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Got the ATT Blackberry Bold a quick comparison to Iphone 3g.

R

richard371

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Feb 1, 2008
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I've been using the ATT Blackberry Bold I got at the SF launch party since tuesday and here are a few comments/observations:

1) 3g reception and switching to EDGE etc is about the same as the Iphone. (clearly an ATT issue now.) ATT has disabled the option to turn off 3g on the Bold which sucks. On the Rogers model you can.
2) The UI is very fast. Everything runs perfectly in the background and opens instantly. Multitasking with Jivetalk etc is a much better exp on the BB even when push is released for the iphone. I will chat in JT go out to email, send an sms ,go to BB messenger, back to jivealk all with ease.
3) Battery life is decent but hard to judge since it's new I play with it a lot so its runs down faster.
4) screen is sharper then the Iphone because its the same resolution but smaller pixels
5) Voice quality about the same.
6) External speakers are awesome can use it to listen to music when in hotels etc. Best I have heard on a phone period.
7) Iphone has much cooler apps and is more fun to use.
8) The Bold still uses the Blackberry software that has been around for years where the Iphone is more innovative.
9) cam has a flash which is great when inside dark bar or club etc.

If I had to pick one it would be a very hard choice. The Iphone feels more solid, sexier, more innovative, much better browser, maps. Now that my Bold is breaking in the back is creaky when I type. The Bold smokes the Iphone when it comes to email, messaging, Jivetalk, copy paste, multitasking etc. I now reply to emails and chat with friends online with the Bold because the KB is so awesome. The iphone kb kills me.

My ATT sim is a Blackberry account so I love how I can switch back and forth and I get data on both devices just no visual VM. So I will carry which ever one I am in the mood for as i get my corporate email on both.

Just my 2 cents. Feel free to ask any questions. the Bold will be out Nov 4th for ATT.
 
Interesting. Can you explain the SIM comment at the bottom of your email in a little more detail? Are you saying you can take the SIM out of your iPhone and use it in the BlackBerry Bold since you have unlimited data with the iPhone already!? Thanks.
 
yes

When I got the iphone i canceled the contract and I use my corporate BB sim in both the iphone 3g and Blackberry and all the data works etc. Makes it easy to change phones. You just don't get the visual VM only regular VM but I don't care.


johnjay1776 said:
Interesting. Can you explain the SIM comment at the bottom of your email in a little more detail? Are you saying you can take the SIM out of your iPhone and use it in the BlackBerry Bold since you have unlimited data with the iPhone already!? Thanks.
Click to expand...
 
richard371 said:
When I got the iphone i canceled the contract and I use my corporate BB sim in both the iphone 3g and Blackberry and all the data works etc. Makes it easy to change phones. You just don't get the visual VM only regular VM but I don't care.
Click to expand...


That's wierd. My SIM card is on a blackberry plan as well. But when I stick it in my iPhone and it registers to the network, the next time I put it in my blackberry I lose a lot of internet features because the SIM thinks it's still in the iPhone. For example, I won't be able to surf the medianet homepage so I can check my account usage.

I haven't put the SIM in my iPhone since that day. I didn't like sitting on the phone with AT&T for a 1/2 hour to get everything working again.

I thought it would be nice to switch between my iPhone and the BB Curve every now and then, but oh well, looks like it's only the BB for me.


Also, that's a interesting review have down. I'm been looking to upgrade the curve and the bold is at the top of the list for me.
 
Back to the sim comment. If I get the bold and still want to keep the iphone, can I just swap the iphone sim to the bold and still be able to do everything, since the iphone has unlimited data/etc.?
 
Richard371, thanks for the review, is the BBmap still lock down by AT&T(missing service book), can you show some screen shot on the BBbrowser, is the browser still mess up like the older blackberry with OS4.5.
 
