Like a child star making the inevitable transition from puberty to probation, the two biggest names in the smartphone game also suffer from some serious identity issues. The BlackBerry is by nature a business device trying desperately to appeal to consumers, while the iPhone is the ultimate consumer trinket clamoring for acceptance in the corporate world. Neither one is categorically better than the other. Each excels at certain tasks and falters when it comes to others. Which one you should purchase depends wholly on the features your lifestyle requires. And with that little disclaimer out of the way, here are ten areas in which the BlackBerry spanks the iPhone.

1. Choice of Carrier

We’re not sure where AT&T is getting its claim of having "more bars in more places" (maybe the same wishing well where Microsoft got its "people-ready software"), but in our experience, in locales all over the country, AT&T’s coverage is plagued by more holes than a Swiss cheese dartboard. Unfortunately, with the iPhone, you’ve got no other choice (at least for now). BlackBerry, on the other hand, is available on every major U.S. carrier, and loads of smaller ones, too.

2. Choice of Device

Apple makes one iPhone — a few more if you count the older models and various capacities that are available. But, they all look almost exactly the same. You know what that sound is when you put your ear up to a seashell? It’s not the ocean. It’s the resonating echo of the world’s collective sigh of disappointment when the iPhone 3GS was announced and not a single cosmetic change had been made. For those interested in such luxuries as "options" and "individuality," we count no fewer than nine vastly different BlackBerry models, including touchscreens and QWERTYs, clamshells and candy bars.

3. Multitasking

One thing’s for certain, the iPhone is all about choices. For example, should you browse the Web, or should you send a text message? Should you play a video game, or should you update your Facebook status? Unlike BlackBerry (and the Palm Pre), the iPhone doesn’t allow third-party (and many first-party) apps to run in the background, thereby forcing us to do things one at a time. Read an e-mail. Close. Update Twitter feed. Close. Listen to Pandora. Close. Meanwhile, BlackBerry users get to walk and chew gum at the same time — and that Bubblicious smells mighty good.

4. Multimedia Messaging (MMS)

Maybe multimedia messaging (MMS) isn’t important to you. Then again, how else are you supposed to convince friends of how adorable Mr. Peepers looks in the mini-sombrero you bought for him on your vacation? Yes, MMS is on its way to the iPhone by the end of summer, but what’s that? Another two months? The fact that this feature hasn’t been available on the iPhone since launch is laughable; it makes you wonder how slowly AT&T will be to add new services and technologies to future iPhone models. For BlackBerry users on AT&T, it’s a non-issue.

5. Tethering

Much like MMS, the ability to use your iPhone as a laptop modem was announced as part of the 3.0 software update — it just wasn’t actually included in it (for American iPhones, anyway). Unlike MMS, however, AT&T isn’t even venturing a guess as to when tethering might be available. What’s more, AT&T PR folks won’t confirm if tethering is going to be allowed on all iPhone models or if it’ll just be for the 3GS. It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to deduce from the title of this article that, yes, tethering has long been possible on AT&T with several BlackBerry models. Hey, even Watson could have figured that one out.

6. Better E-mail and Corporate Integration

With the release of it’s 3.0 operating system, the iPhone made some inroads toward being taken seriously as an enterprise device. But, its continued lack of offline access to e-mail should be a red flag for business users (not to mention anyone who wants to read and respond their e-mail in the middle of a flight or while on the subway). And, the fact is most CIOs and corporate IT managers still view Apple’s phone as either a security vulnerability or a toy. RIM’s platform is practically classic at this point. Buy a BlackBerry and there’s a 99.9-percent chance it’ll work with your company’s e-mail. Pigs will fly before the iPhone gets that kind of deployment in the corporate sphere. Remember, the folks holding the keys to this castle are the same one who wet their pants at the very thought of upgrading your work computer past Internet Explorer 6.

7. Keyboards Options

Smartphone keyboards are kind of like your Senior Prom: Touching is good, but getting touched back is even better. You could do one-handed ‘Dance Dance Revolution’ on your iPhone all day and never know without using your eyes if you’re actually pressing keys or not. Some folks don’t mind such a one-sided relationship. A recent patent application filed by Apple hints at the possibility of haptic feedback on the iPhone touchscreen someday — then again, that idea could already be dead and buried in the Apple patent graveyard. Whether you’re tapping on a physical QWERTY keyboard or catching a buzz off of the Storm’s tactile touchscreen, BlackBerry is the partner that gives back.

8. Memory Card Slot

Internal memory on all BlackBerrys is meager at best. The Cadillac of iPhones, on the other hand, has 32-gigabytes (GB) of built-in memory, making its lack of an expansion slot a near non-issue. But, imagine being able to instantly double your iPhone’s capacity with a 32GB SD card. That extra beef sure would come in handy with the new video goodies on the 3GS. Plus, there are plenty of situations in which an SD memory card slot would be nice: instantly moving media between a variety of devices, for one; or, printing photos at a kiosk without your PC playing middleman. The iPhone’s Big Gulp hard drive is nice, but the microSD holes on BlackBerry are convenient and (almost) endlessly expandable. Internal or expandable, McDonald’s or Burger King, Seacrest or Satan — we’ll leave this one to personal preference.

