Blackberry device vs Apple iPhone
Interview on Blackberry 8320 vs iPhone
Here’s is the hottest post we have seen about the two hottest mobile phone devices on the market - Blackberry by RIM and iPhone by Apple.
We recently interviewed a business executive (who asked not to be identified) who can’t live without either of these devices working together. He has both Blackberry 8320 Curve from T-Mobile and an Apple iPhone, which has been hacked to death and still functions according to Apple standards. Here’s his thoughts on both devices.
Interview by: Dee Smith from MobiShark Blackberry Blog
ND:
I actually carry both an iPhone and an 8320 Curve on a daily basis, and in all honesty, I can’t choose one of them over the other, and here’s a few reasons why:
1. iPhone browser has the ability to get into sites that the BB won’t. Example, the BB can’t check google adsense, website stats, get into our websites servers, etc. However, the iPhone can. The iPhone browser is also a ton better?when you are in a wifi spot. The browser speeds on the iPhone are very very fast when it comes to rendering full html webpages in wifi But sucks in edge. The BB is good for sites such as Pinstack where you really don’t want to/need to see the the page in HTML form. That, and the ability to have 8 different web pages open at once, is completely awesome on the iPhone. I however, someone needs to create a 3rd party browser for the iPhone which doesn’t render all of the graphics. A scaled down type version. Give me some options like the BlackBerry does, so I can get web pages to load faster when I am in EDGE coverage.
2. Phone Calls: BlackBerry hands down. The iPhone speaker is terrible. Both the speakerphone and the earpiece. Speakerphone on the iPhone like the BB earpiece at full blast. I can’t listen to speakerphone on the iPhone when I am driving. Actually…I can never use the iPhone speakerphone. I have tried a few times, and I will never try it again. You have to be in a completely silent area in order to use it effectively. I have to revert to the BlackBerry. Which is another pain in the ass, because I could be sending/receiving emails when I was on the phone, instead of having to compose drafts and waiting till I get off to send them.
3. Comfort to talk on. BB. The iPhone doesn’t feel good in your hand. Plus it’s heavy. Although I do have a pretty sweet solid case on the iPhone that’s very protective, yet weighs ton. Plus, 8320 with extended battery is also easier to wedge between your ear and shoulder (no, i don’t wear a bluetooth headset).
4. Caller ID: iPhone beats the Berry. Caller ID on the BlackBerry is ridiculously terrible compared to the iPhone. However, I will venture to say there isn’t a cooler looking screen during incoming calls on any other device out there. Or maybe it’s me. But it’s sweet. And on the topic of Caller ID, this is another thing that subtly irks me about the iPhone?If the handset is locked and a call comes in, no ignore option. You can turn it to vibrate, but it keeps vibrating. There are some people I want to ignore. And not in a mean way. If I am busy and can’t answer the BlackBerry anyways, I will click ignore so you don’t waste a minute before voicemail kicks in. I see my caller ID instantly most of the time (on the BlackBerry atleast), so boop, voicemail right away, leave your message, I’ll call you back. IPhone, you can only decline a call if your phone isn’t locked. BOO.
6. Address Book. The address book for the BlackBerry is overall better. Easier to find who you are looking for. Although the scrolling on the iPhone is pretty neat. You can press the letter in a list on the far right of the screen and scroll to that group of names (although not always 100% accurate). BB holds a ton more of info in the address book, although, I hardly ever fill ALL of those fields in a BlackBerry anyways. I would be a stalker if I had THAT much information about somebody. Caller
7. In call controls are awesome on the iPhone. The Merge, New Call, Swap from keypad to commands. It’s very nice. And the iPhone has done some wierd things too while in calls that are freakisly cool. I once was in the middle of a 4 call, where the other 3 callers were all calls initiated into me. (IE: I can call someone, then 3 way call someone else, then someone can call me while I have those 3 on the line, and bring them in, having a total of 4 calls. That’s just awesome when I have that ability. But I can’t call a 4th person, they have to call into an already running 3 way call, so in that way it’s, meh.
