This week, the BlackBerry Storm 2 hits the shops, but is it better than the iPhone?
Stylist investigates the phone you're destined to be with
STUFF MAGAZINE
WRITER ZARA
RABINOWICZ, 28,
HAS HAD A 12-MONTH
RELATIONSHIP
WITH HER iPHONE
I blame it all on Sex And The
City. For six years, I
dedicated my Friday
nights to Carrie and
co, turning down
dates for tips from
the heel-happy
New Yorkers, only
for the show to end
and leave me
in mourning.
I now have serious
commitment issues
and I’m hesitant to
invest in any kind of
long-term relationship.
The average contract length is
18 months now – a long time to
climb into bed with a device
you’re unsure of. But I recently
made the leap to the iPhone 3GS,
and finally discovered mobile
nirvana. I’ve dabbled with the
BlackBerry and tried out Nokia’s
efforts, but this is the first time I’ve
experienced the handset equivalent
of Mr Big. Smooth, stylish and smart,
the phone handles web pages like a
dream and is incredibly intuitive to
operate. Forget about enduring a
getting-to-know-you process, there’s
instant connection from day one with
the multi-touch interface letting you
pinch and click your way around the
glossy 3.5-inch screen. It’s like you’ve
skipped straight to the third date,
with all the small talk out of the way,
and the built-in MP3 player even lets
you set some mood music. The
top-end iPhone 3GS has 32Gb of
storage – around 7,000 songs.
The camera is where the shine
starts to fail, as it’s only 3 megapixels
with no flash, and though the ‘App
store’ is fantastic and varied,
Apple needs to enable different
apps to run at the same time
to make the experience more
cohesive. Also, the screen isn’t
that hard wearing, and won't
be covered by your Apple
warranty if it breaks – repairs
can be costly. The
touchscreen is simple
and intuitive to use, but
if you’re unfamiliar
with touch-phones it
may take some practice.
The App store
enriches every aspect
of my daily life,
offering an application
for everything from
updating my Twitter
account to a built-in SatNav. The
home-delivery apps mean I can
do my weekly Ocado shop on the
train. So, I’m officially putting my
commitmentphobe days behind me,
and happily signing up for another
year. iLove my iPhone!
ZARA RATES HER IPHONE
X Sustainability when dropped: 3/5
X Usability: 4/5 X Text quality: 4/5
X Minimum contract: £35 per month
X Internet: 5/5 X Apps: 4.5/5 (great
apps, but can only run one at a time)
X Overall: 3.5/5
STYLIST FEATURES
EDITOR ALIX WALKER,
27, HAS BEEN WITH HER
BLACKBERRY STORM
FOR NINE MONTHS
The BlackBerry has always been seen
as the geek to the iPhone’s cool.
While the
genetically-blessed
tapped at the sleek
screens of their
iPhones, pudgyfingered
businessmen
prodded at their
stern-looking
BlackBerrys with
glasses perched
on their nose
(nothing like a bit of
stereotyping). Each knew their
place. BlackBerry was for work.
The iPhone was for play.
Then, like every high-school
geek, the BlackBerry upped its
game – and that’s when I got on
board. Because, in my experience,
those who were square at school
make for reliable partners today, and
those who base their success on their
looks are only good for one thing.
And with each new model my new
companion just gets better looking.
Last week, the BlackBerry Storm 2
was released with a new and vastly
improved touch screen, and finally
the BlackBerry hit its stride.
Granted, those smug iPhone users
may gloat about their superior apps
– like you really need your phone to
tell you how to make scrambled eggs
– but BlackBerry is quietly making
TECHNOLOGY
waves in that department too. My
favourite is BlackBerry SatNav which
I find to be far more reliable than
in-car systems. Another winner is
the Open Table app which allows you
to book restaurants on the move. The
camera – which increases to a huge
3.2 megapixels in the Storm 2 model
– takes great photos that can
be uploaded to Facebook at the
push of a button. Using built-in
GPS and BlackBerry maps, you
can Geotag your pictures, too.
The ’Berry is still a bit of a dork
at heart, so stellar business
functions are where it really
shines. You can edit
Microsoft Word and
Excel docs as well as
PowerPoint slides on
the move and copy
and paste them later.
But where it really
steps up is BBM
chat, a function
that allows you to
instant-message a
fellow ’Berry user for
free. Giving your BlackBerry pin to
someone is a sign of true intimacy
as it allows you to see when they’ve
read your messages and are online.
And if you still need convincing,
here’s the clincher. The BlackBerry
is Obama’s handset of choice. And
nobody’s cooler than him.
ALIX RATES THE BLACKBERRY
X Sustainability when dropped: 4/5
X Usability: 4/5 X Text quality: 5/5
X Minimum contract: £30 per month
X Internet: 3/5 X Apps: 3/5
X Overall: 4/5
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