9. Removable Battery

It’s a trend more troubling than Capri pants on men: Apple’s total boycott of removable batteries across its entire product line. Stripping us of the right to bear backup batteries for our cell phones is something only Apple would ever have the hubris to do. Yes, a built-in power cell begets a smaller form factor, but at what cost? How useful is a trimmer iPhone when the thing goes limp after five hours of talk and there’s not a thing you can do about it? The reality is, there are going to be times in life when a power outlet isn’t immediately accessible. And in those times, it’s sure nice to be able to swap a backup battery into every BlackBerry model available.

10. Sports to Go

Though probably not a deal breaker for the ‘World of Warcraft’ set, sports fans should be aware that AT&T has crippled the Sling Media app for iPhone. If you’re not familiar with Sling, it’s a set top box that allows you access to your home TV and DVR over the Web. If you purchase a season pass to watch your favorite games on TV, you can watch them via Sling even if you’re 1,000 miles away from home. With a Sling app for both iPhone and BlackBerry, it stands to reason you can catch live games virtually anywhere. Oh, except that AT&T only allows iPhone users access to Sling over Wi-Fi, while BlackBerry users get to stream over Wi-Fi and 3G. Smells rather discriminatory to us.

The iPod can supercharge your learning. But it’s often a matter of finding the right software and content. Below, we’ve listed several new pieces of software that will let you suck more educational media (DVDs, web videos, audio files, etc.) into your iPod. And we’ve also listed some important pieces of content that will make your iPod a better learning gadget. So here it goes –

1. Put Wikipedia on Your Ipod

Encyclopedia is a free piece of software that brings Wikipedia to the iPod. Encyclopedia can be installed on iPod generations 1 through 4, as well as iPod Minis. Definitely worth a try.

2. Watch DVDs on Your iPod

This free, open source software works on MacOS X, Linux and Windows, and makes it simple to load and watch DVDs on your video iPod.

3. Load YouTube Videos to Your iPod

ConvertTube allows you to take any YouTube video and convert it to a format that works on your iPod. It’s as simple as entering a url and clicking “convert and download.” If you want to give the software a test run, try converting these UC Berkeley courses that were recently launched on YouTube. Or download any free software available on the net like format factory or free iPod converter.

4. Make Other Video Formats iPod-Ready

There are three other pieces of software that will make a variety of other video formats iPod-ready. For Windows, see Videora; for Mac, see iSquint. Or more generally see Zamzar. In a nutshell, these items will turn a wide range of video formats into the one video format (MPEG-4) that your iPod likes.

5. Convert MP3 files into One Big iPod AudioBook File

Downloading free audiobooks can often require you to work with a series of separate mp3 files, which can make things rather cumbersome. Freeipodsoftware.com does you a favor and mashes the files into one manageable file. And it has a feature that will let your Ipod remember where you stopped if you decide to take a break. (If this one appeals to you, be sure to see item # 10.)

6. Create eBooks for the iPod

Ambience.sk allows you to turns text files into ebooks that you can read on your iPod. After you load a text file, it will make the text readable through iPod Notes (which you can find under “Extra Settings”). Then, voila, a portable text. Thanks to Pachecus.com for pointing this one out.

7. Record Web Audio and Move it To Your iPod

Designed for Macs, iRecordMusic enables you to easily record audio from web pages and Internet radio streams. So if you’re surfing the web and find a good piece of streamed audio, it lets you record it and then transfer the media to your iPod. The only downside is that the software isn’t free. It will run you $24.95, but it may well be worth it. You can download a trial version here.

8. Get a Civic Education on Your Ipod

Iprepress.com allows you to download to your iPod ten important documents that any educated American should be familiar with. The texts include: The Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States, Bill of Rights, Louisiana Purchase Treaty, Emancipation Proclamation, Gettysburg Address, Civil Rights Act, and several others

9. Load Maps onto Your iPod

If you travel to New York City, Paris, Berlin or Moscow, how will you find your way to the museums? iSubwayMaps is the answer. It lets you download subway maps from 24 major cities across the globe. You’ll only need an iPod with photo capability and you’ll be good to go. (By the way, if you want to load Google Maps to your iPod, here is a tutorial that will explain how.)

10. Study Foreign Languages, Take University Courses, and Listen to AudioBooks on Your iPod

Oculture.com gives you free podcasts to learn over 25 different foreign languages. It also gives you portable access to 100+ classic works of literature and nonfiction. And  over 85 courses recorded at leading American universities. Not bad, if I say so myself. For a complete podcast library at Oculture.com, click here.

