TechCrunch, the popular technology blog, called 2009 the Summer of Smartphone Love, and it’s easy to see why. On June 6, Palm and Sprint started selling the new Palm Pre, and on June 19, Apple and AT&T released the next version of the iPhone 3G. Blackberry is slated to release a new Storm model later this summer. Smartphones are all the rage, but if you don’t already have one, how do you choose? I’m here to help.

First, why do you need a smartphone? Maybe you don’t. But in addition to standard cell phone features like making calls and sending text messages, smartphones offer a wide array of other features such as web browsing, email, camera/photos, and a whole lot more, all wrapped up in an easy-to-use package with a bigger, better display than most other cell phones. Plus, they now all offer the ability to download free or paid applications so you can customize the phone to meet your needs, from grocery shopping lists, to business productivity tools and even games.

The Blackberry, iPhone, and Pre are now widely considered the kingpins of smartphones, even though Nokia currently dominates the global smartphone market (their market share has been declining since the iPhone was introduced, however). They all have strengths and weaknesses, and it can be hard to choose which is best. Let’s take a look at some key features of all three.

Blackberry is known as “crackberry” because of its addictive appeal to the email-obsessed. I remember using an early Blackberry when they only sold pager-sized devices with lilliputian keyboards and monochrome displays, so they’ve definitely come a long way. Blackberry offers more choices than Apple or Palm, both in terms of devices and carriers. The Blackberry Tour, Storm, Bold and even Curve classify as smartphones. All have the familiar Blackberry keyboard except the Storm, which is a full touchscreen device like the iPhone. All of these Blackberry models have capable cameras, a web browser, and GPS, plus the full host of features you’ve come to expect from mobile phones, like support for text messaging, picture messaging, and a music player.

But the real strength of Blackberry is its email capabilities. Blackberry has long been the leader in mobile email, and their experience shows. Email is automatically pushed to your device when it arrives, and you can type and send a message in a flash. The service is incredibly reliable, and it is specifically designed to work well in corporate computing environments. Sending and receiving email on a Blackberry is a breeze, especially if you tend to be long-winded. The touchscreen Storm, however, has been widely panned for its user interface, so if you plan to use your smartphone for lots of email, you may want to stick with a keyboard phone.

Check Tech Tawlk next month for part 2 of this article. We will take a closer look at both the Pre and the iPhone. I’ll also give my tips on how to make the most informed choice possible.