Gadgets: BlackBerry Taking Another "Crack" at Apple

Apple recently launched it's iPad 2, the predecessor to it's widely popular iPad, initially launched in Spring 2010. Now, RIM is taking a swing at the tablet market with it's BlackBerry Playbook, news of which leaked last month via a leaked image from Office Depot, which showed the 16GB WiFi model with an MSRP $499.

Today, RIM officially launched the PlayBook, available in three models including 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage, listed at $499, $599, or $699 respectively. Clearly, the Office Depot leak had some legitimacy to it.

RIM hopes to take on the iPad 2 and others with its first tablet aimed at both consumers and business users alike. It looks well-built, and the smaller display makes one-handed use easier. Early reviews show that performance is solid, based on a pre-release operating system, though just how well the TabletOS will behave remains to be seen. However, a 7″ display may be too small for some, and there’s a question mark over just how many and the overall quality of the apps on offer, and we won't know that for a few months to come.

Now, how can I get my hands on both an iPad 2 and a BlackBerry PlayBook for a Round 2?

Gadgets: Battle of the Smartphones!

I'm one of the few to own both an iPhone and a BlackBerry smartphone. I have the iPhone 4 16GB, and the Blackberry Curve 3G, but to make things fair for the purposes of this test, I've abducted my wife's BlackBerry Torch 9800. Both are on different networks, but that's not part of this comparison.

Let's get started, shall we?

First thing's first, a by-the-numbers side by side comparison.

	iPhone 4	BlackBerry Torch 9800
Professional Target Market	Tech Sector	Business Sector
Display Size	3.5” Retina Display (960x640 pixels)	3.2” High Resolution (480x360 pixels)
Interface	Multi-Touch Screen Only	Multi-Touch Screen and slide-out Qwerty keyboard, trackpad
OS	iOS 4.x	Blackberry OS 6
Processor	Apple A4 1GHz	624 MHz
Memory/Storage	512 MB RAM/16 or 32 GB flash drive	512MB RAM/4GB flash + 4GB microSD (expandable to 32GB)
Size/Weight	4.5”x2.31”x0.37” 4.8 ounces	4.37”(5.83” open)x2.44”x0.57” 5.68 ounces
Battery	Built-in 1420 mAh lithium-ion. 7 hours talk/300 hours standby (3G network)	1300 mAHr lithium-ion. 5.5 hours talk/18 days standby (3G network)
Camera	5-megapixel, w/autofocus, LED flash, 5x zoom. HD quality video (720p)	5-megapixel, w/autofocus, flash, 2.5x zoom. VGA quality video (640x480)
Audio Formats	AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV	MP3, AAC-LC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, AMR-NB, MIDI, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis
App Selection	+350,000 available from iTunes App Store	+10,000 available from BlackBerry App World

Both phones have their ups and downs, and I do enjoy both, to a degree. The Torch's  big downside, for me, is that it is a little bulky, and the slide-out qwerty keyboard feels a little cramped, compared to other BlackBerrys. The iPhone's touchscreen keypad is a dream, once you get used to working with a touchscreen. But that's not a of the iPhone directly - that's just how touchscreens are. Win: iPhone 4

On the other hand, the Torch is better suited for selecting and copying text and other items and using the data in other applications than the iPhone, with the use of the trackball that's found on all BlackBerry phones. Win: BlackBerry Torch 9800

Personally, I enjoy navigating through the iPhone better. You can configure your apps to reside in folders, thus keeping like-apps together, instead of all over the place, like you have with the Torch. Win: iPhone 4

Both phones have a snappy, multitasking OS, and make it fairly easy to get around and be productive. The multitasking however, is a little better on the Torch, and although the processor is technically slower, it chugs along smoothly. Win: BlackBerry Torch 9800

The sheer amount and variety of apps available to iPhone users is just mind boggling. Apps, both paid and free, are available for virtually any task, for both professional and entertainment use. Apple's tagline of "There's an App for That" is beyond accurate. RIM's BlackBerry App World is lacking in this department, but since BlackBerrys are typically used by the business types, there are plenty to get the job done. Like with all cross-platform applications, some work better on the iPhone, and some work better on the BlackBerry. Win: iPhone 4

Syncing apps and music on the iPhone is done through Apple's iTunes software, and done very easily and intuitively. The BlackBerry Desktop Manager is fairly less so. Not that you can't syncronize everything you need to fairly seamlessly from your handheld to your computer, you can and you can do it well. Just not as well as with the iPhone 4. Both can easily syncronize with your Outlook account to manage your time, contacts and appointments. Handy, huh? Win: Draw

Ultimately, it all boils down to personal preference, but for me, the iPhone 4 is a much better phone/personal assistant, as I find myself reaching for my iPhone more often than my BlackBerry to execute most tasks.