Boy Genius: Blackberry Bold vs. iPhone

The Boy Genius's Verdict:

It really comes down to what you need more in a phone. While the Bold certainly has improved media and other consumer features, it really is a business device at the end of the day. The iPhone 3G is a consumer device that happens to play nice with a lot of corporations, and we honestly think you won’t find many people dropping their BlackBerrys for an iPhone. They’ll carry both as long as they can afford it.

First Shots of the Blackberry Thunder's Touchscreen

Crackberry has some exclusive pics of the Blackberry Thunder's touchscreen.

Looks impressive. If it works as promised, it will be an impressive phone. My only criticisms are the esthetics. The phone is, dare I say, utilitarian. The GUI is, dare I say, utilitarian. And what's with that handwritten font? I do not want to see Comic Sans on any phone! In all fairness, Apple has a similar font available on the iPhone. The SureType keyboard seems to be a smart keyboard implementation for using the touchscreen in portrait mode, although I'd like to see something like Tengo offered as an option as well.

Blackberry Thunder

Crackberry is reporting that the upcoming BlackBerry Thunder touchscreen phone is going to use a haptic keyboard. This should be an awesome (and likely spendy) phone when it comes out.

I'm probably in the minority when I say that I don't really see this phone as "true" competition for the iPhone. To me, they're both in different spaces, servicing somewhat different needs.

While I am rooting for Android also, there is something to be said about products from companies that control both the hardware and the software platform. That's why I think that RIM and Apple are going to be the players offering the most compelling products in the smartphone space.

You can slap a lot of lipstick on Windows Mobile and release a nice phone like the Sony Xperia, Samsung Instinct or HTC Diamond, but in the end, you're still stuck with an OS that sees phone functionality as an afterthought.

My HTC Excalibur (aka T-Mobile Dash) is a prime example - it has a great form factor with more than decent build quality, but you can always count on the OS to ruin the overall experience.

New Clamshell Blackberry Rumored to Sell for $49

If the rumor is true, I tend to think that this phone will eat up the low-cost phone segment. The key is that the phone live up to the quality expectations that are typical of RIM phones.

Since I'm on the topic of Blackberries, I have to say that I'm getting sick of quote-whoring phone analysts talking out of their backsides.

There is no such thing as an iPhone killer. There is no such thing as a Blackberry killer. And no, Palm is not on its last legs.

There's a huge segment that wants an iPod/iPhone experience. That segment is not going to be swayed by any phone offering an iPhone-like experience. The same applies for Blackberries. And if the popularity of the Palm Centro is any indicator, Palm is finally starting to get back on its feet. The phone market is huge, and if you're to believe that there is such a thing as a Long Tail, then there is plenty of room for everyone to make money.