[TheMarchingMule]

Hey guys, I'm about to go to college in a few months (Dodge College/Chapman University) as a Screenwriting major, and like my dad keeps telling me, I'm always going to be on the move, considering the people I need to be involved with.

So with that being said, I know I'll need a smartphone with me; it'll be a graduation gift from my parents.

But lately my mom has been antsy from me saying that I'll wait until July/August for a graduation gift (iPhone 3G/Blackberry 9000); she's worried about her "status" amongst her sisters and brothers: "When they come over [next two weeks from now], they'll ask what we got for you as a graduation gift, and I'll be saying 'nothing.'"

So yes, I'm basically being forced to buy a phone right on the brink of release of two new smartphones (again, iPhone 3G and Blackberry 9000).

I really do love the iPhone for what it's worth: touch screen, smooth interface, able to be Jailbreaked.

But I also don't like: its recessed headphone jack, and the virtual keyboard is a love/hate relationship for me after usding my friend's iPod Touch. I like seeing the words appear on the screen immediately after I press the letter, not half a second later. Also, knowing I don't have 3G will always bug me; the thing goes slow enough being only a few hundred feet from a wireless access point.

For the Blackberry, I'll admit I don't know much about them. I played with them a few times in a Circuit City store, and even from their UI, they are all business. But at the same time, I don't like the lack of "fun" factor that the iPhone excels at. Also, those small keyboard buttons...jeepers!

Anyway, it'd be great if anybody who owns one or both company smartphones came in this topic and helped push me to one side or the other. Again, I'm leaning towards the iPhone for its simplicity and versitality, but hey...who knows at this rate.

Thanks in advance to all who stop by and reply!

 

[RedLeader]

It's really about personal choice. If you plan on having this for actual work, lots of emailing and such, pick the BB. If you're looking more for a phone that you can use the internet on and do more "fun" stuff on, get the iphone I guess. Personally I wouldn't think of the iphone, as aside from not liking the UI, no buttons means I dont want it. But a lot of people seem to like touch controls, so that's a personal choice. Are you going to have a laptop with you everywhere to do more serious stuff on? How do you really see yourself using it?

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Well, now my dad and I have teamed up to persuade my mom to hold her horses until the Blackberry Bold/iPhone 3G has arrived. But still, RedLeader,you do raise good points. I don't really know how hectic the life of a screenwriter is yet, so I can't imagine how often I'll get an email from people telling me where to go or what to do.

I have a gaming laptop...17" display, so methinks it'll be staying in the dorm room at that rate.

 

[RedLeader]

Alright, so look at the BB/iphone rate plans, which is a better deal with what you want? Are there any make or break apps on either device? Also, what are you going to be doing for a job? Are you going to be doing co-op placements where e-mails or constant communication is important? Or are you going to be working at a gas station with lots of down time to play poorly emulated games with buttons that have no tactile feedback? (Check out the psp-like iphone addon, maybe worth it?) Do you already have a psp or ds that you're going to be carrying around with you?

 

[Uncle Erik]

I'm nuts about my iPhone. Yes, it isn't perfect, but it was such a step up from the RAZR I used for a couple of years prior.

Internet surfing is quick enough with WiFi, and the EDGE network is OK for pulling up maps, looking up an address, getting directions, checking traffic, etc. Sure, it could be faster, but it works. The touchpad keyboard takes some getting used to, but I ended up liking it.

But hold off until we see what Apple drops on June 9. It'll probably have 3G, more power and a better battery. We'll see.

Also, congrats on going to Chapman! Good school, and now you can enjoy the better half of the great State of California!

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Well, the more rationality comes to me, the Blackberry would be better suited for my work. I'll probably need to be open to many forms of communication, and going with Verizon is huge plus, because my girlfriend uses Verzion too, so that means free calls (or something like that).

Uncle Erik, thanks on the congrats. I'm excited but scared at the same time, going to college and finally being separated from my long-time friends. But yes, June 9th...we'll (hopefully) see what Apple has to offer, although I know I can't buy one (iPhone 3G) without imagining what the Bold would be like.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Shoot, maybe I should just buy a Blackberry Curve now, because Verizon always catches up with today's new phones one year later.

 

[Envoy of Light]

I think you should buy a BlackBerry, because I think that deep down, you know it will fit you better, and you want it.

 

[SuperNothing]

I am a big fan of the blackberry. You should wait for the Bold. It looks great. You can sync it to iTunes with media sync so you can use it as a music player also and Blackberry push email is great.

 

[majid]

Don't waste your time with the BlackBerry, go straight to the iPhone.

Blackberries have excellent connectivity to Microsoft's proprietary Exchange mail servers, which is why many corporate IT departments (like that at my company) have standardized on them. Apple licensed the Exchange protocols from Microsoft and the iPhone software version 2.0 will add Exchange compatibility. Blackberries, on the other hand, are absolutely abysmal at connecting to standards-compliant IMAP servers, where the iPhone does well. Essentially Blackberry IMAP connectivity is routed through RIM's webmail service, which is a major security risk, and the reason why many foreign governments have banned the device because RIM can read your emails even if you use a SSL mail server.

Generally speaking, when a product gets the imprimatur of corporate IT, run for the hills. That's because the person making the decision is not the one using it, and usability is an afterthought. This also explains the sheer mediocrity of most of what passes for "enterprise" IT. Just this Friday I was talking to a colleague who used to have an iPhone but broke it and got the free corporate BB instead, and regrets it because the user interface for anything but email is horrible. I refused to get a corporate blackberry even though my company pays for them.

