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  • IPhone vs. Blackberry?

    I'm considering upgrading my phone to either an IPhone or a Blackberry. I'd really like to hear why you like your phone, what are the problems with it and what to consider when upgrading to a more "sophisticated" model than I have now? I'm looking at cost, convenience, making use of all the features and how the calling plans work.

    Mahalo for any suggestions or advice!
    "Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be."
    – Sydney J. Harris

  • #2
    Re: IPhone vs. Blackberry?

    As is probably no secret, I love my iPhone. My wife loves her iPhone. My mom loves her iPhone, and after setting up half a dozen computers for her over the years, it's the iPhone that's finally got her answering e-mail regularly. My 11-year-old daughter loves her iPhone.

    The iPhone is a spectacular computing platform. A great multimedia device. Over 15,000 applications, from utilities to games.

    But, the Blackberry is a solid device as well. It excels in specific core competencies. Messaging and e-mail? Sharp. Other business applications? Pretty good. Available on multiple carriers? Yes. If you require actual physical buttons for a keyboard? The Blackberry's got you covered.

    FWIW, I thought I needed actual keyboard buttons, and loved my Palm Treo handsets as a result. Getting used to the "virtual keyboard" on the iPhone was tough. But now? I'm faster on the iPhone than I was on my Treo.

    The biggest downside to the iPhone is the fact that you can only get it on AT&T.

    Honestly, though, as of last week, if you told me I couldn't have an iPhone and had to use a different device as my everything device? I'd be looking at the Motorola Droid. Most say it's the closest thing to a competitor the iPhone's had since its release. Here's a detailed comparison.

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    • #3
      Re: IPhone vs. Blackberry?

      Originally posted by pzarquon View Post
      [...]
      The biggest downside to the iPhone is the fact that you can only get it on AT&T.[...]
      What does the monthly plan cost to include email, texting and web browsing?

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: IPhone vs. Blackberry?

        It's hard for me to help compare, since I have four iPhones on one plan with some add ons, bringing the total montly bill to about $200! But, if I understand correctly, the smallest voice plan you can get is 450 minutes for $39.99 (with rollover), and you have to get an unlimited data plan with the iPhone for $30. So, $70/mo. base. Text messaging? Cheapest plan is $5 for 200 messages. I pay $20/mo. for unlimited SMS for every phone on my plan.

        Believe it or not, my entire plan with four phones shares a pool of 450 minutes, and we've been rolling over most of them each month. The "phone" part of the iPhone is the least used aspect of this device for all of us. It's no surprise that an average iPhone user consumes several times more data than a "smartphone" user on any other provider... and as a result, I think $30/mo. for data is more than reasonable.

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        • #5
          Re: IPhone vs. Blackberry?

          am I understanding correctly that all the stuff you do on an IPhone, other than making & receiving calls does NOT use up any minutes? That is one thing I was just not understanding.

          The reason I'm looking first at an IPhone is because my IPod died recently and I want to replace that anyway. Buying the phone would save me $$$ up front and the monthly cost is not all that bad. Plus, I'm already a happy AT&T customer. My other concern is reliability. My IPod broke down on a regular basis - in 3 years, it was replaced 4 times and I'm very "protective" of my devices, using cases etc. to cover them in my purse.

          PZ - does the data plan for IPhone include texting? or is that another separate charge? right now, on my Nokia - I don't text at all.

          I appreciate everyone's thoughts on this. I know I'm going to have to just go to the Apple store to really look at the phone before buying. I'm also going to go look at a Blackberry too. But I'm also trying to get thoughts from actual users to help me in my decision.
          "Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be."
          – Sydney J. Harris

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: IPhone vs. Blackberry?

            Originally posted by anapuni808 View Post
            am I understanding correctly that all the stuff you do on an IPhone, other than making & receiving calls does NOT use up any minutes? That is one thing I was just not understanding.

            The reason I'm looking first at an IPhone is because my IPod died recently and I want to replace that anyway. Buying the phone would save me $$$ up front and the monthly cost is not all that bad. Plus, I'm already a happy AT&T customer. My other concern is reliability. My IPod broke down on a regular basis - in 3 years, it was replaced 4 times and I'm very "protective" of my devices, using cases etc. to cover them in my purse.

