The Smartphone Round Robin is finally into the wind down phase. With so many platforms and devices participating this year the event has run a little long and has been a bit confusing to follow, but the content has been nothing less than stellar. If you're in the market for a new smartphone or are just curious to know how the experts perceive each competing platform based on their own favorites, do yourself a favor and check out all of the reviews. You'll be glad you did.

Going into this year's Round Robin I honestly wasn't sure how BlackBerry would be received by the editors of the other sites that comprise the Smartphone Experts Network. We put the BlackBerry Bold 9700 and Storm2 into the challenge, which while definitely being better BlackBerrys than their predecessors and all-around solid smartphones, were not leaps and bounds different than the BlackBerry Bold 9000 the editors looked at last year. I was pleasantly surprised though by just how well-received BlackBerry was again this year in the Round Robin. Sure it got beat up a little bit here and there (web browser needs improving, BBM needs to be available on other platforms, etc.) but for the most part every editor had more than one or two nice things to say about BlackBerrys. Read on for some highlights!

I know, I know... this is a BlackBerry site, so why are we posting a review of another platform's product? The answer is easy... the Smartphone Round Robin is still going on which dedicates six weeks to checking out the competition. I already reviewed the Sprint Palm Pre and Pixi, but tonight the embargoes have lifted and Dieter over at PreCentral.net has given the new Pre Plus and Pixi Plus the full work over. So while we're still waiting for the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G and Tour2 (and maybe a new touch-Berry) to get their announcements and reviews on, you can watch the video above and click over on the links below to learn what's going on from Palm. What do you think? Liking or disliking Palm's direction? Don't ya just love how they toss a mirror on the Pre?

• Verizon Palm Pre Plus Review >>
• Verizon Palm Pixi Plus Review >>

Yin and Yang is the concept of duality forming a whole. In our every day lives, we see many examples of Yin and Yang before us. Think of pairings like night and day, or female and male. Diving deeper into the principles of Yin and Yang in Taoism, you'll find that neither are absolute, nor are they static, and that the summation of Yin and Yang form a whole and that their balance can be skewed due to outside influences. Over thousands of years a LOT of things have been sorted and grouped under Yin and Yang classification systems. You know where I'm going with this. When it comes to smartphones, there has been no example more clear in demonstrating Yin and Yang then that of Apple's iPhone and Research in Motion's traditional (non-touch) BlackBerry.

The Smartphone Round Robin continues... and while I'm playing with the iToy this week (final review coming before end of weekend, see first impressions video here) there's some great BlackBerry coverage for you all to check out. 

Dieter was tied up with CES, so like me was a little late in getting his last review up. Dieter really gave the BlackBerry Bold 9700 and Storm2 some good thought in his final BlackBerry review, so you'll definitely want to jump over to PreCentral.net and check it out if you haven't done so yet. There's some shocking and unexpected twists in this one... he praises the Storm2's keyboard and RIPS into our beloved BlackBerry Messenger. Read it here.

And this week it's Phil who's rocking the BlackBerry Bold and Storm2. If you missed his hands-on impressions video, you can check it out here. Be sure to give him a hand on his CrackBerry forum thread and keep your eyes on our Round Robin latest updates page for his final review. 

After a bit of a hiatus, the Smartphone Round Robin is back in full swing. Week #4 has me rock'n the iPhone 3GS. Below you'll find the video of me walking through the device with Rene Ritchie of TheiPhoneblog.com. Most people out there are pretty familiar with what the iPhone is all about so we spend our time talking shop and touching on a variety of points, including the amount of time I have spent on my very own iPhone 3GS. Check it out!

For your chance to win an iPhone 3GS, you can chime in on the forum thread I created over at TiPb. As for BlackBerry in the Round Robin this week, it's in the trusty hands of Phil Nickinson of WMExperts (see Phil's hands-on first impressions). For your chance to win a new BlackBerry, be sure to give him a hand over in our own CrackBerry forums. And for the latest in Round Robin updates and contest details, be sure to visit SmartphoneRoundRobin.com. Enjoy the show!

Between New Year's celebrations and CES 2010 in Vegas last week, my final Palm review is coming at you about 10 days later than it should. There's a side benefit though. Last week at CES 2010 Palm announced that the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus will be arriving at Verizon in the weeks ahead, so I now have much better perspective of where things are at and going for Palm than I would have had if I had this up when I should have. And with holidays and CES now behind us, the Smartphone Round Robin is back into full swing so stay tuned for lots more fun. If you've lost track of what's going on, be sure to check out the latest updates page to catch-up on who has what and so on. Read on for the review!

