iPhone 3Gs vs. Blackberry 9000 Bold: My Take [Update: FINAL]

[topherg]

This past week, I had the opportunity to trade my old iPhone 3G for a brand new Blackberry 9000, better known as the Blackberry Bold. I figured Hey, I might aswell try a Blackberry out, figure out what the hype is about and learn more about RIM's software. I have been a loyal iPhone user since day 1 when I camped out over 28 hours for the 2G iPhone, therefore I have been using the iPhone's UI for over 2 years and I finally just got sick of it. I am one of those people that really can't take the iPhones current GUI and think that it needs an entire overhall in OS 4.0 but thats a different post.

First Impressions: I'm not going to lie, I had the worst headache with this blackberry the first day. I couldn't figure out how to work anything, I no longer had MobileMe so my email wasn't natively being pushed. Lets just say, I wasn't able to use this phone with a blindfold, like I was my iPhone. But determined, I decided to give it a shot.

The very next day, I was taking a trip from where I am from Milwaukee to Chicago for Lollapoolza (It was AMAZING, Kings of Leon, AMAZING...) anyways, I thought this would be a good test for the new Blackberry. Mistake #1... I no longer had my so USEFUL google maps application, I wasn't able to give myself walking directions at all, I had to figure out where I was with Blackberry Maps, which isn't bad but its not nearly as useful as googlemaps. Also for some reason the iPhone would switch between EDGE and 3G... I don't know why but my iPhone usually stays on 3G.

The Good: So what I really like about this Blackberry is the notification system. I can easily see what messages I have, my missed calls, emails, facebook notifications... All from my LOCKSCREEN. I don't have to open the phone and page through applications to figure out what the hell is going on. I also like that there is a message center where all my messages are conveniently stored and organized. Overall RIM's software is nice but I feel that iPhones could be a lot better if they would just update it to todays standards.

The Bad: If your like me and switched to MAC OSX a few years ago and was once a die hard windows user, some of the hate I had for windows is definitely part of this blackberry. The menus are not simple, and although you can multitask really well on this thing, the phone becomes ridiculously slow when you have to many applications open... its a pain in the butt to go into each application and close them.

The Current Verdict: (Update Later) I'm gonna stick with the Blackberry for now, at least until 3.1 is released and its running smoothly. Possibly when its able to be jailbroken. I really like this blackberry but I feel like thats just because its a nice change from the same, simple, iPhone GUI that I don't really like anymore.

I'll update this thread as the week continues, sorry if its not a list of statistics to compare the phones with. This is my personal experience, I feel like if anyone is in my shoes, this would be more useful.

Thanks for Reading, Loyal Apple User,
Jack

Wow! I'm exactly in the same situation as you are Jack! I just got a bold after being so bored and tired of the iphone GUI. Well, strangely enough after a few days with the bold I find myself missing my iphone! Despite the same tired GUI the iphone just seems to do everything the blackberry does with much more ease(for me at least)! I'll stick with the bold for awhile and when I cant take it anymore I'll go back to the iphone and frickin jailbreak it and add some pizazz to that iphone GUI!

 

[staticliner]

Hey thanks for reading man, good to know I'm not the only one. I currently don't have Windows and I realized thats the only way to update a blackberry so I am downloading Windows 7 to BOOTCAMP on my Macbook. Also, I am on ATT where is the best place to find the new firmware once I have windows? And then do I use Blackberry Desktop Manager??

Google Maps (Download from your BlackBerry browser): google.com/gmm

The best place to get Bold firmware is crackberry.com If you go into their forums they have the latest OS's in there. Just make sure you delete the vendor.xml file. If you have issues or any questions feel free to send me a message on here and I will be more than happy to help you out.

 

[WinkWink726]

I had a BB before I got my iPhone too...

while i loved the BB software, it just "felt" outdated or something...

that, and I'm a total "gotta have the new shiny thing that's out" kinda person....
So... iPhone it was!

