Back to BlackBerry? Turncoats Upsetting iPhone Users

[hollow0]

I see that someone posted something about not being able to send attachments via email..but doesn't quick office send attachments via email? It includes word, access, ppt, and excel. You can create and edit such files in there...so what is really left? no physical keyboard and no push email? Are you really that attached to your work that you can't wait 10mins for an email? That's really sad to know. BTW this article is completly biased!

If anything, those who bicker with BlackBerry fans over the trivial and childish gripes that now fill the digital territory between these warring factions simply lend greater evidence that the iPhone and its users aren't "serious enough."

really now....? So only serious users use blackberries? You need to repost and explain your way of being "serious enough". What do you do with your blackberry?

[eg6motion]

. The minimalist touch interface is fast and intuitive when it comes to certain applications, but typing will never, ever be fast and intuitive on a touch interface (rest assured companies are working to perfect tactile-touch screens -- the Holy of Holies).

It seems that some of you don't understand how important a physical keyboard is. It's EXTREMELY important, and it's more than enough reason NOT to use an iPhone as a business device. Those that marginalize such an important feature are either buying into some form of marketing propaganda, or simply don't understand basic ergonomics and human factors.

It's important to you. I know several people who switched form Blackberry's to iPhones and can type even faster...I am able to as well. Some people can't acclimate to a touch-screen. Better or Worse is subjective. I currently have both a Blackberry Curve (work) and iPhone (personal) and can type circles around the Curve... and I have come from 2 Blackberry's and 2 Winmo devices. Honestly, other than the Exchange-handling of Blackberry's (which is unreliable btw, from an IT perspective) the interface, hardware, and ease of use is horrible. I would much rather hand one of my users an iPhone over a Blackberry. The Blackberry takes training and lots of setup compared to an iPhone. I suppose I should thank RIM for their device though, provides some job security with all the training, troubleshooting, countless replacements, trackball cleanings, reboots, battery replacements, device wipes, reactivating, etc. From my experience, the iPhone is far more reliable, which, in a corporate environment, is far more important than being able to snooze your reminders. And really...Blackberry's and iPhone are secondary devices anyway, it's annoying to hear self-important exec's complain about a device they didn't even have a year or two ago.

[supr2nr]

Type. I thought the article made that very clear. And I heartily agree. Even in landscape mode, using both thumbs it's hard to type fast.

There is no tactile-confirmation. On the iPhone you finger must float over the button, tap and release quickly. On a physical keyboard one has the ability to feel the key, confirm its presence under one's finger, and THEN press. This makes a physical keyboard far less susceptible to errors. There was a touchscreen with touch-confirmation (BB Storm?), and I was really excited about what that would mean for productivity. But then a dissection of the device was revealed and it's just a big button behind the screen. Dammit, I was hoping there were an array of sensors/ servos or something that gave one the sensation of a button. My daydreams were shattered.

Sometimes it strikes me in the strangest of times: I'll be sitting there playing with my iTouch and I'll suddenly snap out of my drooling over the screen and responsiveness of the hardware and my years of schooling as an industrial designer kick it. It's at these times I realize that a touch interface is extremely limited. I have to input ALL of my information with the very tip of my fingers. Sometimes I can use one of my large thumbs to scroll a screen or press an overly-large button, but most of the time I'm holding the device with one hand and using only one finger.

The iPhone/ iTouch is amazing. It's incredible. It's one of those revolutionary devices that everyone should at least try for a couple months before they judge, and afterward hold it as a standard of quality. But it's also just a glorified toy. The minimalist touch interface is fast and intuitive when it comes to certain applications, but typing will never, ever be fast and intuitive on a touch interface (rest assured companies are working to perfect tactile-touch screens -- the Holy of Holies).

It seems that some of you don't understand how important a physical keyboard is. It's EXTREMELY important, and it's more than enough reason NOT to use an iPhone as a business device. Those that marginalize such an important feature are either buying into some form of marketing propaganda, or simply don't understand basic ergonomics and human factors.

All of you are missing on some very clear issues that above poster very clearly mentioned. The keyboard. Some of you like it I understand that, but the others hate it and I do mean despise it.

