Online Calculator Helps You Choose the Best Smartphone

Tool lets you enter your own priorities to see which device is best for you: iPhone, BlackBerry, Droid, or Palm Pre.

By InfoWorld staff
Fri, November 13, 2009

InfoWorld — As the number of truly smart smartphones continues to grow, choosing the right device for your personal or business use is increasingly difficult. It's no longer a clear choice betwen Apple's consumer-oriented iPhone and Research in Motion's enterprise-oriented BlackBerry.

Slideshow: Smartphones of CTIA Fall 2009: 10 Groundbreaking Gadgets

To help users choose the right smartphone for them, InfoWorld.com has made available as a free online tool the InfoWorld Mobile Deathmatch Calculator in which users can indicate how important seven basic sets of criteria are to them and get a personal score for each device based on those individual settings. There's also a quick menu that lets you choose from four predefined usage types -- personal, small business, midsize to large business, and highly regulated business -- to get a custom score quickly.

Slideshow: The Definitive Android Smartphone Guide
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[ Read InfoWorld's in-depth mobile deathmatch series: BlackBerry Bold vs. iPhone | Palm Pre vs. iPhone | Motorola Droid vs. iPhone. And see our deathmatch slideshows' head-to-head comparisons: BlackBerry Bold vs. iPhone | Palm Pre vs. iPhone | Motorola Droid vs. iPhone. | Read our review of the HTC Droid Eris. ]

The InfoWorld Mobile Deathmatch Calculator -- named after InfoWorld's series of head-to-head, in-depth reviews of the major mobile devices -- covers the Apple iPhone 3G S, HTC Droid Eris, Motorola Droid, Palm Pre, RIM BlackBerry Bold, and RIM BlackBerry Storm 2.

The smartphone calculator also includes a table that shows the differences among the six devices in key feature categories. In addition, InfoWorld offers a no-cost online tool to find iPhone apps suited for professional and business users.

Related stories

InfoWorld Mobile Deathmatch CalculatorFind out what smartphone is right for you by customizing your requirements in our calculatorUltimate mobile deathmatch: iPhone vs. BlackBerry vs. Droid vs. PreDespite the Droid, the iPhone and BlackBerry remain on top; use our ratings calculator to determine the best smartphone for youTest Center review: HTC Droid Eris, the under-Droid While everyone's talking (or not) about the Motorola Droid, they would do well to consider the slicker, smoother, cheaper HTC Droid ErisFirst look: Motorola Droid, HTC Droid Eris are risky for business Exchange mail policy support iffy, and security and configurability are subpar Surprise! The Droid Eris is a better smartphone than the Droid HTC's iPhone-like mobile device is more advanced in key areas than the Motorola Droid, whose physical keyboard is hard to use Android 2.0: The iPhone killer at last? Get past the hype: Here's the real deal on Android's chances to unseat the iPhone Video: The first smartphone powered by Android 2.0 Motorola and Verizon unveil their hoped-for 'iPhone killer,' the Droid Mobile deathmatch: Motorola Droid vs. iPhone, side by side The latest contender for mobile champ has the power of Google's Android OS behind it. See how they stack upMobile deathmatch: Palm Pre vs. iPhone, side by side Which mobile device can do the most for you? See what each can do -- or not -- in this comparison Mobile deathmatch rematch: BlackBerry vs. iPhone 3.0, side by side The iPhone 3.0 OS takes on some of the BlackBerry's advantages for business users. See where the iPhone wins over the BlackBerry, and where the BlackBerry still prevails 21 apps Apple doesn't want on your iPhone Worthwhile productivity apps you won't find at the App Store The no-junk business iPhone apps finder InfoWorld's interactive catalog of iPhone apps designed for businesses, professionals, and IT staff

This story, "Online calculator helps you choose the best smartphone," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow the latest developments in Google Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, and WebOS at InfoWorld.com.

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