(Oh, and no matter what I did, I had a hell of a time getting the BB to sync to my macbook.... it was too much of a hassle for me. I'm a big fan of plugging the iPhone in and walking away)

 

[wnxgenral]

Wow! I'm exactly in the same situation as you are Jack! I just got a bold after being so bored and tired of the iphone GUI. Well, strangely enough after a few days with the bold I find myself missing my iphone! Despite the same tired GUI the iphone just seems to do everything the blackberry does with much more ease(for me at least)! I'll stick with the bold for awhile and when I cant take it anymore I'll go back to the iphone and frickin jailbreak it and add some pizazz to that iphone GUI!

haha nice to know to we are exactly on the same page. I'll prob switch back to my iPhone at some point soon cause I miss it, I'll def jailbreak it too, but till then I'm sticking with the Bold.

 

[CrzyCanuck72]

I made a thread like this when I first switched to a BB (8900)... a month later, I know I made the right decision. The BB is a communications powerhouse: multitasking, great battery, proper notifications, text replacement, keyboard shortcuts. The iPhone still has the BB beat in terms of multimedia, browsing, and fun little apps, but there's only so long those can amuse you before you actually want to get stuff done.

 

[cenetti]

Iphone is a TOY. And that's that... it got so popular because of all the 13-16 year olds buying it for the $.99 stupid games...

Couple days ago, I was in the woods hiking...using gps with google maps. A few text, and email then one phone call. After 2 hours later, my battery was under %30.... it's a joke. Good thing I didn't get lost and found the way out after that....

Not a whole day, not half day... in about 2 hours... lol

If you want a reliable phone, get BB or something else.
If you want a shiny cool toy... get an iphone

 

[sinsin07]

The Iphone and Blackberry are for two different markets and for two different types of users. If an Iphone user goes over to Blackberry expecting an Iphone like experience, forget it. Same for a Blackberry user going over to a Iphone. The Blackberry used in a corporate environment have a plethora of settings and options not available to the iPhone users, nor would they need or use. Corporations love Blackberries because of how they can be centrally controlled. This may be available in the iphone future, but right now it’s not.
Corporations that have good IT departments have Techs and Departments that do nothing else than address Blackberry issues, BES severs maintenance, etc. Blackberries have a slew of hidden commands that can be invoked to diagnose calendar issues, mail delivery issues, synch issues, etc. Some of those commands generate logs that can be sent to RIM for further analysis and recommendation. (Iphone probably has similar commands, but I have not found them on the net yet.)
The corporate users who are executives , traders or the average VP care only about four menu items, mail, calendar, phone and address book, in that order. Some corporate users will scream more about their Blackberry not working than their PC not functioning. The Blackberry will never been an iPhone, that is not its purpose. For the dumb executive, it just as easy to use as an iphone because they only use four menu items. The rest they leave to their tech department. (Just take a look at Options\Security Options on the BB) The iphone may evolve to Blackberry status, but Apple will have to allow control of the device, with Polices, ramp up the security etc. I personally would not buy a Blackberry as a personal phone because I don’t need everything the Blackberry has to offer.

 

[lavinci]

Iphone is a TOY. And that's that... it got so popular because of all the 13-16 year olds buying it for the $.99 stupid games...

Couple days ago, I was in the woods hiking...using gps with google maps. A few text, and email then one phone call. After 2 hours later, my battery was under %30.... it's a joke. Good thing I didn't get lost and found the way out after that....

Not a whole day, not half day... in about 2 hours... lol

If you want a reliable phone, get BB or something else.
If you want a shiny cool toy... get an iphone

I'm a pharmacy major and use the Epocrates app for all my needs with my work and stuff. Toy? Where did that term come from? You're obviously a Blackberry fanboy. iPhones are just as reliable. Oh, and guess what? When we have issues, we could march into a Apple Store and diagnose the problem.

Just stop it with the toy term, some people find it better to manage their business or work with the apps available. I have this app called iStudiez Pro which helps so much in managing my classes. It is not a toy. Some people could call a BB useless because it doesn't do the stuff that they need it for. Same goes for an iPhone too.

 

[cenetti]

I'm a pharmacy major and use the Epocrates app for all my needs with my work and stuff. Toy? Where did that term come from? You're obviously a Blackberry fanboy.

I have never owned a blackberry. However I have been an iphone owner since 07...kiddo!

All those apps are available for other platforms too. Iphone is a toy. And always going to be a toy. If you're next to a charger at all times and have back ups on your computer, then it's cool.... but if not, don't trust iphone...
you have been warned!

