A Blackberry can be a blessing for those who need to email on-the-go, view rich, detailed multimedia, need web mobility without the hassle of a laptop and yes, make the occasional phone call. With a price tag that barely skims the limits of a student's budget, this means saving up for the perfect 'berry'. And when that time comes, you want to make the right choice!  

The Blackberry Storm Boasting longer battery life and the use of both the SureType keyboard and the full QWERTY keyboard (simply by turning the phone on its side), the Storm received generally favourable reviews for its strong call and speaker performance, sleek (though rather heavy) design and smooth wireless applications. The Blackberry Storm also allows for the ever-useful 'copy and paste' function, but it is not without a few gripes. Reviewers generally note that keyboard usability suffer more in comparison to the other models, largely due to its touch screen. Other reviews also mention that the GPS, call, and entertainment functions are superb and are major pluses but the other features pale to the other Blackberry models, most notably the keyboards.

The Blackberry Bold Although it does not stand out too much in terms of its entertainment functions (video, camera, music and so forth), it pops when it comes to its usability and email, call, and browsing functions. Some reviews highlighted its good battery life of 5.5 hours even with heavy usage. It is also far more efficient and user-friendly. Just one little gripe; at a little over 150 grammes, the bold is a little on the bulky side.

The Blackberry Pearl/ Pearl Flip (Pearl 8130) Arguably the most popular of the Blackberry models, the Curve is a marriage between function and looks - and it seems that this marriage is not on the rocks anytime soon. According to reviews, the Curves' full keyboard was easy to use, yet without the bulkiness of the Bold. It also comes power-packed with the usual features - big bonus is the 3.2 MP camera and the relatively pocket-friendly weight of 88 grammes. Added to that a 512 MB processor, the delicious combination of media player, Wi Fi and email and you've got one of the most popular smartphones around.

Source: Malaysian Today