Deathmatch: Web and Internet Galen: Before the iPhone had a wealth of apps, it had a wealth of Web sites, thanks to its Safari browser's support for most modern desktop Web technology, though Flash support is the big omission. That means you can view most Web pages on the iPhone, as long as you are willing to zoom in and scroll. But as noted in the previous section, Web-based tools such as Google Docs are a different story. Here I find the Pre easily as capable on the Web as the iPhone is.

Brandon: With Flash expected to arrive on the Pre this fall and its status on the iPhone a continuing mystery, the Pre may soon be a better Web device than the iPhone.

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The winner: A tie. Both the iPhone and Pre are real Web devices, giving you the true Web experience -- minus Flash.

Deathmatch: Location support Galen: Both the iPhone and the Pre support GPS location, and both can triangulate location based on Wi-Fi signals. Both devices also come with Google Maps, which can find your current destination, provide directions, and otherwise help you navigate. Both devices let developers integrate location information in their apps, so location is just another native feature.

I have to admit I like the Pre’s implementation of Google Maps better when it comes to following directions. The iPhone pages from one junction to the next, so I lose the context of where I am in relation to my whole trip. The Pre moves the map along the path, so you have a better handle of the next junction point.

Brandon: Well, you took the words right out of my mouth. In both devices, location really is built in as a foundational capability. That’s why in both devices, for example, a single click on a contact’s address can automatically set a destination in the Google Maps application.

The winner: A tie.

Deathmatch: User interface Galen: One of the biggest criticisms of the iPhone is its touch-based virtual keyboard. I admit that it takes longer to get used to than a physical keyboard, but once I navigated that learning curve, I found I was just as fast on it as on a physical keyboard. Still, I have trouble on the iPhone with Q, W, O, and P, due to the optical illusion as to their location caused by the glass.