Gadget Guide

BlackBerry Storm vs the iPhone

Research in Motion Ltd. is finally attempting to go head to head with Apple Inc.'s iPhone.  The touch-screen BlackBerry Storm will work on the broadband networks in North America and Europe.  It is exclusive to Verizon Wireless in the U.S. and to Vodafone Group PLC throughout Europe.

BlackBerry's task is to now differentiate itself amongs the plethera of all the other smart phones coming out, like Google Inc.'s G1, made by HTC Corp. One area in which the Storm can 'show off' is with an improved touch-screen interface.  BlackBerry has minimized the risk of accidentally selecting items when the user is moving images across the screen.  Users select items by pushing down on the screen instead of swiping across the screen with a finger. 

Due to the iPhone's success, other manufacturers have rushed their versions of touch-screen smart-phones to the market: Samsung Electronics Co.'s Instinct, LG Electronics' Dare, and the G1 from T-Mobile USA Inc., a unit of Deutsche Telekom AG, and Google.

The Storm has a 3.25-inch screen vs. the iPhone's 3.5 inches.  It's more solid, though, making it about 16% heavier than the iPhone. It operates on quick third-generation broadband networks in the U.S. and overseas.  Unfortunately, it doesn't have Wi-Fi Internet access due to the strain on battery life.

The highly anticipated Storm has yet to have a price tag, but in the U.S., similar devices are generally selling for between $150 and $200. Sprint Nextel Corp. sells the Instinct for $130 with a two-year service contract. The G1 is pre-loaded with Google applications and sells in U.S. T-Mobile stores for $180. AT&T Inc. sells Apple's 3G iPhone for $200 with a carrier contract.