BlackBerry's Best Can't Beat Apple, Google

There’s a new BlackBerry on the market, but the “the question is: Does anybody care?” Apple and Google dominate the market, and things are “not looking good” for Research in Motion, which just laid off 2,000 people, writes David Pogue in the New York Times. That aside, how’s the new Bold 9900? “Gorgeous,” and the thinnest BlackBerry yet, with a “comfortable” keyboard and a “beautiful, responsive touch screen.” It’s a great phone—yet it’s not enough to compete with iPhone or Android.

Sure, the 9900 boasts “faster web browsing,” a 5-megapixel camera with HD video support, and a handy “scrolling strip of app icons.” But at $350, T-Mobile’s version costs more than the most expensive iPhone. It lacks a front-facing camera and its app store is “sparse.” With HP having yanked its offerings and Google’s purchase of Motorola, “the number of players in the smartphone game shrank suddenly, and it’s a shame,” Pogue notes. “Innovation is good; competition is better. A world with nothing but Apple and Google phones would be a less exciting place.” (More Google stories.)