Andrew Douglas B2B journalist, turned PR man, specializing in new media.

iPhone vs. BlackBerry

Typing on my BlackBerry Bold 9800 is so much easier than on my wife's iPhone 3GS. And that fact alone might make up for all its other downfalls.

We went head to head recently typing the famous opening line to Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again." The rule was you weren't done until you'd typed the lines perfectly. I thumbed it on my BB.  Anne did the same on her iPhone. Then we switched -- I took her iPhone and gave her my BlackBerry.

Both times, the person on the BlackBerry typed 30 per cent faster than the person using the iPhone, even when using the unfamiliar device.

Now believe me, I love Anne's iPhone. It's a beautiful, powerful smartphone with a sweet interface and more apps than you could use in a lifetime. But for typing, it bites. Trying to hit the right key is frustrating and slow.

Anne is a very annoying iPhone owner. "Oh, does your phone not have an app for that?" she'll say sweetly. "Mine does." But in a moment of honesty, she admitted that the majority of the time she uses her iPhone as a phone or for email.

New iPhone 4G unveiled today. Still no keyboard.

I could write a long list of beefs I have with my BlackBerry -- like the fact that I'm so adept at doing a hard reboot by removing the battery that I bet I could do it blindfolded. Or the lack of apps. Or should we talk about the small screen?

But for keeping my inbox clean and moving projects along while I'm out of the office, give me my BlackBerry any day.