Questioning my iPhone for a Blackberry

[Leet Apple]

Recently i've gotten bored of my iPhone knowing i can't really do much with it. Lots of my friends have Blackberries and i could just BBM with them and not have the constant fear of cracking my screen.


Seriously give me some responses, i don't mind the physical keyboards

 

[NorrisKillsKids]

Blackberry isn't as glamorous as it sounds. It was my last phone, and let me just give one word of caution. It's ONLY worth getting if you're an email/messaging fiend. Otherwise I'd stick with the iPhone.

I had to get rid of it because I'm not one of those message/email fiends and am more of an entertainment (good browser, media player, apps, etc...) kind of dude.

So if you fit into the fiend category then it will be like an amusement park for you, if not then I'd think twice.

 

[maflynn]

I can give you 150,000 reasons why.

Look at the apps. If you're in constant fear of cracking the screen, then don't worry. Its pretty durable.

Clearly the iPhone has a superior web browser, texting ability, music, and video capability. The only thing the BB has is its email and physical keyboard.

 

[CrAkD]

ew. why on earth would you even consider that.

 

[bridgettwhite]

i just switched back to the iPhone from the BlackBerry Bold and it really depends on how you use your phone. if you rely heavily on messaging and not so much on entertainment features of your phone, then BlackBerry is definitely the way to go for you. On the other hand, if you like to have a variety of apps and like the entertainment features i guess you would call it, then definitely go towards the iPhone. I say, get one and see how you like it, you always have 30 days to return it if it doesnt suit your needs.

 

[labman]

serously

everybody's needs wants desires are different. Go try a few blackberry's do some research on them. Then if you think the bb is for you get it! try the droid too what ever you heart desires, then do what ever your going to do. at the end of the day it's really just a phone lol!

 

[Leet Apple]

everybody's needs wants desires are different. Go try a few blackberry's do some research on them. Then if you think the bb is for you get it! try the droid too what ever you heart desires, then do what ever your going to do. at the end of the day it's really just a phone lol!

Never a Droid lmfao, i might borrow my friend's blackberry and SIM for a week see how BBM treats me if not i give it back to him



Really my iPhone is only boring me because it lags with most games like Tap tap which gets very annoying unless I magically find a iPhone 3Gs I'm not really going to be satisfied with my 3G


I think its OS 4.0 which gave me the sudden dislike of my 3G, even though my 3G hasn't really done anything to deserve the hate besides lag.

 

[APPLEFAN8]

I am doing the opposite right now, I have a Tour on Verizon. Blackberry messenger is cool and stuff but the blackberry doesn't offer anything. I have like 7 apps I can use and all the others are expensive. Basically what i'm saying is that there is no fun factor with the blackberry. That's why i'm getting the new iphone in July.

 

[CrzyCanuck72]

I switched from an iPhone 3G to BlackBerry 8900 a year ago and will never turn back.

The iPhone is a lot of fun - it's got neat little apps that can do basically everything except cook you breakfast. I will definitely be picking up an iPod Touch at some point to play with the apps and to use the better browser.

The question is what your needs are. Do you need a robust, business-oriented smartphone with the ability to run a few basic apps (twitter, facebook, weather, sports scores), or do you need a multimedia, app-based toy with the ability to make phone calls tossed in as an afterthought?

Personally, BlackBerry has almost universal acceptance amongst my peers (professional students/young professionals), so having one means being a part of the club - BBM is an entirely different form of communication. I certainly did not use the iPhone's threaded texting the way I use BBM.

I also much prefer certain aspects of the BB OS to the iPhone OS. I like the way certain apps can be integrated into core OS - for example, you can send a photo to Twitter or Facebook directly from the camera app, rather than having to go into the Twitter or Facebook app. The notifications on the BB are much more robust than the iPhone - the blinking LED is a godsend, and the BB has status-bar notification icons. These help me stay on top of my messages. The BB is also capable of full background processing. I open and log into the MSN Messenger app, then close out to the homescreen or run other apps and continue to be notified of new messages (through any combination of ringtone, vibration, and LED) without an annoying popup in my face. I like the way I can start typing a contact's name from the homescreen and their number will pop up and I can dial it (as opposed to opening the phone app and scrolling through all my contacts).