            PZ - does the data plan for IPhone include texting? or is that another separate charge? right now, on my Nokia - I don't text at all.

            I appreciate everyone's thoughts on this. I know I'm going to have to just go to the Apple store to really look at the phone before buying. I'm also going to go look at a Blackberry too. But I'm also trying to get thoughts from actual users to help me in my decision.
            yes, the only thing that uses up minutes is calls. the iphone data plan & text messaging are each separate charges. no, the data plan does not include texting...BUT if everyone else around you texts a lot and you would like to save some $$ by getting the minimum text msg plan, there is an easy workaround. just use the email on your iphone to text. for example, instead of texting to 8085551234 (let's say, for sake of example, that's a tmobile user), i can "text" a tmobile user by using my email program to send a message to 8085551234@tmomail.net. most people can receive a text message to their phone that was sent using email. you just have to know what carrier they use and get the @blahblahblah address to affix after their phone number.

            i have an iphone. honestly, i don't like it--i would like a keyboard option and i hate the whole swiping motion to get through drop downs. i wish there were "page down" and "page up" options. i hate that i can't connect my very nifty portable bluetooth keyboard to the iphone. at this point, all i can do with the iphone from a school/work productivity standpoint is check emails and write very short missives. i haven't yet added documents to go or quickoffice, but when i do, the lack of an actual keyboard will still seem cumbersome to me, i'm sure.

            i loved my blackberry pearl (which i had on tmobile). the only reason i have it is because no other phone seems to be able to access HPU's webCT (online classes)--not blackberry and none of the windows phones, including the newest HTC. also, at&t's service was more reliable where i needed it to be. my blackberry w/tmobile could sit on the counter at home and go out of service for no reason for as long as twenty minutes out of an hour. i also enjoy the speed of 3G.

            i would suggest you go to an AT&T store to play with an iphone back to back against blackberry or whatever other options you might be considering. i can't remember where you live, anapuni, but i am very good friends with a knowledgeable AT&T rep in mililani who can patiently help you decide what phone is best for you based on your needs without making you feel pressured.

            for the record, i'm on the nation 450 rollover & 5000 night/weekend & unlimited mobile--to-mobile minutes plan that is supposed to be $39.99 (but i get a goodly discount off this price) plus the minimal iphone text messaging (200 msgs for $5) and regular iphone data plan ($30). honestly, i barely talk on my phone, so i have thousands of rollover minutes. most everyone catches me via email.

            i don't really use my phone to listen to music or watch videos much.

            oh, if you do get an iphone, whether/how often you set your phone to push/fetch emails will have a huge effect on battery life.

            one last thing: with my blackberry, i would have been fairly comfortable writing this post. i find it cumbersome to write something as long as this on an iphone. in fact, i suggest you try posting to HT while you're testing out both the iphone and blackberry (and whatever else) so you see what i mean. that is, if being able to post on HT or some other similar activity is something you would like to be able to do on your phone.

            sorry this is scattered. hope it's helpful to you anyway.
            superbia (pride), avaritia (greed), luxuria (lust), invidia (envy), gula (gluttony), ira (wrath) & acedia (sloth)--the seven deadly sins.

            "when you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people i deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly..."--meditations, marcus aurelius (make sure you read the rest of the passage, ya lazy wankers!)

            nothing humiliates like the truth.--me, in conversation w/mixedplatebroker re 3rd party, 2009-11-11, 1213

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            • #7
              Re: IPhone vs. Blackberry?

              Cyn - thanks so much for taking the time to send all this info! I'm on the same AT&T plan as you, also with some free extras. I have 4500+ rollover minutes right now. I don't text at all right now because I just really have no patience with it but do plan to listen to music if I get an IPhone. I don't plan on watching videos on that little screen and probably won't be doing much web surfing. However, being able to receive/send Email is important to me.

              I live in Makiki so a trip to Mililani is not feasible but there is an AT&T store right down on Kapiolani that I can get to easily. Will take your suggestion about going there & doing a side by side comparison of phones.

