I tested the new touch-screen phone, and this week were playing with him for several days. My first impression is that this is very cool. It shares many of the features that have made the iPhone popular, such as touch screen, Media Player, as well as a full HTML-browser, which makes it a strong alternative to iPhone. (For a complete review of the device to verify where CNET Reviews editor Bonnie Cha put the device through the steps.)

But RIM has also been careful to maintain the popular features and functionality, which catapulted their BlackBerry devices for the status symbol among corporate types.

Take a touch screen, for example, BlackBerry users are accustomed to the actual keyboard. And many people I know who has a BlackBerry and the iPhone, that they prefer BlackBerry, when it comes to sending text messages or e-mail because they feel like touching the buttons.

RIM did not want to lose this feeling, so the company is confident that users will still have to press down on the touch screen as if they were really pressing. In the Apple iPhone user, I must admit, it took me a while to get used to the Storm “impetus” to the touch screen. But in a sense, I think that the improvement over the iPhone touch screen. I can not tell you how many times I accidentally called a comrade, or send a text message before I was ready to strike, because my fingers brushed through the area on iPhone touch screen.

Another improvement over the iPhone is the fact that the Storm has 1 gigabyte of internal memory and can use standard MicroSD memory card support up to 16 GB of additional data storage. And because they are the standard storage cards, they can be replaced and replaced. Unlike the iPhone 3G comes in two versions, 8GB model and 16GB model. Storage can not be removed or replaced.

(List of participants: Verizon Wireless) In addition, Storm has a removable battery. Again, this call to me, because the iPhone battery can not be eliminated, which means if he dies, as my iPhone.

Gloomier forecast
But Storm is not a perfect device, either. And there are a few things that I prefer on the iPhone. On the one hand, Storm has no Wi-Fi. Verizon Wireless representatives told me that they have decided not to include Wi-Fi, because it adds, “in bulk, price, and it is draining the battery.”

But the truth is, I think, Verizon, do not want Wi-Fi, because the company is likely to have customers Surf its wireless network 3G. While the 3G speeds huge step forward compared 2.5G speeds, they simply do not hold a candle to the Wi-Fi. I can download e-mail and Web pages on my iPhone using Wi-Fi is much faster than when I was using AT & T in the 3G network. And I can not imagine it would be much different from the Verizon network 3G.

In addition to the lack of Wi-Fi, I would say that I prefer the touch-screen navigation and Web browsing experience on iPhone for the Storm. This, of course, the matter of personal taste. The new BlackBerry browser is slick and it works well. This is definitely a huge step forward compared to older browsers. However, the increase on the Storm need to press the button, or actually clicking the screen. And I prefer the iPhone to pinching and wrist movements. But this is just me.

In general, I think, RIM came out with a device that gives the consumer is seriously considering a new smartphone with a touch screen alternative to iPhone. As a result, I think it can help save Verizon customers who have been tempted to leave the carrier for the iPhone.

Let’s face it, Verizon Previous attempts to introduce the so-called iPhone kliller have been lackluster. LG Voyager and the LG Dare, looked cool and smooth, but they were not as smart phones. RIM BlackBerry other models did not have a touch screen and cool factor.

Even Verizon has not seen a huge number of subscribers to keep their networks since the iPhone was first introduced a year and a half ago, she lost some as a result. But now customers are satisfied with Verizon Wireless coverage and reliability of the network will not have to obtain permission to cool the device.

Not all are convinced of the virtues of iPhone virtual keyboard.

(Credit: Apple)
Earlier this week, the gadget blog Gizmodo posted mock-up in designing a new generation of iPhone, created by blogger Mat Brady. Gizmodo requires a new gadget “iPhone Pro”. He describes the dream as iPhone 60GB of storage, so images 16:9, 1-megapixel camera for iChat, as well as high-quality camera, video capabilities, as well as the refusal to slide the keyboard.

The keyboard is an important distinction. Although I grew to love the virtual keyboard and predictive capabilities of writing my iPhone, many hard-core mobile email users and texters hate him. And because they want the actual QWERTY keyboard, instead of the virtual nature, they are often drawn to Research In Motion in devices BlackBerry, Windows Mobile phones, or a new phone Android. But many of these users will be cool, like the functionality of iPhone, unless it was a real keyboard.

Gizmodo blogger Jesus Diaz believes that the imaginary iPhone Pro Design is achievable in terms of technology. But he also believes that is likely to jack the price for the device. I agree on both counts. And I also agree that the phone as to find an audience.

But I am not sure that Apple will ever add every bell and whistle in this dream iPhone. I definitely think that Apple will add more storage capacity and video functionality and improve the capacity of the chamber for future versions of iPhone. But will Steve Jobs and company really add a keypad with real buttons?

I think we just have to wait and see. Like other smartphones, such as the Blackberry, and the company’s Google Android phones mature and grow, Apple may have no choice but to design the phone with the real keys.

However, all hope is not lost.

AT & T sells the recovered 8GB iPhone 3G in the black for $ 99 with a two-year contract to provide services on Wednesday, New Year’s Eve. This is an incredibly AT & T earlier price of $ 149.

OK, OK, this is not new. But repaired is close enough.

Refurbished 16GB model in black or white also sold for $ 50 discount to the $ 199 price. But it does not have a magical ring to it from $ 99.

Since the iPhone was launched 18 months ago, many users complained about its lack of cut and paste capabilities. Users were again disappointed when the iPhone 3G debuted in July of the same inaction.

Third parties have tried to create applications that add cutting and pasting for the iPhone, but most of them failed. One such application called OpenClip, seemed promising at the beginning of this year. But Apple iPhone 2,1 software, released in late summer, closed functionality.

Pastebud website has not begun, but its creators have a demonstration service on YouTube. And it looks Pastebud can avoid the mistakes of other developers cut and paste. First, Pastebud Web service. This means that users will not have to load software on their iPhones. It also means that you can bypass Pastebud from Apple App Store at all.

The way it works, in accordance with the YouTube democracy, through bookmarks, which allow users to switch between Web pages and e-mail. Then users can select text and click to copy, flip to another page, and click Paste.

Catch is that Pastebud only works with Safari browser and e-mail. But because these applications are most likely to need to be sharp and pasting, it should not be a major constraint.

Of course, it is too early to tell how well the application actually works. All that has YouTube demonstration. But even if he works moderately well, it could help satisfy some users iPhone clamoring for a cut and paste function, at least until Apple faces a more elegant solution.

News The new service was first reported on the gadget blog Gizmodo.