Who has owned both iPhone and Blackberry?

[edcar]

The auto text feature allows you to enter any custom text string.

For example, I use the code "nan" to type the text string" I am not available to reply to your message at the moment".

Any time I type "nan" follwed by spaces, the string is entered. It works great.

[Libuff]

I am also currently an owner of a Blackberry 8830 World Edition.

To be honest, i went to the blackberry, as i wanted to be on the Verizon Network and have a smart phone that wasn't crippled and wasn't palm. I was originally in the market when the Iphone 1.0 came out, and was amazed by the interface, but, i am often unable to utilize the EDGE network as i often work in buildings with little or no GSM or CDMA signal. So i went blackberry.

Now, after last weeks announcement, I have decided to switch to the Iphone. the selling point is the compatbility with my Mac Book Pro, which the Blackberry fails on. In addition, the Verizon BB in general is crippled, both in the A-GPS, and Verizon has crippled some media formats too, such that users of 8800 series besides the 8830 can watch videos that I cant watch on the 8830.

The Iphone 2.0 to me seems like a good evolutionary step in the Iphone world. The App store will be an excellent way to bring programs to users in the most direct way possible. On-board programs will be easily available, and the applications that seems to be coming out are quite interesting. I particularly like the games with use of the extensive tilt interface to make the game steer or tilt; those demos left me jaw dropped.

As far as data, the true-browser sans flash is the closest i've seen to what should be on a phone. i've been required to use a proxy browser (opera) to get my data in a much better way. To be honest, i am Very suprised that RIM has never taken into account the amount of users utilizing Opera as their main browser.

so... in summation:

Iphone improves on BB...
-Push, both have email, but Iphone also integrates Contacts, Calendars, Photos...
-Media, the BB isn't even in the same league as the Iphone in media.
-Accessibility to programs, the BB nearly REQUIRES a PC to install some programs. i need to run Parallels on my mac to install many themes and programs.
-Programs, the Iphone's rich interface and powerful processor will provide a much better interaction with the phone.
-Browser, i woun't go much into depth, but just say that even if we don't have flash on the Iphone, we do have AJAX and a MUCH better browser than Opera will ever hope to be on the BB.

and theres my long-winded post...

[CrazEtooN]

Originally Posted by edcar

The auto text feature allows you to enter any custom text string.

For example, I use the code "nan" to type the text string" I am not available to reply to your message at the moment".

Any time I type "nan" follwed by spaces, the string is entered. It works great.

Oh, you are talking about the programmable dictionary. Yeah, that can work nicely in cases like you said. It isn't true auto-complete though, and that is why I was confused.

It is nice to have though.

[mullrat]

I have both. In my opinion the curve is better RIGHT NOW. It's very user-friendly for people on the go. It's not meant for anything but serious smartphone stuff. Yeah it's got media players and the like but it's no ipod by any stretch even BB lovers will admit that. But with 2.0 literally the sky is the limit. Business people use their blackberries to communicate mainly but now with the media capabilities of the iPhone combined with superior media it will in my opinion surpass the BB in the business world. I can think of an example. Let's say you're a Medical Rep who wants to show a customer a device which is too large to actually carry to an office. If the customer so chooses, you can whip out the iphone and show him the slick presentation on the phone of your said product i.e. capabilites size cost etc. If the customer also has an iPhone, well then you can just send it to him via ftp server, email etc. One thing I know about buyers, they are usually too busy with their lives to mess with some sales presentation that requires too much effort like giving literature or even a DVD. Minimize the trouble to the customer and you'll win most of the time.

For me the lack of third party support for iPhone 1.0 made me quite disgruntled with the product. I tried to use it as my only phone but it became impossible to stay current. Plus the horrid enterprise integration that came with iPhone 1.0 made it tough. For me I still kept it mainly because of my love for Apple products. I also knew that typical of apple they would improve upon what they have learned and they have.

BTW the stuff people are complaining about like video recording and MMS are fixable with a firmware upgrade and/or third party support. Apple is just extremely conservative. They don't release features into their products unless they are sure it will work flawlessly. What people should be disappointed in is the lack of a major hardware upgrade. WHat I mean is the processor, memory(32gb) and the camera. ALthough they did improve the battery and added a 3g radio and gps.

