Is it Fair to Compare the iPhone and the Blackberry 8830 World Phone?

The Apple iPhone has been on the lips of everyone remotely interested in the latest and greatest cell phones available today. Hype or not, the iPhone has created excitement that has continued over the last six months. Is it the exotically cool looks, the innovative use of graphics or is it the iPod connection? Probably all of the above and maybe even the "look at me - I have an iPhone" - syndrome might have a little to do with it. Can you blame them?

The other questions on everyone's lips are "is the iPhone worth the price and the time it will take to get one"? The 4GB version is $499.00, the 8GB version is $599.00 (no expansion slot available for future memory capability) and both require a two year contract with AT&T. Above and beyond the initial cost is the monthly fee. The least expensive plan available for the iPhone is $59.99 per month. There are no other payment plan options such as "pay as you go" or "prepaid".

If the costs are not enough to dampen some of the excitement generated by the iPhone then maybe some of the concerns I have are not as important to others. I dislike that there are such limitations including but not limited to no memory expansion, very few options for application expansion and most of all the inability to replace the battery without shipping it to Apple and paying $85.00 for them to do it for me.

Other limitations include IM (Instant Messaging), MMS (multimedia service), and GPS.

Surprisingly, iTunes is a major concern to IT departments partially due to music licensing. While many cell phones are 3G the iPhone for some reason is 2.5G so it is unable to take advantage of the faster 3G network.

OK - there are good features about the iPhone - and no, I do not dislike the iPhone. But, as with any device, their popularity depends on who is using them. The iPhone just does not fit my needs as well as some other cell phones.

One thing that I am truly impressed with is the reports of their sturdiness. The iPhone has reported survived scratch and drop tests with hardly a nick or dent. If I had a chance to acquire an iPhone I would definitely take it. The SIM card can be switched to another cell phone so it would be fun to have the choice of which phone to use. One for business and the other for FUN! Checking your voice mail is also easy with the iPhone. Just pick and choose which message to pay attention to just as with email.

On the other hand, there is a new cell phone that offers many features that are missing from the iPhone. The Blackberry 8830 World Phone offered by Verizon and Sprint appears at first glance to be an affordable cell phone that will suit the needs of local and international users. In return for a two year contract, Sprint offered the Blackberry 8830 for $199.99 which is not too bad. But, with the $100.00 instant rebate paired with the $100.00 mail-in rebate the price is more than reasonable.

The Blackberry 8830 is unlocked so when the user is out of the United States they have the option to pay the roaming charges or they can use they can insert a SIM card from one of the international carriers. Prepaid SIM cards will work as well. This phone works on the CDMA, GSM and the GPRS networks. For $69.99 the user can have an international connection plan. The plan included unlimited Blackberry email and web access in the US, Canada and Mexico as well as other countries that have roaming agreements with Sprint.

The QWERTY keyboard makes instant messaging another viable option when traveling internationally. AIM is built in and AOL Instant Messaging can be downloaded. If you travel with your laptop the Blackberry 8830 acts as a modem that connects you to the internet on the fly. It is important to check your cell phone plan to be sure of the expenses that may be incurred.

The integrated GPS makes traveling closer to home easy also. Sprint Navigation offers visual and voice turn by turn directions or Blackberry Maps can be used as well.

The Blackberry has a MicroSD slot for expanded memory. For business users it may be a blessing but for others the lack of digital camera could be a deal breaker.

Both the iPhone and the Blackberry 8830 World Phone are great cell phones. They both make precise and clear phone calls. It is the extra features that set them apart. Each one has great features. Personally I love the voice mail and web browsing features offered on the iPhone. I also love the navigation and travel options offered by the Blackberry 8830 World Phone.

Hopefully the new and innovative features of both the iPhone and the Blackberry 8830 World Phone will eventually spill over to other new cell phones. I look forward to the day that we do not have to make these agonizing decisions about which cell phones to buy. Most every cell phone is great standing on its own so it makes you wonder how fair it is to compare them with each other.