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Why do people love Blackberries?

hdsalinas

hdsalinas

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 28, 2006
397
0
San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Hi,

I am in the market for a new phone to replace my Nokia 6120c. This is my first and last Nokia. The OS is very, very boring and the bluetooth is a bit buggy.

I wanted to get an iphone 3G but they cost about US$700 (unlocked) here in Honduras - if you don't want to switch carriers (the only carrier that offers the iphone really sucks).

I have looked around for an alternative, but frankly, every other phone besides the iphone just sucks (I could go with a winmobile one but I had a few pocket pcs before and they are really lame).

The only alternative I see is a Blackberry. I like the Curve 8900. It looks really elegant and its screen is really awesome (it has GPS, Bluetooth and WIFI which is what I am looking for).

But after you get past its home screen and scroll through the apps, all the icons look the same. All the menus are simply a list of black text over a white screen. Even the apps looks unfinished and primitive. I tried looking at some 3rd party apps on the net but from the screenshots I get the feeling that they came from windows 95 or early palms.

Blackberry may get the job done, but I appreciate more the design and thought given to the Iphone OS. Why do people like BB's so much?

Comparing this Blackberry to an iphone, would be like comparing Snow Leopard to Windows 98. Maybe I have not played with the blackberry enough, but is the interface that weak (eye candy-wise)?

What are your thoughts on the Blackberry?
 
Simple to use? Not the most intuitive menu and UI I have ever seen but they sure do make people feel more productive and important in business environments.
 
I think, in general, Blackberries are for folks who need a reliable, highly secure smart-phone that allows a very high level of productivity on the go. IMO, this doesn't apply to the Storm, but it does apply to the Tour; both of which I owned. That said, outside of an exchange server my BB's usefulness dropped greatly.

So if you think the UI looks boring, multi-tasking isn't important (sans J/B iPhone), and you're not turned on by the BES/BIS functionality, you're probably better off looking for another phone.

EDIT: I'm not saying that folks who got the iPhone aren't looking for a secure, productive, etc phone, but the fact that many businesses do not find the iPhone to be secure enough would indicate to me that these corporate individuals wouldn't even be able to consider the iPhone for business use in the first place.
 
cababah said:
Simple to use? Not the most intuitive menu and UI I have ever seen but they sure do make people feel more productive and important in business environments.
Click to expand...

True, but the UI is definitely simpler than the iPhone. Add Quicklaunch into the mix and you've got the fastest dialing phone in the world! :D
 
kdarling said:
They work.

They're simple to use.

You can theme them.

As usual, it depends on what's most important to you. Email? Surfing? Games? Phone calls?
Click to expand...

Simple to use? Not really. The first time I used a Blackberry it took me quite a while to figure out some things. Some features are so hidden behind menus and submenus that it can take a while for a first time user to find them.
 
I guess you are right... May be i am looking at BB as a iphone alternative which really is not.

I dont need all that enterprise stuff, I dont even car about word and excel docs. All I need is to able to check my gmail, have wifi browse the web, GPS to geotag the pictures that I take (my DSRL doesnt have GPS), browse images, and carry a few tunes... so I guess I am better served with an iphone.
 
Perhaps I am better off with my current phone and just get an ipod touch. -but I dont really want to carry two devices, and I still wont be able tp geotag pictures.
 
We switched to Sprint (Parents use it) and got 2 blackberries. One week later switched back to AT&T and are now using the 3Gs and I will never switch to another phone again unless it is a new version of the Iphone.
 
I don't think many people "love" blackberries. As a former blackberry user I never loved any of my blackberries. They were ok.

Once the iPhone came along the blackberry was largely left lacking.

It seems to me people mainly use blackberries because of their work/employer or due to the carriers giving them away.
 
thelonepixel said:
We switched to Sprint (Parents use it) and got 2 blackberries. One week later switched back to AT&T and are now using the 3Gs and I will never switch to another phone again unless it is a new version of the Iphone.
Click to expand...

Describes me exactly. And I used to be quite the phone w**re.
 
I have a blackberry curve.....and i actually wasted $5 bucks to get the new 4.6 blackberry OS theme...... hahahaha

it looks way better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D:D:D:D:D
 
Mischka07 said:
True, but the UI is definitely simpler than the iPhone. Add Quicklaunch into the mix and you've got the fastest dialing phone in the world! :D
Click to expand...