Anyway, that's my spiel... the iPhone has won the app war, hands down, it's just a matter of whether all those apps are for you. BlackBerry has had years to refine itself as a phone/email/messaging device. That's what's most important to me, and that's why I prefer a BlackBerry.

edit: some caveats to the BlackBerry:
- the music player is functional, but I don't use it as my primary music player the way I did with my iPhone
- Mac syncing is hit and miss - I've been pretty lucky with it, but others haven't. Google Sync might be the best option for this (I'm using it now for calendars, and so far it's been flawless)
- if you don't get a newer model, expect frequent crashes
- some apps require you to restart after installation or uninstallation... depends on their level of interaction with the OS, but still annoying
- two-way GMail sync is supposed to be implemented soon, but until then, it doesn't do it

 

[blancoBronco]

If you get bored with an iPhone, you won't last a week with a BB. the only thing that's fun on a BB is brickbreaker

 

[CocoaPuffs]

You said iPhone is boring and yet you only list BBM as the draw. If that's the only benefit you see, then good luck with your BB experience.

If I am to jump ship from iPhone, Android seems like the only one worth considering at the moment.

 

[Applejuiced]

Recently i've gotten bored of my iPhone knowing i can't really do much with it. Lots of my friends have Blackberries and i could just BBM with them and not have the constant fear of cracking my screen.


Seriously give me some responses, i don't mind the physical keyboards

Go for it then.
Who's stopping you?

 

[iObama]

Do NOT switch to a BlackBerry if you're bored with the iPhone. I did the same thing and I've regretted it ever since.

 

[Anthony T]

Don't do it. I thought the same thing and got rid of my 3GS for a BlackBerry Tour. I regret it every day, and BBM is annoying and overrated. It's cool for like the first two days, and then it gets irritating.

I am anxiously awaiting the release of the next iPhone so I can finally drop this piece of s**t BlackBerry.

The only reason I'm glad I have a BB now is because I'm a lot more excited to get an iPhone back again, especially a new generation one, which should be awesome.

 

[Small White Car]

or do you need a multimedia, app-based toy with the ability to make phone calls tossed in as an afterthought?

I gotta say, I'm starting to really hate the "toy" moniker.

I totally agree with all your points on why the BB is better and I STILL think that's a really dumb thing to say. What makes a Blackberry so serious, hm?

I like the way certain apps can be integrated into core OS - for example, you can send a photo to Twitter or Facebook directly from the camera app, rather than having to go into the Twitter or Facebook app.

Oh, right. There's certainly nothing playful or toy-like about uploading photos to your Facebook account. That doesn't sound like a recreational activity at all. This is part of your job I take it?

The notifications on the BB are much more robust than the iPhone - the blinking LED is a godsend, and the BB has status-bar notification icons. These help me stay on top of my messages.

I totally agree that the BB system is better. But what exactly makes "spending more time looking at my messages" a feature of a 'toy?' That's something fun and amusing? The brand new Nintendo "spend more time looking at your messages" system is really a big seller, is it? I wasn't aware that inefficiency = toy.

The BB is also capable of full background processing. I open and log into the MSN Messenger app, then close out to the homescreen or run other apps and continue to be notified of new messages (through any combination of ringtone, vibration, and LED) without an annoying popup in my face.

Yup, chatting with your friends, another critical work task! (You already told me about the virtues of BB-Messenger for all your professional contacts, so I know this MSN stuff isn't work-related.)

I like the way I can start typing a contact's name from the homescreen and their number will pop up and I can dial it (as opposed to opening the phone app and scrolling through all my contacts).

Yeah, scrolling...another great toy feature! I have hours of fun with my scrolling games...just scrolling all around...good times.

~ ~ ~

I'm not saying your points are bad. Those ARE reasons to prefer a BB over an iPhone. What I'm saying is that iPhones and Blackberries are BOTH used for both fun and work.

Calling the iPhone a toy is really silly unless you wanna take back all that stuff about having fun with your BB.

 

[Applejuiced]

Figures, same old silly story from most BB users.
Their phones are business-oriented and serious while iphones are toys
And the part about beeing universall accepted by his peers that use bb made me laugh. Gotta fit in with the crew than use something that you enjoy I guess

 

[CrzyCanuck72]

Oh, right. There's certainly nothing playful or toy-like about uploading photos to your Facebook account. That doesn't sound like a recreational activity at all. This is part of your job I take it?

