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

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

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….

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

So, without further ado, here’s the top 13 reasons I now carry a BlackBerry Bold instead of an iPhone:

1. Battery life

The Bold kills the iPhone on battery life. Under heavy use, say a business travel day with no laptop access, I have repeatedly burned through a full charge on my iPhone by early afternoon. This includes phone, e-mail and web usage, but typically not iPod usage. My Bold gets through a full day of similar activity with a half charge left at end of day. No comparison.

2. Battery life part deux

The Bold is not afflicted by “sudden drain” syndrome, something that has happened a few times on my iPhone. On occasion I have put a near full charge iPhone in my pocket and taken it out after a short period of time to find it down to the red for no apparent reason. Yes, I have applied all the iPhone updates that were released.

3. User Interface

My three year old can drive my iPhone. Should my 3 year old be able to drive my business device? Is that a good measure? I don’t think so. I tire of tapping through endless screens to get to the one I want when looking at e-mail, for example – I have five email accounts. I like the Bold’s contextual menus. Everything I might want to do on a screen has been put only a click or two away. It really works well, once you’ve learned it. Oh, and cut and paste…and keyboard shortcuts. Pretty rows of icons that jiggle on demand are fun to look at, but once you dive in it can be an uneven and frustrating experience.

4. E-mail

The e-mail just works better on the Bold. BlackBerry just knows how to do mobile e-mail. It works great. iPhone is slow to load e-mail, in my experience. Writing e-mail is wildly different as well. I became very frustrated with the iPhone’s keyboard. It was slow to respond, would often lock-up for seconds or more as I typed faster. On occasion it would simply lock-up completely, necessitating a restart – not acceptable for time-sensitive communications.

5. Stability

My Blackberry Bold does not crash. iPone apps crashed regularly. In particular, Safari crashed most frequently, followed by several third party apps I installed. As mentioned above, Mail would lock-up.

6. Appearance

iPhone looks nice out of the box, but as soon as you handle it it has finger prints and smudges. After a busy day with lunch meetings and such it could wind up looking pretty bad and take some effort to clean up. Impressions matter. The Blackberry Bold finish is not subject to this kind of smudging, except the screen area, and that cleans up with a single wipe.

7. Speed

My Blackberry Bold is generally faster than my iPhone. This is based largely on perception, but I’m referring to scrolling through screens, launching apps, viewing e-mail and most importantly, rendering web pages. I have also noticed the BlackBerry browser will pull the mobile interface by default for many sites, which I like, since I’m mainly interested in the data. This makes the experience faster yet.

8. The Keyboard

I prefer the physical keyboard to the virtual one. This is personal preference, I think, but for reasons I’ve mentioned above, I think it is also more reliable.

9. Multimedia content

I use a media monitoring service and need to view TV clips and listen to radio clips. These clips are provided in .3gp. Unlike the iPhone, the Blackberry Bold brings them up immediately in the BB media player.

10. Voice activation

Blackberry Bold has great voice activation out of the box. iPhone? No, which is surprising from a company that pioneered this technology.

11. Clicks are easier than gestures

The iPhone flicks, pinches and sweeps are neat, but clicking my spacebar once to scroll a page is actually more precise and easier in general. Clicking once to zoom page content is faster and simpler than the two finger, two handed equivalent on iPhone. With my Bold, I can stir my martini and navigate the web at the same time. The trackball wins. I think the touchscreen is a good way to get more screen real estate, but it is not necessarily an improvement in UI.

12. Storage

On my Blackberry Bold I can swap multiple 8GB microSD cards whereas I can have only one internal flash memory on iPhone.

13. Video

I like to post pictures and video remotely. I can’t do that with iPhone because it doesn’t record video. The Bold does.

Sorry Mr. Jobs, please don’t revoke my Mac Club Card, but the iPod touch with a mediocre phone = an iPhone that just isn’t eve close to the functionality of the Blackberry Bold. If you want a business communications handset with excellent multimedia internet capability, GPS, WiFi and a 2MP video camera, get a BlackBerry Bold.