8. Listening to music. Better on the iPhone. Way better. iPhone gives you an EQ, however, it’s in the preferences for some dumb reason, and isn’t right in the “iPod” section, which means you have to go to the homescreen-preferences-EQ. Thats 1 extra step that sucks, especially if you want to change it on the fly and then have to swap back to iPod section. Put it in there apple, and i’ll be very happy. hint hint. BTW, of course, this only counts for headphones IN. Remember, the speaker phone sucks during calls and is even worse for music. And a little thing that irks me: the BB can use any headphone type. The iPhone was created so not all 3.5mm headphones work. Nothing too major, but annoying. And the iPhone stock headphones are crap. Then one headphones I tried were terrible. Can’t remember the name, they are around here somewhere and I may do a review on them they were so horrible. And the things are $100.00 each. I didn’t pay anything for them, which is great because I would be PO’d at myself for spending that money. But that’s for another post. Back to the phones. Music with headphones: iPhone. Louder on speakerphone: BlackBerry.
9. Screen. iPhone. Granted, it has more of a potential of breaking and leaving me weeping that it was uninsured and unlocked. But the BB atleast has the “plastic housing screen” that protects the main screen, and the BB is overall more durable (IMO, but I am not willing going to try it just to see. Although. The iPhone does have this case I was talking about, and it’s nice. An “Agent 18 and it makes my iPhone look bad ASS. I will have to get some pictures of that because its SUH-WEET. And IMO, any person who has an iPhone and doesn’t have SOME type of case, is an idiot. The iPhone bear is ridiculously so fragile to handle that I constantly have butter flies in my stomach afraid I am going to drop it.
10. Media controls, AKA iPod/Media Manager. iPod wins. Album art is awesome. Anyone who denies that is a liar, plain and simple. And the play lists are better and overall is easier to use. Plus, much easier to sync with existing iTunes and easier to add album art of your choice (I don’t have 1 piece of album art that is the cd. I use random pictures or non-album art of the artist/band, just pictures. PURTY COOL.
11. Here’s another thing that was cool, but only at first. Now I really don’t use it. Setup your iTunes to automatically update video/audio pod casts. Now, just put your iPhone on the in the cradle, and it will auto-synch with iTunes, and update throughout the day, so at the end of the day, you have updated your iPod with the NBC news that night, the Soup, and maybe a 5 minute tech blog of the day for your ride home on the train or bus. Or in the car. Yeah. The car. =-) Probably 70% of iPhone owners have watched their iPhone in their car at one time or another.
12. And speaking of car. The BlackBerry is much better to use in a car. The iPhone is extremely harder to use in a car. Trying to navigate on it is terrible since no physical keys (once again). However, not that I am condoning using any type of cellular device in a car. 14. Camera winner is the iPhone. The shots that the iPhone takes are extremely well for a mobile device. Best I have ever seen. And that’s not saying the BB has a bad camera. it actually has a very good one, it just isn’t the iPhone. More crisp on the iPhone.
13. Overall Typing. iPhone isn’t terrible as most people say. Give it a week and you will be fairly proficcent on it. However, it’s not a physical keyboard so it does lose to the BlackBerry in terms of use.
14. And looking at picutres is much nicer on the iPhone. Mainly being able to flip through them, which is much like with the album art. Just really cool to do. And doesn’t hurt your fingers as much.
15. And speaking of hurting fingers. There are some days about 4-5pm, I don’t want to touch the BB anymore, because my joints are so sore from typing on it all day. I can mainly hold up, but there are nights that my fingers hurt so bad, the iPhone comes as a relief.
16. Ringtones. BB. Not only can I HEAR them, it’s easier to add ringtones by far. I’m sorry, but I am not paying Apple to get a ringtone for a song that it thinks I like because it’s in iTunes. Then, they will probably be ringtones I wouldn’t even like. So the BB is easier to customize ringtones. And I am not taking the time of effort to figure out how to do the hack in order to get them. Just let me pull them over to the phone. Plus, I don’t like “ringtones”, I like have specialized alerts. I am bored with the ones that are on there.
