To probably misquote Stephen Fry: “Was there ever a smartphone that I didn’t buy?”
As I posted a little while ago, I’m pretty happy with the Nexus One. Android is a nice, feature rich, open operating system, and the hardware isn’t bad. However, the one major drawback is the keyboard, which is at times incredibly frustrating.
As well as the Nexus One, at home I have an iPhone 3gs and a Blackberry Bold 9700. Each has its ups and downs, and I thought it might be worthwhile writing them up here. It would be great to hear what others think in the comments, too!
Google/HTC Nexus One
Pros:
- Integrates beautifully with both Google and third party services
- Email application is a delight
- Decent browser
- Plugs straight into a computer to manage files etc – no messing about with iTunes or other software
Cons:
- Touchscreen not always brilliant, and the keyboard can be appalling at times
- Not as many high quality apps as the iPhone
- Hardly any games
Apple iPhone 3gs
Pros:
- Lovely user experience
- Great on screen keyboard
- Mail application is OK
- Web browser is excellent
- Lots of great apps
Cons:
- Lack of sharing options – eg with photos etc
- Reliance on iTunes
- Not great as a phone
Blackberry Bold 9700
Pros:
- Physical keyboard is great
- Small and light
- Phone is very reliable
Cons:
- Mail application is surprisingly rubbish
- Doesn’t really work at all well with Gmail (whether consumer or enterprise editions)
- Terrible web browser
- Few apps
So there we are. The iPhone is probably overall the best, but because of my reliance on Google, I’ll stick with the Nexus One for now.
Perhaps the way forward would be an Android phone with a physical Blackberry-like keyboard?