If you want the latest tech toy for cool kids, you’ll hit the mark with the iPhone, but please heed my warning that you may find yourself gazing longingly across the room happy go-lucky Blackberry user sitting up at the bar.

The BlackBerry Storm also comes with multiple Bluetooth profiles support, stereo playback, a 3.26-inch touch sensitive display, that measures 480 x 360 pixels. The phone is also equipped with a 3.2 megapixel camera with flash and auto-focus, and it includes includes a full QWERTY keyboard-when used in landscape mode-and a SureType keyboard-when held in the portrait orientation. It also has standard GPS and a-GPS, and it will come with BlackBerry Maps.

The BlackBerry Storm also has a 3.5mm headset jac, media player for music and video, full HTML browser, 1GB of on-board memory and supports microSD cards up to 8GB. It comes with other applications too, like E-Mail, Microsoft Docs viewing and editing, and messaging features.

The BlackBerry Storm will be launched in collaboration with Vodafone and it will be available in the U.S., Europe and Australia, starting with November.
The BlackBerry Storm, exclusively from Verizon Wireless and Vodafone, also includes the following features and functions:

• BlackBerry Internet Service, BlackBerry Unite!, BlackBerry Professional Software and BlackBerry Enterprise Server support for seamless integration with corporate email systems and the security and IT policy controls that enterprise customers require
• Edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the handset
• 3.2 megapixel camera, with variable zoom, auto focus, and a powerful flash that also provides continuous lighting when recording video; the camera records video in half-VGA resolution (480×320) or at 176×144 for MMS
• 1 GB of on board memory storage and 8 GB microSD memory card included in expandable memory card slot
• Media player that can find content on the handset in an instant, display pictures and slideshows quickly, play movies smoothly in full screen mode in any orientation, and manage an entire music collection; playlists can be created directly on the handset and there’s an equalizer with 11 preset filters – including “Lounge”, “Jazz” and “Hip Hop” for customized audio ranges when using wired headphones or external speakers
• Sleek, elegant design with contoured corners, stainless steel back and chrome side-accents that frame its large (3.26″), touch sensitive, glass lens display; its exceptional 360 x 480 resolution at 184ppi, offering the highest resolution display ever introduced on a BlackBerry smartphone, is crisp and colorful with clarity that’s easy on the eyes
• A sensor automatically adjusts to ambient light for ideal screen viewing and an orientation sensor allows customers to use the handset in a portrait or landscape position
• Additional details related to availability and pricing will be announced in the coming weeks. To learn more, visit www.verizonwireless.com/storm.
• Virtual keyboards are also available in AZERTY, QWERTZ and other configurations to support different language groups.

10)?? Compatibility with iTunes ? It has been cheekily suggested that the Storm mobile will feature BlackBerry media sync, which means you can actually synchronise and swap music with iTunes. This is highly unlikely but anything is possible and it would be a handy feature.

9)??? 4G connectivity ? It?s a given that the BlackBerry Storm will support high speed internet connections and web pages should load in around 3-4 seconds. But it has also been alleged that the new BlackBerry Storm will support 4G connectivity too. Is this a possibility?

8)??? 3.2? Megapixel Camera ? If this is true the Storm 3G would have a further edge over the iPhone which supports a 2 mega pixel camera.

7)? Visual Voicemail ? The BlackBerry Storm will be one of the first non-Apple touch screen mobiles to offer visual voicemail, which shows all your recorded messages on the screen as a list. This conveniently allows the user to scroll up and down choosing which ones to listen to or delete, without having to listen to previous messages or instructions. It?s high up the list because we?re just not sure but the more we think about, it visual voicemail seems like a good bet for Storm 3G given that it?s a fantastic luxury – once you?ve tried it it?s hard to live without it.

