Smartphone Smarts

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Touch-screen devices have become all the rage. They're pretty, offer a wide screen and pack enough high-speed connectivity to download content in a flash. Research In Motion (RIM) Ltd.'s BlackBerry Storm, which arrived at the end of November, finds itself in elite company along with the Google Android-based T-Mobile USA Inc. G1 and the touch-screen trailblazer Apple Computer Inc. iPhone 3G.

All of them have some similarities, but there also are some key differences. Here, we pit the three touch-screen goliaths against each other in a head-to-head matchup to see how the devices stack up in 14 different categories.

Camera
Camera and video capabilities are becoming more and more important for smartphone buyers, especially as they become more consumer-focused devices. The Storm, G1 and iPhone 3G all offer cameras. But one device does it better than the others.

The Storm ties in a 3.2-megapixel camera with video capabilities, variable zoom, auto focus and a flash that also provides continuous lighting while recording video. The T-Mobile G1's camera is also 3 megapixels. The G1 offers auto focus, but lacks zoom and video capabilities. And the iPhone 3G clocks in with a puny 2-megapixel camera that also doesn't capture video.
Winner: BlackBerry Storm

Memory
With all of the multimedia capabilities being wrapped into smartphones these days, users require a good chunk of memory to store songs, photos and data. All three touch-screen titans offer an adequate amount, but the devil is in the details.

The Storm offers 1 GB of onboard memory storage and a microSD/SDHD memory card slot to support up to 16 GB of additional storage. The G1 comes to the table with a 1-GB preloaded microSD card, which is expandable up to 8 GB. The Apple iPhone 3G starts at a base 8 GB for the cheaper model, while $100 more doubles that to 16 GB.

When it comes to storage, the Apple iPhone 3G saves the day, offering the largest amount for multimedia-crazed gadget lovers to save their stuff.
Winner: Apple iPhone 3G

Keypad
Whether it's for documents, text messages, e-mails or something else, smartphones must offer an easy way to get the message out and a good, easy-to-use keyboard is, well, key. But having a touch screen often throws a little bit of a stick in the spokes, not offering the best environment for firing off a quick message.

The BlackBerry Storm and Apple iPhone 3G both offer touch-screen-based QWERTY keypads. Both also support multitouch input. The Storm ups the ante by bringing a clickable screen into the fold—which slightly depresses when tapped and clicks to let the user know the command has gone through.

While the T-Mobile G1 lacks multitouch on the screen, it does slide open to reveal a full, physical QWERTY keyboard, complete with shortcut keys to jump between applications. The physical keyboard makes the G1 the best bet.
Winner: T-Mobile G1

Pricing
The most recent of the three phones to be released, the BlackBerry Storm, is $199.99 with a two-year contract after a $50 mail-in rebate. That puts it in the same price range as its two counterparts, costing the same as the 8-GB model of the iPhone and $20 more than the T-Mobile G1, which is $179 with a two-year service contract.

Then the data plans come into play. The T-Mobile will offer two data plans for the G1, a $35 plan with unlimited Web, e-mail and messaging and a $25 plan that offers unlimited Web and e-mail and limited messaging, on top of the monthly voice plan. For the iPhone, AT&T offers an unlimited voice, data and visual voice-mail plan for about $130, with other customizable plans available that offer data for around $30. For the BlackBerry Storm, Verizon announced a $35 activation fee and a $25 fee for each secondary Family SharePlan line with a two-year agreement.

Based on the price of the device, service and what you get for the money, the T-Mobile G1 is the victor.
Winner: T-Mobile G1

Network
The trio of touch-screen smartphones all utilize their carriers' next-generation 3G networks. The Storm uses Verizon Wireless', the G1 T-Mobile's and the iPhone AT&T's. While Apple has an exclusive deal with AT&T, the iPhone 3G's release was hindered by some 3G hiccups, but word is that's all been taken care of.

So far the Storm has yet to prove itself on the 3G network, so that's a pretty easy elimination, though it promises support for UMTS/HSDPA/GSM/GPRS and dual-band CDMA/EV-DO.

All in all, the network nod goes to the iPhone 3G. It started the 3G touch-screen revolution and regardless of issues has remained on top. Since fixing some of the initial issues, complaints have dropped dramatically.
Winner: Apple iPhone 3G

E-Mail And Messaging
RIM set the gold standard for mobile e-mail and messaging. And with the Storm, RIM continues its recent trend of giving not just corporate users, but consumers, access to their e-mail and messaging applications on the go. The Storm works with BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Microsoft Corp.'s Exchange, IBM Corp.'s Lotus Domino and Novell Inc.'s GroupWise, and it also integrates with existing corporate and personal e-mail accounts. On the instant messaging side, the Storm supports most major consumer and corporate IM applications.

The G1 falls a little short on the e-mail side. The device features no native integration with Exchange, though application developers have worked around that problem. It does offer push access to Gmail and access to other POP3 and IMAP e-mail accounts. It also supports many consumer instant messaging platforms.

And the iPhone supports popular e-mail servers and providers like MobileMe, Microsoft Exchange, Yahoo Mail, Google Gmail and AOL, along with most industry IMAP or POP mail systems.

Far and away, the BlackBerry Storm wins the e-mail category, with its legacy of corporate e-mail excellence and its ability to access a host of other consumer-oriented e-mail accounts.
Winner: BlackBerry Storm

Next: Additional Connectivity

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