Posted by: Luis Cruz - Posted on: 01-19-2010

Today’s top smart phones are capable of some amazing things. If they want to compete in the market, they can’t just be phones anymore. They have to have high speed wireless Internet capabilities, touch screens, and other amenities such as digital cameras and even projectors. This article compares four of the best selling smart phones on the market, taking into account price, quality, and capabilities.

Blackberry Curve 8900

The first smart phone on the chopping block is the newest Blackberry Curve model, the 8900. The Curve is smaller than its predecessor, and sleeker, with black casing and it is also a bit lighter. It is a very solid design and would probably hold up well to wear and tear.

The Blackberry Curve 8900 plays a variety of sound and video files. It comes with Roxie Media installed, which quickly and easily converts files to the proper format for the best viewing on the phone. Another great aspect of the Blackberry Curve 8900 is that it can sync directly with iTunes, and even captures the album art. Your Blackberry Curve 8900 is an excellent product if you are heavily into playing media and music on the go.

This phone also comes with a 3.2 megapixel camera and video recorder, which is an improvement over the last Curve model. Also, it is equipped with better browsing capabilities and faster page loads. However, it does not have 3G, which may be off-putting to those who want to surf the net at faster speeds.

One excellent program that comes pre-installed on the Blackberry Curve 8900 is DocumentsToGo. DocumentsToGo is a program that supports Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, and allows you to view and edit the files on your Blackberry before sending them out in an email. It is an ideal program for doing business anywhere.

The going price for the Blackberry Curve 8900 ranges from $300 to $350, depending on your T-Mobile contract.

Blackberry Storm 2

The Blackberry Storm 2 differs from the Blackberry Curve 8900 in that it is faster, has a big touch screen, and has more memory. This phone more closely resembles an iPhone, but has that sleek, black look more often found in the Blackberry brand.

This is the ultimate traveling phone in the Blackberry catalog. WiFi is the Internet of choice for the Blackberry Storm 2. It also contains an integrated GPS, lots of memory, and is flash drive enabled.

As far as amenities, it does have a camera and video recorder. However, this phone is more for browsing than it is creating documents or media. For that, I would recommend the Blackberry Curve 8900.

The Blackberry Storm 2 is a great browsing tool, and is excellent for checking e-mail, navigation, and browsing on the go. The price ranges from $600 to 700 because it is brand new. You may want to shop around and compare the Blackberry Storm 2 with other smart phones if this is out of your price range.

iPhone 3G S

The iPhone 3G S looks virtually the same as its predecessor. But once you pick up this phone, you will notice the difference right away. The iPhone 3G S is super speedy, with more memory. The phone is a bit heavier than the 3G, but it has a glossy black finish and has a more sensitive touch screen.

Another interesting aspect of the 3G S is the coating on the screen. It holds up well against oils and grease from fingers and faces, lessening the “sticky” feeling of the prior iPhone model. The touch screen runs more smoothly, and does not get bogged down from too many fingerprints. It also appears a bit warmer, that is the screen is more on the yellow side than blue, which is easier on the eyes.

The camera has also been upgraded. It is now a 3 megapixel camera, which is definitely better than the 2 megapixel camera of the 3G, but it could be better. Video quality is greatly improved in this phone, and the download speeds are lightening fast.

The 3G S is running at a number of prices. For a no-commitment 3G S fresh out of the box, it is between $600 and $700. To upgrade your existing iPhone 3G, it will be about $300. Since there is almost visually no difference between the iPhone 3G and the 3G S, upgrading is probably the best deal.

Motorola Droid

This is the smart phone to buy if you are not a fan of Apple products. If you are a PC user, this is your phone. It is small, skinny, and perfect for travel.

The Moto Droid looks great, first of all. It has an amazing screen resolution and a snazzy full pop-out keypad. This is also one of the most powerful phones on the market, with a brand new navigation app, contacts and social networking synch function, better email management, and a better browser.

Video and music files are the only areas that the Moto Droid falls short. While the phone does have decent memory, it simply does not have the capabilities of music synching that the iPhone does. However, the screen is so vivid, that watching low-quality videos automatically look better, so that’s a plus.

The Moto Droid will set you back about $600 brand new. This is definitely comparable to the other smart phones on the market.

If I had to choose the best smart phone, I would definitely go for the Moto Droid. While it doesn’t have the video and music capabilities that the iPhone or Blackberries have, it is just a really good looking little phone. The screen is amazingly clear, it has tons of memory, and it has blazing fast downloads. If I wanted my phone to be an iPod, then I would buy an iPhone. Instead, I want my phone to travel with me and do useful things, like possess a GPS, manage my email, and have a fast Internet browser. Did I mention that the screen on this thing is absolutely gorgeous?