The Apple Remote has turned out to be one of my favorite things about my MacBook Pro. Aside from its obvious uses (Front Row, iTunes etc) you can use it to do a pretty wide variety of things. Here are 10 of the ways I’ve used the Apple Remote to make my life a bit easier.

1. iRed Lite

If you want to put your Apple Remote on steroids, iRed Lite is for you. Though a bit confusing at first, once you get the hang of it (read the manual) you’ll be able to control any app on your Mac using your Apple Remote. I’ve found it most useful to use when controlling "other" media players (like Cog) – but again, with this app, the sky’s the limit.

2. iTheater

If you’re not a huge fan of Front Row, iTheater may be for you. Some of the iTheater features not included (by default) in Front Row are: Video_TS (backup DVD’s) playback, support for widgets and the Wii controller, and the ability to customize the background picture and sounds. The most recent release of iTheater is also very “developer-friendly”, which means we should see some very cool plugins and add-ons in the near future.
If your Mac didn’t include Front Row but you’ve purchased an Apple Remote, keep in mind you CAN install and use it by following the instructions in the great tutorial How to install Front Row using Enabler.

3. iAlertU

iAlertU is the first of its kind alarm system for your Apple MacBook computer. Basically iAlertU is a car alarm for your Apple Mac. iAlertU uses the built in sudden motion sensor (SMS) device to detect movement of your Apple MacBook and triggers an audible and visual alarm. The alarm can also be triggered by keyboard and mouse/trackpad movement (and AC adapter changes or screen closings). The alarm is designed to continue sounding even after the Apple MacBook screen has been closed. iAlertU is activated and deactivated using the infrared remote control included with every Apple MacBook computer. User adjustable settings let you decide which type of alarm triggers you would like to use, the duration of the alarm, and motion sensor sensitivity. iAlertU also features functionality to utilize the built in iSight camera to photograph the would be thief and soon will be able to email the photo to a user specified email address.

4. Aurora

Aurora is a free Alarm Clock for your Mac that lets you wake up to your favorite iTunes playlist or any TV or radio channel from EyeTV. What makes it great is that you can use your Apple Remote to hit the “Snooze button” without having to get out of bed. Ahh the glory of Snooze.

5. Pandora Boy

PandoraBoy is sheer genius if you’re a Pandora fan. Not only does it allow you to listen to Pandora.com without having to have a web browser open, but (you guessed it) you can control it with your Apple Remote. And if that wasn’t enough, it works with Growl.

6. Using the Apple Remote in Linux

7. Pair your Apple Remote with your Mac

8. Put your Mac to sleep with the Apple Remote

9. How to listen to Internet Radio in Front Row

10. How to play backup DVD’s (Video_TS) in Front Row

DVD Assist is an Applescript that allows you to play your backup DVD’s (often referred to as Video_TS) in Front Row. It works exactly as described, and perfectly. If you were considering installing iTheater just to play backup DVD’s, this is a great way to save some hard drive space/have fewer installed apps.

It’s all well and good getting these fancy energy saving gadgets, but what do we do with all the old gadgets we’ve got? Recycling electronic devices is not that easy, so here are 10 eco-friendly ways to recycle your gadgets rather than send them to landfill.

1. Sell your stuff on eBay

ok, so that’s an old tip, but it’s worth getting some cash for your gadgets first of all. The best form of recycling is reuse.

2. Swap your old mobile phone for cash

there are a number of companies who will give you money in return for your old mobile phone. There are lots to choose from, so shop around to find the one that pays the best!

3. Give your gadgets away to friends and family

if you know someone who’d appreciate something you no longer need, just give it to them. It’ll probably make their day, and your unwanted electronics get another use.

4. Give away your gadgets on Freecycle

If you’ve never heard of Freecycle, it’s basically a local group where you offer bulky items you no longer want for free. It’s designed to give items a second home that you couldn’t otherwise sell. So if you have no friends or family, Freecycle is a great option!

5. Send your stuff back to the Manufacturer

Companies such as Dell and Apple now have their own recycling programmes, where they’ll recycle your old computer or ipod for free.

6. Use a professional recycling service

this kind of service will safely and appropriately dispose of your electrical waste. Increasingly, there are tighter regulations for safe waste disposal, potentially resulting in large fines if you don’t comply.

7. Give your old computer another purpose

If you have a old computer, you could use it as a home server, photo frame or something else. Just be wary, old computers are not always that energy efficient.

8. Find a local recycling center

myGreenElectronics and earth911 both have zip-code searches so that you can find local recycling points near you. The search results will tell you the type of facility (such as a charity, business, or service) and exactly what you can recycle there.

9. Ask for ideas

if you have something very specific to recycle, but have no idea on how to recycle, then just ask some fellow eco-enthusiasts how do I recycle this? You’ll get plenty of useful ideas on just about everything you can think of, and not just gadgets!

10. Turn your gadgets into furniture

if you’re  artistic, you could turn your old computers into furniture. It might not be very comfortable, but at least it’s eco friendly