 

[sinsin07]

I'm a pharmacy major and use the Epocrates app for all my needs with my work and stuff. Toy? Where did that term come from? You're obviously a Blackberry fanboy. iPhones are just as reliable. Oh, and guess what? When we have issues, we could march into a Apple Store and diagnose the problem.

Just stop it with the toy term, some people find it better to manage their business or work with the apps available. I have this app called iStudiez Pro which helps so much in managing my classes. It is not a toy. Some people could call a BB useless because it doesn't do the stuff that they need it for. Same goes for an iPhone too.

Thank you poster, I took a look at Epocrates and I am going to download it. I probably would have purchased it if it was 5.00 or under. In doing that search I found some other interesting a guess pharmaceutical type apps? I am far from being a pharmacist, however the apps look interesting, which brings me to my point.

Apple itself makes the iphone look like a gizmo. I have never seen an advertisement on TV for apps of this type, what do we get? Bird watching, (not knocking bird watchers so no flame please). There are other powerful apps I saw out there, NYS Traffic law and such. Never gets any play or mention cause those apps are not gimmicky. (There were some useful app advertisements, but the gimmick ones seem to get the attention.)
There needs to be a better way to separate the flack from the substance.
I personally don't consider the iphone a toy, and my reason for buying the the phone was size, for it's form factor (thickness) and what they pack in there, plus the touch screen and screen size, it meets my need for a personal device. (I was a big Treo fan, however there is no reason in this day and age the phone has to be so thick, like the Palm Pre)

 

[Nickel Dime Bay]

I came from my blacked out BOLD to the iphone 3GS and sometimes i do miss it but you cant go wrong with either phone.

btw that stereo sound from the bolds speakers is like whoa

 

[nfl46]

The Iphone and Blackberry are for two different markets and for two different types of users. If an Iphone user goes over to Blackberry expecting an Iphone like experience, forget it. Same for a Blackberry user going over to a Iphone. The Blackberry used in a corporate environment have a plethora of settings and options not available to the iPhone users, nor would they need or use. Corporations love Blackberries because of how they can be centrally controlled. This may be available in the iphone future, but right now it’s not.
Corporations that have good IT departments have Techs and Departments that do nothing else than address Blackberry issues, BES severs maintenance, etc. Blackberries have a slew of hidden commands that can be invoked to diagnose calendar issues, mail delivery issues, synch issues, etc. Some of those commands generate logs that can be sent to RIM for further analysis and recommendation. (Iphone probably has similar commands, but I have not found them on the net yet.)
The corporate users who are executives , traders or the average VP care only about four menu items, mail, calendar, phone and address book, in that order. Some corporate users will scream more about their Blackberry not working than their PC not functioning. The Blackberry will never been an iPhone, that is not its purpose. For the dumb executive, it just as easy to use as an iphone because they only use four menu items. The rest they leave to their tech department. (Just take a look at Options\Security Options on the BB) The iphone may evolve to Blackberry status, but Apple will have to allow control of the device, with Polices, ramp up the security etc. I personally would not buy a Blackberry as a personal phone because I don’t need everything the Blackberry has to offer.

I definitely agree with this! One things that the Blackberry has over the iPhone is security.

 

[nfl46]

I'm a pharmacy major and use the Epocrates app for all my needs with my work and stuff. Toy? Where did that term come from? You're obviously a Blackberry fanboy. iPhones are just as reliable. Oh, and guess what? When we have issues, we could march into a Apple Store and diagnose the problem.

Just stop it with the toy term, some people find it better to manage their business or work with the apps available. I have this app called iStudiez Pro which helps so much in managing my classes. It is not a toy. Some people could call a BB useless because it doesn't do the stuff that they need it for. Same goes for an iPhone too.

I use iStudiez Pro also. I love it.

 

[lavinci]

I have never owned a blackberry. However I have been an iphone owner since 07...kiddo!

All those apps are available for other platforms too. Iphone is a toy. And always going to be a toy. If you're next to a charger at all times and have back ups on your computer, then it's cool.... but if not, don't trust iphone...
you have been warned!

You must have some serious battery issues when it drops like that to 30%. For a power user, it sucks. But the general population does not use it like a beast. Yes, the apps may be available for all those other platforms, but is it as intuitive as the iPhone OS? Just touching, flicking, and sliding around the app makes it much easier to manage your information.

