The T-Grid: BlackBerry Storm vs. iPhone 3G

Another week, another new touch-screen phone that has an awful lot in common with the iPhone 3G. But the most interesting things about RIM’s BlackBerry Storm aren’t the ways it’s similar to an iPhone–it’s the ways it’s different. Starting with the fact that it’s a BlackBerry, with all the wireless synching goodness you’d expect. It will be on Verizon–a major plus for lots of folks–and will be a world phone that does CDMA at home and GSM around the world.

The Storm is the first touchscreen BlackBerry, but its screen features haptic feedback that gives a clicky feel as you type on the virtual keyboard, which sounds interesting, at least. (Most of the BlackBerry fanatics I know are e-mail warriors who really, really want a phone with a physical keyboard–it’ll be fascinating to see if the Storm’s simulation of one is good enough to convince them to go touchscreen.)

I’m also happy to hear that the Storm comes with DataViz’s Documents To Go Office-compatible suite preinstalled–though I’m also curious to see just how easy it is to edit documents on a phone without a real keyboard.

Here’s a T-Grid comparingthe Storm to the iPhone 3G (and here, in case you missed ‘em, are our T-Grids comparing the 3G to T-Mobile’s G1 and the Nokia XpressMusic 5800). I’ll repeat my usual disclaimer that there’s only so much you can tell from comparing specs; the main thing that makes the iPhone the iPhone is the integration of hardware, software, and service.

And oh yeah, beefore we proceed, a semi-related plea: AT&T, please get around to releasing the BlackBerry Bold. The Storm looks interesting, but I think there are a lot of folks out there who will be even more psyched about a next-generation BlackBerry that retains the little plastic keys.

As before, this T-Grid is a work in progress, subject to expansion and revision:

The phones	BlackBerry Storm 9530	Apple iPhone 3G
Platform	BlackBerry (Java based)	Apple’s proprietary OS X
Availability	Soon	Now, although supply is occasionally spotty
U.S. carrier	Verizon	AT&T
Price	TBD	$199 for 8GB model or $299 for 16GB model with two-year contract
Data plan	TBD	$30 a month for unlimited data; $5 a month extra for 200 text messages
Locked?	Presumably, to Verizon	Yup, to AT&T
Colors	Just black, as far as I know	Black (8GB and 16GB); white (16GB only)
Size and weight	4.4” by 24” by 0.55”; 5.46 oz.	4.3″ by 2.4″by 0.33″; 4.05 oz.
Screen size and resolution	3.25″; 480 by 360	3.5″; 480 by 320
Input	Multi-touch haptic-feedback touchscreen with QWERTY and SureType keyboards	Multi-touch touchscreen with on-screen keyboard
Buttons	Volume; lock; left and right Convenience; mute/play; send, menu, end, and escape	Home; volume; vibrate
Accelerometer	Yes	Yes
Headphone jack	Standard 3.5mm	Standard 3.5mm
Bluetooth	Stereo	Monaural
Voice dialing	Not sure	No
Voice recording	Not that I know of	No
MMS	Yes	No
Camera	3.2 megapixels; flash; digital zoom; video capable	2 megapixels; no flash; no digital zoom; no video
Voice	Quad-band GSM and CDMA	Quad-band GSM
Data	Both HSPA and EVDO	HSDPA
Use as tethered modem?	It has the ability technically, at least; not sure if Verizon will permit	Violates AT&T’s terms of service; tethering plan is rumored
Data plan	TBD	$30 a month for unlimited data; $5 a month extra for 200 text messages
Wi-Fi and GPS	Nope on Wi-Fi; yep on GPS	Got ‘em both
Battery	5.5 hours talk time; 360 hours standby; removable	5 hours talk time; 300 hours standby; not removable
Web browser	BlackBerry Browser	WebKit-based Safari
Web searching	Presumably in some form, but I don’t know the details	Yes, via Google or Yahoo
E-Mail	IMAP, POP, BlackBerry Enterprise Server	MobileMe, GMail, Yahoo Mail, AOL; other services supported through IMAP
Calendar	Yes, with to-do list	Yes, but no to-do list
Microsoft Exchange support	Yes–hey, it even supports Notes and GroupWise	Yes
Instant messaging	AIM, Windows Live, Yahoo, ICQ	Only through third-party apps
Office Apps	Documents to Go Office-compatible suite, with editing	Microsoft Office-compatible viewers, but no editing
Maps	Yes (BlackBerry Maps)	Yes
Turn-by-turn navigation	Not standard that I know of; apparently available through third-party apps	No, but may be coming from third party developer(s)
Music	Supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, WMA ProPlus formats	iPod player and iTunes Store; supports MP3, AAC (with or without Fairplay), WAV, Apple Lossless, AIFF, VBR formats
Video	Yes; supports H.264, MPEG4, and WMV formats	iPod player, YouTube; movies through iTunes Store; supports H.264 and MPEG4 formats
Photos	Yes	Yes
Wireless synching	Yes, through BlackBerry Internet Server and BlackBerry Enterprise Server	Yes, through MobileMe
Desktop synching	Yes, through BlackBerry Media Sync	Yes, through iTunes
Application store	RIM is supposedly readying an application store; apps available from third-party stores	Yes, the iTunes App Store