6)??? Pixel-tastic – Online reports at various mobile phone sites suggest the BlackBerry Storm will come with a 480?320 pixel wide screen with 65,000 colours. If this is true, it gives it the edge over the iPhone. The rumoured 480?320 pixel count does seem highly likely given that it?s the same picture capability as the BlackBerry Bold.
5)?? October release date – As far as we know the 3G Storm will launch in October. Various dates in October have been rumoured but the simple fact is that no official launch date has been announced as yet. All we know is that further announcements will arrive in September – watch this space.

4)?? QWERTY and SureType Entry ?? The Storm 3G is set to offer choice and flexibility of landscape and portrait screen keyboard, cleverly ensuring it appeals to both business users and everyday consumers alike.

3)?? Haptic Technology – BlackBerry Storm will showcase the latest haptic technology. This means you?ll be able to feel localised feedback in your fingertips when you?re typing texts and emails. Physically, it should give the impression that you?re typing on a real keyboard making typing on your BlackBerry Storm feel a lot more natural and user friendly.

2)? Lightweight Touchscreen ? The Storm 3G is a full screen BlackBerry. It doesn?t have a slide out keyboard and will have only four physical keys. Those will be the send/end phone keys, the BlackBerry menu key and the back key. The touch screen will look about the same size as the iPhone?s display ? around 3.5 inches but the Storm 3G has more eye-catching curves around the sides at the top and bottom.

1)?? Exclusive to Vodafone ?? The new BlackBerry Storm will launch as a worldwide (possibly lifetime) exclusive on Verizon in the U.S and Vodafone in the U.K. Vodafone has invested heavily in its 3G services making it the ideal network provider for the Storm 3G.

The BlackBerry Storm is certain to be one of the best touch screen phones offered by Vodafone. Combining the visually pleasing features of the iPhone with the second to none business capabilities of BlackBerry ? the Storm 3G may just offer the best of both worlds.

The BlackBerry Storm is certain to be one of the best touch screen phones offered by Vodafone. Combining the visually pleasing features of the iPhone with the second to none business capabilities of BlackBerry ? the Storm 3G may just offer the best of both worlds.

The BlackBerry Bold, which is considered to be RIM’s response to the iPhone 3G launched last month, didn’t generate the euphoria that the Apple device created.

Like the iPhone 3G, the Blackberry Bold is also supported by third-generation wireless networks.

Rogers, the country’s biggest telecom service provider, will support the BlackBerry Bold service across Canada.

The new subscribers will have to sign a three-year contract with Rogers Wireless, with an initial payment of $399 which includes cost of the device.

“Rogers Wireless is proud to be first to offer Canadians the world’s fastest BlackBerry smartphone on Canada’s fastest mobile network,” said John Boynton, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Rogers Wireless.

“The much awaited BlackBerry Bold smartphone is a ‘must have’ for connoisseurs of premium products and mobile workers who want to remain connected and productive no matter where their jobs may take them,” he said.

After reports of disrupted services by the users of the iPhone 3G, which is also supported by Rogers Wireless, the BlackBerry makers have reportedly optimized the new smartphone for Rogers’ 3G wireless data network.

The launch of the BlackBerry Bold in the Canadian market comes after RIM unveiled it in many European and South American markets.

The news smartphone features a newly designed, precision QWERTY keyboard, built-in GPS, enterprise-grade Wi-Fi and many multimedia capabilities. These include a two- megapixel camera with video recording and an advanced media player to play music, watch videos and view pictures.

Boasting a very high resolution display, the BlackBerry Bold smartphone also features a next-generation 624 MHz mobile processor.

Users can also edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents directly on the handset using the preloaded DataViz Documents to its Go software suite.

“The new BlackBerry Bold exudes confidence and elegance as it delivers blazing performance on Rogers’ high-speed 3G network,” said Mark Guibert, vice president for corporate marketing at RIM.

“We’re very pleased to be launching the BlackBerry Bold with Rogers, providing Canadian customers with a breakthrough smartphone that will help them make the most out of their work and personal time,” he added.

iPhone VS Blackberry Bold web browser: