We're likely only a month or two away from Apple announcing iPhone 5 but RIM is already launching their 2011 BlackBerry lineup, including the first BlackBerry Bold with a touch screen, and not one but two BlackBerry Torches -- an update to the original slider and new, Storm-replacing, touch screen only slab.

They've got higher resolution screens, NFC options, voice, search, GPU-enhanced Liquid Graphics fluidity, BBM 6, and BlackBerry OS 7. But are they enough to hold off the coming iPhone 5 onslaught?

Jump over to our sibling site, CrackBerry.com, for complete coverage and join us tomorrow for some round-table discussion, Mobile Nations-style!

[CrackBerry.com]

RIM has one of the oldest OS platforms in the 2009 Smartphone Round Robin, but unlike Nokia's S60 (reviewed here last week), and Microsoft which is busy rebuilding, CrackBerry.com's signature BlackBerry Bold 9700 and BlackBerry Storm2 enjoy huge popularity in North America, a seemingly unbreakable hold on the Enterprise market, and an ever-increasing focus on consumers.

Last year, Dieter likened the previous BlackBerry Bold 9000 to the Treo 650 -- perhaps the ultimate representation of a platform at its peek of perfection... yet raising the question of where that platform had left to go. On the other hand, the original Storm1 never failed to disappoint, a hit in numbers but not hearts of BlackBerry lovers. Now it's a year later. Does the BlackBerry Bold 9700 take the roll of Treo 680, a slimmer, more polished perfection, still not hinting at platform futures to come? And does the Storm2 get right what the Storm2 done so wrong?

To try and answer that, the SPE editors did a Round Table with Mickey for the Cell Phone Junkie podcast, and I got plenty of help from CrackBerry Kevin and a stupefying amount of information from the CrackBerry Forums. Huge thanks to everyone -- I needed it!

(And just a reminder, every day you post on my CrackBerry.com thread, or any of the official Round Robin threads, is another day you're entered to win one of six (6!) new smartphones!)

Okay, time to bring the BlackBerry rain... after the break!

Back in BlackBerry

If you haven't watched it already, check out my BlackBerry 9700 and Storm 2 walkthrough with Kevin. It'll help with the context.

[YouTube Video link]

Here are some other helpful links:

• CrackBerry Kevin and Rene on iPhone Live! Podcast
• CrackBerry.com BlackBerry Bold 9700 Review
• CrackBerry.com BlackBerry Storm2 Review
• 2008 TiPb Smartphone Round Robin BlackBlerry Bold 9000 Video
• 2008 TiPb Smartphone Round Robin BlackBerry Bold 9000 Review
• 2008 TiPb Unofficial BlackBerry Storm1 Hands-on

Got it? Good.

Hardware Design

BlackBerry 9700 -- Bold but not Bolder

RIM typically makes great hardware and the BlackBerry Bold 9700 is no exception. If last year's BlackBerry Bold 9000 was the full-sized Cadillac limo of front-facing-QWERTY, this is the new Caddy coupe. It's everything that was great about the device made slicker and faster. The most notable change is the width. Gone is the epic expanse of the Bold1, repackaged now in Curve-like proportions. And I kinda miss the luxurious size of the Bold 1, to be frank. It better fit the Bold name and the sheer audacity of the form factor screamed flagship. This new Bold2 is like the recession era remake. Still premium, but trying not to be all overt about it.

What I don't regret is the trackball has been replaced by the new, sexy trackpad. Just like the Mighty Mouse became the Magic Mouse, RIM has eschewed mechanical, misfiring parts for optical, touchable technology. Bravo. BlackBerry users will never be gunked-up again.

Storm 2 -- the Mulligan

Remember when I said RIM typically makes great hardware? I said typically because, given Kevin's gripes about the design-decisions behind the Storm1, I can't say always. Happily, the Storm2 seems to fix each and every one of those gripes. No more leaking light from around the edges, no more wobbly little feet on the back, and no more giant honking button for a screen. Now there are four medium non-honking buttons -- or button-like things. The amazing of it is, when the power is off the BlackBerry Storm 2's screen isn't a button at all. You can't press. It's as un-pressable as an iPhone. Turn the power on, however, and suddenly you can press away, and due to the 4 actuators (or whatever they are) you can do so far better than you ever could with the Storm1. See, with that old bag of hurt, you pressed, waited for the whole thing to come back again, then could do a second press. Click. Pause. Click. Pause. Click. Pause. Roll eyes. Click. A huge drag for typing.

Now, with Storm2 it's almost like multitouch. You can press and only that "button" goes down, which means you can immediately press somewhere else and almost always get a different "button" to recognize the input. Click. Click. Clicketyclickclick. Click. Much improved.

It's still 2 steps -- navigate to/select what you want via touch, confirm/execute what you want via press. For example, touch "A" to highlight it, press "A" to write it in. This is RIM's trademark input paradigm, after all. But with Storm2 you can press right through, essentially selecting and confirming in one shot. (Yeah, you could do that with Storm1, but the "wait for the one button" schtick effectively ruined it).

In other words, you can either go the sure and safe way, carefully selecting then confirming, or the fast and loose way, just typing away. It's nice to have the option -- and to have it workable and so much less frustrating this time around.

Software Experience

Like Apple, RIM makes incredible hardware flawlessly integrated with fantastic software. Unlike Apple, however, who have kept almost identical device-types over the last 2 years, RIM has embraced a wide variety of form-factors, and hasn't developed a unified, carrier-interference-free, method of keeping even the last couple years of all those devices updated to the same OS. (Witness a list of BlackBerrys that will, and by omission will not be getting 5.0).

Storm2 and Bold2 definitely have the latest and greatest, so that's what I'm looking at. But here's the thing -- due to RIM's enterprise footprint, a lot of the new features they have been adding over the last year aren't obviously consumer facing (some seem to require an enterprise server on the back end). That makes it hard for an iPhone guy like me, who doesn't really know his BIS from his BES, to just pick up and point out how RIM's latest OS, 5.0, is different from last year's 4.x offering.

(Maybe that's a criticism of Apple, where things as absurd as cut and paste and MMS make for easy generational demos.)

Luckily, CrackBerry.com has a full list of BlackBerry OS 5.0's incremental features as well.

JavaScript being turned on by default in the web browser is huge, however, though not as huge as their getting a WebKit browser will be -- hopefully by next year.

App World! Application Time! Excellent!

As opposed to 5.0, RIM's new BlackBerry App World is easily pointed out. Following the success of Apple's iTunes App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch in 2008, every other platform raced to launch one in 2009. Of course, almost all of them already had 3rd party apps and had them for years, but the centralized, on-every-device and all-in-one-place model was, well, revolutionary.

RIM has kinda, sorta done that with App World, though there are a few exceptions. Since places like the CrackBerry.com App Store have been serving up software for years, there wasn't the exclusivity or desperation for it like there was on the iPhone. Also, in RIM's incredibly partner friendly manner, there's some weird arrangement of App Worlds and carrier-specific (and other) storefronts that are or will be available.

That means, however, they can avoid the "rejected apps" controversy that still plagues Apple, and since they've made price-points fixed -- for example, you can have free apps, but the next step up is $2.99 -- they're hoping to avoid the "race to the bottom" that many believe also plagues the App Store.

Needful Hierarchies and Business as Unusual

If you haven't yet read Kevin's Hierarchy of Smartphone Needs, go do it now. I'll play games on my iPhone while I wait.

Back, okay. Brilliant stuff there and important to keep in mind because devices like the iPhone and the BlackBerry can both be best-in-class when we're talking about different classes. And different businesses. That's a point I come back to over and over again when we reach BlackBerry week in the Round Robin. I understand and deeply appreciate how perfect the BlackBerry is when it comes to super-quick, keyboard-driven messaging that can go for days. For many users, and for many types of classical business (finance, sales), that's what matters most.

The iPhone's strengths aren't in messaging (unless we're talking Twitter -- I'll put iPhone's top Twitter apps against any other platforms). I've even joked that when I'm using my iPhone and a phone call or message comes in, I get mad at the interruption. (Yes, joking. Kinda.)

For internet anywhere, for work that involves creativity, design, or requires complex apps, the iPhone becomes decidedly the professional choice.

It's that duality between iPhone and BlackBerry that I think explains why we see so many users dual-wielding both. That BlackBerry is getting better about browsers is great. If they would dump their app size limits and JavaME abstractions, it would be fantastic. But then Apple would have to figure out a unified email client, release a Mobile iChat, and figure out better enterprise management. What Bizarro universe that would be, it would be hard to imagine...

BlackBerry to the Future

...Which doesn't mean I won't try.

A couple of years ago -- last year even -- the general concern in the Round Robin was that RIM had hit the end of the line with the BlackBerry OS, that they would need to "spend their time in the desert" the way Palm had to transition from PalmOS to webOS, and Microsoft is now doing to grow from Windows Mobile 5/6/6.5 to Windows Mobile 7.

RIM has done a lot since to mitigate those concerns. The BlackBerry Developers Conferences have been a huge part of that. New APIs, the aforementioned WebKit browser, support for widgets and localized WebApps, OpenGL for gaming, etc. will certainly modernize the BlackBerry OS.

But they won't make it a modern OS.

Now sure, that's hypocritical coming from the guy who's platform is based on BSD Unix, which is no spring chicken to say the least. But while the foundations of the iPhone OS are tried and true, the upper layers, especially Apple's Core APIs (CoreAnimation, CoreData, etc.) and the Objective C-based Cocoa Touch frameworks give developers a huge advantage -- especially the major developer, Apple.

The Bold 9700 is the no-compromise BlackBerry. If the 9000 was the Treo 650, this is the Treo 680. But like Palm faced with that device, the question becomes, what's next? It's possible RIM can continue their incremental evolution, keep the platform modernized and meaningful for many years to come. But it's jut as possible BB OS is at its prime, and RIM, like Palm did with webOS, may need to -- or may already be working on -- the next generation 'Berry.

Conclusion

This is where I try to bring it all together from an iPhone point of view. And from that point of view, I can say if you're trying to choose between an iPhone and a BlackBerry Bold 9700, you're... well it's an easy choice. They're Yin and Yang, day and night, and while there is some overlap their areas of excellence remain so opposite, so complementary, if you think for a moment about what you're actual needs are, it'll be immediately apparent which one you need -- and the answer to that could actually be both. (Them dual-wielders we keep seeing).

Sure, AT&T can be a factor. Can't use AT&T, can't really use an iPhone in the US (though plenty of people in SF and NYC apparently keep trying, regardless). But if you need a glorified pager with the best messaging in the business, if you wear a suit and tie and all your VIPeeps are on BBM, if you just have to have a physical keyboard (and why not the best one), you're a Bold.

If, on the other hand, you want a glorified iPod, if you need the web on the go, 116,000 apps for that (which sounds ridiculous until you can't find the one of them you really need on another platform), access to high performance audio and video isn't a nice-to-have but a must-have-it, and if Apple's pushing-the-pace of smartphone innovation appeals to you now and into the future, you're an iPhone.

And what about the Storm2? That Verizon threw it under the bus in favor of the Droid is kind of a shame, but only kind of -- the Storm line is an attempt to adapt the BlackBerry experience for a touchscreen. It wasn't designed for that form factor, and for many it might not be what the BlackBerry experience is about anyway (there's just something so "right" about BB OS on Bold-style hardware). The Storm2 is a square peg better forced into a round hole, but unless your needs really demand some BlackBerry/iPhone hybrid, or you're Verizon4Life, getting the best of either is probably better than settling for the okay of both.

Week 2 of the 2009 Smartphone Round Robin sees me take on TiPb's Public Frenemy #1, the almost-diametrically opposed BlackBerry -- or is it? This year in addition to the new flagship BlackBerry Bold 9700, we officially have an actual touch-screen 'Berry in the 'Robin -- the Storm2. What's an iPhone blogger to do? Well, first go on the Cell Phone Junkie podcast with Mickey and all the SPE editors to discuss RIM's platform, that's a given.

Next, of course, I hit up the world's foremost BlackBerry lover , CrackBerry Kevin Michaluk himself, and as if that weren't enough, I enlisted the million-strong CrackBerry Nation to help me out as well!

Remember, every day you post on my CrackBerry Forums thread, you're entered for a chance to win the BlackBerry of your choice. (And there's a total of 6 smartphones up for grabs -- one per SPE site -- so check them all out!)

Now grab your hotdogs, popcorn, and spicy drink, because after the break CrackBerry Kevin gives me a guided tour of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 and Storm 2, and everything new in hardware and BlackBerry OS 5.0.

[YouTube Video link]

CrackBerry.com's Kevin got his hands (and signature green coffee table) on RIM's next-generation touchscreen BlackBerry, the Storm 2, aka 9550, aka "Odin". And his early thoughts?

• the hardware is much nicer
• the click screen is more user-friendly
• the operating system is basically the same

Is 2/3 enough? Says Kevin:

In going hands-on with the 9550, it becomes clear that this next-generation Storm is really an evolution of the original Storm. Yes, it's better in every respect, but I'm getting the impression it's sort of like when a new model year of a car comes out - it doesn't make the old one instantly obsolete.

TiPb was pretty tough on the original Storm, though so were many BlackBerry faithful (it was basically cast as the Vista of Smartphones, after all). Any chance the Storm 2 will turn the touchscreen form factor around for RIM? Anyone see it as a threat to the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3.0? Or is it still about RIM providing that diversity to people who want the BlackBerry experience, and would never consider another device, touchscreen or no touchscreen? And if it disappoints, will RIM still lay the blame on consumer expectations in a post-iPhone world?

Seriously, I'm beginning to heart RIM's co-CEOs almost as much as I heart Steve Ballmer. Give the mobilemen a venue and a mic, and we get blog gold each and every time. Chronology will help context here:

Mike Lazaridis on touch screen devices:

THERE’S a reason that R.I.M. is averse to the iPhone’s glass pad. “I couldn’t type on it and I still can’t type on it, and a lot of my friends can’t type on it,” says Mike Lazaridis, R.I.M.’s co-chief executive and technological visionary. “It’s hard to type on a piece of glass.”

This almost the very moment word leaked that RIM was set to release an "Apple Killer" which became the lamentably launched BlackBerry Storm. When reviewers and users alike generally panned the device's initial, buggy software, Jim Balsillie said GlitchWare was the new Black(Berry):

[RIM and Verizon] made the crucial Black Friday deadline "by the skin of their teeth," after missing a planned October debut. Mr. Balsillie said such scrambles -- and the subsequent software glitches that need to be fixed -- are part of the "new reality" of making complex cellphones in large volumes.

Now to put the disrespect cherry high atop of Storm owners frustration sundays, Lazaridis returns with this brain-boggler:

"That's our first touch product, and you know nobody gets it perfect out the door. You know other companies were having problems with their first releases."

The iPhone was Apple's first touch product, and while iPhone 1.0 may have been limited in functionality (and 3.0 may still have boxes yet unchecked), it's hard to take anyone seriously who doesn't think Apple not only nailed their first touch product, but their very first phone product of any kind.

Maybe because 1) Apple wasn't rushing for a Black Friday sales-focused deadline, 2) they weren't trying to clone a competing device's feature set, and 3) they cared about user experience more than 1) or 2)?

Many people still use an original iPhone 2G, some even still run iPhone OS 1.x. Storm owners have only themselves to blame for not waiting to buy Storm 2 instead? Ahem. Pitchforks to the right, torches to the left, north to Waterloo!

That said, if Dancing with the Canadian Stars ever becomes a reality, I would still vote for RIM's co-CEO to take on the Woz role. Let the Laz dance! Ballmer could lend him the Monkey Boy choreography and we just know CrackBerry Kevin would bring out the push-powered voters!

(via Engadget, headline via Jeremy on Twitter)

Lately the forums have been on fire and leading up to another iPhone release it is bound to be one wild ride. So now is a perfect time to get yourself registered and join in on the conversation.

Just yesterday Rene started a interesting thread, Are You Running Your iPhone 3G on EDGE and Why? While I understand why some of you may choose to EDGE over 3G, for me, I like to live dangerously, 3G or go home. How about you? Stop by and let Rene know what you think.

This next thread was started by Crackberry veteran forum moderator, Duvi. He simply wants to know, do you think the next iPhone will come with a flash for the camera? Feel free to speculate all you'd like on that one. I'm going with no, it will not have a flash.

Next up we have a thread that yours truly started, it's simply about the latest iPhone rumors. Is there an EDGE only iPhone in the works? How about a CDMA version for China? And before all of you Verizon hopefuls start to get exited - no, a CDMA version from China would not work on the Verizon network. They use different frequencies. Thoughts?

Poor RIM, I can't remember such a hyped phone that pretty much just flopped from the very beginning. Enter the BlackBerry Storm. It seems like the in thing to do these days is ditch your Storm for an iPhone 3G. Not a bad move in our opinion and we welcome forum member whsingleton to the good side!

You heard that the App Store is approaching 1 billion app downloads right? Well you could win a $10,000 iTunes gift card and Dizzy wants to know, what would you do with a $10,000 iTunes gift card?!

Our last thread for today comes to us from Ivoryplum. Ivoryplum wants to know what is the average sync time with iTunes? I honestly can't complain with my syncing. How about you?

So there you have it folks, some really good threads for all of you to check out. Just remember to register first!

See you on the forums!

Every spring, the interweb gadgeteratti turn their attention towards rumormongering Apple's June iPhone release. So what does the BlackBerry world do? Try to wedge in a little next gen Storm chatter.

CrackBerry.com rounds up some rumors from Slashgear and BGR and appears to get confirmation from Tweakers.

The code name just might be "Odin". The Storm, of course, first leaked as the Apple Killer (AK -- yeah, that turned out well...) but was originally code named the Storm, then became branded as the Storm so was re-code named (code re-named?) as Thunder. This time fears that media disdain and user dissatisfaction may have reached levels where the Storm brand itself is radioactive could get it changed again. What's with Odin? Father of thunder-god Thor (we get the connection!), one-eyed lord of the Aesir, gallows-god...

But what's the iClone aspect this time? Why trying to tout a long missing feature as a big upgrade, of course! Sure, the little berry has long supported copy/paste and MMS, so no luck there. But -- wait for it! -- this one may actually have WiFi! (If Verizon doesn't strip it out as per usual...).

Yeah, that should distract attention away from whatever little device Apple was planning for WWDC...

Zara from M0bileChic sent in this video, comparing the Apple iPhone against the BlackBerry Storm and Google Android G1. It's fun, it's fair, and we can't let the CrackBerry.com commenters get the last word in so let her -- and us -- know what you think.

And if you're hungry for more smartphone vs. smartphone action, check out our last Smartphone Experts Round Robin, where we looked not only at our own iPhone 3G and the Android G1, but the BlackBerry Bold, Palm Treo Pro, and HTC Fuze.

We're not sure if picking on the BlackBerry Storm is even sporting anymore, and you know, we probably wouldn't even bother if RIM hadn't styled it the "Apple Killer" even while bleating that they "couldn't type on glass". Well, according to BlackBerryCool.com, it turns out some other people couldn't type on the Storm's specific type of glass either: the US Government:

"The BlackBerry, to me, is a utilitarian tool,” said Rodell Mollineau, communications staff director for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). “It’s not easy to send e-mails on that thing. It is not a good touch screen, and it’s not like the iPhone, where there are so many other great features to it.”

Dear US Government, next time just read TiPb -- we could have saved you lots of frustration (and who knows, maybe even restored your childlike sense of wonder!)

Oh, and get more iPhones!

Wow, the Storm launching to a buggy, bashed start must really have bothered the marketing drones at RIM, especially when the iPhone 3G outsold in its second quarter outsold the Storm in its debut by almost 2 to 1... How else can we explain this cute little "shot" just taken at Apple?

Of course, we all know in the real world the Apple would have spun around, Kung-Fu style, and caught RIM's little BerryBullet in it's bitten-out teeth. Then... Skeedoosh! Massive shock-wave leveling everything this side of Waterloo.

Seriously though, why would anyone end any ad for a touch-screen device by saying "no one can touch it", especially after all the complaints about this particular implementation's usability...?

Still, hung-over as we are from the CrackBerry birthday bash, we'll link up the romanticized little RIM version so you can lend us your thoughts...

A friend of mine works as a rep for a carrier and so, in the middle of my BlackBerry Round in the Robin, we made a deal: she would let me test drive the Storm and I would let her try out both the iPhone 3G and the BlackBerry Bold (don't tell Kevin!)

Sidebar: She is an avid BlackBerry Pearl user who, disappointed with the lack of current Qwerty hotness on the CDMA side, was very impressed with the Bold. She is also an avowed iPhone hater. Or rather she was. While I don't think Apple's little touchscreen wonder won her over, she was amazed at the apps, especially things like Google Earth. The Storm... suffice it to say she wasn't a fan.

Okay, fine, what was my take? Read on...

First time I picked it up I was immediately unimpressed with the build quality. Again, the iPhone is an iconic, singular slab of glass, metal and it-doesn't-blend composite backing. The Bold, while lighter and not quite as solid, is still a Cadillac when it comes to build quality. The Storm felt cheaper somehow. I'm not sure what gave it that feeling, but it was definitely there.

I turned it on and was greeted with a very familiar BlackBerry experience. I used to dislike the word "experience" in that context -- and it's overused -- but Kevin nailed the BlackBerry model when he said they currently provide the BlackBerry experience in a variety of form factors. You want a front facing Qwerty? Bold or Curve. Candybar? Pearl. Flip? Flip. And now, you want a touch screen? Storm.

The looks was similar to the Bold but stretched out over an iPhone-eque full touch screen display. I'm still not sold on the discoverability (Dieter's word) of their iconography. The neon wireframes take a little while to visually distinguish and remember, especially without labels like the iPhone has, and extra-especially when you can have multiple similar ones in close proximity. The BlackBerry interactive metaphor of select vs. execute translated better than I'd presumed, however, with touch replacing scroll and press replacing click rather intuitively.

Yup, the whole-screen button held together -- in that narrow circumstance. Typing wasn't nearly as as bad as I feared. Actually, having heard so many bad things about it, I ended up surprised at how, well -- not good -- but not bad it was. Having to press down emphatically each time was slower than the iPhone, and did give me momentary pangs of BlackBerry Claw-itis in my forearms, but all in all I think it was an innovative idea from RIM and I'm glad they tried it. No doubt Storm 2 (Blizzard?) will improve on it still.

Where the whole-screen button failed, however, is where it needed to succeed most: the touch. It jiggles and slides around inside the frame. That's stupefyingly incomprehensible to me. I tried playing BrickBreaker and as I attempted to move finger around to control it, the screen moved with me! Not only was this annoying, but it destroyed a large portion of the direct interactivity a capacitive screen is supposed to enable. Total touch fail.

When I laid the device flat on a table and tried to swipe and gesture, the combination of ridiculous teeter-totter speaker-feet and jiggly screen made it all but comedic.

RIM and Apple both make truly excellent integrated hardware and software devices, but have very different focuses and philosophies. The Storm may have been trying to bring the best of both worlds to Vodafone and iPhone-rejecting Verizon, and while I think it's an important first step, needed innovation, and valiant attempt, I don't think the Storm is ready for prime time yet.

Apple built the iPhone OS specifically for touch, and RIM adapting their already dated Java MicroEdition foundations while workable, certainly isn't ideal.

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Background Reading

• TiPb’s 2008 iPhone Holiday Helper Gift Guide
• Kevin's iPhone Gift Pick: Blueant Supertooth 3 Bluetooth Speakerphone
• CEOh-Snap! RIM Boss: Touchscreens Stink — Let’s iClone One!
• CrackBerry.com BlackBerry Storm coverage
• TiPb's BlackBerry Storm coverage
• Smartphone Experts Round Robin

Credits

Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat, or sent in questions!

Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You -- iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
via Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge

David Pogue blogs a follow up to his scathing review of the BlackBerry Storm, and notes:

I've always thought that that vocal sub-population of Mac fans make up the world's most watchful, most hostile grass-roots lobbying arm.

But now I see that I was wrong. There's an even nastier one: the BlackBerry nuts.

So this is how they want to play it, eh? The iPhone starts beating the BlackBerry in sales (and Windows Mobile in market share!), so they put out the Storm to rain on the touchscreen parade, AND go after the title of craziest cult fanbase?

Think the cult of Apple will really let them get away with that?

• Our podcast feed
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Background Reading

• Review: Naked Case Touch-Through Acrylic Case
• Review: iPhone OS 2.2 Software
• The 2nd Gen iPod Touch is Faster than Your iPhone 3G
• Safari's New Look (Daring Fireball)
• How To: Get Our iPhone Podcasts Over the Air
• Want Japanese Emoticons? Hack Enables Them On Any iPhone 2.2
• David Pogue Downgrades BlackBerry Storm to a Depression (NYT)

Ultimate iPhone Accessory Pack Contest

• This week's way to enter? Register in our forums, or refer someone to our forums! (use the big refer button in your profile!)

Credits

Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat, or sent in questions!

Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You -- iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
via Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge

Kevin just finished launching a metric ton of BlackBerry Storm coverage over on Crackberry.com, including the compulsory unboxing pr0n, bumpy typing test, and an iPhone 3G vs. BlackBerry Storm browser battle. If we recall the last time an iPhone 3G met a BlackBerry (Bold) in single web combat, the buggy Bold caused Kevin himself to throw in the towel.

This time?

The Storm still lacks Javascript chops (attn: RIM, see SquirelFish, Tracemonkey, V8, etc.!) so turns it off by default. The iPhone OS 2.1 browser is a tad crash prone. Fair fight? Well, let's not forget the Berry's is likely still itching to brawl over the most recent sales, satisfaction, and reliability figures, b'okay? But it's the fastest fight Kevin had time for... for now.

The results?

iPhone did better when the Storm had Javascript on, but took a beating and crashed and burned twice when the Storm defaulted to Javascript off (and the iPhone still had it on).

How much of a role was played by the difference in network speed between Verizon's EVDO rev A and AT&T's HSDPA we don't know, and since the Storm completely lacks WiFi, a pure browser test may forever elude us. (Early bird Walt Mossberg claims he got different results in different locations where each network had stronger or weaker signals, of course, but that the iPhone on WiFi was consistently the fastest -- we'd add to that WiFi enables all sorts of additional networking features as well, like file exchange and remote control).

In either case, judging by how fast the blogerati have jumped on the Storm wagon, and how often the iPhone is coming up in the coverage, that this rivalry has only just begun!

Today on the forums be sure to help burgman make a decision, 8GB iPhone or 16GB iPhone? My take on that is the more the merrier. With my first iPhone I made the mistake of going with the 8GB only to find out that I wanted more! Chime in on that thread and help a fellow member out!

Next up is ExBBuser, and he wants to know is the iPhone your only mobile device? Lately I've been trying numerous devices to go along with the iPhone. You name it - Treo Pro [Sorry Dieter!], Blackberry Bold [Sorry Kevin! Does not hold a candle to Apple's gem!], etc... Each and every time I seem to find my home back at my iPhone 3G. What are your thoughts?

Johnny Football Hero started a thread asking if the Blackberry Storm is an iPhone Killer? If you are like me you are probably sick of hearing about all of these so called "iPhone Killers". My quick answer? No chance... Wanna discuss it further head over to the thread and we will chat.

So there you have it folks, join our growing community to get in on the action!

See you on the forums!

Crackberry.com has posted up a video showing the new Blackberry Storm vs. the iPhone 3G. Needless to say, we fully expect a torrent of this stuff to come our way soon, as Kevin shows off RIM's new hawtness (and competes with Android Central for our killer-du-jour attention, no doubt...)

How does it look? As elegant as the iPhone? Does Jonathan Ive have anything to worry about?

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This week: Apps, Flash, Unlocking, iPhone 2.2, and the iClones. Tune in!

News

• TiPb at Work Contest
  • It's already going strong
• Apps
  • Web App standalone
  • App Store Reviews require purchase
  • Rejection Redux
• Unlocking
  • fully unlocked 3G in HK
  • Getting close on the 3G?
• Flash Again!
  • Why No Flash? Maybe just get Video?
  • Adobe chimes in again
• iPhone on Verizon?
• Court Documents say no
• Facebook 2.0: now worth downloading
• iPhone 2.2
  • Safari Changes
  • App Store Tweaks
  • Notice we missed the background notifications deadline?
  • More new features
• @#%@#$ NDA Dropped!
• The iClones
  • HTC Touch HD not coming to the US
  • BB Storm Announced
  • Gets Cut and Paste

How To

• Mobile Me and Exchange
• PdaNet Rocks
• JailBreak 2.1 with PC
• Jailbreak 2G on 2.1 with a PC

Community

What do you want from 2.2?

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Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You -- iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
via Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge
• Relaxation Spa Treatment by Dan the Automator via Wired 12.11: Sample the Future
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• DC 3000 by Thievery Corporation via Wired 12.11: Sample the Future

If you head on over to Crackberry.com you will notice a "few" articles relating to the BlackBerry Storm on Verizon. Honestly, it is no surprise since this is supposed to be RIM's answer to the iPhone.

A few months back Casey reported on a AT&T store handing out anti-iPhone propaganda to it's customers... Now AT&T themselves are taking shots at the BlackBerry Storm. And is it really a surprise seeing how Verizon is pushing this device as it's iPhone killer?

The Boy Genius Report has two independent sources supplying a email floating around AT&T that is laying the smack down on the latest effort of RIM, the BlackBerry Storm. Some of the key points being the lack of WiFi, multi-touch screen, App Store, and tri-band HSDPA.

(Via BoyGeniusReport)

...Meanwhile, BlackBerry News [via CrackBerry.com, naturally) has their own internal documents from last summer detailing why the BlackBerry is better than the iPhone 3G. Naturally, RIM is touting their history, keyboard, and most of all Enterprise chops.

Personally I want this Storm to come out already so we can put it up against the iPhone 3G and find out once and for all which device will come out on top!

The. Whole. Screen. Is. A. Flipping. Tic. Tac. Tile. Button.

Seriously. We kid you not (though RIM could be kidding us all?). Sister-site Crackberry.com has all the deets, but...

Seriously? Who's the usability wizard who came up with this one? Who came up with the single-click point of failure concept? The one mechanism to break it all?

We get that haptics are hard, but the iPhone pretty much showed the industry how to do Touch, and rather than just add the Blackberry messaging powerhouse to that buttery goodness, RIM went and grafted on an mechanic straight out of every 1980s playschool game?

Bravo for challenging Apple (they certainly need it). And kudos for being brave enough to push the metaphor, to take the next step, to propel technology forward. But -- seriously? -- we hope the feel is light-years beyond the look on this one, and not just for Crackberry Kevin's sake... Otherwise most annoying gadget innovation of the decade awards beckon...

We guess a certain internet dead-pan funny man was right on the "button" when he said:

THERE’S a reason that R.I.M. is averse to the iPhone’s glass pad. “I couldn’t type on it and I still can’t type on it, and a lot of my friends can’t type on it,” says Mike Lazaridis, R.I.M.’s co-chief executive and technological visionary. “It’s hard to type on a piece of glass.”

Presuming he was really talking about the ThunderStorm...