We’ve seen touchscreen phone after touchscreen phone pouring off the production line this year, but as the success of the Nokia N96 shows, there’s still a huge market out there for keypads. We’ve taken two of the hottest QWERTY keyboard mobiles today, the LG Prada II and the T-Mobile G1, and locked them up in a cage with the BlackBerry Storm, the fastest touchscreen typer in the West. Only one’s getting out alive: see who survives inside.
Cellular style
Before it even strutted onto the catwalk, we knew the Prada II was going to be a winner. Not because it says Prada on it though, we’re not that shallow. We’d be raving about that black and silver polished look even without the fashion label’s logo plastered across it, but when you consider that LG’s throwing in a Bluetooth watch you’d actually want to wear, you’ve got the bargain of the season. Not like that T-Mobile G1, plain and tall.
Winner: LG Prada II
Speed writing
As touchscreens go, the Storm’s clickable screen makes typing onto it as efficient as can be, and cut and paste works a treat to speed things up, but it can’t compete with a slide-out QWERTY keypad. The Prada’s is sturdy enough for lengthy messages, but this one’s got to go to the G1 for offering both, as well as an app to finger write onto the screen.
Winner: T-Mobile G1
Megapixel monster
None of the three are going to compare against Samsung’s Pixon phone/DSLR, but the Prada II handbags the other two out of the way still with a five megapixel snapper on board. The G1 and the Storm both pack 3.2ers, but the image editing software available on Android puts the former ahead into a comfortable second.
Winner: LG Prada II
Software support
There’s three different operating systems inside each of the phones – the Prada packs LG’s own non-smart OS, the T-Mobile G1 Google Android and the Storm its own BlackBerry OS. Which is best though? LG’s software offers little in the way of potential for expanding, but while the Storm will have its own store, it’s extremely buggy. Hands down victor is open source Android, and you can get the low down on the best free apps for it right here.
Winner: T-Mobile G1
Multimedia mobile
Decent video support is still lacking on the G1, so it’s a bare knuckle fight between the Prada and the Storm. The former does support DivX playback, but we’re yet to test out its movie capabilities to the max. We’ve already seen the Storm in action though, and it’s definitely one of the BlackBerry’s stronger points, and it’s the only one of the three to offer stereo Bluetooth also. For ease, convenience and sound quality out of the box, this one’s a TKO by RIM.
Winner: BlackBerry Storm
Extra features
This one has to go to points, as all three offer USPs by the bundle. The Storm has a push down screen and that convenient wireless sound support, while the Prada II packs a keyboard, Bluetooth watch, two cameras for video chats and even a tool for measuring G-Force. That doesn’t strike us as entirely necessary however, whereas the G1′s trackball for BlackBerry converts and compass for next-gen GPS navigation are. All three go the distance, but for bonus bits you’ll actually use, the G1 wins.
Winner: T-Mobile G1
Net connection
High-speed download packeting thingy HSDPA comes included in all three handsets for broadband speed browsing, but one of them is missing another rather crucial acronym, WiFi. Surprisingly, it’s not the Prada II, the only non-smartphone in the competition, but the Storm. Shame on you RIM! How’s a man supposed to receive large email attachments in hotspots without it eh? While we’re impressed by just how many file formats the Prada supports, LG doesn’t have the potential to improve web surfing in the same way Google does with Android – with Flash support for instance.
Winner: T-Mobile G1
Network and tariffs
At £30 a month plus no cash up front, the LG is probably the cheapest thing you’ll ever buy with Prada on it, and while the Storm is in roughly the same price band (Free from £35 a month), you’re looking at locking yourself into a lengthy 24 month contract in the process. The T-Mobile G1 on er, T-Mobile, seems the most generous offer of the three, with all you can eat data from £35 a month and a free handset, and it at least has WiFi if you’re creeping up to fair usage limits.
Winner: T-Mobile G1
Overall winner: T-Mobile G1