Another thing someone else mentioned. You never hear of anyone jailbreaking (modding) their blackberry to get a function to work. Truth is all of the more basic functions like MMS, Video Recording, Video Editing, COPY AND PASTE!!!!, voice dialing were all there from the start of the blackberry and if they weren't they were added by a software load, NOT BRAND NEW PHONES THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY $500-$700 FOR!!!!!. Truth is all of the basic functions that everyone needs for their email (like push notifications) have been there for years but has only truly become a huge issues lately because Apple didn't support it.

The iPhone is a great phone for a younger person looking to carry their music, some apps, and make phone calls. That's about it. Someone who needs a professional phone that will help them perform in their job needs something more along the line as a blackberry that actually can do everything we already need it to do.

The Blackberry takes training and lots of setup compared to an iPhone. I suppose I should thank RIM for their device though, provides some job security with all the training, troubleshooting, countless replacements, trackball cleanings, reboots, battery replacements, device wipes, reactivating, etc. From my experience, the iPhone is far more reliable, which, in a corporate environment, is far more important than being able to snooze your reminders.

Your reallygoing to say that you have to reboot the blackberry more than the iPhone? I'm sorry but in my experience with 5 different blackberries and one iPhone its the opposite way around. The iPhone is constantly out of memory. Apps will be begin to run slow or just crash in the middle of the app. But then I guess thats just a figment of my imagination seeing how MAC NEVER EVER EVER crashes.

[lcfut]

There is one other key feature that will keep me an avid Blackberry user, and away from the iPhone.

Security.

As a Forensic professtional I cannot even warrant the use of an iPhone. The amount of deleted data that can be recovered MONTHS later is astounding, unknown to the owner. From emails, SMS, Facebook cache, keyboard cache (what you type anywhere), etc. is all stored in that device.

I know the first reply will be about the hardware encryption of the 3Gs, and how it encrypts everything. Well, I hate to break it to you, iTunes will decrypt it for me when transferring to a computer. ANY computer. Passcode or not. Encrypted backup setting or not.
The next post will be something to the effect of, "I will just use the remote wipe feature". Well, the use of a paperclip and remove the SIM card and that feature is disabled.

Security on a Blackberry:
Password required. Doesnt matter what device or how its connected, the password is required to communicate to it. If the password is typed in wrong (3-10 times based on a setting), the device is wiped. Do not pass GO, Do not collect data. Bu-Bye.

[spiderguy84]

There is one other key feature that will keep me an avid Blackberry user, and away from the iPhone.

Security.

As a Forensic professtional

Nice spelling for someone with such a dignified job title...maybe he used a Blackberry to type this but they keys are so tiny and squished together that he hit an extra letter...

[CaptainChaos]

I used to have the blackberry and will never switch back. Typing is a poor excuse to leave the phone. It is quite the opposite...it is easier and faster to type on the iPhone's touchscreen.

[tavella]

2. Have you ever heard of yahoo? Free Push. Gmail and hotmail not so much, but you stated THE ONLY WAY. There is a way, just maybe not one you want.
3. What happened to 3? Email Push such a problem it took up two numbers,lol?
Rest are coming soon.

BTW who are these people who keep saying $30 for internet is expensive? When I had a blackjack or a htc wizard, I called AT&T to see about the cost of adding internet, they said it would be $50/month because it's a PDA plan. To me $30 seems like a deal...

If this phone gave more real estate instead of using up half the screen to present a keyboard, I may not have missed a number. I must not have been clear enough when speaking of the push email. I have my own domain and email address. Why would I want use Yahoo? By the way, go back and reread my original post, it mentions Yahoo. So with that, how else would I use my own domain email with push for free? I'll move on because you won't have an answer.

Speaking of data plans, you have no real defense for the free push email. BIS delivers practically every email provider out there. I never touched on how you're paying $20/mo for a messaging plan that only provides SMS while other customers on the same network, with different phones can send pics and videos. That is why the data plan was only $30 on the iPhone. They don't bundle the messaging plan. Check the available plans.

Like I said, my personal reasons. Never bashed your messiAh phone, go flame else were.

@hollow0,

Why would I want to pay $10 for an app which the native mail client should handle out of the box? I need my emails right away. Don't feel sad for me and my job, I'm quite happy and I'm enjoying my pay.

