With all the BlackBerry PlayBook talk over the last month or so, it's easy to let all of the phone news slip through the cracks. Lots of people are still buzzing about the PlayBook and the Tablet OS news certainly won't be trailing off any time soon, but I still like to keep things coming on the phone front as well. At BlackBerry World we were excited to see the announcement of the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 (I'm just going to make things easier and call it the Bold Touch one way or another) and although we don't have a release day yet, it looks to be one of the best devices to date and undoubtedly the one I've been wanting for what seems like forever. While we were somewhat disappointed in the fact that we didn't get any more details on the other rumored devices like the BlackBerry Touch or Torch 2, we do know they're coming and will launch fairly close to the Bold Touch (RIM wants to pump all of these 2011 phones onto the market as quick as they can).

So on that note, we want to know which of the upcoming BlackBerry Smartphones you're most excited about. Are you ready for the Bold Touch that we've all been waiting for? Or are you more of a full touchscreen BlackBerry Touch kind of person? Maybe the revamped Torch 2 is for you? Perhaps you're sticking with the Curve you know and love? Let us know in the above poll which device will be your next BlackBerry, then drop a comment with your opinions on the new devices. 

Calling all BlackBerry Developers... Need some motivation to take your apps to the next level? Get in on the BlackBerry Super Apps Challenge! 

Over the past year or more we have seen a push from within Research In Motion to reach out to developers in an effort to create better, more compelling applications for the BlackBerry platform. Better tools, more API's and more education on what, exactly developers can do with the BlackBerry platform has been passed on. Events such as the BlackBerry Developers Conference and such initiatives as the BlackBerry Developers Challenge have led the way in increasing that awareness. But, with all that is going on in the "app" sector, do you all as end users feel that such things have offered assistance with making BlackBerry applications better? Let your be counted and of course, please feel free to explain why you voted how you did in the comments.

During the CrackBerry podcast we made mention of other devices out there that used voice commands for dialing. Common consensus was that most of us either don't use it, don't install it or haven't looked at using it in quite some time on our BlackBerry devices. Even went so far as to say that the system needed to have a better way of adapting to users own voices and accents.

Well, much to our surprise Research In Motion actually updated the Voice Activated Dialing system on OS' as far back as 4.5, just that none of us had noticed due to our lack of use of the feature. While the current adaptation of the voice activated dialing software is better than before, it still seems to not be on par with that of other platforms. Although, to me it seems like I would be more likely to use it now knowing that it adapts even just a little better then previous versions. So, looking at the comments from the podcast it seems most folks knew this change had happened but what we want know is, does anyone actually use it and if so is it better now?

The idea for this CrackBerry Poll came about when michaelwpg and me were drinking one night last week in Vegas. I honestly can't remember how the topic came up (I think maybe we were just trying to change the subject after those three err.. ladies of the night jumped all over us at the bar - nothing happened, I swear!), but we were contemplating which device we would buy if we were to live in the US and be Verizon customers. Keeping the thought of the Tour2 out of our heads, and just looking right now at what's available, both of us actually agreed we'd go for the Curve 8530 over the Tour 9630. In our case, the optical trackpad alone is reason enough to go for the Curve 8530. What we weren't sure of though is whether our Curve 8530 over Tour decision would be what the majority of people would go for, or the minority, or if this would come down to a split decision as each device is compelling in its own way. Everything else remaining equal:

• BlackBerry Tour: 3.2 megapixel camera with flash, high res 480x360 display, world phone capabilities, trackball, no WiFi, no OpenGL support
• BlackBerry Curve 8530: 2.0 megapixel camera with no flash, lower res 320x240 display, CDMA-only, optical trackpad, has WiFi, has OpenGL support for 3D graphics/games, dedicated media player controls

Pretty much everything else on these devices -- memory, speed, operating system -- are on par. The form factors are different but that is a matter of preference - I personally really like the look and feel of the Curve 8530 a lot. Screen pixels make a big difference for web browsing, but otherwise are not too big of a deal. The camera difference will be critical for some, not for others. Pricewise, the Curve 8530 is selling on Verizon right now for $79.99 on a 2yr contract vs. the Tour at $99.99. A $20 differential really isn't that big - so I'd argue money is not a factor in deciding which to purchase at this moment in time.

So... BlackBerry Tour 9630 or BlackBerry Curve 8530.... That IS the Question! Cast your vote above and let us know in the comments what it was about either device that would make you choose it over the other.