17. BlackBerry has profiles. iPhone doesnt. Like I said earlier, with the iPhone, you either have vibrate or ring. That’s it. UGH. Let me customize things like I can customize my BlackBerry and be able to change them on the fly. There are times, believe it or not, I don’t even want my iPhone to vibrate. It’s irritating.
18. Microphone volume. People tell me they can actually hear me on the BlackBerry (Imagine that). Much better actually. Plus, I always think I have dropped on the iPhone
19. Signal coverage. Of course both have wifi, so that’s now what I am talking about. Both the iPhone and BB are on TMobile. Both have the exact same plan (I use BB Data on the iPhone line as well so I can always have the ability to switch lines.). Same everything. And the iPhone drops calls/won’t make outgoing calls quite often. I have summed it up to the internal antenna in the iPhone is weak.
20. Another annoying thing is the APN settings randomly disappear from the iPhone settings. Which is REALLY annoying. It happens mainly if the iphone is shut off and turned back on for some reason, plus it just happens at random if been sitting idle. And you don’t realize it. So you are trying to go to a site or get email, and you realize you can’t connect because the APN settings are gone. There was a fix for this somewhere on installer, and I had it at one time and it was nice. But I had to restore my iPhone once and haven’t been able to fix it since. My BB has never “lost” it’s APN settings.
21. I should have probably mentioned this earlier when I was talking about build, but for guys (or women with facial hair), will hate holding the iPhone up to thier face, especially if you have stubble, because it will pull some hairs out. And the metal is cold. You will not want to use the phone at temperatures less than 30 degrees.
22. Operating system update. I do like how iTunes will let you know when there is one. Nothing like “When will 4.5 be out? ? ?”. With the iPhone, when it’s out, you know it.
23. MMS. I don’t know what the big deal about MMS is. If I take a picture, it’s just as easy for me to do as an email than it is to do an SMS. But, if I ever want to, I can send an MMS with the iPhone, I just can’t receive them, which also doesn’t really bother me, but would annoy some people.
24. Overall email look? iPhone. The HTML is very nice. BlackBerry will be getting that with the new upgraded OS, however it’s not comparative to the iPhone.
25. Video Recording. Both are getting them, so not going to go into it. The BB video recording is nice (BETA), but, whenever video comes to the iPhone, if it’s like the camera?It will be very nice.
26. BlackBerry Keys. A quick comment on these. On the curve, make them bigger please. You have space and it would probably actually look better.
27.Text messages on the BlackBerry are painful to look at after you experience them on an iPhone, especially with the ability to change the bubble colors. If you haven’t seen text messaging on an iPhone, whenever you see someone, just ask them to should you.
28. Visual “new message” light. That should be added to the iPhone. I like having my BB in sleep modem, and I can just look to see if I have a red light flashing. I don’t like having to wake the phone up just to see if I have a message.
29. Battery life on the BlackBerry is longer for me, however, I have an extended battery. But, I am on the BlackBerry all of the time. ALL of the time. My BlackBerry doesn’t stop doing something for over 5 minutes at a time. And it’s usually multiple things. (I use approx 145MB of data on the BB a month, and that doesn’t take into account that in the office and at home I am connected via wifi.).
30. Email of course. You didn’t think I would leave that out? BlackBerry rocks. End of story. 15 min polling sucks for the iPhone. BlackBerry has no competition for that. However, what worse, is that the phone that sounds the best (BB) isn’t 3G, because I hate getting flooded with emails, or having to wait till I am off the phone to reply to them.
I personally can’t live without either of them in order to do what it is that I do. They compliment each other well. And if someone is getting an iTouch, if you truly are a business person, you might as well go ahead and get an iPhone instead. You are going to use both of them. I need both of them in order to conduct business, and while each has its good points, they also each have their bad points. Will there ever be a perfect device? Not for me.