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iphone 3g vs. Blackberry - help convince me

S

sbb155

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 15, 2005
498
5
I am a die hard blackberry user, and I use my phone mostly for emailing.
I also need an ipod, so the iphone seemed perfect...
but I just cannot type on the keyboard nearly as fast and make so many more mistakes than on the BB curve.
I have spent a lot of time in ATT stores.
Sure i can type slowly, but I do so much email, that the iphone is tough..
What are your thoughts, and has anyone switched from BB to iphone as a heavy email user?

Thanks
 
I'm a Treo to iPhone person, so I might have a little helpful info.

Blackberry has more features and does a lot of things better. If you're comfortable with using it to it's full potential, and actually do, the Blackberry is sweet. The OS and interface of the iPhone, however, make for a much more pleasant and user friendly experience. If you're into aesthetics and general useability, iPhone wins.

If your primary use is email you should take the keyboard into account. You will get used to the iPhone 'keyboard' but, at least for me, it will never be as good as a physical one. That basically comes down to the simple question: is it worth the downgrade on keyboard quality to have the full screen.

For how I use my phone, iPhone is an easy choice for me. Good luck with your own choice, hope this helps a bit.
 
I've had an iphone for about 6 weeks, was using a BB 8800 for the prior two years. The fanboys will attack me for this, but...

When it comes to email, typing, and basic search functions, the BB wins hands down - it's not even a contest. Nothing can beat the feel and tactile response of actual keys. Searching is better on the BB also Having a physical keyboard that is always present makes it so easy. From ANY BB screen, you can search contacts by any field - first, last, street, state, email address, phone number, etc. BB also has a calendar search which works the same way.

I love my iPhone more than my BB. The iPhone beats the BB in almost every other category - web, calls, display, syncing, ipod, video, storage capacity.

If you are a heavy emailer (as you say), then I don't think I can convince you to get an iPhone....
 
well since you mainly need it for Email-Blackberry is definitely a better email client. if you need a iPod(for whatever reason) keep your blackberry and get a nano/classic, the qwerty TOUCH keyboard is harder than a regular qwerty keyboard imo, mainly because if u touch on the screen sometimes it thinks you touched 1cm off and it types the next letter...so yeah, i think you should keep your BB Curve(if you already have it) if you dont have it right now, go ahead and get the iPhone...theres no point in getting 2 devices when you can get 1, but if u already got it just get a classic/nano/shuffle iPod
for me also the iPhone is a better phone than a blackberry(im 14) so i dont really need an email, i just enjoy the iPhone for its iPod and other crap it got on it...
 
Since we're on the subject of Blackberrys and iphones is there a big difference in data plan price? is the blackberry data plan the same as the iphone 3G data plan?
 
Never owned a Blackberry, but did own the original iPhone from launch day up until July 18th and since then have owned the iPhone 3G.

The iPhone has:

An amazing web browser- Using the web on this phone is amazing.
A rich and easy to use interface
Apps Store
A great iPod
Google Maps

And so much more, I just love using this device, it does everything I want minus a couple of small things.
 
You've already made your decision, you don't like the keyboard on the iPhone.

Keep your Blackberry, your happy with it, you like its keyboard.

This will also save us the follow-up thread of "I got rid of my BB and the iPhone keyboard is a POS"
 
...and with the BB Bold or whatever due out soon, you may have the best of both worlds.
/gets in the flame suit for the kool-aide drinkers are sure to rise up.

Besides, unless your corp IT dept is supporting Active sync. you'd be screwed switching to the iPhone.
 
my corp supports BB, MS mobile, and iphone activesync
I guess I am wondering - does anyone with an iphone use heavy email, and is it possible to type quickly without mistakes on the iphone
 
sbb155 said:
my corp supports BB, MS mobile, and iphone activesync
I guess I am wondering - does anyone with an iphone use heavy email, and is it possible to type quickly without mistakes on the iphone
Click to expand...

I do. Because I miss the physical keyboard it never feels as accurate, but it isn't horrible. You get used to it, get more efficient with it, but there is a tradeoff involved.