My BB curve right now handles almost everything very well. It's a mobile office for me. It's extremely good at what it does as well. It also has a wonderful online community which can help you with problems that can and definitely will arise. The email is PHENOMENAL. IM programs great. Enterprise? no problem. Phone? It's ok. Third Party support? excellent. But like many have mentioned in the past, it seems antiquated in it's execution. Time's passed it by

So what I'm saying is that you probably can't lose with either choice. RIGHT NOW, but a year or two down the road I believe it will be a quite different story. Sorry for the long post.

[BillPetro]

Many good comments here.

I've used a variety of BBs and Treos over the years. I've been using the iPhone for about a year. There is little that I miss from the previous platforms except the following:

iPhone has a virtual keyboard, the BB and Treo have hard keyboards. I could fly with those for email and for typing articles. The iPhone is for shorter emails.

My article on my blog discusses some of the other deficiencies of the iPhone 1.0 and the expected improvements with the 2.0/3G version. See it at: http://techtrends.billpetro.com/2008...second-coming/

Meanwhile, I plan on upgrading to iPhone 3G, and hope to retire my work BB with the upcoming availability of ActiveSync with the iPhone 2.0 firmware.

[taylorh]

Lots of great opinions. If I may, add my own.
I have had Blackberry, PalmOS, and WM for extended periods of time. I will be getting the iPhone 3G, so I never owned one, but I have used it quite a bit and am aware of some of it's capabilites.

I would get a Blackberry ONLY if it was essential to interface with my company. My old company supported Blackberry and Blackberry only. Not much choice, and regardless, it just means it works best with other coworkers who all have blackberries.

Push email on BB usually works very well. But I don't really like it. It can not render HTML email at all. It does remote exchange outlook contacts and access to the corporate intranet web sites if on BES.

On the iPhone, the display of email is SO MUCH BETTER. It will render full HTML email and with it's large screen and the way it displays email, it is simply far better to read email on an iPhone than on a Blackberry.

Also, I like that you're synced with the email folders, not looking at a copy downloaded to the device like on a Blackberry.

With the addition of Exchange Activesync push mail support, you will essentially get all of the same features of push mail, contacts, and calendar as you do on the Blackberry. It will likely even be a better experience.

Where I work now, we use hosted Exchange (out on the internet) and exchange activesync works for me. I use it on windows mobile, could use a blackberry. But I will certainly be going with the iPhone.
I was essentially waiting for 3G and this feature to get an iPhone.

[iLoveiPhones]

I think it comes down to what you want more in a phone. The Blackberry is more on the business side. Personally I don't like it's interface, it's ugly and a little complicated. Also web browsers for the Blackberry don't even come close to the iPhone browser. The closest browser that the Blackberry has that's almost real web is Opera Mini but it still isn't that great. Image quality is low and you can't zoom in all the way like the iPhone does. Also everyone debates a real keyboard vs. a virtual keyboard. Once again it's by preference. Both are great but one requires more patience. Lastly the iPhone outshines the Blackberry when it comes to features. The iPhone has a full on iPod built in which cuts out having to buy and iPod if you had a Blackberry. The iPhone has a youtube player which is great because you don't have to load music videos/videos because they are right at your finger tips.

Also the iPhone has iTunes built in, which is a great feature because it cuts out the trip to Blockbuster to buy movies, or downloading movies online, and the quality of Itunes movies/music videos/tv shows are that of DVD quality.

Honestly I would go for the iPhone. I've had both. Actually I'm in transition of getting rid of my Blackberry and getting an iPhone. But like I said, it boils down to do you want something more on the business side or more on the fun side.

[Ezekiel2517]

well i have both an iphone and a bb curve, i really only use the bb for email and IM, i do everything else on the iphone

[c4sizzle]

I've also had the curve which might i add, i thought was a great phone. But the iPhone is the best gadget. Plus like others have mentioned here, it's the potential of Apple versus the history of RIM, i chose potential.

[Robin]

I really appreciate all the information that everyone is providing.

I have another question - Does anyone know how many different email addresses you can have on the iPhone? I think I read somewhere that on a Blackberry you can have 10, and I thought someone said you can only have 5 on the iPhone. I have 7 different addresses.

Can anyone confirm?