[toawkanavngthded]

I used to rock the curve several years back and loved it. Loved it's features. Then my gf got me the iPhone almost 2 yrs ago and I can tell u I'm not switching back. Web browsing and emails are amazing. Comparing to a blackberry it does not stand a chance. I then broke my iPhone and I had to wait a couple days to getbit replaced cuz appoints were booked at the apple store. I then had to use my old curve for the time being and hated it. I also bought a fuze cuz I heard so much bout it and i returned it cuz it just didn't work out for me. I'm sure it is a great phone but just not to my needs.

Everyone has a preference and that's what makes this all fun cuz of competition. It will continue to be a battle and everyone will enjoy what they have and continue to speak their mind and provide feedback

[chris4851]

I have both and I switch frequently. I love the iPhone and I love the Blackberry. In my opinion these re the major differences.

Blackberry:
BBM - No chat program the iPhone offer will ever compete with this. Unless they get an "always on" iChat or independent to iPhone. I still do not think it will ever compete with BBM.

MMS - Yes I know AT&T customers will be getting it soon. But come on, my $20 phone gets MMS.

Keyboard - Many say they love the OSK but personally, I hate it. Physical keys will never be beat. On screen typing was a fab and will soon be gone.

Physical Customization - I can swap/extend the battery at will with the Blackberry. You cant even change the battery with the iPhone unless you send it into Apple for a HUGE charge.

Battery life - Need I say more. Blackberry cannot be beat here.

Mail - Blackberry is the king of mail. This is the root of all Blackberry's.

iPhone:
Photo/Video - You can't say much here. The newest iPhone 3GS is amazing with photos and videos. But that's where it stops. Every Blackberry with a camera can take videos, you NEED the 3GS to do this... Stupid.

App for that - Nothing really special here. Yes there might be an app for that but most apps suck. The major applications the iPhone has the Blackberry has. They just look a hell of a lot better on the iPhone.

Web Browser - iPhone cannot be beat here. Minus there LACK of flash. When Blackberry nails the web browser I might switch for ever.

Physical appearance - iPhone has this in the bag. There products look amazing.

As I said these are the major differences in my opinion.

[barno909]

My blackberry friends that claim their keyboard (which as far as I've seen is only good for qwerty setup, try switching to a Japanese keyboard to type up that email to your Tokyo satellite office, oh what's that you can't, guess Blackberry is only good for the 'serious' national user, us international users will stick with the morphing keyboard and just get richer*) is better, say it's better because they know which key they pressed because of the depression of the button... to that I say BullShavick. I get texts from my blackberry friends all the time with mispelled words, so either they don't know how to spell and know what keys they are pressing, or they press the wrong keys and don't know how to proof read their texts/emails.

*I don't have a Tokyo office, and I'm poor, but I do have friends in France, and the french keyboard with the french auto-correction that I can during on and off with one click of a button is sic!!!

[Haterzenvy]

i just had a curve 8900 having the iphone 3g since its debut.
email?? just JB iphone and download push, you get emails in 1 minute faster than the server, my BB would get them over 30mins or an hour later, and then it would never get them! =O ugh, the phone was so unreliable, the only thing it did good was phone calls and text. but thats it, my iphone did that and so much more. then the app store and crack berry forum and store. ITS WHACK! doesnt compare to MMi forums or devteam blog, why should i have to pay $6 for a theme on a blackberry? seriously? no app on the store was worth a second thought other than iskoot which is used for skype. but i no longer need that. the BB is a serious phone?? more like boring.... iphone can do any of that and more just need the effort of JB and u can unlock limitless potential

my opinion, never go back to BB, got my iphone

[Melech518]

I think its BS for anyone wanting to switch back to the CrapBerry. 90% of my friends of them and the other 10% have iPhones. Even thought they all swear by their BB's, every single one of them at one point while I am with them asks me, "Can I use your iPhone for a second?". Makes you wonder doesn't it....