Sorry for stating you were a fanboy, but wouldn't an avid iPhone user like you not call it a toy though? Just wondering what your reasoning is.

And, yes it is very true that Apple does not advertise the excellent apps that are available. I could care less about bird watching also. If the majority of iphone users are young, then they should at least advertise some time management apps or apps like my iStudiez Pro.

 

[wnxgenral]

i updated the post with another situation that happened to me today.

 

[nfl46]

Some of the iPhone apps come in handy sooo much! The advantage the iPhone has over others is the ease of use of the App Store apps. With some other phones, its a hassle, with the iPhone, its just a simple touch of the app, and boom, there it is. One reason I won't give up my iPhone is the App Store. The App Store sometimes gets criticized, but some of the Apps are great, nonetheless.

 

[alent1234]

I've had a work blackberry for a few years and bought my own 3gs. It's like comparing a modern pc to a commodore 64. I can do 10 times the work on my iPhone than on the blackberry. Rim has milked their os with incremental upgrades for too long and with the iPhone and pre on the market it's the end of the line.

Blackberry still wins on security and management but I like the iPhone better overall. And you can write much better apps for the iPhone. Bb os limits the os and all apps to 1gb of space

 

[sinsin07]

I've had a work blackberry for a few years and bought my own 3gs. It's like comparing a modern pc to a commodore 64. I can do 10 times the work on my iPhone than on the blackberry. Rim has milked their os with incremental upgrades for too long and with the iPhone and pre on the market it's the end of the line.

Blackberry still wins on security and management but I like the iPhone better overall. And you can write much better apps for the iPhone. Bb os limits the os and all apps to 1gb of space

Yes, but the commodore 64 comparison is a little extreme. End of the line for RIM? Not likely. Like I mentioned earlier, each device serves a different purpose. Not to be to unkind, only non technical and people who can’t comprehend the interface would compare an iPhone to a Blackberry. You might as well try and force a square peg in a round hole.
As long as there are Corporations, there will be BBs, until something better comes along. Blackberries are really not for the casual phone user who wants to get Google mail. They would only be getting half the use of the device. RIM's power is what it offers for Business. RIM does not concentrate on an app store, music sync, accelerometers, compasses, shake to shuffle etc. They concentrate on delivering good mail, phone capability and security.
If I was running a business of only 5 people I would still use Blackberries. If I want a phone for personal use, I would go with iPhone, which I did.

 

[miniConvert]

A problem with the iPhone, through no fault of its own, is that it doesn't offer much to enthusiasts to keep them interested.

I used to fall into the enthusiast category for mobile phones until the iPhone came along. Unfortunately it has rather integrated itself into my day to day world so I couldn't really get rid of it now even if I wanted to!

For others, where the iPhone hasn't become so depended upon, the sheer simplicity of the UI and lack of customisation options are going to result in boredom. I used to get a new phone every few months, trust me, I know the feeling. This doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with the iPhone, though, it just means that some of us always want to be sampling the latest developments and a yearly release schedule is never going to satisfy that.

I used to keep two phones on the go, personal and business, to always be sampling the bleeding-edge. Now I've gone to just the one, the iPhone, I don't think I'll be going back - but to other enthusiasts, a two-phone approach may just be the best solution.

 

[alent1234]

Yes, but the commodore 64 comparison is a little extreme. End of the line for RIM? Not likely. Like I mentioned earlier, each device serves a different purpose. Not to be to unkind, only non technical and people who can’t comprehend the interface would compare an iPhone to a Blackberry. You might as well try and force a square peg in a round hole.
As long as there are Corporations, there will be BBs, until something better comes along. Blackberries are really not for the casual phone user who wants to get Google mail. They would only be getting half the use of the device. RIM's power is what it offers for Business. RIM does not concentrate on an app store, music sync, accelerometers, compasses, shake to shuffle etc. They concentrate on delivering good mail, phone capability and security.
If I was running a business of only 5 people I would still use Blackberries. If I want a phone for personal use, I would go with iPhone, which I did.

That's the problem with blackberries, all they do is messaging. The os is so old you can't write any decent bussines apps like you can for the iPhone. A 500k app on a blackberry is considered large.

