Bravura Networks Blog

Eight years ago I would have talked about the development of cell phones pulling away from pagers, the now ancient communication device for delivering short messages, usually a phone number or a string of text using pager code. However, with the onset of “smart-phones” taking over the telecommunications market I am reminded of the once simple cell phone or “dumb” phone as some may call it. With no advanced features and very limited functionality, these phones only offer basic usage such as calling and texting. During those days, I would’ve never imagined the cell phone’s evolution and capabilities available today.

That said, the current powerhouses in the smartphone market today are Apple’s iPhone 4, Motorola’s Droid Pro, and RIM’s Blackberry Torch. Barring all carrier issues, costs, and woes, let’s talk about the phones themselves and what benefits, or drawbacks, they bring to the consumer.

The iPhone 4, the most recent generation of its legacy, offers a 3.5” LCD, with dual cameras, one on the front as well as the back. One of the most appreciated upgrades to the iPhone 4 is its outstanding picture quality. Using a 640 by 960 resolution “retina display,” it is over four times sharper than its predecessor. For users who heavily watch videos and need sharp video rendering capabilities, the iPhone is the answer. Apple’s continual innovation is commendable, always striving to develop the latest and greatest. One of their newest features is Facetime, offering video call services using its front facing camera, moving them one step closer to a futuristic calling platform. Furthermore, what sets the iPhone apart from others is its multi-tasking abilities. This has been a user complaint for a while, and addressing it head on has given Apple a larger edge in the smartphone market.

Research in Motion (RIM)’s latest release is the Blackberry Torch, arguably their best phone yet. It offers a 3.2” LCD, 5.0 megapixels camera, and both a QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen virtual keyboard. As always with Blackberries, the Torch seem to have crisp and clear call quality as well as its usual powerful email and messaging services, stock-full of security features and remote wipe services for businesses. The biggest change in this development, however, is RIM’s new OS, the Blackberry 6. RIM has abandoned its previous web-browsing system for a new Webkit-based browser to remedy user’s awful experiences. Furthermore, using a new homescreen layout, they have aimed to make functions and applications more accessible, much appreciated from the “menus within menus” from before. However, the Torch is running on a 624 MHz processor, still behind the speeds of the iPhone and Droid Pro, clocked at 1 GHz out the box.

Motorola’s planned release for the Droid Pro on November 19 may hit hard for RIM. Termed the “Blackberry Killer,” the Droid Pro is seemingly aimed at Blackberry’s customer base. Droid Pro is marketed towards businesses, with an array of features that Blackberry has offered. Especially alarming is its close resemblance to the Blackberry’s familiar layout, including the QWERTY keyboard. A few of the key features the new Droid Pro offers include: Exchange and email sync, Flash, a powerful VPN integration system, and the long awaited Remote Wipe. Now offering the same business features that previously gave RIM a stronghold in the smartphone market, Motorola seems to have an advantage. With secure Exchange synchronization as well as VPN capabilities, businesses can seamlessly switch from Blackberries to the Droid without worrying about loss of connectivity to their business servers. Even more profound is the Droid’s new “Remote Wipe” feature, which has been solely a Blackberry service. With phone theft and loss on the rise, it is a much needed capability and a definite welcome.

All three phone moguls have their advantages and disadvantages, with their own loyal customer base built from years of service. However, as we move towards the future, brand loyalty will only go so far. What will set each of these companies apart will be their ability to adapt to modern needs and continually improve their features and benefits. The future of these smartphones is still unknown, but one thing is for sure: The phone to win the race is the one to deliver the best innovations and answers to user needs and complaints.

Tony is a Service Coordinator with San Diego-based Bravura Networks, Inc.

Contact Tony at ttran@bravuranetworks.com