Unboxing the BlackBerry 9630 (Tour)

With all the brouhaha caused by the Motorola Droid, I’ve been neglecting some of the other recent arrivals. Last week at the Sprint Open Developer Conference, in addition to getting a free HTC Hero, I also scored a free BlackBerry 9630 (Tour)!

In the past, I’ve enjoyed the BlackBerry 8320 (Curve) and, although the BlackBerry 9530 (Storm) was a total disaster, I was impressed with its CDMA+GSM radio and its excellent camera. The Tour is the best of both worlds – a traditional BlackBerry like the Curve with the same trick radio and camera as the Storm…

Apple iPhone 3GS vs. Palm Pre camera

iPhone 3GS sample pictures (slide show):

Pre sample pictures (slide show):

OK, you’re probably thinking this is a bit of an unfair comparison – although the Apple iPhone 3GS camera lacks an (arguably useless) LED flash, the Palm Pre camera lacks the (absolutely essential) auto-focus, as well as video recording…

But, other than the difference in camera and storage specs, the missing GSM/UMTS radios, and the limited selection of apps, the Pre provides 95-105% the iPhone 3GS user experience and features a QWERTY keyboard – that is pretty impressive!

People currently looking for a subsidized über-phone in the US are going to compare the iPhone 3GS and the Pre (and perhaps even the T-Mobile G1 and the Blackberry Storm). So what about the 3 megapixel camera on each device?

Nokia E75 camera

There’s no doubt the Nokia E75 is a great device. But the camera really surprised me…

With 3.2 a megapixel sensor, auto-focus, macro, a single LED flash, and VGA video recording at 30 fps, the E75 camera specs fall somewhere in between the “meh” Nokia 5800 camera (which features dual LED flash and Zeiss optics) and the mediocre E66/E71 camera (which only features QVGA video recording at 15 fps).

But in reality, the E75 leaves the 5800 in the dust, beats the decent T-Mobile G1 and teases the excellent BlackBerry Storm to the finish line – check out the pictures and judge for yourself!

Noise – a case study

Note: Other pictures taken with the Samsung T929 (Memoir) are available on my Flickr account.

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So I decided to do a little experiment: take 3 pictures with 3 devices (one each) at night in the same location around the same time! The goal? Evaluate how megapixels affect low-light performance.

The megapixel myth tells us that more megapixels is not necessarily better. It generally means smaller pixels, which means more heat, which results in more noise, which impacts low-light performance…

Of course there are many variables here: differences in optics, sensor type/size, image-processing/noise-reduction software, and more. Because this is meant to be a real-life test with real-life devices, I can’t control these variables – I can only pick suitable devices.

Life with the BlackBerry Storm

I only have 2 words to describe my 3 weeks with the BlackBerry 9530 (Storm): epic fail! From the day the Storm was announced it was clear to me that some nasty weather was heading this way from Canada. Hold this thought as a segue for moment.

BlackBerry Storm camera

Yes it’s true. As I’ve already mentioned, the BlackBerry 9530 (Storm) camera is nice!

In fact, this is the best 3 megapixel camera I’ve used on a phone recently – It’s that good…

The T-Mobile G1 comes close, but the Storm easily beats the Nokia 5800, especially when shooting in low-light.

Podcast: Talking with Matt #5

It’s time for another podcast (26 min) with Matthew Bennett:
- Audio version
- Video version

This week we discussed the BlackBerry 9530 (Storm) and the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, amongst other things. Enjoy :)

Click here to subscribe to this podcast.

Unboxing the BlackBerry 9530 (Storm)

Yes, I’m crashing the BlackBerry 9530 (Storm) party and I’m being fashionably late :)

Oh, I know what you’re thinking – this time, she’s gone completely mad! A BlackBerry? The Storm? With Verizon? Hush – I have a plan and I have 30 days!

See, in addition to CDMA/EVDO, the Storm supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE (quad band) and UMTS/HSDPA (2100, Europe/Asia). I’m unlocking it, and I’m taking it for a spin.

It’s only fair – I’ve already played with every other capacitive touch screen device available so far, except the Storm. Besides, the camera is nice (probably better than the competition), and I’m a sucker for good cameras on phones.

So check out the pictures, and hold on! It’s gonna be a fun ride…