Taken by BlackBerry Storm

The screen is visible in three dimensions: vertical, and two horizontal directions. Unlike the iPhone, the Storm can be viewed horizontally left or right. When typing in the vertical mode, you are greeted with an onscreen BlackBerry Pearl-style keyboard. That means most "keys" have two letters, and a built-in software program helps figure out what word you're trying to type.

In both horizontal directions, you get a standard QWERTY on-screen keyboard. Of the two typing choices, I found the Pearl-style keyboard more to my liking. I thought the horizontal keyboard was a bit more difficult to type on with my big fingers.

Like the iPhone, the Storm comes with a button for an "Application Center" to download new features and upgrade ones already on the phone. Unlike Apple's software store, there were only a few applications available to download at this early stage. On the other hand, system upgrades download directly to the Storm so you don't have to connect your BlackBerry to a computer to do it.

On the Verizon EV-DO network, the Storm is extremely fast. No one -- not even the staunchest iPhone fan -- could ever say that about the Apple product on AT&T's (T Quote) 3G network. I was also able to test the Storm overseas. Like the iPhone, outside of the U.S. it operates on quad-band 3G GSM/GPRS/EDGE/HSPA networks.

On my recent trip, the phone was able to fly on 3G networks in big cities -- on EDGE networks in smaller cities -- and even worked (slowly) in very rural GSM towns and villages.

I turned the phone off when I got on the airplane coming home and was again greeted with 3G Verizon coverage as soon as I landed. If you intend to use the phone overseas, you need to contact Verizon before you leave the U.S. to make sure your phone is set up for GSM service.