Fruity Turf War Between Apple and BlackBerry

Even for those people who aren't captains of industry, the ability to check messages quickly and easily on their phone is fast becoming a "must have" feature, rather than simply an optional extra. And let's face it, no-one does mobile email like BlackBerry.
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The all-conquering business mobile now has designs on the rest of your life. By Claudine Beaumont

We're going to be enjoying some titanic battles this summer: athletes will be pushing through the pain barrier in Beijing to come home with a gold medal; football teams from across Europe will be kicking lumps out of one another in Austria and Switzerland at Euro 2008; and Apple and Research in Motion, the Canadian company behind the wildly popular BlackBerry mobile email device, will be slugging it out for the hearts, minds and wallets of consumers.

With Apple widely expected to launch an updated model of the iPhone in June, featuring faster internet access as well as a host of new applications and programs, other mobile phone makers are pulling out all the stops to make sure they don't end up trailing in Apple's wake.

Research in Motion, in particular, is concious of this. Although it has more than 14 million global subscribers to its BlackBerry "push-email" service, whereby messages are automatically delivered to the phone rather than the user having to download them each time, almost two-thirds of these are "enterprise" subscriptions - essentially, businessmen and women.

But hang on a second. That means more than a third of BlackBerry users aren't "enterprise" customers. They are people like you and me who simply want to be able to access their emails on the go. Phones are becoming more like pocket-sized computers, capable of carrying out multiple tasks, and email has become absolutely critical to the way we live our daily lives.

Reaching out to a new audience is crucial to Research in Motion's ongoing success. Apple plans to launch new software that will give its iPhone BlackBerry-like push-email capabilities ideal for the workplace, and it has already won plaudits from consumers for the design and interface of its phone-cum-iPod-cum-internet browser.

That's why Research in Motion has launched its most consumer-friendly handset yet: the Bold. It's not due in shops until later this summer, but expect it to start a fruity turf war between Apple and BlackBerry. The Bold is BlackBerry's attempt to cast off its business suit and don some casual clothes for a change.

It maintains the email capabilities so beloved by BlackBerry users and builds a swathe of really great features into the device that you might find on a "normal" phone.

Bold owners will be able to watch videos on the go; surf the internet at faster speeds than they currently can on an iPhone, using the 3G mobile phone network and super-slick HSDPA as well as Wi-Fi; find a nice local restaurant or cosy pub using the built-in GPS and mapping software; take pictures using the two-megapixel camera (the same resolution camera used on the iPhone); and - this is the crucial bit - download their music collection to the device from their iTunes library. Take that, Apple!

Even the design of the Bold is a nod to the iPhone, with its piano-black finish, rounded corners and silver flashes. Unlike the iPhone, however, there's no touchscreen. Instead BlackBerry is sticking with its tried, trusted and adored qwerty keyboard layout, which allows dedicated CrackBerry addicts to speedily touch-type emails. Rumour has it, however, that a touchscreen BlackBerry, dubbed "Thunder", is in the works and could hit stores by the end of the year.

The screen, with its 480 by 320 resolution, is bright, crisp and clear, albeit smaller than on an iPhone. The Bold's processor is also slightly faster than that used by the Apple device, which should keep programs running smoothly. And, unlike the iPhone, the Bold allows users to multi-task: you'll be able to use the mapping software, surf the web or write an email while making a phone call.

While there's only 1GB of memory built into the Bold - compared to the 8GB and 16GB versions of the iPhone currently offered by Apple - you can simply add a memory card to bump that up to 16GB, which is more than enough for a couple of movies and a lengthy playlist of songs.

Of course, the Bold, like all BlackBerrys, has a major downside: the possibility of addiction. The ability compulsively to check emails every five minutes is just too tempting. Even if you resolve not to check it at weekends or in the evening, the blinking light that signals an unread message will be impossible to resist. Madonna recently admitted that she and husband Guy Ritchie take their BlackBerrys to bed with them, and sleep with them under their pillows.

BlackBerry users over on the forums at CrackBerry.com proudly swap stories of just how big a role the device plays in their life. Many talk about their being three people in their relationships, while another writes of how he used his BlackBerry to email family and friends that he was having a heart attack while being rushed to hospital by ambulance.

Don't say we didn't warn you.
Blackberry is not the only fruit
Don't like the look of the BlackBerry Bold or the Apple iPhone? Here are our top three alternatives to the the most popular email devices

HTC Touch Cruise
www.htctouch.com
This Windowspowered smartphone has a full qwerty keyboard, allows you to surf the internet using 3G, HSDPA, and Wi-Fi, and has a fairly responsive 2.8in touchscreen.

O2 XDA Stellar
www.O2.co.uk
This side-sliding phone has a full Qwerty keyboard, 3G, HSDPA and Wi-Fi capabilities, MP3 player, threemegapixel camera, and a touchscreen. It supports BlackBerry email, too.

Nokia N95
www.nseries.com
If you're not ready to make the leap to a full-on BlackBerry-style device and would prefer a conventional handset, the N95 is a good choice. It has a good web browser, decent email functionality, built-in GPS and wireless connectivity. A newer model, the N96, is due out soon.