Actually, social networking (mainly facebook, to a lesser extent twitter) is a huge part of my job

I totally agree that the BB system is better. But what exactly makes "spending more time looking at my messages" a feature of a 'toy?' That's something fun and amusing? The brand new Nintendo "spend more time looking at your messages" system is really a big seller, is it? I wasn't aware that inefficiency = toy.

The point is that the BB OS is built around messaging and notifications, whereas on the iPhone they are just treated as another app.

Yup, chatting with your friends, another critical work task! (You already told me about the virtues of BB-Messenger for all your professional contacts, so I know this MSN stuff isn't work-related.)

I never said that I used my BlackBerry exclusively for work - just that the non-work functions that are most important to me are executed better on the BB. And, once again, MSN is actually quite important to my job (I work with students and students live on MSN).

I'm not saying your points are bad. Those ARE reasons to prefer a BB over an iPhone. What I'm saying is that iPhones and Blackberries are BOTH used for both fun and work.

Calling the iPhone a toy is really silly unless you wanna take back all that stuff about having fun with your BB.

Point taken - I think the 'toy' moniker is just a quick and dirty way to say that, while the iPhone is capable of business-like tasks, it's not its bread and butter the way it is for the BB. You have to admit that when you spend your time on your iPhone flicking paper balls into a waste basket, or guiding little airplanes onto runways, it starts to seem like a toy.

 

[Applejuiced]

Point taken - I think the 'toy' moniker is just a quick and dirty way to say that, while the iPhone is capable of business-like tasks, it's not its bread and butter the way it is for the BB. You have to admit that when you spend your time on your iPhone flicking paper balls into a waste basket, or guiding little airplanes onto runways, it starts to seem like a toy.

So all iphone users do is play games right?

 

[CrzyCanuck72]

And the part about beeing universall accepted by his peers that use bb made me laugh. Gotta fit in with the crew than use something that you enjoy I guess

Reading comprehension fail. Not having a BB (and thus, no BBM) in my social circle is like not having a telephone in the 70s or 80s. Sure, there are other ways to get in touch (mail, stop by in person), but you can bet that you are going to be left out of the vast majority of communications.

It might be silly, but it's the way it is.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

I switched from an iPhone 3G to BlackBerry 8900 a year ago and will never turn back.

The iPhone is a lot of fun - it's got neat little apps that can do basically everything except cook you breakfast. I will definitely be picking up an iPod Touch at some point to play with the apps and to use the better browser.

The question is what your needs are. Do you need a robust, business-oriented smartphone with the ability to run a few basic apps (twitter, facebook, weather, sports scores), or do you need a multimedia, app-based toy with the ability to make phone calls tossed in as an afterthought?

Personally, BlackBerry has almost universal acceptance amongst my peers (professional students/young professionals), so having one means being a part of the club - BBM is an entirely different form of communication. I certainly did not use the iPhone's threaded texting the way I use BBM.

I also much prefer certain aspects of the BB OS to the iPhone OS. I like the way certain apps can be integrated into core OS - for example, you can send a photo to Twitter or Facebook directly from the camera app, rather than having to go into the Twitter or Facebook app. The notifications on the BB are much more robust than the iPhone - the blinking LED is a godsend, and the BB has status-bar notification icons. These help me stay on top of my messages. The BB is also capable of full background processing. I open and log into the MSN Messenger app, then close out to the homescreen or run other apps and continue to be notified of new messages (through any combination of ringtone, vibration, and LED) without an annoying popup in my face. I like the way I can start typing a contact's name from the homescreen and their number will pop up and I can dial it (as opposed to opening the phone app and scrolling through all my contacts).

Anyway, that's my spiel... the iPhone has won the app war, hands down, it's just a matter of whether all those apps are for you. BlackBerry has had years to refine itself as a phone/email/messaging device. That's what's most important to me, and that's why I prefer a BlackBerry.

edit: some caveats to the BlackBerry:
- the music player is functional, but I don't use it as my primary music player the way I did with my iPhone
- Mac syncing is hit and miss - I've been pretty lucky with it, but others haven't. Google Sync might be the best option for this (I'm using it now for calendars, and so far it's been flawless)
- if you don't get a newer model, expect frequent crashes
- some apps require you to restart after installation or uninstallation... depends on their level of interaction with the OS, but still annoying
- two-way GMail sync is supposed to be implemented soon, but until then, it doesn't do it

He summed it up great.

