RIM BlackBerry Curve

Carrier: AT&T

Cnet rating: 8.0 out of 10 (excellent)

The good: Sexy, slim design; improved full QWERTY keyboard; 2-megapixel camera; Bluetooth; media player; spell-checker; and technology that automatically adjusts call volume in noisy environments.

The bad: No integrated Wi-Fi or 3G support or video-recording capabilities; call quality a bit hollow.

The price: $200 with a two-year contract

The bottom line: Offers a best-of-breed design and well-rounded features to make it an attractive device for consumers and mobile professionals alike.

RIM BlackBerry 8830

Carrier: Verizon Wireless

Cnet rating: 7.7 out of 10 (very good)

The good: Dual-mode capability phone can be used globally; EV-DO capable; built-in music and video player; solid performance.

The bad: No support for Verizon’s V Cast services; handset on the larger side; no camera option; no support for stereo Bluetooth headsets.

The price: $300 with a two-year contract

The bottom line: A powerful voice and messaging tool that offers world roaming and solid performance. Other features include a speakerphone, voice-activated dialing, smart dialing and conference calling.

T-Mobile Dash

Carrier: T-Mobile

Cnet rating: 7.3 out of 10 (very good)

The good: Sleek design; vibrant color screen; integrated Bluetooth 2.0 and Wi-Fi; push e-mail capabilities; multimedia functions; 1.3-megapixel camera; good call quality, extra long talk time battery life.

The bad: Volume touch strip not always responsive; confusing camera interface; subpar picture quality.

The price: $200 with a two-year contract; $250 with a one-year contract

The bottom line: An all-in-one hit. Snappy

response time, excellent call quality and long

battery life.

Palm Treo 755p

Carrier: Sprint

Cnet rating: 7.3 out of 10 (very good)

The good: Compact design; available in two attractive colors; integrated Bluetooth; 1.3-megapixel camera; EV-DO support; instant-messaging; Google Maps for Mobile; direct push technology.

The bad: A bit pricey; feels bulky and heavy compared to other full QWERTY devices; no integrated Wi-Fi; subpar picture quality.

The price: $280 with a two-year contract

The bottom line: New, fresh colors and slimmer design. Brings a collection of small but notable enhancements for an attractive upgrade And it finally offers an instant-messaging application that supports all the three major IM clients.

xref: The following Cnet staff contributed to this report: Senior associate editor Bonnie Cha, senior editor Kent German and features editor Tim Moynihan. For more reviews of personal technology products, visit «www.cnet.com».

Millions of London underground passengers face travel chaos this evening after the RMT refused to call off a three-day strike over jobs and pensions.

The 72-hour strike begins at 6pm and threatens to cause chaos during rush hour.

The two other unions representing members at Metronet, the firm responsible for maintaining around two-thirds of the tube network, were still meeting to discuss whether to abandon their plans for industrial action today following reassurances made by Transport for London over jobs and conditions.

But the RMT vowed to go ahead, regardless of the decision of the other two unions, the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association and Unite, in calling off the strike, according to a union source.

The RMT has 2,300 members, who maintain tracks, trains and signals on most of the tube network, including some of the busiest routes such as the Victoria, Central and District lines.

The RMT’s decision to go ahead will be met with disbelief by Transport for London (TfL), the mayor’s transport authority, which says that unions have received assurances from Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London; the administrator of Metronet; and the company itself, over the concerns about jobs, transfers and pensions.

“The administrator and Metronet have made clear that there will be no job cuts, no transfers and that pensions will be fully protected while the company is in administration,” a TfL spokesman said.

“We have given the trade unions clear written assurances… London underground, Metronet, the administrator and Acas have all asked Bob Crow what further assurances the RMT is seeking.

“We have received no request… It is clearly unreasonable to proceed with this strike when all the concerns have been met.”

Mr Livingstone added his voice to the calls for the action to be called off.

“It would be incomprehensible to disrupt the lives of millions of Londoners and lose their members significant amounts of pay when all the assurances they have asked for have been given.”

However, an RMT spokesman said earlier today that the guarantees his union wanted went beyond the period of administration.

“We have still not had the assurances we have been seeking.”

The RMT is planning to follow this strike with another 72-hour stoppage starting at 6pm on September 10.

Metronet went into administration in July, four years into a 17bn public-private partnership programme, having overspent by 2bn.

Last month the RMT, TSSA and Unite balloted their members at Metronet over strike action.

The unions were worried that Metronet’s contracts, which cover the maintenance and upgrade of the Bakerloo, Central, Victoria, Waterloo and City, Circle, District, Metropolitan, Hammersmith and City and East London lines, could be split up among other private sector companies.

TfL has lodged a formal expression of interest in taking control of Metronet’s two PPP contracts, which cover three-quarters of the capital’s tube network.

If the bid is successful it would undermine the fundamental principle of the PPP process, which is to have private sector involvement in funding and running a public asset.

The tube PPP was one of the cornerstones of Gordon Brown’s tenure as chancellor, when he drove through the programme in the face of opposition from Mr Livingstone.

Although TfL said it was seeking control on a “temporary basis”, believed to be for about two years, it did not state when it expects to hand back the contracts to the private sector.

PRINCE William will quit the army early to concentrate on learning how to be a monarch, according to palace insiders.

The 24-year-old, who is second in line to the throne, is expected to stand down from his officer’s post in 18 months, it is claimed.

After that, he will dedicate himself to the “art of kingship” and has already promised to play an active role in royal circles.

The claims come just weeks after suggestions his younger brother, Prince Harry, was planning to leave the armed forces, claiming disillusionment following the decision to ban him from serving in Iraq.

Yesterday Palace officials said they were not completely surprised by William’s apparent decision to quit the forces early.

One explained: “He has really matured in the last few years and has come to terms, however reluctantly, with the idea that he is the ’star of the show’.

“As a result, William is starting to approach his duties with a grace and humour that are winning people over.”

But suggestions the prince is choosing full-time royal duties over a military career as an easy option have been dismissed.

The source added: “The idea that he wants to shirk his duties is a gross misrepresentation. The difference is that he does not want to feel that his entire life is being mapped out in front of him.

“He wants instead to actively formulate his future plans and play to his strengths. He will move fairly quickly into the role of being a working royal but it will be on his own terms.”

William will leave the Blues and Royals after undergoing training and will spend brief spells with the other two armed services before finishing his military service completely in early 2009.

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