Exciting new smartphones on the horizon

Let me highlight a few new smartphones that will be appearing soon:

• New Apple iPhone. On Monday, June  7, when Steve Jobs kicks off WWDC (a conference for Apple developers), we can expect to hear about a new Apple iPhone. My guess is that it will look like the leaked iPhone that we saw circulating on the Internet a few weeks ago.
• BlackBerry Bold 9650 on Verizon. It's good to see BlackBerry adding Wi-Fi to their handsets.
• BlackBerry Bold 9800. This will be the first "slider" that includes a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a touch screen. It could the perfect combination for those who like the STORM but need a hardware keyboard.
• T-Mobile Garminfone. If you need Garmin-style GPS navigation in your smartphone, this could be a nice option. Since it will run Android, you'll have a variety of medical apps you can install on this device.

This is just a short list, but these are some of the devices that are on my radar. I'll want to get my hands on these and test them as soon as they come out.

BlackBerry Bold 9700 (Bold 2) now on T-Mobile

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 (also known as the Bold 2) is now available from T-Mobile. This new device is a little bit smaller than the previous Bold, but it still lacks a touch screen. I'm waiting for RIM to release a BlackBerry model that includes a hardware QWERTY keyboard and a touch screen. What are they waiting for? Why should a touch screen and a hardware keyboard be mutually exclusive?

AT&T will also have its own version of the Bold 2. Maybe the Bold 3 will have a touch screen.

I realize that business users may not recognize the critical importance of a touch screen, but if you're working in the health care industry, then you will quickly recognize that a touch screen is invaluable because of the way many medical apps are designed. You will find that you are much more efficient using a device that has a touch screen.