You may have heard that we're taking a short break from the 3rd annual Smartphone Round Robin for CES this year (and for our own sanity, truth be told.) Lucky for you, we have just the thing to tide you over this week: two podcasts with your favorite editors from the Smartphone Experts Network.

First up, this past weekend, as with pretty much every weekend during the Round Robin, The Cell Phone Junkie had a special segment focusing on a specific platform. Last weekend was all about Palm webOS, so go on and give that a listen. It'll warm you up for my final Palm webOS review.

This week, though, we have the second podcast we recorded over the course of our time together. We've embedded it below, but honestly: you've subscribed to TCPJ by now, haven't you?

How to listen to the Smartphone Round Robin Podcast Part 2:

• The Cell Phone Junkie
• Subscribe with your favorite client
• Subscribe via iTunes
• Listen via phone with Podlinez: 510-495-6352
• Download the show directly

p.s. My take on Palm webOS (and the Pre and Pixi) and Dieter's take on BlackBerry should hit by tomorrow AM, if you've been waiting. Though Dieter and I are both running ragged with CES prep so if worse comes to worse we'll do an all-nighter tomorrow night and finish up our reviews side by side (hotel room style) as we argue back and forth over beers as to which platform rules supreme. And in case you missed it, head here for the first SPE Round Robin Podcast.

We're half way through Week #3 of the 2009 Smartphone Round Robin. If you're a little lost as to who has what device and all that, be sure to visit the latest updates page. There are more devices and sites in this year's Round Robin over previous years, so it's a bit tougher to track but well worth your effort to do so.

While I'm checking out the Palm Pre and Palm Pixi this week, our friend Dieter Bohn of PreCentral.net is giving both the BlackBerry Bold 9700 and Storm2 a go. Be sure to watch Dieter's BlackBerry Hands-On First Impressions video and give him a hand on his CrackBerry forum thread. Posting on the forum thread each day gives you a chance to win a new BlackBerry for yourself. 

I'm really looking forward to Dieter's final BlackBerry review later this week. In previous years he tended to be pretty harsh on BlackBerry, but I think his natural and amazing Storm2 typing ability has BlackBerry in his good graces this year. We'll have to wait and see how it all unfolds. 

Week #3 of the 2009 Smartphone Round Robin has me on the Palm Pre and Palm Pixi, sampling Palm's new for 2009 WebOS platform. Think back to last year's Round Robin and Palm was on the brink of disaster. This year, they've pushed themselves back into the game with a very intuitive operating system that's really been designed for mobile use along with some decent hardware to get some momentum building again. You can check out the video below as I walk through the devices with Dieter Bohn of PreCentral.net.

To get some guidance on my Palm WebOS experience, I've created a forum thread over at PreCentral.net. As for BlackBerry in the Round Robin this week, me and Dieter did a swap and he's using the Bold 9700 and Storm2. Be sure to check out his video and get him some help on his forum thread in the CB forums to make sure he gets the most of his device. I was **amazed** at how well he was able to type on the Storm2 the first time he picked it up. Be sure to post on these forum threads daily for your chance to win a new smartphone. Contest details here.

Enjoy the video and stay tuned for the full CrackBerry on Palm WebOS review later this week!

Week 2 of the 2009 Smartphone Round Robin had me using two HTC-manufactured phones running on the Windows Mobile platform, specifically the AT&T Tilt 2 and the HTC HD2 (the HD2 is the unit in the photo above sporting the massive display). With the holidays happening, my time for the Round Robin this week was a bit on short supply, but since we're following up on my novel of a Droid Review I figure you all won't mind if I keep this one a little shorter. For in-depth technical reviews, be sure to follow the device links above and you'll jump over to WMExperts.com where you can learn about both the Tilt 2 and HD2 in detail. That said, it's time to reflect upon my time spent on both of these phones and assess how Microsoft is doing in the smartphone ecosystem with their mobile operating system.

Yup, Christmas is upon. The holidays are here. Things are even quiet on the smartphone news front (everybody is saving their stuff for CES which happens at the beginning of January in Las Vegas). But on the Smartphone Round Robin front things are as busy as ever. My Windows Mobile review will be up on the blogs before this weekend is through.

This week it's our pal Rene Ritchie of TheiPhoneblog.com who is getting down and dirty with the BlackBerry Storm2 and Bold 9700. If you haven't seen it yet, you can jump over to tipb to watch his BlackBerry First Impressions Video. Rene also posted a thread in the CrackBerry forums to get some help and feedback from our community. Be sure to post on this thread daily for your chance to win a new BlackBerry of choice! Full contest details here.

