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| RIM BlackBerry Storm 9530 |
| Full review » Scoreboard » Specs » Gallery » |
 The BlackBerry Storm offers a surprising amount of innovation and usability for a touchscreen business phone, and it couldn't come at a better time for RIM or Verizon Wireless. The clickscreen navigation setup works very well, and deftly solves the problem of dealing with RIM's long menus on a touchscreen phone. The phone could use a bit of a power boost, as it was sluggish opening and closing apps, or moving between functions. But the screen was gorgeous and plenty responsive, and typing on the BlackBerry Storm's keyboard is better than typing on any other touchscreen. We still think there's room for improvement, especially polishing up the calendar and address book to make them look as crisp and modern as the main menus and media player apps. But even with these minor complaints, we have no trouble declaring the BlackBerry Storm the most compelling BlackBerry phone to date. Release: November 2008. Price: $200.
Pros: Great clickable screen helps add tactile feel to touch interface. Best software QWERTY keyboard we've seen. Solid set of messaging apps. Loads of features.
Cons: Interface is still sluggish, a bit buggy. Screen scrolls responsively, but everything else moves slowly, including response to hardware buttons. No Wi-Fi. Mediocre camera. Lousy Web browser.
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Mediocre |
Good |
80%
VERY GOOD |
Excellent |
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| RIM BlackBerry Bold 9000 (AT&T) |
| Full review » Video » Scoreboard » Specs » Gallery » |
_it00.jpg) The RIM BlackBerry Bold 9000 on AT&T is a phone that leaves us vexed. Of course it's a very good phone, it's a BlackBerry. It made calls that sounded great and it has one of the best displays on the market, which compliments the updated user interface and the fantastic video performance. We liked the music player as well, and even the apps that frustrated us still functioned nicely, we just feel like they could look much better. The BlackBerry OS, despite the obvious surface improvements in the BlackBerry Bold, is in need of some deep scrubbing, and even on this impressive multimedia device, it still looks a lot like the interface of a two-way pager. The messaging app makes even e-mail look more like text messaging (and vice versa), and the Web browser still can't manage to load up our own homepage. True BlackBerry fans will ignore these issues and simply appreciate the update, which makes for an impressive music-playing, video watching device. But to compete with the newest smartphones on the market, RIM will have to dig deeper and create something truly new for the BlackBerry OS. Release: November 2008. Price: $300.
Pros: Fantastic screen, complimented by a dark, colorful new interface theme. Great music and video playback. Loads of connectivity options. Nice keyboard.
Cons: Visual polish on menus doesn't go nearly deep enough. This OS needs a makeover. Messaging options surprisingly lacking and dated. Sub-par camera and Web browser.
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Mediocre |
74%
GOOD |
Very good |
Excellent |
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| RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 |
| Full review » Video » Scoreboard » Specs » Gallery » |
 With the BackBerry Pearl Flip 8220, RIM has another winner on its hands, and after spending some time with the new polished interface on this lightweight flip phone, we have to say we like it even more than the standard candybar Pearl, which is a tall order. The phone isn't the prettiest, in fact we found the shell to be a bit goofy looking. But as soon as we turned it on and so the rich contrast on the bright screen, as soon as we typed on the wider, more solid SureType keypad, we knew that this would be a compelling device. The interface is still bogged down with long, textual menus, and the Web browser won't win any iPhone converts, but T-Mobile has endowed this phone with a great feature list, including Wi-Fi calling and more messaging options than you'll find almost anywhere else. Plus, it upholds the BlackBerry's great battery life reputation, though we would have given up an hour or two of talk time for some 3G networking. Release: October 2008. Price: $150.
Pros: Great new BlackBerry user interface. Lightweight phone. Good battery life. Great messaging features, especially for IM fans.
Cons: Interface improvements don't go deep enough (especially in the calendar). Poor Web browser for a modern smartphone. Call quality could be better.
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Mediocre |
71%
GOOD |
Very good |
Excellent |
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| RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8110 (AT&T) |
| Full review » Video » Scoreboard » Specs » Gallery » |
_it00.jpg) It has been more than a year and a half since the first RIM BlackBerry Pearl launched, the device has changed little, at least visually. The design is still the same, and though we've always appreciated the SureType keyboard and the slim design, the OS needs a serious upgrade, and even the trackball isn't as amusing as it once was. We liked having GPS on a Pearl, but the Verizon Wireless and Sprint BlackBerry Pearls both have navigation, with 3G networking to boot. Still, even though there is little to recommend AT&T's BlackBerry Pearl 8110 over the others, it's still a competent smartphone and not a bad choice, even though there are better choices around. Release: April 2008. Price: $150.
Pros: Slim BlackBerry Pearl, now with GPS. Very good battery life. Navigation software looks better than competitor's.
Cons: Same Pearl, different model number. OS and older apps need visual update. Web browser renders messy pages. Lacks 3G networking.
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Mediocre |
66%
GOOD |
Very good |
Excellent |
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| RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 (Sprint) |
| Full review » Video » Scoreboard » Specs » Gallery » |
_it00.jpg) The Sprint BlackBerry Curve 8330 is a slight but significant improvement over the Verizon Wireless version of the same phone, thanks to the additional apps that Sprint has thrown in. On Sprint's Curve, we found plenty of instant messaging options, including GTalk, our favorite, as well as the Facebook app for BlackBerry. We also liked Handmark's Pocket Express, which didn't quite excuse the poor Web browser, but did make information gathering more pleasant. Best of all, the Sprint BlackBerry Curve 8330 retains the excellent battery life and improved scheduling capabilities we've come to appreciate on this device. Right now, this is probably the best BlackBerry on the market, as well as the best multimedia smartphone Sprint has to offer. Release: May 2008. Price: $200.
Pros: Comes with more useful apps than competitor. Best-in-class battery life. Loads of messaging options. Comes with more useful apps than competitor. Best-in-class battery life. Loads of messaging options.
Cons: Web browser is subpar. Call quality could sound better. Media transfer software would be nice. Web browser is subpar. Call quality could sound better. Media transfer software would be nice.
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Mediocre |
74%
GOOD |
Very good |
Excellent |
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