MANILA, Philippines -- Rival operators Globe and Smart are set to launch the latest Blackberry device and, as the holiday shopping season beckons, is expected to give the iPhone some competition even in the consumer space.

Smart is scheduled to launch the Blackberry Bold this week while Globe, also the exclusive local distributor of Apple's iPhone 3G, is also expected to unveil the new Blackberry handset.

Vikki Mapua, analyst for XMG Global, believes both handsets compete directly with one another and the market potential is especially significant for the Bold since it is carried by both operators.

"However, pricing and brand perception, will dictate how the market will accept the Blackberry Bold," Mapua said in comments sent to INQUIRER.net.

"The timing of the Bold's launch is ideal, since Christmas season is approaching, and mobile phone sales are traditionally good during this time," she added.

Comparing both devices, she noted that both have almost the same features: camera 3G, quad-band, Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS and USB connection.

"A significant advantage of iPhone over the Blackberry Bold, though, is its faster Web browsing speed and extended talk time; the iPhone has 8-hours talk time versus the Blackberry Bold with just 5-hours talk time," she noted.

She added what would set apart the Bold from the iPhone include capability to edit common MS Office offices and key corporate email functions.

"Its email capabilities which incorporate email search, marking read or unread multiple emails, configuration of email filters, navigation of multiple email accounts and full attachment view, key components which is absent on the iPhone despite the fact that it has gone as far as supporting MS Exchange 2003 and 2007," she said.

Thus, she expects the Bold's product pitch will likely highlight its WiFi and media player capabilities along with these above-mentioned features.

"Due to the added 'office' functionality, the Blackberry Bold will likely appeal to RIM's original clientele (corporate personnel) as well as a wider audience that has traditionally been iPhone's target market," she said.