhone touch screen is not able to provide response when you hit a key which makes it difficult to type without staring directly at it.

RIM on the other hand uses “Click Through” technology on the the Storm’s touch screen to provide both audible and tactile feedback whenever you click the screen. In fact, the screen on the Storm is really just one large button that actually depresses when you click it.

Expandable Memory
The iPhone 3G is limited to either 8 GB or 16 GB of storage, depending on which model you choose. The BlackBerry Storm ships with just 1GB of on-board memory, but it also has an expandable microSD media card slot that can accommodate cards up to 16GB. So the Strom users could purchase as many microSD cards as they wish and swap them out at will, meaning that the Storm has virtually unlimited storage capacity.

Stereo Bluetooth Capability
One of the vital wireless feature that the iPhone 3G and even T-Mobile G1 lack is the Stereo Bluetooth Capability. With the iPhone, users still can’t listen to their music collections via Bluetooth, wireless headsets–at least without buying a third-party adapter–because the device doesn’t support Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) technology. That means wired headphones are a must when using Apple’s smartphone to listen to music in stereo.

BlackBerry smartphones have supported stereo Bluetooth for quite some time, and the Storm will be no exception. If you have pair of wireless headphones, or you’ve had your eyes on buying a new set, you may want to choose the Storm over the iPhone 3G so you can employ the headphones along with your new handheld.

Removable/Replacable Battery
Almost all other smartphones have removable batteries. The Apple iPhone doesn’t. To this day it causes frustration for some users, especially for frequent travelers and people who constantly listen to music, play games or watch videos or movies. Being able to swap in a spare would be great.

Since the iPhone has a fixed battery that cannot be swapped out, you need to charge regularly or purchase expensive–and awkward–third-party portable charging solutions like the Incase Power Slider Case/Battery Booster costing 100 big ones. The BlackBerry Storm has a removable battery that can be replaced with another when fully drained. Extra BlackBerry batteries sell for as little as $5.

Camera and Video Recording
The 2 megapixels camera of the iPhone 3G is disappointing, but what’s worse is that it won’t record any video. The Storm ups the ante to a 3.2-megapixel camera and also offers video capture. That’s a big plus in favor of the Storm, no doubt.

Wireless Tethered Modem
Many smartphone owners, particularly business users, employ their handhelds’ Internet connections to access the Web via otherwise unconnected PCs or laptop computers. The ability to tether can come in extremely handy while travelling and visiting various hotels, airports, lounges, etc. that charge for Wi-Fi access. In such situations, you can simply connect your smartphone and computer and avoid Wi-Fi fees. AT&T has said that it is working with Apple to bring that functionality to the iPhone. While they haven’t provided an exact date, it is coming.

Copy and Paste
Since day one iPhone users have asked for it and Apple is yet to provide it on the iPhone. This feature might sound a bit trivial for a mobile device but just try transferring a URL or some quote or important text from a Web page to an email message without it, and you’ll soon see why such a simple function can be so important.

With the BlackBerry Storm users will be able to cut and paste text by simply pressing a finger down at the beginning of a selection and then another finger at the end to highlight the text. After you make a selection, the BlackBerry Menu key shows options to copy the text and paste it at a later time.

Mutitasking: Get More Out of Your Day
In the smartphone context, multitasking means running multiple applications in the background while using your device for other purposes. Right now, the iPhone OS does not allow for multitasking, and as such, you can only run one third-party application at a time.

Th BlackBerry Storm on the other hand its 528-MHz processor and the HSPA network combine to support your need to multitask and prioritize without falling behind or out of touch. Designed to provide you with access to your voice and data services at the same time, it helps you get more out of every day.

• Take phone calls while sending and responding to email or browsing the Internet
• Maintain GPS-based directions or maps on your display even while taking a call
• Snap the perfect picture and send it out even when you’re already on the phone
• Discuss and revise Microsoft® Word, Microsoft Excel® and Microsoft PowerPoint files—edit while using the speakerphone

Comments(0)

I have made a specification comparison of the iPhone3G and the Blackberry Storm. Note that this is not a complete feature comparison, although I tried to put everything I could find for both the phones in it. As you can see both phones have much to offer.

Comments(0)