In short, assume a downgrade. I'd say the iPhone's keyboard is 75-80% what the BB's is.
 
At this moment, BB is still clearly the better choice for business, especially in large corporations.

It'll take time for iPhone to establish itself as an enterprise phone, but that time doesn't appear to be in the near future.
 
I have a BB for work, an older model with the multiple characters per key. I have never liked the thing. It is on AT&T the same as my iPhone, but the iPhone reception in the same areas is much much better and the sound quality is very much better.
 
is it possible to do email in the landscape mode on the iphone, thus making the keys bigger on the touchscreen?
 
Wirelessly posted (iPhone 16GB: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5F97 Safari/525.20)

personally, I found it took about 2 weeks to become used to the iPhone keyboard and about a month to become proficient to the point I can use two thumbs on it and type fast without any mistakes. I use my iPhone email extensively every day and find it the best phone I've had for email. I've never had a BB though so can't comment on whether it is better for email or not.
 
I think it comes down to what is most important to you. If you want iPod integration and the best browser experience, than the ipod wins hands down.

If you do ALOT of e-mail that requires alot of typing, then you want a BlackBerry.

It sounds to me like you should have a BlackBerry, but really want to get an iPhone. iPhone would work for you, but typing is not going to be the same, and if you need search, etc for your mail, you are going to be frustrated...
 
If you are a heavy emailer (I used to be), I would suggest you stay with the blackberry offerings. the new bold has had promising reviews and has updated multimedia capabilities.

I email a lot less now, so the iphone is good. But without cut and paste and the tactile keyboard, you would be hard pressed to match your current ease of use that the BB provides.
 
Just get both phones...that's the easy answer

sbb155 said:
I am a die hard blackberry user, and I use my phone mostly for emailing.
I also need an ipod, so the iphone seemed perfect...
but I just cannot type on the keyboard nearly as fast and make so many more mistakes than on the BB curve.
I have spent a lot of time in ATT stores.
Sure i can type slowly, but I do so much email, that the iphone is tough..
What are your thoughts, and has anyone switched from BB to iphone as a heavy email user?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I have both BB Curve and the iPhone 3g and first gen. My recommendation to you is just to get both phones! Easiest answer to your question. I use both at the same time. I use the Wifi BB Curve on Tmobile and the iPhone 3g on ATT.
I am giving you this answer assuming you have the money to afford both.

Seriously, if you are a business user, stick with the BB Curve. Better battery life. Easy email functions and the Curve's buttoms are easy to type with. You are better off keeping the Curve and getting an iPod touch/nano/classic.

If you can afford both; that's what I would recommend. You get the best of both worlds.
 
I am a first time Iphone 3g owner, the girl I just started hanging out with uses a Blackberry Curve. I was playing with the Curve last night.


Iphone-
WAY better UI
WAY better browser
WAAAAY better MP3 player

Curve-
Keyboard is nice, I have club thumbs, found it very easy to type. Typing on the Iphone either goes really well, or makes me want to throw it.
That little ball....I like it a lot.
It did video and the camera had a bright ass flash.

I'd be torn if it weren't for the fact that my phone is my primary MP3 player. All in all the Iphone is a better multimedia device and internet in your pocket device. The curve is better for typing.

If I didn't really care about the web and Ipod part, I'd consider a curve. But Iphone wins IMO.
 
Dude, just wait until the Bold comes out... you will have the best of both worlds. The Bold is going to have a full HTML Email client and browser, 3G, GPS, and an improved UI and Multimedia. You will be able to have the same space as an iPhone too for music, cause it can take up 16GB of external memory. I'm heavily considering doing the same thing unless 2.1 really impresses me, cause 2.0 is unbearable. With BB you also have the physical keyboard, which as much as everybody wants to say it is the same as a software keyboard... it just isn't. As much as I love the uniqueness and convenience of it, it just doesn't give that physical feedback that you get from a physical keyboard and you will not type as efficiently with a virtual as you would with a physcial.
 
sbb155 said:
my corp supports BB, MS mobile, and iphone activesync
I guess I am wondering - does anyone with an iphone use heavy email, and is it possible to type quickly without mistakes on the iphone
Click to expand...