Round Robin BlackBerry Podcast: If you're a regular CrackBerry podcast listener, you neeeed to listen to this. Our pal Mickey over at The Cell Phone Junkie ran a very-special BlackBerry-focused podcast this week. He recently reviewed the AT&T BlackBerry Bold 9700 from AT&T and the show also features our Round Robin Podcast discussion on BlackBerry. Listen Now >>

Week #2 of the 2009 Smartphone Round Robin has me sampling some Windows Phones, in the form of the AT&T Tilt 2 and the HTC HD2. You can check out the video below as I pick up these devices for the first time and get guided through what's going on in the land of Windows Phones by our expert Phil Nickinson of WMExperts. I gotta say, in this video I come across a little loopy and distracted.... the reason is the MASSIVE SCREEN on this HTC HD2. It's FRAKK'n RIDICULOUS.

To get some guidance on my Windows Phone experience, I've created a forum thread over at WMExperts.com. As for BlackBerry in the Round Robin this week, it's our old pal Rene Ritchie of TheiPhoneblog that's taking the Bold 9700 and Storm2 for a spin. He has created a forum thread in the CB forums to get some help from CrackBerry Nation. Be sure to post on these forum threads daily for your chance to win a new smartphone. Contest details here.

Enjoy the video and stay tuned for the full CrackBerry on Windows Phones later this week!

DROIIIIIIIID. Week 1 of the 2009 Smartphone Round Robin had me going hands-on with the Verizon Motorola Droid and the Sprint HTC Hero. Now that my time with these out of this world devices has come to an end and I've procrastinated all that I could, it's time to reflect on my Android experience from the perspective of the BlackBerry user that I am. Because we're looking at more than one device here and I want to throw out some thoughts on Android as a whole, I'm not going to dive into the little details on each device like I would in my normal BlackBerry device reviews. For that kind of stuff -- features and specs and anal observations -- click the two device links above and you'll jump over to AndroidCentral.com for their excellent in-depth reviews. That said, I know there are a huge number of you who want to know my thoughts on the Droid, so I'll be sure to give you what you want!

* Note: My Android review will be coming up later today (Saturday night..almost done!). Had to get this article done up so I can refer back to it in this year's Round Robin write-ups! *

Every year when the Smartphone Round Robin rolls into town I seem to unintentionally get off topic within one of my device reviews and spend a couple thousand words diving into smartphone philosophy. Since I've been a part of the mobile space, I've developed my fair share of theories (though these often happen while drinking and are forgotten the next day) that explain why things are the way they are and more importantly for an event like the Round Robin, help provide a clear framework that explains how I judge a new device when I pick it up.

There's a reason why we don't declare a winner in the Round Robin. It's because there is no one best smartphone. What there is though, is a best smartphone for a person based on their priorities and needs and how they intend to integrate the device into their life. I've been BlackBerry diehard since the moment I laid hands on 'ole blue (a BlackBerry 7290). That doesn't mean I don't get tempted from time to time by other platforms and devices that may offer better web browsers, more megapixels or more apps to choose from, but at the end of the day the things I personally value most in the smartphone experience tend to be what RIM excels in. In the 2007 Round Robin, I spent a lot of time talking about the BlackBerry advantage, which covered points like the BlackBerry's one-handed ease of use and the blinking red LED which keeps you coming back for more (the crack in CrackBerry). In the 2008 Round Robin I focused my attention on the differences between RIM's approach to the BlackBerry experience and Apple's approach to the iPhone, where RIM focuses on developing a device and software platform that is optimized for on-the-go use (use it 100x per day for a short period of time) while Apple wants you to stop what you're doing and really immerse yourself in using the device. This year, I'm going to take things up a notch with my latest theory, called Kevin's Hierarchy of Smartphone Needs.

click the image above to see Nokia user Matt Miller go hands-on with BlackBerry

The 2009 Smartphone Round Robin is on in full force. While I'm living on planet Android, our Nokia-using friend Matt Miller of NokiaExperts.com is living the good life on BlackBerry. Be sure to click over and check out his initial BlackBerry hands-on video as he experiences both the Storm2 and Bold 9700. And if you want to give him a hand or some advice (and pick-up a chance to win a new device yourself) to ensure he's making the most out of these fine devices, you can post a reply on his CrackBerry forum thread.

• Check out Matt Miller Going Hands-On with BlackBerry >> 
• Still don't know what the Smartphone Round Robin is? CLICK HERE >>