The web experience on the iPhone is unmatched on any other mobile device, bar none. I used to have a Nokia E62, which has a capable web browser (unlike the BB), and still it doesn't hold a candle to the iPhone. The hardware keyboard on the E62 is also paradoxically harder to use than the virtual keyboard on the iPhone, thanks to some clever UI design on Apple's part (keys are magnified when you hit them, and if you hit the wrong key, you can just slide your finger to the right one, whereas misregistered physical keyboard presses require going to backspace and retyping). The ability to zoom in onto a block of text by simply tapping, and the fact the whole UI is driven by your finger is utterly intuitive, you have to experience it to understand. Apple also did not skimp on the CPU in their devices, the iPhone is very responsive, unlike most competing alleged smartphones with their glacial response times.

One last thing: the Blackberry is quite fragile - my boss destroyed two of his simply from being exposed to the steam in his shower.

 

[ziplock]

Blackberries are amazing little devices. You will not want to put one down once you get it in your hands! They do not call them crackberries for nothing.

 

[ozz]

3g i-phone and i bet after the last keynote they will become more business oriented as time moves on.They also hold their resale value.

 

[6RS]

if you own a mac, go for the iphone. the synergy effect due to system integration will give the iphone an advantage.

 

[Fixcinater]

I just got the data plan for my BB Pearl and have been trying everything out since this weekend began. Email is great, for now I haven't decided to use either the BB software or the Gmail app I dl'ed. I'm posting this response on it and it's only taking me a bit longer to browse the forum than on a desktop simply because of the lack of scrolling speed.

My dad likes his curve and uses it for work and personal, and we are both dyed in the wool Mac fans, so these devices have been a pleasant surprise to both of us.

I've played with a friend's iPhone and I like the BB keyboard better but google maps and those extra features are just better overall.



BB works, iPhone makes it fun.

 

[jayehs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by majid /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't waste your time with the BlackBerry, go straight to the iPhone. Blackberries have excellent connectivity to Microsoft's proprietary Exchange mail servers, which is why many corporate IT departments (like that at my company) have standardized on them. Apple licensed the Exchange protocols from Microsoft and the iPhone software version 2.0 will add Exchange compatibility. Blackberries, on the other hand, are absolutely abysmal at connecting to standards-compliant IMAP servers, where the iPhone does well. Essentially Blackberry IMAP connectivity is routed through RIM's webmail service, which is a major security risk, and the reason why many foreign governments have banned the device because RIM can read your emails even if you use a SSL mail server. Generally speaking, when a product gets the imprimatur of corporate IT, run for the hills. That's because the person making the decision is not the one using it, and usability is an afterthought. This also explains the sheer mediocrity of most of what passes for "enterprise" IT. Just this Friday I was talking to a colleague who used to have an iPhone but broke it and got the free corporate BB instead, and regrets it because the user interface for anything but email is horrible. I refused to get a corporate blackberry even though my company pays for them. The web experience on the iPhone is unmatched on any other mobile device, bar none. I used to have a Nokia E62, which has a capable web browser (unlike the BB), and still it doesn't hold a candle to the iPhone. The hardware keyboard on the E62 is also paradoxically harder to use than the virtual keyboard on the iPhone, thanks to some clever UI design on Apple's part (keys are magnified when you hit them, and if you hit the wrong key, you can just slide your finger to the right one, whereas misregistered physical keyboard presses require going to backspace and retyping). The ability to zoom in onto a block of text by simply tapping, and the fact the whole UI is driven by your finger is utterly intuitive, you have to experience it to understand. Apple also did not skimp on the CPU in their devices, the iPhone is very responsive, unlike most competing alleged smartphones with their glacial response times. One last thing: the Blackberry is quite fragile - my boss destroyed two of his simply from being exposed to the steam in his shower.

Wow majid. Have you ever even used a blackberry? Comparing blackberry email to iphone email capability is like comparing RS1 to ibud IMO and probably 99% people out there. I am using both Bold and iphone right now and emailing on iphone is absolutely abysmal. Blackberries are fantastic for both corporate (supports exchange, domino and groupwise btw) and personal email (ie. hotmail, gmail, etc). I usually receive all my gmails before it even refreshes on my browser. I'm not even sure where you got the idea that it is abysmal at connecting to IMAP. Have you used BIS? I love it when people say oh no iphone is going to have exchange support like it's the end for blackberries. Clearly they know nothing about blackberries nor iphone for that matter. RIM is light years ahead when it comes to emailing, period. BES is the key, not the device.

And security? What security does an iphone have? 4 digit password? LOL
You can just connect iphone using ibrickr and see everything on the phone. If you ever took a peak at BES and its security features vs iphone's "robust and secure" 4 digit password, i don't think you'd be saying that. I don't even have any emails on my iphone just in case i lose it. If you are worried about RIM reading emails, data are encrypted with AES and 3DES by default assuming you have nothing else set. If that's not enough for you then you shouldn't be using things like SMS.

And blackberries are fragile compared to iphone? really!?! They are tanks and i still have the original 950 here lying around that's going strong after being thrown around multiple times. My coworker dropped his blackberry in the snow and found it few months later after the snow melted and it still worked :S

Anyways having said all that, if emailing is not your thing and you want a fancy phone, definitely get an iphone. It is the best phone i've ever had and the browser is amazing. Definitely jailbreak it. But if you want to do alot of emailing, ugh... i wont even touch that part of the iphone.