Sure, you can call me a Windows Mobile fanboy, but a pretty interface and sleek hardware, as offered by Apple’s iPhone, isn’t enough to make me trade in my Pantech Duo (or any 3G keypad-enabled Windows Mobile phone for that matter) for an iPhone. Here are the reasons why:

• 3G: Sure, the iPhone has Wifi, but most of the time I’m not even close to a wireless access point, and if I was, I’d rather whip out my 2lb Asus EEE for serious computing (which I would tether to my Pantech Duo for awesome surfing speeds). By the way, tethering a Windows Mobile device to a PC via USB or Bluetooth is extraordinarily simple. Just connect the phone (either via Activsync or a PAN Bluetooth network), then go the the file explorer on the phone and find IntShrUI under the Windows folder and run it. The select your connection method (USB or Bluetooth) and hit connect. THATS IT!

(these are actual speeds I got while tethered to my Pantech Duo.

• A real keypad: The reason why keyboards in general are so popular is because they provide tactile response and offer unmatched accuracy. When I hit a key, I expect the device to input the precise character I intend, I don’t need the device to guess. The iPhone’s input method is revolutionary and it has started a touchscreen frenzy but until devices start outputting some sort of tactile response (via vibrations or something), actual keyboard buttons are and will continue to be king.

• A2Dp (Bluetooth 2.0): The question of why the iPhone doesn’t support Bluetooth headsets still baffles me. I’m sure the hardware supports it, I just don’t know why Apple hasn’t allowed (via firmware updates) A2DP profiles. I mean, isn’t the Plantronics Voyager 855 with its detachable second earpiece just pure genius?

• Flexibility: Sure, you can get emulators and all sorts of homebrew apps running on the iPhone, after extensive hacking and voiding your warranty, but that just doesn’t cut it. I love the fact that I can watch TV on my Pantech Duo (via Slingbox), get GPS directions (via Google Maps and a Bluetooth GPS receiver), and read books (via Mobipocket Reader). Not to mention very fast Youtube videos (thanks to ytpocket.com, 2 quick installs and 3G internet).

• Exchange: Maybe its because I come from a corporate environment, where Exchange is the communications backbone, but I really can’t live without my always up-to-date calendar/task list/contacts/emails on my phone and on my PCs thanks to Exchange’s over-the-air sync feature. I pay $10/mo for my Exchange account (via Lanlogic) because I need to use my own domain for sending emails, but you can get a free Exchange (OTA Activesync included) for free at mail2web.

• And finally, instant messaging, MMS and Bcc’ing. All of these minor functions, but nonetheless, the features that iPhone lacks.

What would I change about my Pantech Duo (and Windows Mobile) in general? Internet Explorer. It just sucks. Its barely usable, but I don’t use it for any serious browsing. I use it to check movie times, solve quick questions (via Wikipedia) and to catch up on my RSS feeds (via Google Reader). But, as I stated before, if I need to do serious browsing or computing, I just tether my Asus EEE to the phone and voila!

By the way, I paid full price for my Pantech Duo, $200 after a $100 main in rebate (which just came it today!), but you can get a Pantech Duo for $99 at at&t wireless.