With the whirlwind of smartphone news lately, consumers might be wondering which model to get, Palm’s new Pre, Apple’s new iPhone 3G S or the newly priced $99 basic iPhone. Dealnews has a great comparison of the three today. In short, according to Dealnews:

The Pre has a cheaper voice/data plan ($1,680 for two years on Sprint vs. $2,160 for the same time on the iPhones’ AT&T) and offers the best value ($380 cheaper than the basic iPhone when factoring in the two-year voice/data plan). The new iPhone 3G S has the best features. Both iPhones have thousands of apps available vs. just 18 for the Pre.

Dealnews’ conclusion of which is best? You might be surprised to find that it’s the basic iPhone for $99. The reasons: It’s cheaper than the iPhone 3G S yet still offers robust features — if not the latest bells and whistles — and its operating system is more advanced than the Pre and has most of the early-generation bugs worked out. The iPhone apps are also a huge advantage. That all combines to negate the nearly $400 difference (over two years) between the Pre and the $99 iPhone.

Check out Dealnews for more details.

After reading my writeup on cool and mostly free iPhone apps, reader Scott Andersen wondered, “Did you find any good database apps the I might be able to keep a DVD and Blu-ray movie list in?” Like me, he has an iPod Touch, which handles most of the apps in the iTunes App Store.

I suggested Pocketpedia. It’s tied in to the Amazon database, which has everything I’ve ever searched for. You just enter a CD, book, DVD or game and it shows you the Amazon listings. You then click on the title you want and then add it to your collection, of which you can have several going. You can also mark a title as wanted or borrowed. If you have a Mac, you can also use your computer to manage the collection and then update your iPod with the info. (If not, you’d just use the mobile device.) Don’t be put off by Pocketpedia’s “average” rating among user reviews at the App Store; it’s largely the result of PC users complaining that it’s not compatible with their computers for desktop syncing. But the app is free, so it won’t cost anything to try it out.

If you like a different app to track your media collection, please let me know so I can try it out.

TAKE THE MP3 CHALLENGE!
Can you tell the difference between MP3s and the original CD?