Countless handset makers have tried to mimic 's success with the iPhone by creating touch-screen-based device of their own, but the vast majority failed to sell even a fraction of the number of handhelds Apple shipped in 2008--somewhere in the .

Storm vs.

The latest--and perhaps most notable--smartphone manufacturer to take on Apple's iPhone in the touch screen arena is Research In Motion, maker of the popular BlackBerry handheld. Rumors about a BlackBerry Touch first hit the Web almost a year ago, six months after Apple first released the iPhone. But it wasn't until early October that . Last week, Verizon Wireless, the exclusive U.S. Storm carrier, announced that the on November 21, for US$199 after a $50 rebate.

When the BlackBerry Storm becomes available next week, smartphone buyers will be presented with a choice between the most popular touch screen handset in the world, the iPhone, and what could prove to be the world's first true iPhone rival, the Storm 9530. Here's my thinking on eight reasons why the iPhone 3G might be the better choice. Click on over to part two of the series for the flip side:

8) iPhone Now Second Generation