iphone vs. Blackberry Touch

Look at any major analyst firm report since the Apple iPhone was released, and you'll see the earnest intoning to stick with the buttoned-down and pinstriped BlackBerry -- widely admired in executive corridors for its safety and security -- and beware that odd, colourful, possibly dangerous Apple device that consumers may love but professionals should avoid. If the iPhone were meant for work, it wouldn't be so much fun to use would it?

Yes, it was Mac versus PC all over again: The iPhone was quickly pigeonholed as a fun, polished device for the cool kids to play with versus the RIM Blackberry's rep as a corporate standard designed to get work done. As with the Mac-versus-PC dichotomy, Apple's focus on visual interface, exotic technologies like touch, and fun stuff (music, video, and games), coupled with its lack of "serious" capabilities such as encryption, let that perception take root as the conventional wisdom (Gruman, 2009).

The latest--and perhaps most notable--smart phone manufacturer to take on Apple's iPhone in the touch screen arena is Research In Motion, maker of the popular BlackBerry handheld. Rumours about a BlackBerry Touch first hit the Web almost a year ago, six months after Apple first released the iPhone. But it wasn't until early October that RIM confirmed the existence of such a device. Last week, Verizon Wireless, the exclusive U.S. Storm carrier, announced that the touch screen BlackBerry will go on sale on November 21, for $199 after a $50 rebate (Al Sacco, 2008).

When the BlackBerry Storm becomes available next week, smart phone buyers will be presented with a choice between the most popular touch screen handset in the world, the iPhone, and what could prove to be the world's first true iPhone rival, the Storm 9530. Here's my thinking on eight reasons why the iPhone 3G might be the better choice (Al Sacco, 2008).

Features Comparison

DimensionsBlackBerry Bold 9000: 127mm in length, 66mm wide and 12.7mm thick, it weighs 133g.iPhone 3G: 115.5mm high, 62.1mm wide and 12.3mm thick, weighs 133g.

DisplayBlackBerry Bold 9000: 480 x 320 resolution, touch display.iPhone 3G: 480 x 320 multi-touch display.

Operating SystemBlackBerry Bold 9000: A new OS for the BlackBerry family, version 4.6 is reported as having a few new software changes in addition to the new 3D, translucent aesthetics, including Documents ToGo, for easy reading and editing of Microsoft Word and PowerPoint documents; iTunes integration; full html email support and rich media ...