Blackberry Vs. iPhone

A comparative technology feature today, as you see in the title, if your life is becoming (or needs to be) more connected, you have some choices.

BlackBerry's are certainly popular with the business crowd, but iPhone sales continue to climb.

Both will keep you connected, but in very different styles.

I've had an iPod Touch for a few months now, and REALLY like it, and while it's not officially an iPhone, it has most of the same functionality, particularly with regard to keyboard and apps.

OK, here's the story...
My venerable LG phone died the other day, and since I'm encouraged to update Twitter, Facebook, the station Web site and keep in touch with weather data during the day, I figured it was time to bite the bullet and upgrade from a cell phone to a "multimedia communicating device".

Upgrading to an iPhone would have meant changing carriers (and I haven't heard great things about the one that handles the iPhone), so I thought I'd give good old Verizon a shot.

I told the sales associate at the Colorado Springs store what I needed to do, and decided to buy on the top end of the power curve with a BlackBerry Tour, at the time of this writing, their latest, greatest model.

The store was GREAT about setting it up for me, getting it online (even fixing a billing problem I've had for years), so A+ for service, but what about the device itself?

Keep in mind that I've only had it for a few days, so this is a preliminary report...however some things are obvious at this point.
1) This is the best phone I've ever had. The clearest signal, the fewest drops.
2) Since I'm a newbie, finding what I'm looking for (including my messages) is tough/non-intuitive.
3) The tiny little keys on the keyboard are WAY too small to be comfortable.
4) The trackball you use to navigate works VERY well.
5) The built-in "apps" I've tried so far (including facebook) are inferior to the Apple versions.
6) The screen is large for a BlackBerry device, but smaller than the landscape mode on an iPhone.

Let's compare/contrast that with the iPhone/Touch
1) Can't compare the phone signal quality, remember I'm using the Touch for this comparison
2) Finding what you need is MUCH easier on the iPod, and apps are "right up front" on the screen.
3) With the current software upgrade, turning the screen sideways give you MUCH bigger, better, more usable keys, as compared with the BlackBerry.
4) Just finding what you want to launch and touching it is still easier than the trackball
5) The apps for the things I do, such as Facebook, are MUCH better, smoother, easier-to-read.
6) The ability to turn the screen sideways and see a larger image/expand the keyboard makes the iPhone (iPod Touch) the clear winner here.

Initial summary...It's still early in the "learning curve" game, but as anything other than a phone, I definitely do NOT like the BlackBerry at this point, and if the monthly fee for the iPhone is anywhere close to what I pay for the BlackBerry, (and it's decent as a phone), before the end of the 30-day trial, I'm tempted to switch. I'll keep you posted.