I find most of the people I know reasons for staying with BB is one reason, BBM or Black Berry Messenger. The majority say things to me like, "I just could never give it up." But the reality is all text messages appear to be in Instant messenger format on an iPhone. And if every one you know has an iPhone, it would be the same as BBM. They also all have 2 common complaints about their BB's. One is the web browser. The BB web browser does not support most websites and is not easy to navigate. However, the iPhone web browser is well like being on a computer. Second, the BB resets of crashes constantly erasing all of the users data. I have a friend who switched yesterday to iPhone after saying she could not deal with the constant crashes any longer. Yes, you can back up your BB, but how many people actually find a reason to sync their BB everyday. Now when you have an iPhone, you have a reason to sync up daily. Your iPhone is your iPod, Computer, Planner, Address Book, Gaming Center, etc.... 9 times out of ten when an iPhone crashes it is some fault of the users and not vice versa. But there is always a handy backup of all your info laying around. As iPhone users we are also privy to services suck as iDisk Mobile and Mobile Me. Our phones keep all of our information in sync even when we forget to do it ourselves, and also give us the feature of locating a lost phone that has Mobile Me enabled. Does a BB do that?

One last thing, What other company provides updates constantly for their devices that add features that most would have to buy a new phone to get? Yes I know BB has updates as well, but never as significant as iPhone software updates. So many iPhone users still have their 1st gen iPhones and even their 3G they bought in the first few days it was released, and are able to use almost all of the same features and functions as everyone else running 3.0, 3.0.1, or 3.1 on an iPhone. How many BB users still have the first BB every made and are able to use it with the same functionality of the Bold or the Curve?

[hollow0]

@hollow0,

Why would I want to pay $10 for an app which the native mail client should handle out of the box? I need my emails right away. Don't feel sad for me and my job, I'm quite happy and I'm enjoying my pay.

Ok i can understand that you shouldn't have to pay $10 for an application that should already be there because that's how i feel about the messenger services on the iPhone..stupid beejive messenger..most phones have it built in. So yeah i understand but you can't say that the ability to do it is not there on the iPhone. People are stating things that the iPhone cannot do when in fact it can do.

[khiphone3g]

Who. Cares. ugh

So what? Really, who cares what device someone uses. It's their own choice. There isn't an over-all winner between the two because they serve their own functions respectively, and all the arguing about which is better just shows the limited IQ's people are running on. I have an iPhone. I love it. My best friend has a Blackberry. He loves it. Argue over which one is better? Dumb. If people at CNET have an opinion they wanna voice then let them do so. Everyone seems to be in the opinion forcing on the Internet anyway, so who gives a S. It's just annoying to even discuss something as trivial as this.

Agree...I sell and use a lot of phones, many brands and models. I love iPhone as much as BlackBerry. They all do things somehow differently. People's choices and preferences are different and you can't just say what is the best. If number saying anything about being best, then Nokia should be your best phone. However, that is not the case.

Apps Store...close to all manufactures now are having "Apps Store." BlackBerry has Apps World, Palm has Apps Catalog, Nokia has Ovi Store, Android has Market, and Window Mobile is coming out with one.

Plans for data services are different from carrier to carrier. So it is many different things to consider when you purchase a phone or prefer one phone over another. For people to argue which is the best, it is so childess, and whoever think they can outpost the iPhone lovers in this forum, is very stupid.

[hollow0]

Apps Store...close to all manufactures now are having "Apps Store." BlackBerry has Apps World, Palm has Apps Catalog, Nokia has Ovi Store, Android has Market, and Window Mobile is coming out with one.

Yeah, because of our "app store" now every other major manufacturer jumps on the bandwagon to create their "app store" to create competition. The word "apps" is everywhere now. Before the iPhone it was barely mentioned.

whoever think they can outpost the iPhone lovers in this forum, is very stupid.

lol very true..

[dstaysniak]

I've had a couple of Blackberry's before going with an iPhone 2G. Now that my contract is expired, I'm going back to Blackberry.
With the latest firmware updates, I have to jailbreak it to be able to get one two features I use the most. My batter life has dwindled from two days to 8 hours. AT&T's local service in the Cleveland, OH market has gotten worse instead of better. I live smack in the middle of (3) cell sites (none more than 1 mile away) and I have no signal. I have to travel 1/2 mile east or west to be able to make or receive a call. iTunes is a hassle to sync with.

It's cute and beats having to carry an iPod as well, but it's still not quite prime time.

[solarus]

I've got admit I really don't get the Blackberry's either. I just don't like the crowded look to the phones. Besides, I don't have any use for the business purposes anyway. However, I'm beginning to think the "growing band of iPhone malcontents" aren't just leaving for the physical keyboards and the need for business-centric features/settings.

