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This morning, like most mornings, we were reading article after article, in search of anything BlackBerry related (really, we’re this geeky over it). The news was pretty much the same old, same old — yes, we know that the French have banned the BlackBerry for government communication. The only other big stories to repeatedly reach our inbox related to the iPhone. Yes, you know, that device that’s being released later this week that’s supposed to revolutionize smart phones.

Apparently, though, Research In Motion isn’t scared of this big bad machine. The biggest kicker for them: the traditional, mechanical QWERTY keyboard, as opposed to the touch screen function of the iPhone. “The industry has shown that well-designed tactile keyboards are the standard. That’s what people prefer,” said Mike Lazaridis, CEO of Research In Motion.

Really, the BlackBerry Curve offers nearly everything the iPhone does — and you won’t be shelling out $600 for it. Now, it won’t be as navigable as the iPhone; after all, that’s the device’s main selling point. However, all the features are there — maps and GPS, e-mail, and even the multimedia player.

Oh yeah, and the BlackBery is smaller and lighter, too.

We don’t mean to be all high and mighty about the BlackBerry, especially in comparison to (admittedly) one of the coolest gadgets to hit the market. We’re just saying that the iPhone is a $600 toy. Toys are cool. But the BlackBerry will still remain the king of functionality.

[San Francisco Chronicle]

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