              The phone I've been looking at is the IPhone 3Gs, 16G @ $199. I only have about 4G of music in my IPod so there would still be plenty of room for apps and other stuff (I think?). Plus, I'm eligible for an upgrade now to my current phone so should be able to get a better price.

              This is still in the "investigative" stage of the process and won't happen til after Xmas anyway. In the meantime - I'll just keep dreaming about having a really slick new phone.................
              Last edited by anapuni808; November 15, 2009, 12:04 AM.
              "Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be."
              – Sydney J. Harris

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              • #8
                Re: IPhone vs. Blackberry?

                A lot of good feedback from cynsaligia. I've been to the AT&T store on Kapiolani, and have had good experiences. They even found a way to sell me a standalone SIM card a few months ago, something that's apparently not particularly easy to do with their system.

                Although cynsaligia is adamant on the keyboard issue, again I have to say that I thought the lack of a physical keyboard on the iPhone was a dealbreaker, and hated my first two weeks or so with the iPhone. Now, though, I'm fluent, and type faster than I did on the Treo. I think if I were carrying two phones with different keyboards, I'd definitely struggle with the one I used least often, but having gone all-in on the iPhone, it's no problem at all to use now.

                If you have long fingernails, though, the touch screen will definitely be trickier.
                I don't plan on watching videos on that little screen and probably won't be doing much web surfing.
                The iPhone is great as a multimedia device, and I use mine for music and video all the time, usually half the day at work at least. Of course, an iPod Touch would do the same thing, without the complications of a phone, but like you, I liked finally being able to combine the three devices I used to carry (a PDA for contacts and calendars, a cell phone, and an iPod).

                The iPhone 3GS also takes good photos and decent video.

                As for the web surfing, I rarely used the "web" on any phone I had prior to the iPhone, because it was just horrific. On the iPhone, the web is almost beautiful (save for the lack of Flash). It's so usable, I browse the web all the time... provided there isn't a native app to access the sites or services I want to use.

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                • #9
                  Re: IPhone vs. Blackberry?

                  i'm doing this post w/the iphone. the liking or not liking the (lack of) keyboard is definitely a personal thing. i think my problem is actually that i have small hands. holding the iphone in "landscape" is uncomfortable to me, for example. it's not my nails either bcs I keep tem fairly short. also, my hands are often very dry and seem not to conduct whtecer it is the keyboard needs to sense your "pressing" on the letters.

                  cut and paste can sometimes be annoying and if mac handn't finally added it, i would have chucked my iphone by now (i've had it since february).

                  i agree w/ryan that the net on the iphone is quite an agreeable experience. this easy access makes comparative shopping on the net easy. it's not unusual that i'll be reading reviews of a product on my phone while holding the product n my hand at the store.

                  i enjoy apps like yelp and urbanspoon. googlemaps on my phone came in as a ready substitute for garmin while we were exploring unfamiliar parts of portlNd and seattle last august.


                  okay, this is as long a post as i can bear to write on the iphone. it's very cumbersome to edit, and i feel like i have to hyperextend my thumbs to reachletters like t, g, v. but posting in "portrait" view leaves too miniscule a screen.
                  another gripe re iphone is lack of adobe flash, which, from what i understand, is a mac thing somehow.
                  superbia (pride), avaritia (greed), luxuria (lust), invidia (envy), gula (gluttony), ira (wrath) & acedia (sloth)--the seven deadly sins.

                  "when you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people i deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly..."--meditations, marcus aurelius (make sure you read the rest of the passage, ya lazy wankers!)

                  nothing humiliates like the truth.--me, in conversation w/mixedplatebroker re 3rd party, 2009-11-11, 1213

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: IPhone vs. Blackberry?

                    sorry for the back to back postings but i'm doing this one on my mac.

                    i think the blackberry's dictionary is more accurate than the iphone's. you can add words yourself to the blackberry dictionary, which was very handy for me.

                    with the blackberry, you can save pics & music in files right on your handset in an organizational style you choose. for example, it was very easy to create folders for pics of me and eric, pics of our travels, or pics of food.