I've begun to think Apple's general attitude may be the real problem here.

Don't get me wrong, overall I'm happy with my iPhone and it will remain my media player of choice, but over the last several months I've noticed some disconcerting attitudes from Apple as a Company, at least by my own standards.

Apple may have opened up more APIs, but they have also worked to make the OS more closed in general (tougher to jailbreak, not being able to downgrade 3.1 etc...) so I'm not thrilled with their general "our way or the highway" approach which is way too similar to Microsoft's behavior in the past if you ask me. I should NOT have to jailbreak just to have custom icons and a wallpaper on the springboard!!! Bottom line is that I'm not fan of the "Apple approved app only" business model. We don't accept this model for our laptops and desktops so why should we for our mobile devices?

Also, Apple's recent tendency to blame the customer first and solve the problem later (3GS overheating being an obvious example) is another major peeve.

Apple and its fans, myself included (at least as far as devices go) have always been a little, shall we say proud , but recently Apple as a company, for my tastes at least, seems to have stepped over the line that separates arrogance from proud & aggressive championing of their products and services.

Take this and throw in some lousy service from AT&T and I've decided its time to look elsewhere for my next phone. I'll miss some of the apps but in time I'm sure they'll have their equivalent on whatever phone I decide to go with. In the meantime, my iPhone will continue to do what's its best at - being an iPod Touch.

[2Jaze]

To those that absolutely hate the texting, I made a small video:

[bunnywhi7e]

After reading this thread entirely I had no choice but to chime in

Let's just say that I love technology and I love changing phones often (my friends think Im nuts). Anyways, In about 3-5 year span I had a lot of cell phones, smart phones you name it I had it. And even I thought there was something better than the iPhone out there and just recently got the MyTouch 3G for T-Mobile. Before MyTouch 3G, I used to own iPhone 1st gen, and the 3G. I always loved iPhones but always THOUGHT "hey maybe there's something better than an overpriced iPhone and ATT's expensive data plan ($30/m). I WAS WRONG ALL ALONG. After testing and using these other smartphones INCLUDING blackberry, I can honestly say that iPhone is THE BEST SMARTPHONE ever created, PERIOD. It offers what NO OTHER PHONE OFFERS and that is entertainment, fun, business, and many other useful things. I don't get it why some users (blackberry fans) complain about the touch keyboard. I will make any bet that there is to make, that I will type FASTER and BETTER than all of them who think blackberry's kboard is better. If you practice and be patient you can be really good almost perfect at typing on the iPhone.

Now, I recently sold my MyTouch 3G and got a family plan with my GF and I got iPhone 3GS. WHAT CAN I SAY....again and again it's a MASTERPIECE, period. The lightning speed, the overall pleasant feeling while using the phone is just SICK.

I don't understand how can a BLACKBERRY compare to something like iPhone, I really don't.

[tavella]

Ok i can understand that you shouldn't have to pay $10 for an application that should already be there because that's how i feel about the messenger services on the iPhone..stupid beejive messenger..most phones have it built in. So yeah i understand but you can't say that the ability to do it is not there on the iPhone. People are stating things that the iPhone cannot do when in fact it can do.

I see you view. How am I as a regular owner to know that I need to buy an app to add the functionality? I needed this just to get push notifications? Sure Palringo is out there but I don't think it's as nice of an app.

Three more small issues and I'm done..

1. A2DP bluetooth headsets always have the audio routed through them. If you get an email, call, sms, IM, etc. I cannot tell you how many phone calls I have missed by taking off my headset or forgetting to turn it off.

2. Why couldn't a small LED be installed on the front of this phone to let you know you missed a call, have a voicemail, email, MMS, SMS, email, etc? I'm sure it's the same reason I cannot get a quazi flash on the back of the device.

3. Its really annoying when you're listening to Slacker/Pandora (Not jailbroken, nor sure you have to IMO), go to respond to a SMS/email/whatever and then Pandora/Slacker close. I don't want to buy all of my music when I can listen to it by subscribing to Slacker. The only way Slacker was approved by Apple is because it doesn't cache the radio stations on the device. The same way Rhapsody was approved, and you cannot download MP3s from Amazon.com's digital store directly on the device.