On a day like today I'm sure everybody in Waterloo was holding their breath to see what Apple is going to announce. And for good reason. On more than one occasion Apple has changed RIM's game. The announcement of the original iPhone set a new expectation for what a mobile device can do and how it should do it, and the announcement of the iPad forced RIM into the tablet game. Whether you like it or not, what Apple announces matters.

But I think RIM can breathe a momentary sigh of relief following today's Apple iPhone 4S announcement. Apple announced an iPhone with better internals -- none of which leap ahead of what's already on the market -- and in Siri introduced some interesting software, but they did it in a phone that looks IDENTICAL to its predecessor, the iPhone 4. Following the live coverage of the event, even the Apple fanboys and fangirls seemed disappointed. Part of that was the lack of Steve Jobs' presence at the event, but the bigger part was that it felt like Apple failed to deliver something really mind-blowing. If the iPhone 5 is now another year away, it seems like the iPhone 4S isn't delivering the kind of newness that Apple fans were expecting. Looking at twitter and some of the polls out there, like this one on TiPb asking iPhone owners if they're going to upgrade, it's looking like a lot of people who were planning to upgrade on the 14th are now going to save their dollars a little longer.

What's it all mean for BlackBerry? I think it means opportunity.

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If there's one feature BlackBerry users have wanted to see improve on their devices more than anything else, it's the BlackBerry web browser. With BlackBerry 6 that wish can finally be crossed off the list, as the new web browser with WebKit rendering finally makes browsing the web on a BlackBerry an enjoyable experience. Compared to the old browser, it's a night and day difference.

But how does the new BlackBerry web browser stack up to the latest and greatest devices from the competition? I wanted to know the answer to that myself, so with some help from Dieter we cleared the cache on the BlackBerry Torch 9800, Apple iPhone 4 and new Android-based Samsung Captivate and put the devices head to head to head in a one take, no messing around web browser shootout. We tested the browsers both over 3G and WiFi (note - towards the end of the video where I jokingly say the BlackBerry browsing is being 3x more efficient, keep in mind that only applies to browsing over 3G - when browsing over WiFi the data is pulled straight in to the device vs. over 3G when it goes through RIM's servers which optimize and compress the data over the air). Read on for the results.

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Read TiPb.com's Full Review of the Apple iPhone 4 >>

I still think of CrackBerry.com as a relatively young website, having only launched in February 2007. Of course RIM/BlackBerry have been around a lot longer than that, but as young as I like to *think* we are, we definitely have more grey hairs than Apple when it comes to the smartphone game.  We've always considered the iPhone to be BlackBerry's #1 frenemy since the original iPhone was announced, and that friendly rivalry has continued over the years as we've seen the iPhone's annual update get released to the public. With both BlackBerry and the iPhone excelling somewhat at opposite ends of the spectrum of smartphone needs/capabilities (remember our Smartphone Hierarchy of Needs?), every new iPhone and BlackBerry releases brings the two closer, addressing more of the gaps that each has had.

I haven't had a chance to go hands-on with the iPhone 4 yet (will pick one up when it hits Canada to see just how I personally like it), but it definitely appears to be the biggest leap forward since the original iPhone. The hardware design is pretty industrial (looks good to me), the display and cameras look solid and just as BlackBerry users always have their heads down while walking and typing in public, I can already see the Apple addicts who are going to be walking around with their outreached arms in front of their heads facetime chatting (watch out!).

CrackBerry iPhone 4 Sound Off: So where do you stand on Apple's iPhone 4? If you're a BlackBerry user and haven't been enticed by the any of the previous iPhones, does the iPhone 4 now have something that grabs your attention? Are you a BlackBerry person no matter what? Is there anything you wish your BlackBerry had that the iPhone now offers? Or is there something about your BlackBerry that would make you think about the iPhone more if Apple had it? Or maybe you're now a BlackBerry + iPad person... is there even a draw towards having a BlackBerry + iPhone/iPod touch anymore when you could have a BlackBerry + iPad?  Sound off in the comments and let us know where you're at on Apple's current mobile offerings.

Apple iPhone 4 Review: Rene has reviewed the heck out of the iPhone 4 over at our sibling site TiPB.com (with some of Dieter's help on the video!). Be sure to check out their iPhone 4 Review if you want the skinny on Apple's  latest creation.