From: www.itworld.com

Beyond the iPhone: Three smartphones worth a look

by Don Reisinger

October 3, 2008 —

It seems that all the talk today is about Apple and its iPhone 3G. Sure, it offers 3G connectivity and an App Store, but it has its limitations too. The phone doesn't offer MMS for those that want to send pictures to others through a cell phone and it's locked down to just one carrier: AT&T.

I sat down with three iPhone alternatives - RIM's Blackberry Curve, LG's enV2, and T-Mobile's Sidekick. Each phone offers its own useful feature set and can compete on the same basic level as Apple's iPhone. Each device offers an email component, as well as a Web browser and can perform many of the tasks currently performed on the iPhone 3G, albeit without a touch-screen.

How I tested

Testing each device came with its own set of difficulties because of their varied designs. Because each device is so different, they were evaluated based on their merit and the perceived value to the user. They were also compared to each other based on call quality, Web connectivity, and added features.

LG enV2

Carrier tested: Verizon Wireless
Price: $179.99 with two-year contract

The LG enV2 is a unique device in this review because it's not a smartphone as we've come to understand them. Instead of the familiar QWERTY keyboard dominating the design, the front of the enV2 sports a numerical keypad and a small display. Once you flip that panel up, it reveals a full-sized keyboard and a much larger screen, which helps you navigate the device.

It should be noted that the enV2 is not an iPhone competitor in the same sense that the BlackBerry is. This device isn't necessarily designed for organization or productivity, but it still offers the functionality, which makes it unique in the testing.

Overall, the enV2's interface is easily navigable and its Qwerty keyboard makes it extremely easy to type out long text messages or emails. At first glance, the device won't look like a smartphone because it offers the same basic Verizon Wireless splash screen commonly found on normal cell phones, but a little digging will reveal a full-featured device that will let you access and use your preferred email service like Yahoo Mail or AOL Mail and surf the web over Verizon's high-speed EVDO.

But that's also where the issues quickly come about. The enV2's ability to make browsing the Web efficient and enjoyable is severely diminished by its small screen and poor browser. The enV2 is not a touch-screen device, so there's no way to easily magnify the page to make it easier to read and more often than not, you'll find yourself squinting to see what's worth reading. Worse, the browser effectively kills the layout of the Webpage. And for a device that's trying to fit into the business-friendly market, that's simply unacceptable.

That said, call quality is superb with the enV2 and after placing calls both locally and abroad to both landlines and cell phones, the enV2 easily competes on the same level with the superior sound quality offered in the BlackBerry Curve.

The bottom line: If design were the only factor worth considering, the enV2 would easily eclipse other devices. But design isn't the only consideration and the device fails to fully offer a solution worth considering if Web browsing is a must. And for $179.99 with a two-year contract, I doubt too many people would be willing to pay that much to have it.

RIM BlackBerry Curve

Carrier tested: AT&T
Price: $199.99 with two-year contract

RIM's BlackBerry Curve was designed for the businessperson in mind. Its balance of sleek design and superb functionality not only makes it an ideal choice for those looking to use something other than the iPhone 3G, but also for those who like knowing that their device will perform more of the tasks offered by other devices in this roundup.

The BlackBerry Curve's design is simple, yet elegant. It features curved edges (thus the name) and a large screen that easily captures the dynamic BlackBerry OS. It features a full QWERTY keyboard, but after prolonged use, it quickly becomes apparent that the device's keyboard isn't for everyone. In fact, if you have larger fingers and prefer a full-sized keyboard like the one that comes with the enV2, stay far away from the BlackBerry Curve.

But if you don't mind a small keyboard, there are many things to like in RIM's offering. The familiar trackball navigation is back and working better than ever. With a few moves of your thumb, you can scroll through some of the major apps like the calendar, email, and music.
But the real value of the BlackBerry Curve and the main reason why it's giving Apple such a hard time in its trek to gain control over the smartphone market is its superb business integration. In a matter of seconds, you can quickly add your work's email address to your BlackBerry and its support for push email, calendar, and contacts, plus Exchange support, makes it an ideal solution for any businessperson who wants to bring the work with them. And with built-in GPS functionality, road warriors will never get lost as long as the BlackBerry Curve tags along on the trip.

The BlackBerry Curve's email program is superb and easily the best in its class. In a matter of seconds, it will be set up and ready to go. Once the setup process is completed, it only takes a few seconds for you to fully understand how to control the entire process. I found that the BlackBerry Curve's email program easily eclipsed the other services and made it easy to monitor my Gmail account, as well as the other email services I connected to without a problem.

Browsing the Web on the BlackBerry is a much different story. Although you'll be happy with the relatively high speeds, you'll be upset to know that it doesn't offer the kind of Web page scaling already available on the iPhone 3G and viewing Web pages is extremely difficult thanks to the small screen. It would have been nice if BlackBerry streamlined the process better with some more capable browsers, but unfortunately it has not and the browsing experience tends to detract from an otherwise worthwhile device.

If the quality of calls is a deciding factor, you'll be happy to know that sound quality is superb and the BlackBerry Curve's speakerphone functionality is the best in its class.

The bottom line: For $199.99, the BlackBerry Curve offers some of the best functionality you can find. And although its browsing capabilities leave much to be desired, its business integration, outstanding call quality, and high-quality design make it an ideal alternative to any other device on store shelves.

T-Mobile Sidekick

Carrier tested: T-Mobile
Price: $199.99 after instant discount with two-year contract

The first thing you'll notice about the T-Mobile Sidekick is its size. It's not only the longest of all the phones tested, it's also the thickest. And although some may find size an issue, they'll quickly find that the biggest problem with the T-Mobile Sidekick has little to do with the device and everything to do with the fact that T-Mobile's service is sub-par, at best.

T-Mobile's coverage is less than ideal. Its 3G coverage doesn't even compare to AT&T's and generally speaking, the browsing experience is brutally slow when you're outside the areas where 3G is available.

If you can get over the speed issues and the generally slow browsing experience, you'll be happy with everything else the Sidekick offers. Its email application is nice, though not nearly as nice as the BlackBerry's, and its browser, although less than ideal, can still beat out the experience on the enV2.

Overall, the Sidekick's keyboard is much nicer than the BlackBerry's and just as useful as the enV2's. And thanks to its full-sized layout with numbers above the letters, you'll quickly find that BlackBerry's patented style pales in comparison to the Sidekick's.

Much like the BlackBerry, you navigate through the Sidekick's menu with a trackball while the screen is flipped up and the device is held in landscape mode. The screen is flanked by other buttons that let you send and end calls and help you navigate through the menu.

But the menu itself is brutal to work your way through. It features a series of "bubbles" to the left of the screen, which can be navigated with the help of the trackball. More often than not, I found myself skipping past the buttons I wanted to click and quickly realized that it's far more difficult to work my way around the Sidekick's menu than any other device tested.

Sound quality during calls was fine, though it didn't quite compare to its rivals. On speaker, I was a little displeased by the volume of the call and the person on the other end of the call said I sounded a little "tinny," which can be a major detraction for business professionals.

The bottom line: The T-Mobile Sidekick is a fine device for business professionals who are looking for something other than the iPhone. But T-Mobile's poor service and the device's menu take away from a generally good device.

My take

When it's all said and done and users need to make the decision about which device they want, picking between the T-Mobile Sidekick and the BlackBerry Curve is advised. But when it comes down to it, the BlackBerry Curve easily stands out from the pack and provides the greatest proposition for business professionals and consumers alike.

ITworld