THE FIGHT GOES ON
Research in Motion (RIMM) is up almost $10 today on the news of it's answer to Apple's iPhone, the Blackberry Bold (formerly known as the Blackberry 9000). To be available later this summer on AT&T first and then all the major carriers, the new Blackberry borrows quite a few design cues from last year's iPhone, as this Ars Technica post illustrates and describes:
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that RIM has taken a few design tips from the iPhone this time around. The Bold's all-black enclosure with a chrome border, combined with the high-contrast screen make it indeed a very, er, bold-looking new BlackBerry. Physically, the resemblance is striking.
Of course, the iPhone currently lacks many of the features that the Bold has—namely 3G capabilities, integrated GPS, Bluetooth that actually works with something besides a Bluetooth headset, video recording capabilities, and camera zoom.
However, many of these features are expected to be announced soon at WWDC for the next-gen iPhone. At the very least, a 3G iPhone is all but guaranteed, and GPS is widely-rumored to be included. And, of course, the iPhone already offers desktop-style web browsing in addition to a giant multi-touch screen that the Bold doesn't have."
The piece goes onto list Blackberry's unique advantage vs. the iPhone:
"On its own, however, the Bold is still a very attractive option for those in business who are married to things like the BlackBerry's handling of corporate e-mail and the non-touchscreen keyboard that many BlackBerry enthusiasts still love.
On the flip side, Apple said at its SDK Roadmap event in February that the iPhone 2.0 software will introduce "real" Exchange support, push e-mail, and other enterprise features that it currently lacks, possibly bringing it up to speed with the BlackBerry in that regard."
One has the killer physical keyboard and industrial-strength email capabilities. The other the killer touch-screen with the "real internet", and a universe of software applications to come.
It looks like I'll be upgrading to BOTH the Blackberry Bold and the new 3G iPhone and continue to carry both around for a while longer.
No clear-cut winner yet. It's Experience vs. Hope all over again.
Looks like this race between the two devices will run at least as long as the Clinton-Obama contest before we have a clear winner.
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