                    syncing with the iphone can sometimes be a pain. for whatever reason, i have four sets of every single photo i have ever taken on my iphone. admittedly, that's probably user error and maybe my sync problems would be taken care of if i signed up for mobile me (which i can get for free anyway). having said that, i just gave myself impetus to sign myself up for it today. i'll let you know if mobile me makes my iphone more useful/enjoyable to me.

                    eric set up gmail so that it pushes automatically to my iphone even without mobile me. the messages come through from his gmail on his HTC to mine quickly enough, i guess. this is the main way we communicate if we're not in the same place.

                    oh! one other stupid stupid incredibly stupid thing the iphone does not have is an option for is for you to place a "reward for this iphone if returned intact to its owner. please call 8085551212" type message on the home screen. yes, i know i can remotely wipe my phone if it gets into the wrong hands, but i'd prefer the option of offering $$ to get my phone back intact. right now, i've stuck a label on the back of my iphone with such information. the iskin solo i use is transparent so it's readily visible.

                    i don't like that the password lock on the iphone is only four digits, all numbers. i hate that it's complicated to do customized musical ringtones on the iphone. i could easily make ringtones specifically for every person on my contact list with my blackberry if i were so inclined.

                    regarding surfing on the iphone--it is seductive. too seductive. it's too easy for me to pick up my phone and read reviews on revlon colorstay lip gloss or derma e AHA fluid on makeupalley.com instead of picking up my copy of "cold comfort mountain" that i need to finish for school. the beauty of browsing on the iphone is too much of a distraction for me. i wholly admit that's a personal/discipline thing. but generally speaking, the iphone makes it easier for a person to do non-work-or-school-related multimedia things. it's great for a college student who works part time and has a full social life, for example. ryan, who lives so much of his life online (for lack of a better way of saying it) is also a perfect iphone customer. i know one guy who got an iphone just bcs of the espn fantasy football app. however, corporate types who need to get work done via email etc will find a blackberry a better companion.

                    the iphone's email is not exactly the most secure, either, from a business standpoint. it's certainly not good enough, in my view, to use in a healthcare setting.

                    i have to say, i really am very discontent with the iphone. i literally was stomping my feet in disgust at the mililani iphone store when i found out the best solution for me at this stage of my life & given my needs is an iphone. truly, the only selling point for me was that it that can access HPU's website readily. i know i sound like a spoiled child who has a phone that quite a lot of people would be overjoyed to have. i'm not saying all of this to be cheeky or put on an air as if i'm too cool for an iphone. i really feel the iphone has a lot of shortcomings in terms of my needs and desires in a phone, but because it has one thing that no other phone does that i really need, i have to settle for it.

                    the bottom line, anapuni, is that you should take your time in checking out your phone options and what you really need, then make your choice based on that. you may find the iphone is the best fit, and if you do, i truly hope you can enjoy it wholeheartedly (something i can't do). keep an open mind on non-iphone/non-blackberry phones, too. the HTC tilt 2 might be something you prefer. if it could access HPU's webct as easily as the iphone can, i'd be selling my iphone right now.
                    Last edited by cynsaligia; November 15, 2009, 09:10 AM.
                    superbia (pride), avaritia (greed), luxuria (lust), invidia (envy), gula (gluttony), ira (wrath) & acedia (sloth)--the seven deadly sins.

                    "when you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people i deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly..."--meditations, marcus aurelius (make sure you read the rest of the passage, ya lazy wankers!)

                    nothing humiliates like the truth.--me, in conversation w/mixedplatebroker re 3rd party, 2009-11-11, 1213

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: IPhone vs. Blackberry?

                      Cyn - thanks again for the good advice! I will certainly take yours and everyone's comments to heart when I make my decision. So far, I've only heard people raving about the iPhone - it's good to hear the other side of the picture.
                      "Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be."
                      – Sydney J. Harris

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: IPhone vs. Blackberry?

