I believe the iPhone is truly the new standard for a multimedia device. But it’s very much the 5pm to 9am smartphone as opposed to the 9 am to 5 pm device.

Till iPhone migrates to a network worth something it is little more then a portable jukebox, second rate gaming system, thrown in with some moderate call functionality (moderate is a gift to AT&T if you are a corporate traveler). I talk to iPhone biggots all the time and love hanging out with them since it really makes me smile when I have to lend them my phone for them to make a call. Call me stupid but I thought that the goal of a cell was to actually place a call and maintain that call till completion.

The only bad thing is that this release is not for Apple Mac users. Yep, BlackBerry does not support Apple Mac that well… visit http://smartphone-guru.blogspot.com/2008/12/blackberry-storm-firmware-upgrades.html for System Requirements.

The Storm is not a copycat of the iPhone. The only thing they really have in common is a touch screen, but Apple wasn’t the first to do that anyway.

The OS on the iPhone is more refined and slightly quicker. The Storm is slow in comparison, but I think some people are blowing this issue out of proportion. Either that or mine is quicker than others?

The iPhone has a browser that is easier to use and faster. The browser on the Storm however seems to be more stable…so far.

Both phones are a PITA to type anything on. I honestly can’t say one is better than the other…they both suck equally for typing. Whether you click the screen or not is a preference. It’s not like it’s hard to press the screen on the Storm.

Iphone is a slightly better music player. Not enough better to make the Storm a loser per say, but it is slightly better and integrates directly with iTunes.

In general the iPhone is a slightly better “entertainment” phone.

Sadly, while the iPhone accels at entertainment, it falters somewhat as a phone and messaging system, which is what should be most important. Here’s why:

The iPhone bluetooth support is pathetic at best. Ours doesn’t even work. Well, it worked for one day then quit. Need to get that fixed. The Storm not only has great bluetooth, but it also has stereo bluetooth, which allows me to play my MP3′s thorugh my car stereo without wires. Awesome! I can also use bluetooth headphones.

The messaging options on the Storm are FAR superior. SMS and MMS, send pictures, send video, whatever. Great email support, visual voicemail (another great thing), etc. The Storm wins hands down in this department.

Replaceable battery. Why Apple thinks it’s cool to not use user replaceable batteries is beyond me. With the Storm I have an extra battery I can install if I need to.

Replaceable memory. I already upgraded to a 16 Gig card. Sure, you can get the iPhone in 16 Gig, but at some point I imagine Blackberry will upgrade the firmware so 32 Gig cards can be used when they come available. Even if not, in theory I can just use multiple cards with multiple information on them and swap them out as needed.

Call quality is better on the Storm. Argue all you want, but Blackberry does this better and Verizons service is better.

The camera on the Storm is better than iPhone AND supports video capture. Don’t know why Apple overlooked that from the beginning…this is nothing new for phone cameras?

Wi-Fi. I know many people complain about the lack of it on the Storm. I don’t miss it, maybe because we’ve never used it on the iPhone. 3G is fast enough, it’s more secure, and it’s sure a hell of a lot more reliable than free Wi-Fi. If it’s important to you then that’s a good reason to not prefer the Storm. But that’s probably the only thing that would be a halfway logical reason to not like this phone.

Anyway, when it’s all said and done, it really comes down to personal preference, requirements, priorities, etc. There is no real right or wrong answer. Both phones have goods and bads. The good news is that the more competition there is the better they will all get. Apple isn’t going to be able to sell their phone through clever marketing anymore…they will have another version of the iPhone soon and I’d bet money it will imcoporate some of the features it has been lacking. And all the companies are going to be working hard to keep ahead.

Now stop the childish arguing and accept the fact that competition is good and there’s no such thing as a perfect phone!

it’s funny to know that apple originally brought their iphone to verizon but they were rejected. all verizon wants are gimmicks, innovation means nothing to them. so blackberry gave them one. a clickable screen.

thanks verizon and blackberry, i will agree that gimmicks sell to those who don’t see through your fake attempts for “innovation” and see all you fat cats dancing all the way to the bank. you will always have a place in america’s hearts. =]

But another important parallel with Palm is the OS gap. People have been complaining about RIM’s apparent lack of vision on the OS front for a while now. And considering some of the UI glue they have attempted with this new interface, one is left wondering whether they should be applauded for tacking it onto an OS that isn’t worthy or lambasted for not having the vision to do something about the platform.

I feel no particular drive to switch to the Storm (I’m an iPhone 3G user, but have used many other devices in the past). For others I know, including WM users who don’t want to leave Verizon, the Storm is a real draw. But I still caution these folks to wait a bit and see how well this device is really accepted. Several of them jumped onto WM because their favorite Palm wasn’t available on Verizon and are really upset with that choice. It may be that there /aren’t/ any really good choices — reminds us of recent election opportunities.

My best advice — and how I’m advising these friends and coworkers now — is to stick with the evil you know and have doing what you want for no extra $$$ now rather than jump again into the unknown and questionable, plunking down lots more $$$ (hardware and apps) in the process. In case you’re wondering, I do actually follow my own advice… I vowed never to touch the iPhone until they opened to 3rd party development and had applications that could at least reproduce what I was using my then Palm Treo to accomplish. I’ve been a happy iPhone 3G user since it launched.

Henry Ford didn’t put plastic horses in front of his Model-Ts. Neither should mobile devices cater to those afraid of change.

If anyone, RIM included, can answer that then they are going to have a hit on their hands. However, I don’t think that they’ve got an ad campaign lined up that will show the world how doing things on the Storm other than text-based activities is going to be easier, better or more satisfying. If they’ve gotten this far and all they have is it types better then Apple will continue to outsell all RIM flavors.