Web Winners | iPhone vs. the world

With more than a million iPhones sold, we revisit the matter of how the much-hyped device from Apple Inc. stacks up with other smart phones. These Web sites have addressed the matter. If you think the issue is settled, read on.

TechCrunch. Here, for business users, are results of a two-week summer test of the iPhone and a late version of the RIM BlackBerry by someone identified only as a venture capitalist. In this case, the BlackBerry comes out on top as a better telephone, with faster downloads. In posted comments, readers chide the anonymous VC for missing various features and for not testing other products.

http://go.philly.com/smartphone1

Wireless Info. This exhaustive technical review compared the iPhone and versions of the LG Prada, Palm Treo, BlackBerry, Helio Ocean and Nokia N95. Charts and graphs track such details as audio quality, connectivity and battery life. The section on the devices' cameras is complete with test patterns for focus and color quality. Conclusion here: The iPhone lived up to its hype.

http://go.philly.com/smartphone2

Gizmodo. Billing itself as a gadget guide "so much in love with shiny new toys, it's unnatural," Gizmodo's blog-style site provides up-to-the-moment reports on rumored, as well as real, new products, including smart phones along with other consumer electronics, computer chips, even cars. It's also loaded with testimonials from early adopters.

http://gizmodo.com/

Review the reviews. What you find at the ConsumerSearch Web site are links to other Web publications' product reviews - and ConsumerSearch's ratings of the credibility of the reviews. Reviews of reviews. It's all very derivative, but interesting and helpful in that there are digests of the original reviews, and you can scan them on a single page. The top-rated reviews are those from Cnet.com, Laptop Magazine and PC Magazine. Least-liked are those from Amazon.com and the Epinions Web site.

http://go.philly.com/smartphone3