I will add in my view of it as well.

I own a iPod Touch and Blackberry 8900.

As a pure messaging device the Blackberry wins hands down vs the iPhone. The entire phone is designed around communication. Like the guy I quoted you can directly access things like twitter and face book from the camera and you have all the icons in the notification area along with the LED. Also you can get an app that will control the color of the LED so it can be used to add to the usefulness.

Now the iPhone wins out as a better device to web surf on and for apps. Not going to try to argue that point. The blackberry web browser is ok at best but it is good for when you are not around wifi and on the go. Personally I find it works just fine for me for what I use it for which is mostly just reading the news when I killing time at the doctor office.

I personally like to have my media and my phone separated so the combo set up works great. My blackberry has some of my music on it and other things for a pinch but normally if I plan on listening to music I will have my iPod with me. People argue that you have to carry 2 devices but for me it is a non issue because if I was iPhone only I would still have to carry head phone with me to listen to music and I would only do that if I had my backpack so my backpack holds the iPod.

It comes down to what device works best with what you want and your lifestyle. for me it is the blackberry.

 

[Applejuiced]

Reading comprehension fail. Not having a BB (and thus, no BBM) in my social circle is like not having a telephone in the 70s or 80s. Sure, there are other ways to get in touch (mail, stop by in person), but you can bet that you are going to be left out of the vast majority of communications.

It might be silly, but it's the way it is.

Im sure theres many other ways to get in touch besides BBM.
Gotta fit in with the "social circle" I guess

 

[slapguts]

I bought the original iPhone a month after it came out, and loved it. It was my first non-dumb-phone.

Sold my 3G a month or so ago to pay some bills, and am waiting for the new one to come out this summer.

In the interim, two days ago I got a Blackberry Curve off Craigslist for dirt cheap. I've spent the last two days just trying to install the Facebook app. The buttons are slow, typing is a pain in the butt, I hate this phone. I might make it another day or two, and it's getting traded for a Motorola Razr.

Maybe I'm missing something, though. Blackberries have a lot of fans, there must be a reason. Can someone explain to me what I'm missing?

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

I bought the original iPhone a month after it came out, and loved it. It was my first non-dumb-phone.

Sold my 3G a month or so ago to pay some bills, and am waiting for the new one to come out this summer.

In the interim, two days ago I got a Blackberry Curve off Craigslist for dirt cheap. I've spent the last two days just trying to install the Facebook app. The buttons are slow, typing is a pain in the butt, I hate this phone. I might make it another day or two, and it's getting traded for a Motorola Razr.

Maybe I'm missing something, though. Blackberries have a lot of fans, there must be a reason. Can someone explain to me what I'm missing?

You're not "missing" anything. I've been through several phones after my initial iPhone and the feeling of... well, boredom is always there. The Blackberry Bold was one of those phones and IMO, the Blackberry OS cannot even begin to compare with iPhone OS unless you use your phone strictly for business.

 

[0186279]

I ditched my last iphone for a blackberry and Im back within 6 months. They are good phones but the iPhone can do everything a blackberry can do and then some, other than BB message, but chances are your friends with blackberries have unlimited (or damn close to it) texting anyways.

If you are bored with your iPhone, what are you going to do on your BB? Not watch good quality youtube videos? Not have thousands of songs on your ipod (not really have an ipod at all actually), not have an amazingly easy/smooth to use browser? The list goes on.

Iphones are beuatiful, everything works all the time, there isnt much maintenance, and you REALLY need to look into the 4.0 OS coming out in a few months before you switch phones.

 

[slapguts]

You're not "missing" anything. I've been through several phones after my initial iPhone and the feeling of... well, boredom is always there. The Blackberry Bold was one of those phones and IMO, the Blackberry OS cannot even begin to compare with iPhone OS unless you use your phone strictly for business.

It kinda seems like unless I'm on a sales team at work, or have a lot of friends with BBM, there is nothing this phone can do for me. Bummer. Off to eBay it goes. At least I got it cheap enough that I'll probably make money on it.