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.

Corresponding with the rapid consumer adoption of smartphones is a marked increase in the level of mobile search activity. According to the Mobile Market View study, mobile consumers performed the following activities using their mobile devices during the past six months:

• Downloaded or looked at maps or directions: 17.6 percent, up from 10.8 percent in 2007
• Searched the Internet for products or services in their local area: 15.6 percent, up from 9.8 percent in 2007
• Searched the Internet for products or services outside their local area: 14.3 percent, up from 6.4 percent in 2007
• Obtained information about movies or other entertainment: 13.7 percent, up from 8.2 percent in 2007
• Connected with a social network, such as MySpace or Facebook: 9.6 percent, up from 3.4 percent in 2007

Study Confirms Kelsey Group Mobile Forecast

Findings from Mobile Market View indicate a growth rate of mobile Internet users that is in line with The Kelsey Group’s U.S. Mobile Advertising Forecast: 2007-2012 (September 2007), which projected mobile Internet users would grow at a compound annual growth rate of 19 percent through 2012. According to the latest Mobile Market View findings, the percentage of mobile users who access the Internet from their mobile devices increased from 32.4 percent in 2007 to 38.9 percent in 2008, an annual growth rate of 20 percent.

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.

fring on iPhone/iPod Touch

positive:
the graphic interface is awesome

negative:
VOIP limited to WIFI, and therefore dependent on the solidity of the WIFI connection
can’t run the application in the background, when i close the application i disconnect from the service
the oh soooo annoying auto-correction feature can’t be switched off when typing IMs

fring on symbian

positive:
lets me chose if i want to use WIFI or my mobile connection
has a hide feature, meaning it is still running in the background while i am doing other things
i can type IMs with my keyboard similar to text messaging, auto-correction i can switch off

negative:
the graphical interface is atrocious looks extremely retro and fuzzy

basically the iPhone implementation is pretty to look at but other than that pretty much unusable. i love pretty things so i might still prefer to use it, if say i am next door waiting for someone to log onto skype. but nothing else makes sense.

(btw. i installed this on my iPod Touch, knowing full well that i can’t use the skype call function, which i could only use if i jailbreak my iPod. but fring is a decent IM client as well, it lets me add icq, yahoo, msn, aol accounts and use my iPod touch to be available for IMs.)

Fring Turns Your iPhone Into a Free Skype Phone

The G1 emulator is very functional and fun to play with. The guide tab gives you 4 different options for viewing how the hardware of the G1 works. The first demonstrates how the screen slides up for use of the keyboard. The battery removal shows just how the back of the device is taken off to reveal the battery. Sim Card Insertion shows that in order to replace the Sim Card you must first remove the battery. However you do not have to remove the battery to insert or remove the MicroSD card. This makes accidentally loosing the card a lot easier and opens the opportunity of getting dirt inside the slot.Unfortunately, it’s not 100% accurate, given it shows their HSDPA network is actually available something that won’t be true for a very significant number of people who buy the next-gen handset. But it does give you the general feel of the device for those interested. Have fun and remember to order your G1, brown, black or white

This should be the successor of Sony Ericsson C905, codenamed Shiho, which packs an 8.1 MP camera with autofocus, xenon flash and all the other features required for high-quality photography.

MobileMentalism has got tipped off about the new Sony Ericsson 12 megapixel phone codenamed Kokura and says that it’ll be based on TI3240 chipset, Symbian 9.4 S60 OS and will have iPhone like touchscreen interface.

Because the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic supports Flash content, individuals can surf the entire web, not just pieces of it. In addition, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic offers all the music essentials, including a graphic equalizer, 8GB memory for up to 6000 tracks and support for all main digital music formats, and a 3.5mm jack. Built-in surround sound stereo speakers offer the industry’s most powerful sound.

‘As Nokia’s first mass-market device with a touch screen, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic turns a ‘user interface’ into a ‘human interface’ by truly putting people first. For example, we’ve introduced the Nokia Contacts Bar, which is like a digital RSS feed on your life,’ said Harlow. ‘By adding the benefits of touch screen technology to S60, the world’s leading smartphone interface, Nokia is taking the familiar and giving it a human touch. We have used touch technology where it really adds value such as the Contacts Bar, Media Bar and clever shortcuts from the homescreen to menu items such as calendar, profiles and clock.’

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic also features a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and, with a single touch, images or videos can be shared via a favorite online community, such as Share on Ovi, Flickr, or Facebook. Music playlist song titles can also be shared through Bluetooth, MMS or online sharing.

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic will be available worldwide beginning in the fourth quarter of 2008 for an estimated retail price of 279 EUR before taxes and subsidies. The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic featuring Comes With Music will be available early next year. Pricing details to follow.