Is that a joke? I don't there is a phone that is simpler to use and more intuitive than the iPhone. Anyone who claims the iPhone is difficult to use (in terms of navigating the OS) or confusing seriously needs to get their head examined for brain damage. The BB is a mess with all the sub-menus upon sub-menus and 500 different buttons swamping the front.
 
anjinhamarota said:
Simple to use? Not really. The first time I used a Blackberry it took me quite a while to figure out some things.
Click to expand...

Blackberries are dirt simple compared to some. Took me very little time to figure it out.

Some features are so hidden behind menus and submenus that it can take a while for a first time user to find them.
Click to expand...

True of all devices with many features.

The iPhone isn't immune. It's got that silly system where a third of the apps have options in the Settings section, another third are in the app itself, and a third who use both. Crazy.

Worse, it has hidden actions with no menus to help out, such as having to use two fingers to scroll divs and text areas in Safari. Most people just give up. And I've seen poor folks who didn't know about the hold-to-wiggle movement and freaked out.
 
schwell said:
I don't think many people "love" blackberries. As a former blackberry user I never loved any of my blackberries. They were ok.

Once the iPhone came along the blackberry was largely left lacking.

It seems to me people mainly use blackberries because of their work/employer or due to the carriers giving them away.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Ive talked to many people who use blackberry's, I have gotten a good idea from everyone that has one and this is exactly what I hear. I talked to a man that owns his own company, quite large I work for him a bit and he said he uses a blackberry on verizon because he needs a reliable network that is everywhere and he needs to know his emails will come thru, he recieves 100-150 emails a day and he said it helps to blow thru some emails with his BB, I also talked to a few of my friends who have blackberry's as well. Point is I LOVE the iPhone os I really do but there are some exchange security issues that apple needs to take care of and so far I've never really heard of a blackberry crashing near as much as an iPhone. This sumer my device crahsed when I was abroad....yeah nearest apple store 2000 miles not very cool to have a cool looking paperweight when I have important emails to send to people. For any of you who know anything about firearms I'll put it this way blackberry = ak47, iPhone = m16. The former is simple but reliable and the latter is complex and ergonomic but not nearly as reliable. Both are well liked but serve differently.
 
schwell said:
I don't think many people "love" blackberries. As a former blackberry user I never loved any of my blackberries. They were ok.

Once the iPhone came along the blackberry was largely left lacking.

It seems to me people mainly use blackberries because of their work/employer or due to the carriers giving them away.
Click to expand...

what a vast generalization.

keep sippin on that kool aid.
 
Odid said:
what a vast generalization.

keep sippin on that kool aid.
Click to expand...

That's hardly worthy of labeling a kool aide statement...if anything iPhone fanboys are all sipping on the kool aid so to speek....I mean I haven't met a blackberry fnaboy in well ever, they all love there blackberry's as much as I love my US History text book, gets my work done but not planning on cracking that thing open for anything other than work. You say iPhone and you have a million people who love it without even touching it or using the OS....
 
Odid said:
what a vast generalization.

keep sippin on that kool aid.
Click to expand...

What kool-aid? I don't own a Mac. I do own Apple stock which ceratinly beats kool-aid.

For me the iPhone is far superior to a blackberry. Two years from now there maybe a smartphone from samsung or palm that beats the iPhone.
 
anjinhamarota said:
Simple to use? Not really. The first time I used a Blackberry it took me quite a while to figure out some things. Some features are so hidden behind menus and submenus that it can take a while for a first time user to find them.
Click to expand...

Lol, took me a good 10 minutes to find the camera button. Was going through all the menu's trying to find a camera icon. She told me 5 minutes later theres a button on the side! FUUU!
 
jmann said:
I wonder the same thing. The new blackberry OS on the Storm and Tour look much more modern and better/polished. I hate the Curve/Pearl OS. Well I don't like BB in the first place though lol.
Click to expand...

Well the OS you see on the Tour is going to be going out to the Curve 8900 and the bold soon with 5.0.

Blackberry and the iPhone are 2 very different phones. Blackberry is by far a better email/Texting phone.

Mix it with a custom theme you can get a pretty good set up. I have a curve 8900. yes there is a light learning curve to the blackberry but once you get over it I think it is by far a very great phone.

As a phone/Email/ Texting it beat the crap out of the iPhone. The iPhone is by far a better internet browsing and multimedia.
 
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