Photo Courtesy / Michael Lee

The popularity of Smartphones is on the rise, and they are all trying to win over our hearts –and our wallets.

This summer, mobile giants Apple and Research In Motion (RIM) released new phones; Apple unveiled the much-anticipated iPhone 4, while RIM welcomed the Torch to its popular Blackberry family. These were launched in a bid to belie competition from phones powered by Google’s dynamic new Android operating system.

The new BlackBerry Torch 9800 was launched in hopes of regaining some of the market shares that were lost to Apple and Android phones. Besides having the convenience of both a touch screen and a slide-out keyboard, the Torch promised a revamped user interface and a new WebKit powered browser. However, sales are not yet as great as RIM would like.

Perhaps it’s because the Torch lacks the sleeker designs of rival companies. Let’s face it: in addition to functionality and affordability, a cell phone needs to look good to compete.

The iPhone 4 is much slimmer than the Torch, and better equipped. Public complaints about reception seem to have barely affected sales. Rogers and Bell have been sold out across Canada. If you don’t want to be put on a waiting list, you’re more than welcome to join the 50 or so people parked outside of Fairview Mall’s Apple Store at 11a.m.

This is impressive, considering the iPhone 4 made its debut in Canada more than a month ago. It still has the clean lines of its predecessor, and the quality of the Apple touch screen is yet to be surpassed by other cell phones.

Despite Apple’s success, Android-based Smartphones take top honours. The openness of the Android operating system is highly adaptable and easy to work with; this allows companies like Motorola, HTC, Sony, and Samsung to custom tailor their phones, and developers to create innovative and interesting applications –many of which are still free.

A large portion of those buying Apple or RIM products were already iPhone or BlackBerry owners to begin with, while the vast variety of Android phone options available easily appeals to new customers.

Whether the winner of this fierce competition is Android phones, BlackBerrys, or iPhones, it’s clear the Smartphone is here to stay.