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Features List

Contacts Bar -Person centric user interface with visualized contacts
Media Bar -Always an easy access to your favorite media
3.2 inch display
Stereo speakers with surround sound
Stylus and finger touch support for text input and user interface control
Powerful connections with 3G, HSDPA and WLAN
3.2 megapixel autofocus camera with Carl Zeissoptics and dual-LED flash
Front camera for video calls
Built-in A-GPS and Nokia Maps and voice guided navigation
Responsive touch screen with tactile feedback
Proximity sensor for preventing inadvertent touches and for saving power
nHDwidescreen quality video playback

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Specifications:

WCDMA 2100/900,GSM 850/900/1800/1900,HSDPA, WLAN
or GSM 850/900/1800/1900
or WCDMA 850/1900, HSDPA, WLAN, GSM 850/900/1800/1900
User Interface:S60 5th Edition
Dimensions:111 x 51.7 x 15.5 mm (L x W x T)
Weight:109 g
Display:3.2 inch nHD(640 x 360 pixels) with up to 16 million colors
Battery: Nokia Battery BL-5J,1320mAh Lion
Memory:81 MB internal memory, support for up to 16GB microSD memory card
CameraLens:Carl ZeissTessar
Image capture:Up to 3.2 megapixels(2048 x 1536)
Video capture:nHD(640 x 360) at up to 30 fps
Flash:Dual-LED camera flash
Talk time: Up to 9 hours (GSM),5 hours (WCDMA)
Standby time: Up to 17 days (GSM),17 days (WCDMA)
Music playback:Up to 35 hours
Video playback:Up to 5 hours (Mpeg4) 3 hours (nHD)
WLAN (IEEE 802.11 b/g)
MicroUSB, 3.5 mm AV connector
Bluetooth wireless technology 2.0 with A2DP stereo audio, AVRCP

Codenamed Tube, the handset will be the first touch-screen model from Nokia and will compete in the high-end market alongside the Apple iPhone and the latest models from Samsung and HTC.

Since it was first announced in early August, details on the Tube project have been few and far between.

In addition to the touch-screen capabilities, the Tube is said to feature a Wi-Fi connection and support for Java as well as DVB-H mobile TV broadcasts.

2.Apps

Both platforms promise tons of applications, both platforms promise to deliver them wirelessly via online stores. The difference here lies in the “open” system versus the moderated system that Apple currently has, where they supposedly hand-review each item before approving it for Apple store use. Also, Apple is renowned for helping developers improve their code before release date. Some would say that an open environment is better, but I have to beg to differ. There is already so much crap on the iTunes App store and it is getting in the way of finding the gems that are there. Apple also tries to make sure that no malicious code makes it into any app store application, and also apparently has a fail safe to remotely stop malicious apps in their tracks. Time will tell on this point, and we will see whether the “free for all” Google store will be better than the moderated Apple app store… so since it is unfair to judge Google’s store before its release, I have to give this one a tie.

Winner: As of right now, Apple. But I am calling it a TIE to give Google a chance to release the store before we judge it. It might kick ass!

3.Keyboard

This one is a toughie, I was annoyed at the iPhone’s onscreen keyboard until I actually used it. Now I realize that the auto correct feature actually works pretty well and I can type almost as fast as I can on my laptop. The Android phones featured so far have pull out keyboards, which in my own personal experience are just another plastic made in China piece of hardware that will eventually break on you. This one is personal preference, and my own personal preference before using the multi-touch keyboard WAS a physical keyboard and I changed my mind quite quickly. I have to give this one a tie as it lies in personal preference, and even then… my own preference leaned towards the onscreen keyboard as it removed a lot of little plastic pieces and hardware that could fuck up… the iPhone has no keyboard and therefore no keyboard failures are possible. I split coffee on a crackberry once, no more keyboard functioning… did it on my iPhone too… keyboard still works…

Winner: Tie.

4.Flash

Although Android fanboys claim Android will have flash, I don’t see it mentioned ANYWHERE as being a reality. Neither platform has flash, and Steve Jobs himself said there was no flash on the iphone because the hardware couldn’t handle full flash and they did’t want a crippled flash that might or might not play flash correctly.

Winner: Tie (Neither)

5. Format Support

The iPhone supports viewing of many document formats, the Android will probably be restricted by the same licensing issues that plague iPhone, so who knows when you will be able to open and edit excel and word files on either?

Winner: Tie

6. PUSH Apps

Apps that can “push” information to your phone. As of currently, the iPhone doesn’t have any 3rd party apps that push info to your phone (My Facebook app wont automatically update it’s Messages in your inbox number on the icon until I actually open it and connect)… Soon though many apps will be able to do this on the iPhone. Nothing is promised yet for Android. As of now, Email, Contacts and Bookmarks from my Safari are pushed directly to my phone within 15 minutes or less of me typing them into my home computer (and vice versa)… Within 5 minutes of activating my new iPhone, I had all my contacts, email and bookmarks wirelessly synced to my iPhone before I left the shopping mall.

Winner: iPhone.

7.Variety Of Phones

Google Android will be available on many phones. Though variety is nice, the lack of standards for hardware makes it impossible for an app developer to count on the fact that a phone has a joystick, or an accelerometer,, or even bluetooth…which will probably make app developers make apps geared towards the lowest common denominator.. I mean, would you make an app that was usable by only 20% of Android phones (which had an acceleromoter or multitouch) or for 100% of Android phones? The iPhone’s standard hardware makes it so that all apps work on all iPhones. At the same time, Apple is known for adding more and more features and I’m sure the 3rd Generation iPhones will have hardware that will make some of the newer apps not compatible with the first 2 iterations of the iPhone. At the same time,the fact that there are multiple manufacturers making different Android phones with different hardware (hopefully a good mp3 player and a headphone jack will appear in future models) gives the advantage clearly to Android…more competition, more variety is good.

Winner: Android

Source and credit: supermanred.com