SMARTPHONE BATTLE: IPHONE 3GS VS BLACKBERRY STORM 2

The Apple iPhone 3G soundly defeated the BlackBerry Storm last year. However, Verizon Wireless and RIM have not given up. These partners have released the 2nd generation BlackBerry Storm to take on the new iPhone 3GS. Will the the BlackBerry Storm 2 be able to match the success of the iPhone? Or will it crash and burn like the original Storm?

Let's compare the specs, features and capabilities of these top smartphones to get an idea of the device that will dominate the smartphone market. comparing the figures should also help readers to choose between the iPhone 3GS and BlackBerry Storm 2.

Body/Form Factor: Both of these handsets sport a similar bar-style design dominated by the a large touchscreen display with minimal physical buttons. However, the iPhone is thinner (12.3 mm) and lighter (135g) than the second generation Storm (14 mm thick and 120g). The iPhone is ideal for users who want sleek and sexy phones but the Storm 2 will be a good choice for ones who prefer a sturdy device.

Touchsceen: The iPhone is also synonymous with the concept of the ideal touch based device. Apple's star mobile phone features a 3.5 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors, 320 x 480 pixels, Accelerometer sensor, Proximity sensor and a Scratch-resistant surface. The Storm 2 also comes with an improved 3.5 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen with 65K colors, 480 x 360 pixels and an Accelerometer. The iPhone 3GS sports a bigger screen with more features and colors but thew Storm 2 brings a much improved screen that has earned solid early reviews.

Text Input: This is a crucial feature for the BlackBerry Strom2 because the original was slammed due to its faulty mechanical push screen feature that “clicked” every time it's pushed down. However, RIM has attempted to fix this critical bug by using the SurePress technology on the new Storm. This new pressable text input method allows users to text easier, as well as use alpha numeric keys easier. This new and improved screen still emits a subtle click that help prevent applications from opening accidentally, phone calls being placed unintentionally and lets users know the letter has been entered so double entering or entering the wrong letters can be avoided.

The new iPhone 3GS is one of the premier touchscreen phones due to it's multi-touch input method including gesture control and tap to focus. It also offers new features like a landscape keyboard and multi-touch zoom support for the Home, Unlock, and Spotlight screens for all applications.

Camera: The iPhone 3GS finally gave what many fans have been looking for in the 3G, a more powerful camera (3.2MP)  with video recording. The camera also includes a Tap to Focus" feature that allows one to automatically adjust the white balance, color, contrast, and exposure. However, flash is still missing so taking pictures in the dark is still hampered.

The camera on the Storm 2 also comes in at 3.2 megapixels and comes with the ability to record videos. It also offers neat imaging features like auto focus, image stabilization and 2X digital zoom. It's main advantage over the iPhone is the LED flash which makes it more adept at shooting videos or images in the dark.

Price: The iPhone 3GS is being sold at a contract price of $199.99 for the 16GB version and $299.99 for the 32GB version. The BlackBerry Storm 2 was launched with a slightly cheaper price of $179.99 after mail-in rebate with a new two-year contract.