YES!! To be honest, I've never owned a BB or an iPhone, but I have an iPod touch and I've used my cousin's Q. guess that counts :) I think the keyboard is great on my touch! I type with it all the time! I've actually typed up term papers on it for school with ease! after using the touch for around 6 months, my cousin got a Moto Q and I tried to use that one's keyboard... it was an awful experience, to say the least. I think the keys are too far together, it's too complicated to find the keys you need especially in low light, and the buttons are much harder to press down. I can type probably over twice as fast on my touch than the Q.

now, can anyone fill me in on this: my iPod makes little clicky noises whenever I touch a key. does the iPhone do that??

also, a bad thing is BlackBerry Thumb, I have a terrible thumb from using my iPod all the time, which isn't exactly the best for a collegiate-level pianist :S

iPhone all the way! if you're skeptical, buy a touch and use it for a while. it's much more enjoyable and easier to use. great interface, great UI, huge screen, sexy as hell, accelerometer, multi-touch screen, games, apps, and an assload more

I typed this reply up in less than two minutes with on touch with ease :)
 
Its just a matter of getting use to it. I too can type as fast on my Touch and iPhone as on anything else. The spell correction is excellent, the big thing is using it and building your dictionary and then just trusting it. People all have different preferences.

People in general are also resistant to change, they like what they find familiar, it comfortable.

As for corporate support, BB has iPhone beat hands down, but then again they've had a 25 year head start. Give Apple some time I'm sure they will make some in roads into the corporate world.

I was at a Bold unveiling and its nice but its a Blackberry, it's still utilitarian, not that there is anything wrong with that.

There will always be iPhone people and Blackberry people, just as there are Mac people and Windows people. If there wasn't there would be nothing to make us feel superior:)
 
sbb155 said:
my corp supports BB, MS mobile, and iphone activesync
I guess I am wondering - does anyone with an iphone use heavy email, and is it possible to type quickly without mistakes on the iphone
Click to expand...

Most of the mistakes are corrected. No problem there. It depends on your needs. I'm not a heavy e-mailer and have not owned a Blackberry. I was in the same predicament you are in and I looked at it like this: iphone cost: $200, Blackberry: $350.... :eek:

I could not justify 150 more for a device that may have had an easier keyboard.

I enjoy the iphone for its user friendly features and Apples intuitive design.
 
I appreciate all of the comments. But, I have never seen anyone who can type even close to as well on the iphone as they can on the blackberry. This is true of a lot of reviewers as well.
I think I am going to go for the BB Bold in a few weeks, and an ipod touch. The comments of users of both BB and iphone seem to say that for heavy email usage, the BB is unbeatable. Too bad the rest of the BB doesnt compare to the iphone.

I send around 100 emails a day via BB. So, the email is critical to me.
 
Get a Touch and see if you get use to typing on the Touch. If you do you can get an iPhone. If not get a BB Bold, you have nothing to loose.
 
I carried a BB for 6 years and was a dedicated PC guy since the early 80's. I have had my Iphone for 10 days and a MBP for 3 months. I wouldn't go back. I would compare the BB 8830 I was carrying to a abacus after the last 10 days. I don't even miss Verizon and this really surprised me. I actually prefer the Iphone client and the keyboard. The Iphone is more of a "lifestyle" device. I do miss the search and the easy cut and paste but that is about it. The Iphone is a great piece of hardware. Is it perfect? well no but nether was the BB. Everyday I discover new little tidbits. Back in January I needed a new Ipod and bought a touch at the beginning of my transition. you can consider this as a way to begin. Use the touch for email where ever you have wifi and see if it will work for you. I do agree that if email is all you care about and you love your BB, stay there. Safe and risk free. But if you are willing to learn more, deal with uncertainty and issues well you can go for it.

One last thing, this kind of decision is not easy. Good luck.
 
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