The top tier of smartphones is basically divided between qwerty cell phone models and touch screen phones. The main difference is that a qwerty cell phone has a miniature keyboard integrated on its main panel or hidden under a sliding screen. Touch screen phones usually have no manual buttons or keys, and all the features are controlled by touching a sensitive screen on certain active spots. An Apple iPhone is a typical (or should I say one of the most popular) touch screen phone and a BlackBerry Curve is a typical qwerty cell phone.



Although touch screen smartphones can usually boast a sleek design, they are inconvenient when it comes to data entry and heavy messaging. However stylish is your iPhone, it won't be a serious business tool if your business is about writing long e-mails, editing word documents or excel spreadsheets on the move and writing SMS or participating in Instant Messaging.

Qwerty cell phone models like HTC and Palm W series come with Windows Mobile operational system, which means that your familiar Windows PC environment will make you feel comfortable and allow for intuitive operation. Cell phones with Windows system are better prepared for viewing and editing office documents, managing tasks and diary, they give better e-mail and browsing possibilities. They also tend to crash less frequently.

When choosing a qwerty cell phone, make sure it has an integrated camera of at least 2 Mpix and an MP3 player. These are usual features and you don't have to pay extra in order to acquire a full feature-packed phone. It's just that some older models don't have a camera, that's why you need to check!

Pros of an iPhone? Yes, there are certain features where iPhone remains unbeaten. That is memory and battery life. All iPhones come with either 8 Gb or 16 Gb memory storage depending on the edition. All main qwerty cell phone makers haven't risen their game to that. Instead they are offering the smartphones with mere 64 or 128 Mb in-built memory and a possibility to extend memory with MicroSD cards. The buyer then has to trouble himself to finding an appropriate MicroSD card from a third-party vendor. iPhone boasts a 5 hour talk time or 6 hour Wi-Fi web browsing time or 300 hours stand-by on a single battery charge. Qwerty cell phone models rarely offer such a long battery life.

Basically, when it comes to selecting a smartphone, you will make your choice depending on your style, taste and requirements. Which cell phone will deliver all basic business features plus entertainment capabilities? Qwerty cell phone models usually come with a better business/document editing package but many people find the small keyboard buttons not convenient. The answer to that problem is to buy your cell phone from a shop, where they have test units. You need to hold it in your palm and feel the keyboard buttons in order to learn if a qwerty cell phone suits your style.