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Blackberry 9000/8900/8320 vs. Apple iPhone and HTC Fuze Review.
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The Year 2009 will go down as the year everyone got a PDA/Smartphone. The top three talked about phones are:
Apple iPhone
Blackberry Bold
HTC Fuze
Everything else is just a compromise... and we don't like compromises!
Apple iPhone:
 
 
The Apple iPhone really is a work of art and makes simplicity the order of the day. It is the best phone
at the moment for surfing the web because you can flip web pages around with your finger. And you will be
doing this a lot because the screen sizes of these phones are quite small at only 480 pixels wide! The phone
overall is slower to use in practice because it lacks physical buttons. Seeing people using the phone reminds
me of the track point vs. touchpad debate with laptops. Users of track points are observed to not move
their hands much while touchpad users are always taping and sliding and just generally fiddling with their laptops
more. Perhaps they burn more calories? If your not going to be typing much and or don't care about navigation
speed as you move around the OS and applications, then the iPhone takes first place as a web centric movie and music
playing device. The OS that powers the phone is beautifully done and fun to operate. If I did not have to place
calls or send emails (just receive them) this would be my phone.
HTC Fuze:
 
The HTC Fuze is a fantastic idea. It combines both the notions of touch screen and a physical keyboard. It should make
everyone happy right? Well it would if it was executed better. Sadly the HTC Fuze is hampered by a poorly designed
OS (Windows Mobile 6.1), and out of gate hardware issues like short battery life, sluggish performance and other
random beta issues. This device has promise if it can get past new launch glitches and if HTC takes the time to improve
it instead of introducing yet another new phone that is untested in the field. I must admit that this was the phone
I wanted to like. But in real world use the idea of getting your keyboard and then stowing it away is just plain
annoying especially when answering emails every 30 minutes. HTC proves that WM 6.1 is outdated because they went
so far as you build their own interface on top as you can see from the pictures. The screen is touch but not as
well done as the Apple iPhone. I would like to see this phone run the Apple OS or Blackberry OS and test it
then. I hope HTC keeps trying to perfect this design.
Blackberry Curve 8900:
 
 
Every so often something in life comes together in one glorious moment of completion and satisfaction. Very nice
keyboard, extremely nice display, fast processor, unfinicky OS... this phone just does what it is supposed to do
without getting in your way. Imagine that... a phone that does not get in your way! If you think of a phone as a
voice/email/text device first and surfing the web as secondary welcome to PDA/Smart phone heaven. The phone gets
it right in busy rush hour traffic (push one button and say "Call Office") or a quiet moment in the hotel lobby
(reply to emails, check weather, surf for food all on a gorgeous screen) between appointments. In fact the Blackberries
9000, 8900, and 8320 all realize the notion that a hammer is best suited to one task and forgoes
a screw driver handle. Thus the Blackberries zone in and nail voice and text. The keyboard, ever present, is a
joy to use. Pressing keyboard shortcuts (intuitive single key) move you through the OS and applications at lighting speed. There is
also the well executed track ball should you need 360° dexterity.
Blackberry Bold 9000:
 
 
The Blackberry Bold 9000 extends the width of Curve by 6mm which does truly allow for a larger keyboard. If you
don't mind the extra width there is no better keyboard system available today. It shares with the 8900 the new BlackBerry OS.
It is beautifully done with a wet glossy look to all the icons. If you love the Apple OS, and or love artistic
flair give this OS a look. Equipped with an even faster processor over the 8900 the Bold is Blackberry's flagship
model. I personaly prefer the smaller form factor of the 8900 or this would be my phone.
Blackberry Curve 8320:
 
 
The Blackberry Curve 8320 is the workhorse of the line up and is mentioned here for some good reasons. It does not have a super high res display, nor the
speedy processor but it does not need them either. If the 9000 and the 8900 are the Rolls Royce and Bentley of
the group then the 8320 is the Cadillac. There are other features missing like GPS, 3G and the beautiful
OS 4.6 but the job of voice/text is still done admirably. There are at least two arguments in favor of the 8320
over the others. For one, the phone has been around awhile so it is very stable. You will find very few users
complaining about the stability of this phone. Also it is a good deal cheaper than the others so you could
easily buy two!
Closing Words:
2009 is the year of the PDA/Smartphone but manufactures are still sorting out design, OS, and battery issues. Your best
bet is to find out what you truly want from a phone. Do you like music, video, and web surfing and don't want to take
along a laptop? Then the Apple iPhone seems best for you. Are you serious about voice and texting? Then the Blackberry
is hands down the winner. Are you truly in need of a custom application written for Windows Mobile? Then your pick
is from manufactures who cater to that platform.
In in the end I want my phone to not rule my life... just help manage it. I need something that does not get in the way to much, something
that is not demanding extra attention of me and needing special love'n care. I hope that from this
article you learned something about what you need for yourself and maybe your next new phone. I know which one I
am going with, which one will you buy? |
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