                        Originally posted by anapuni808 View Post
                        The phone I've been looking at is the IPhone 3Gs, 16G @ $199. I only have about 4G of music in my IPod so there would still be plenty of room for apps and other stuff (I think?). Plus, I'm eligible for an upgrade now to my current phone so should be able to get a better price.
                        Our 17-year-old has been using an iPod Touch for a couple of years so she took right to the 3GS. Teen texting (her social group) was starting to drive up the monthly charges on her GoPhone, but $5 for 200/month is working so far.

                        IIRC the 32GB version was also $199. You might want to get as much RAM as you can in case it becomes limiting later-- especially for images. Apps are coded relatively efficiently so far but developers are sure to start writing crappier code expanding their features sets to fill all available memory. And with all of those thousands of apps out there, the problem of organizing the ones that you "have" to have can become an issue.

                        I haven't carried a cell phone since I retired from the Navy, and the equipment hassle/interruptions/bad news that I used to get from those phone calls has still kept me away from them over seven years later. But I've been watching the island's pay phones disappear for years-- the latest to give up was Costco, right after the Mililani Town Center phones by the movie theater. I'll be in trouble when they start vanishing from libraries.

                        The feature that would tip me is replacing the crap that I already have to carry around. I'd love to have a cell phone that doubles as a key fob or a wallet or a case for my reading glasses.
                        Youth may be wasted on the young, but retirement is wasted on the old.
                        Live like you're dying, invest like you're immortal.
                        We grow old if we stop playing, but it's never too late to have a happy childhood.
                        Forget about who you were-- discover who you are.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: IPhone vs. Blackberry?

                          Originally posted by Nords View Post
                          I'd love to have a cell phone that doubles as a key fob or a wallet or a case for my reading glasses.

                          I was just thinking the same. Everyday I leave the house I do the three pat check: Wallet, keys, cell phone and I'm out the door. With my BB Storm using a side holster, having a spot for cash and a few credit cards would be nice.
                          Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: IPhone vs. Blackberry?

                            Originally posted by craigwatanabe View Post
                            ... having a spot for cash and a few credit cards would be nice.
                            That's going to have to do until I can get a fully-functioning cell phone tattooed into the palm of my hand-- with the earpiece on the tip of my thumb and the mic on my pinkie, of course.

                            I still haven't figured out how I'd handle texting, Web browsing, ... and ring tones.

                            Drifting back toward the original topic, Kim Komando pulled together this comparison chart:
                            http://www.komando.com/toolbox.aspx?mode=print&id=7663
                            Youth may be wasted on the young, but retirement is wasted on the old.
                            Live like you're dying, invest like you're immortal.
                            We grow old if we stop playing, but it's never too late to have a happy childhood.
                            Forget about who you were-- discover who you are.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: IPhone vs. Blackberry?

                              There are actually cell phones in Japan that work as a credit card and a subway card. It's built into the phone and you just have to scan it. Which sounds really convenient, but then if your phone is lost or stolen you've kind of lost your wallet too.

                              On the original topic, I've never touched a Blackberry, but my iPhone was my first real cellphone (previously I'd used a pay-as-you-go Tracfone). I don't find the lack of keyboard to be a problem at all, and it's certainly better than trying to use a regular cell phone for texting (having to hit a number multiple times to get a single letter, argh).

                              Some people sneer at the iPhone saying that you're just buying into a brand or community, but honestly I think the community is one of the biggest positives to owning an iPhone. The fact that I know so many iPhone users means that I'm always learning about new apps and features that I probably wouldn't know about if it weren't for the community. The fact that the iPhone is such a hot item means that it's a lot easier to find everything you need for it. Yes, there really is an App for pretty much everything, because everyone wants to design for the iPhone because that's what everyone is using. I use my iPhone daily, but that rarely includes "phone functions" like calls and texting.

                              As far as durability -- I'll have owned my iPhone for two years next month. Although I use a case when it's in my pocket, when in use it's naked. I've had a few nasty drops, including one that cracked the screen (oh how I cried) but it still works just fine. I've never had to take it in to be repaired. I've heard of other people who drop it once and it's ruined, but that's not been the case for me.
                              Four Thousand Miles (blog) | MacRatLove (comic)
                              Better Holes and Garbage (rats) | Perfectly Inadequate (music)

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