8 ways BlackBerry Storm trumps iPhone and G1

BlackBerry Storm
The BlackBerry Storm could really give the iPhone a run for its money

No phone is perfect. In fact all three of this year's best high technology handsets have their flaws. But here's why the BlackBerry Storm 9500 makes up for most of the major holes provided by the shortcomings of the iPhone 3G and the T-Mobile G1. And some of it might make for surprising reading...

1. Far better camera

Whereas the iPhone is still stuck on 2.0 megapixels, the G1 and Storm bump this up to 3.2 megapixels. However, where the G1 camera just has auto focus, the BackBerry Storm's camera adds an auto flash and 2x digital zoom.

2. Faster internet than the iPhone

The Storm joins the G1 in having fast 7.2Mbps HSDPA, but the iPhone has nothing of the sort. Having been a connectivity pauper when the original iPhone lacked 3G, the latest model is looking increasingly behind the times, too.

3. You can open and Edit Word and Excel

You can actually edit Word and Excel documents on your BlackBerry Storm, unlike either the iPhone or G1. The best you can do on either device is to access the webbable version of Google Docs. And that doesn't enable you to edit.

4. It has touch feedback

The 'clickable' screen gives a better feel to the BlackBerry Storm and will settle the worries of all those who think the iPhone's touch navigation is just a little wishy washy.

5. It's got a bedside mode

Often it's the simple things that are best – the Storm's bedside mode means you won't be bothered by your mates calling you at 2am from the taxi rank or kebab shop, but you can still use it as a clock. Ace. (It's also available on the BlackBerry Bold).

6. There's a removable battery

As is well documented, the iPhone doesn't have a removable battery just like the iPod. Like the G1, the Storm does, so you'll be able to carry a spare.

7. It has predictive text

We all know the iPhone's texting capabilities are about as effective as a wet sponge, but it's not so well-known that the G1's Android doesn't include predictive text either. Thankfully the BlackBerry Storm is less unhelpful.

8. Better screen resolution

While the iPhone and G1 are stuck with a screen resolution of 480 x 320, the Storm bumps this up to 480 x 360 pixels. The iPhone does retain the bigger screen though, 3.5-inches as opposed to the 3.25-inch screen on the Storm and 3.2-inch display on the G1.

Of course, we're not idiots. The BlackBerry Storm also has a rather large failing of its own (and no, we're not talking about the lack of on-board memory)…

Contributor

Dan (Twitter, Google+) is TechRadar's Former Deputy Editor and is now in charge at our sister site T3.com. Covering all things computing, internet and mobile he's a seasoned regular at major tech shows such as CES, IFA and Mobile World Congress. Dan has also been a tech expert for many outlets including BBC Radio 4, 5Live and the World Service, The Sun and ITV News.

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