They will have their place in secure environments, but I think the iPhone will replace them in a lot of corporations. Maybe the pre since it seems to have better business buzz. But rim has very little time until they go the way of sgi or sun micro.

It's like windows, it wasn't the most advanced os but the ecosystem killed off unix except for some niche enviroments.

 

[lavinci]

A problem with the iPhone, through no fault of its own, is that it doesn't offer much to enthusiasts to keep them interested.

I used to fall into the enthusiast category for mobile phones until the iPhone came along. Unfortunately it has rather integrated itself into my day to day world so I couldn't really get rid of it now even if I wanted to!

For others, where the iPhone hasn't become so depended upon, the sheer simplicity of the UI and lack of customisation options are going to result in boredom. I used to get a new phone every few months, trust me, I know the feeling. This doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with the iPhone, though, it just means that some of us always want to be sampling the latest developments and a yearly release schedule is never going to satisfy that.

I used to keep two phones on the go, personal and business, to always be sampling the bleeding-edge. Now I've gone to just the one, the iPhone, I don't think I'll be going back - but to other enthusiasts, a two-phone approach may just be the best solution.

I used to get a new phone every few WEEKS. I know how you feel because I used to have two phones too. But, now I just have the iPhone. And yes, the customization options are little to none compared to the Blackberries. But, still I would most definitely like to try the HTC Hero.

 

[sinsin07]

That's the problem with blackberries, all they do is messaging. The os is so old you can't write any decent bussines apps like you can for the iPhone. A 500k app on a blackberry is considered large.

They will have their place in secure environments, but I think the iPhone will replace them in a lot of corporations. Maybe the pre since it seems to have better business buzz. But rim has very little time until they go the way of sgi or sun micro.

It's like windows, it wasn't the most advanced os but the ecosystem killed off unix except for some niche enviroments.

I don't know about app development on the BB, all I can say is when our Traders need some new functionality they get it. The iphone and pre have a long way to go before corporations make a switch. For instance, we get BB curves cheap now, the iphone is not cheap. The iphone has no policy management, the iphone has lax security compared to a BB. You say BB's just does messaging, and in a sense that's right. That's all big business cares about. I order new Blackberries every week, whether to replace out of warranty device, or somebody new has joined the company. Blackberries are two ingrained into corporate America to disappear anytime soon. It does what its suppose to do. As far as Unix, every big corporation has a unix farm. I don't see that going away anytime soon either.

It would be nice to see the iphone in the environment, but try and get fat fingered 40, 50 and 60 year old men who can't tell the PC is not broken, it just went into screen saver mode, typing without a physical keyboard. It ain't gonna happen.

 

[alent1234]

Unless Microsoft rewrites active sync bb will always be more secure than the iPhone. It's the architecture. But there are a lot of bb users out there for whom security is not a top issue and will take the iPhone over a bb. Sales is ne example. Just because the iPhone doesn't limit apps to the first gb of storage means you can write much richer sales apps. And everyone saw the medical app presentation at wwdc.

Rim beat Microsoft because bill gates had the stupid idea of a consistent user experience. But the hardware is so powerful today that messaging is just another app along with the iPod and cell phone dialer.

 

[sinsin07]

Unless Microsoft rewrites active sync bb will always be more secure than the iPhone. It's the architecture. But there are a lot of bb users out there for whom security is not a top issue and will take the iPhone over a bb. Sales is ne example. Just because the iPhone doesn't limit apps to the first gb of storage means you can write much richer sales apps. And everyone saw the medical app presentation at wwdc.

Rim beat Microsoft because bill gates had the stupid idea of a consistent user experience. But the hardware is so powerful today that messaging is just another app along with the iPod and cell phone dialer.

Microsoft will have to do alot more than just rewrite active sync. Any company looking to supplant RIM's dominance in the BB arena will need to be able and willing to devote a whole department to nothing but device, server and operating system, created a dedicated help desk for coporations and regular users to contact for problems etc. Do Apple and M$ have the resources? Of course. But do they have the will is the question.

 

[alphatectz]

Look both phones are great and both have different feat. I use my bold and my 3gs (2 diff #'s) so I just switch back and forth. All I know is that I can't live without either phone. But now the new 9700 is coming out. I'm about to pick that up and still use a bb and an iPhone.