Yes the sb for maps is till missing. The browser is a little better then 4.5 but no where near the iphone. i will try to get some screenshots next week on my pc at work. i have a mac at home and down have the screenshot tool.


cbr900rr said:
Richard371, thanks for the review, is the BBmap still lock down by AT&T(missing service book), can you show some screen shot on the BBbrowser, is the browser still mess up like the older blackberry with OS4.5.
Click to expand...
 
browser

Hey Rich...did your AT&T bold come with the 4.6.0.167 OS...and have you had any 3G problems with it on the AT&t network...for instance, is the connection to the browser on the bold fast and have you experienced any bugs on it??
 
It is .167. I do have about the same amount of 3g probs as I do with Iphone. It will switch from 3g to EDGE to 3G and once in awhile the x for a few seconds where their is service. Browser is not as fast as the iphone.

seanp666 said:
Hey Rich...did your AT&T bold come with the 4.6.0.167 OS...and have you had any 3G problems with it on the AT&t network...for instance, is the connection to the browser on the bold fast and have you experienced any bugs on it??
Click to expand...
 
So in your experience which is better to you as a phone as a whole? the bold or the iphone?
 
ive got both as well...

the bold is def the phone i carry around because of reliability...

but there are times when work is slow and i miss the iphone.... its much more on the entertainment side...


to me:
bold = all business (getting data)
iphone = entertainment, ability to get email + phone is a plus...
 
Right now I am carrying the Bold because I can't type and multi task on the Iphone but the Iphone is more fun. Unfortunately most of us live in a world were we can't have fun all the time. I always come back to the Blackberry. The Iphone is a browsing multimedia machine but the Blackberry hands down is the worlds best, most reliable messaging machine. If I have room I carry both.
 
richard371 said:
Right now I am carrying the Bold because I can't type and multi task on the Iphone but the Iphone is more fun. Unfortunately most of us live in a world were we can't have fun all the time. I always come back to the Blackberry. The Iphone is a browsing multimedia machine but the Blackberry hands down is the worlds best, most reliable messaging machine. If I have room I carry both.
Click to expand...

Have you also found that the BB does email so much better than the iPhone? On my BB, the emails are always downloaded and ready to read. Occasionally on the iPhone, it will say loading message or whatever it displays and sometimes I have to just give up because the message will never display. This never happens on the BB.
 
i am issued a BB8820 and am to turn it in for the BOLD the first week of November. I haven't kept up with what the BOLD is or whatever but its been talked about for months at the office.

I have to agree the BB is a professional tool and I'm use to it and have to use it constantly in my work. I am not excited for it but now i'm curious how it will compare with the iPhone.

But I feel these two tools are in two different leagues. I would choose the iPhone just because I am a mac nut and it is more fun...
 
Questions

How does the BB feel when it's in your hand?
Does it play well with your Mac?
How is the Calendar?

thx
 
Richard,

Thanks for the review and continuing to share information with us.

Much appreciated!
Bryan
 
Am I the only one who gets disturbed when people call a piece of technology "sexy"? Charlize Theron and Brad Pitt are sexy. The iPhone is...well, I just hope it doesn't do the same.
 
Nice review, shame it's on AT&T tho. I already have an iPhone and a Tilt that suck on AT&T, I'd hate to throw any more money down that toilet of a carrier. Probably too early to ask about a carrier unlock tho.
 
I do not sync it with the Mac as I am on BES at work and am the BES admin so I do everything through work. I can hook it up to my mac and drag music, photos etc to it. It feels fine in my hand. They keyboard is great. I can type almost as fast as a PC keyboard.

I have to be honest I don't like the calendar design on the Iphone. It takes to many steps to enter an event and if I forget to set the reminder for an event I miss it.

On the BB i just select the day I want and just type in the event and it uses the default 15 min reminder. There are many more defaults you can modify on the BB calender.

srl7741 said:
How does the BB feel when it's in your hand?
Does it play well with your Mac?
How is the Calendar?

thx
Click to expand...
 
I really liked your comparison, even though I have an iPhone and don't plan on switching. I think your review was very balanced and imparcial.
 
BoldvsiPhone3Gbig.png


looks like I am going back to the blackberry

PinStack.com:D
 
still the iphone is better because it is a mac computer in your hand I widh I could get the iphone but I cant
 
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