I’ve been a reasonably happy user of the HTC Universal (also known as the Orange SPV M5000 among other names, all equally snappy) for some time now. OK, it’s built like a tank and weighs about the same, but it is the first experience I have had of a device that really does do everything I need. It also runs Microsoft Pocket PC, which is important yet not essential—I was a perfectly content Palm user for many years, and a Psion user before that. Still, I have grown rather attached to my clunky-yet-functional Universal.

Last week, I was given the opportunity to test one device I have not yet been exposed to—the Blackberry, specifically a model 8700. It’s sitting next to me now, quietly confident, as any device would be if it had had the whirlwind romance with the business community that the Blackberry has experienced. Right now however, I’m feeling unconvinced that it will nuzzle its way into my working life, pushing the Universal out of the nest with a flick of its scroll wheel.

Why is this? I thought it would be best to write down what my first impressions of the Blackberry were, compared to the Universal, not least so I could review them in a few months time. If you’re interested in joining me on this journey, read on.

First off, the positives. Gram for gram, the Blackberry is significantly lighter than the Universal, sitting comfortably in the shirt pocket where the U feels like it would tear the thread if I left it there too long. To state what is perhaps obvious to all Blackberry users, clearly a great deal of effort has gone into design and usability—lessons learned from the Zen of Palm perhaps. It sits comfortably in either hand, and does what it is supposed to do (in this one’s case, read/write email and make calls), in a straightforward manner.

There are some great, innovative design features as well. Put it in its holster and it switches itself off automatically, presumably responding to a sensor in the case. The oft-touted thumb wheel is clever and simple to get the hang of, and the screen is clear enough and bright enough. Put simply, it does what it says on the tin. The contacts database is similarly simple to use and speedy in response, etc, etc. That’s not to say I found the interface totally intuitive, however. There’s one click more than I expected to open an email (small issue, but grates after a while), I find the keyboard a bit too small for my fat fingers, and there’s other, similarly small issues, but nothing that would prevent me from using the device.

What lets the Blackberry down is its versatility. While it is a brick, I was delighted with the U, to finally have a single device on my person. Its not just the device but the paraphernalia—chargers, connection cables and so on: when it came out it replaced my phone, my MP3 player and my PDA, and was sufficiently functional to allow me to leave my PC at home (I can view PDFs and Powerpoint presentations, for example). If I were to adopt the Blackberry, would I then need to get an MP3 player? What would happen when I needed to be hands free and I received a call in the middle of listening to music, on my bike say?

Meanwhile, I have my trusty Universal. Okay, the battery life is poor (though better since I was told to take out my cheap, power hungry SD card), it is slow to open the address book and needs an occasional reboot for no reason whatsoever. The email facility sometimes fails to connect… and yet, I can access multiple accounts (keeping work and home separate, say), I have access to a much broader range of applications (including Skype over the built-in Wifi), it has a properly usable keyboard, the Today screen tells me a summary of what’s coming up, and I can use it as a 3G modem with my PC. It should also be mentioned that the Universal integrates more smoothly with Microsoft Exchange—what you see in the pocket email application is what you see on the desktop, whereas the Blackberry’s main email window is a hotchpotch of emails that are in reality stored in a variety of folders.

In conclusion, the Universal really is the Swiss army knife of pocket devices, compared to the slick, James Bond gadget of the Blackberry. One is generally functional, the other excels in a much smaller range of capabilities. Perhaps it boils down to the kind of person I am—or put another way, do I really need all the features of the Universal, and am I prepared to forgo the simplicity of the Blackberry? Or, will I find that I reach for the Blackberry first, whatever I believe my general needs are? It’ll take a few weeks to find out; for now, and having finished this article, I’ll just be glad I don’t have to carry both of them around.