Why I left my iPhone for a Blackberry.

#1

Post by beingfamous » Sat, Feb 07, 2009, 4:47 AM UTC

Why I left my iPhone for a Blackberry.
benackerman.com

Re: Why I left my iPhone for a Blackberry.

#2

Post by gne1963 » Sat, Feb 07, 2009, 6:09 AM UTC

I never left my Blackberry... when I first saw my buddy finally whip out his BB after struggling for 5 mins to find a location on a map... a knew i'd keep mine...

Then I meet my best friend for lunch to weeks in a row. Both days, he's having iPhone problems and just can't bring himself to return it...

Re: Why I left my iPhone for a Blackberry.

#3

Post by unalone » Sat, Feb 07, 2009, 6:43 AM UTC

The Blackberry Bold is an excellent device. I prefer the iPhone for the stuff that I do - I rarely need a keyboard - but the Bold is beautiful.

Re: Why I left my iPhone for a Blackberry.

#4

Post by timcederman » Sat, Feb 07, 2009, 6:59 AM UTC

Funny, I did the exact opposite.

edit: Just to expand -- I got given a BlackBerry for work purposes and it drove me crazy. Generally terrible user experience, unintuitive, and aesthetically awful. Funnily enough, since the iPhone was my first smartphone, I actually found it difficult transitioning to a physical keyboard. I got too used to be able to button mash and have it auto-correct.

Re: Why I left my iPhone for a Blackberry.

#5

Post by revelude » Sat, Feb 07, 2009, 7:17 AM UTC

gne1963 wrote: post #2

I never left my Blackberry... when I first saw my buddy finally whip out his BB after struggling for 5 mins to find a location on a map... a knew i'd keep mine... Then I meet my best friend for lunch to weeks in a row. Both days, he's having iPhone problems and just can't bring himself to return it...

Upvote if you've never met anyone who's had problems like this.

Re: Why I left my iPhone for a Blackberry.

#6

Post by raamdev » Sat, Feb 07, 2009, 7:21 AM UTC

As a former 5-year, very satisfied Blackberry user who switched to the iPhone 3G last June, I have this to say about the comparison:

For business use that requires lots of replying to email, management of large volumes of email, copy/paste functionality, and the possibility of integration with existing Enterprise systems, the Blackberry is a must.

If you mostly just need to read email and only occasionally reply, you have a moderate volume of email (I've convinced both my boss and my manager NOT to get an iPhone and to instead upgrade their phones to either the BB Curve or Bold. They both thanked me afterward when they realized just how much they relied on easy email reply and the ability to "mark as read" multiple messages (come on iPhone!). The iPhone is definitely a more media-centric device, whereas the Blackberry has been refined for the specific needs of business users.

Re: Why I left my iPhone for a Blackberry.

#7

Post by dmix » Sat, Feb 07, 2009, 7:48 AM UTC

raamdev wrote: post #6

As a former 5-year, very satisfied Blackberry user who switched to the iPhone 3G last June, I have this to say about the comparison: For business use that requires lots of replying to email, management of large volumes of email, copy/paste functionality, and the possibility of integration with existing Enterprise systems, the Blackberry is a must. If you mostly just need to read email and only occasionally reply, you…

I recommend an iPod touch and a Blackberry Curve, you get the best of both worlds.

I love Blackberries keyboard for sms/email and ipod for productivity apps (omnifocus)/games/music.

Re: Why I left my iPhone for a Blackberry.

#8

Post by raamdev » Sat, Feb 07, 2009, 7:56 AM UTC

dmix wrote: post #7

raamdev wrote: post #6

As a former 5-year, very satisfied Blackberry user who switched to the iPhone 3G last June, I have this to say about the comparison: For business use that requires lots of replying to email, management of large volumes of email, copy/paste functionality, and the possibility of integration with existing Enterprise systems, the Blackberry is a must. If you mostly just need to read email and only occasionally reply, you…

I recommend an iPod touch and a Blackberry Curve, you get the best of both worlds. I love Blackberries keyboard for sms/email and ipod for productivity apps (omnifocus)/games/music.

I can definitely see how that is the best of both worlds. In fact, I thought of doing that before I bought an iPhone, but carrying around fewer devices is more important to me than having a perfect keyboard.

Also, being able to listen to music (with a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, btw) and not worry that I'm missing calls is invaluable (the call just interrupts the music).

Re: Why I left my iPhone for a Blackberry.

#9

Post by Zev » Sat, Feb 07, 2009, 8:41 AM UTC

Proving, once again: Get what works for you, not what is trendy.

//edit: I didn't mean this in a negative way. If a blackberry does what you need it to do in relation to whatever your needs are, then thats what you should be using. While hype is fun to get lost in, "Because its popular" is a poor reason to force yourself to do something in a manner that isn't beneficial.

Re: Why I left my iPhone for a Blackberry.

#10

Post by mattmaroon » Sat, Feb 07, 2009, 2:24 PM UTC

My second biggest gripe with the iPhone, after the virtual keyboard, is, ironically, the phone. I just can't hear the damn thing, even at max volume (perhaps due to too many years of using an mp3 player) when in public. The ringer is too quiet as well, all of my friends who have iPhones always end up missing my call and calling my back.

But then maybe they just hate me because I'm still rocking WinMo.