BlackBerry Storm2 9520

Product Type	Smart phone
Connectivity	Bluetooth,WiFi,USB,GPS
Operating system	GPRS, 3G, HDSPA
Screen size	0.1 in.
Camera resolution	3.2 megapixels
Size (WxHxD)	62 x 113 x 14 mm
Weight	160 g
Available colours	Black

Since its birth ten years ago, the BlackBerry range has perfected the art of mobile email, thanks, in no small part, to RIM's Qwerty keyboard. But the rise of touchscreen smart phones, such as the iPhone, has left the BlackBerry brand stuck in a rut. The Storm 2 is RIM's latest attempt to cash in on the touchscreen frenzy.
The Storm 2 has all the email features we've come to know and love in other BlackBerry devices. It uses the BlackBerry server service to push your email to you in real-time, so you don't have to wait for the phone to check if something new has arrived. This also increases security, since everything is encrypted as it goes back and forth. Note that you must have a subscription to a BlackBerry-specific contract to make these features work, though.

The Storm 2 does a good job of putting all your contacts in one place. As well as separate inboxes for each email account, there's also a super-inbox that combines them all. If you have the Facebook app installed, you can see your Facebook messages in there too. The address book is similarly well-integrated with Facebook, and you can also grab your contacts from your Gmail account.

BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9105

Product Type	Smart phone
Connectivity	Bluetooth,wifi,usb,gps
Memory card type	microSD (up to 32GB)
Resolution	360x400 pixels
Camera resolution	3.2 megapixels
Size (WxHxD)	50 x 108 x 13 mm
Weight	93 g
Available colours	Black

That's not to say that the Pearl 3G is lacking in other departments compared to the 9700. It has every wireless waveform you could ask for, including the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi standard. It also has 3G connectivity, which less expensive BlackBerry handsets, like the Curve 8520, lack. There's Bluetooth on-board too, and GPS for use with Google Maps and location-aware apps.

The Pearl 3G takes full advantage of all that connectivity, with an all-in-one inbox that pulls in up to ten email accounts, your Facebook updates and your tweets. There are also separate Facebook and Twitter apps, as well as plenty of others, and we found that they made good use of the limited real estate on the Pearl 3G's 57mm (2.24-inch) screen.

BlackBerry Torch 9800

Product Type	Smart phone
Connectivity	Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G, HSPA
Operating system	Other
Screen size	3.2 in.
Camera resolution	5 megapixels
Size (WxHxD)	61x112x14 mm
Weight	161 g
Available colours	Black

The classic BlackBerry has a landscape screen with a Qwerty keyboard underneath, like the BlackBerry Bold 9700. But rather than stick with the landscape look for its new touchscreen Torch, RIM has opted for tall and thin instead. The keyboard slides out from below the screen the long way, which makes it narrower than it has to be. It also makes the phone feel top-heavy when you slide it open. Indeed, the Torch feels bulky, weighing in at 161g and porking out at 15mm thick.
The keyboard itself is okay to use, but we don't love it quite as much as the one on the Bold 9700. That's because it's got a lip around it that hindered our thumbs, and the keys didn't have the firm response that we like. But we still enjoyed typing long missives on the physical keyboard.
The on-screen keyboard is also very usable when you're feeling too lazy to pop open the slider. We had no trouble tapping out accurate messages, and the predictive text was helpful when we made mistakes. We also liked the built-in spell checker and the cursor, which made selecting parts of text easy.


We think you'll probably stick with the physical keyboard, otherwise you'll be wasting one of this phone's biggest advantages. But, if you want to type on the screen, you have the option of portrait and landscape Qwerty keyboards, a 12-key alphanumeric keyboard, and the SureType option, which offers two letters per key.

BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300

Product Type	Smart phone
Connectivity	Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G
Operating system	Other
Screen size	2.4 in.
Camera resolution	2 megapixels
Size (WxHxD)	60x109x14 mm
Weight	104 g
Available colours	Black

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BlackBerry Bold 9780

Product Type	Smart phone
Connectivity	Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G
Operating system	Other
Screen size	2.44 in
Camera resolution	5 megapixels
Size (WxHxD)	109x60x14 mm
Weight	122 g
Available colours	Black and White

Keyboard-loving BlackBerry fans who dutifully purchased the excellent Bold 9700 back in 2009 will probably be eyeing the 9780 with intense interest. Although the BlackBerry Torch 9800 was the first device from RIM to boast version 6 of its operating system, we're willing to bet that many hardcore devotees passed on purchasing it because of its sliding form factor and reliance on touchscreen commands -- two elements that don't exactly fit in with the company's ethos. The 9780 is therefore the first 'traditional' RIM phone to get the BlackBerry 6 OS, but by sticking to convention, the company has missed out on the opportunity to keep up with its rivals.
From a physical standpoint, the 9780 is almost identical to its predecessor. There are subtle differences -- including a slightly different faux-leather pattern on the back -- but for all intents and purposes, this is last year's fashion masquerading as today's trend. Not that there's anything especially wrong with that, of course. The 9700 was quite a looker, and this updated version retains the sleek lines, robust build quality and that gorgeous Qwerty keyboard.