With the advent of always-on email, BlackBerry sought to lead the market by combining email with phone capabilities.  For many years it ruled the roost, but fierce competition from Apple and Nokia means the BlackBerry is no longer the only choice of smartphone.

BlackBerry Storm
Due for release spring 2009, this is the first touch screen phone from BlackBerry, but sadly it is hard to see the Storm ever being a real contender.  For one it does not have WiFi, nor is its emailer as good as previous models and its weight makes it some what cumbersome in comparison to the svelte iPhone.

For the complete specification check out BlackBerry Storm.

Apple iPhone 3G
The list of niggles users have with the iPhone is well documented - it only has a 2MP camera, you cannot cut and paste and photos can only be sent via email.  It remains, however, the first of its kind, with a good internet browser and emailer, slender weight and undeniable beauty.

For the complete specification check out Apple iPhone.

Nokia N97
With its successful predecessors the N95 and N96, this phone stands out for its storage capabilities.  The Blackberry Storm has 1GB of built-in memory, the iPhone 16GB but the N97 wins hands down with 32GB before you even consider adding a microSD card.  Although the phone is bulky, its WiFi and email capabilities as well as a 5MP camera make this a brilliant choice for the online entrepreneur.

For the complete specification check out Nokia N97.

Of course, Nokia and Apple are not the only companies to have produced smartphones and if none of the above fulfil your required spec, there are many other phones which use different operating systems such as the Windows Mobile from Microsoft (HTC Touch HD) and Android from Google (T-Mobile G1).  Currently it seems the iPhone is the hands down winner, but once the N97 is released and other phone companies play catch up, it will be interesting to see how each smartphone will evolve.