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>> What's up Prize Fight fans? I'm Brian Tong, and this is a special people's choice prizefight. The Droid Incredible is out, and you, the CNET readers and viewers, pick the challenger. It's a Prize Fight punch out between the HTC Droid Incredible, and the Apple iPhone 3GS. Our judges for this fight? Our senior editor, Bonnie "Boom Boom" Cha, associate editor, Nicole "Ice Cold" Lee, and myself will do the honors. We'll take all three judges scores and average them out the nearest tenth each round. The final Prize Fight score will be an average of all rounds using the same decimal system. Which phone pushes your buttons so right because it turns you on? Round one is sexiness.
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The Droid Incredible has a sleek and slender profile. Its display is crystal clear. Its rubberized surface can take a beating. But what's up with its backside? Bonnie liked the topographic design, but I don't, and all they had to do was just smooth it out. Now, the iPhone 3GS is still as minimalist as it gets, and its curvaceous booty still gets me. I know I need some help, but its curved corners and clean lines can get a little old, and the CNET staff wants something new, but it's still a sexy beast.
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This round's a tie, and both phones get a 4.3. Next round is controls and user interface.
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The Incredible's HTC Sense UI is the best looking phone OS to date, and it's a snappy device. Say goodbye to trackballs and welcome the optical joystick. I found it easy to use, but Nicole and Bonnie didn't like it as much. The touch buttons were pretty responsive. Multi-touch is here, and unique settings, like different scenes for using your phone and a quick access to any panel without having to scroll through every page is slick. There will be a small learning curve that's easy for geeks, but not for my mom. We can't say it any more than we already have, but the iPhone is the easiest mobile OS to use. Power users might mock it and want something more, but navigating the menus and applications are a breeze. Multi-touch runs smoothly across all apps, and we know new features are on the way, but it's still just as easy as it was from day one. The iPhone 3GS gets a perfect five, and the Droid Incredible gets a four. So after averaging two rounds, the 3GS leads by half a point, and the Incredible has some work to do if it wants to live up to its name. Next round is features.
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Both phones have the core features like 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS, but this is where the Incredible shines. It still has the best voice search and commands [inaudible]. Turn-by-turn directions, a multi-tasking pull down, voice to text integration --
>> Hey, you want to work out?
>> -- And customization with widgets and themes are unmatched. The only thing we're still waiting for is hands-free calling. Now, the iPhone 3GS is still running the iPhone OS 3.0. Voice commands are here, but they're not even on the same level.
>> Call Ariel.
>> And there's no voice search or text integration. We still have to purchase a turn-by-turn GPS solution, and multi-tasking is limited to listening to music while using another app, and customization goes as far as arranging your app icons. The iPhone has all the core features, but the Incredible kicks it up a notch, and it gets the perfect five, and the 3GS gets a four. Next round is web browsing and multimedia.
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The Incredible's web browser finally brings a smooth running multi-touch. Its multiple windows take a cue from Cover Flow, and its bookmark previews have put it on the level with Safari. Flashlight is here, but I didn't find any sights that worked well with it. HTC's Sense UI has done wonders with the media player interface that I actually enjoyed. Videos looked great with its high-res display. Double Twist syncs your media, and then you just throw in an eight megapixel, dual flash LED cameral with video capture. This is incredible indeed. Now, the iPhone has been the standard for entertainment and multimedia on mobile phone. Its media player is still one of the best. Movies look great. But its iTunes integration, whether you love it or hate it, is what brings it all together. Podcast support is extensive and a match. Its web browser is still a top-notch mobile experience. It's multi-touch and zooming accuracy, plus it's cut, copy, and paste is better executed, and it has a three-megapixel camera without a flash that's dated, but serviceable. But the Incredible has finally stepped up its game for all Android phones, and this round is a tie at 4.3 apiece. So after averaging four rounds, we're tied at 4.4 going into the final round. Which phone has enough gas left in the tank? The final round that decides it all is called "quality and performance."
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The Droid Incredible is fast. Bonnie feels it's the fastest phone she's ever used. It's snappy across the board, and I had no issues with lag. Then you talk about its call quality on Verizon's network. That was clear on both sides of the line, and no one experienced a dropped call. The iPhone 3GS is a great performing phone that's snappy in its own right, but the Incredible showed off how fast the next speed of phones are compared to the 3GS. Call quality-wise, AT&T's network is hit or miss depending on where you live. There are times where the call quality was warmer than the Incredible, but I experienced a few hiccups, and then -- you guessed it -- we all had the same issues connecting calls or those lovely drops. So after entering the final round tied, the Droid Incredible takes this round, 5 to 3.7. So let's average out all five rounds, and in our first people's choice Prize Fight, the HTC Droid Incredible comes out victorious, 4.5 to 4.3, and is your People's champ.
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We all know Apple's newest contender is just around the corner, but take nothing away from the Incredible. This is the best phone that we've seen in this Prize Fight ring. I'm Brian Tong. Thanks for watching. We'll catch you guys next time on another Prize Fight. Woo-pah.
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