iphone 3gs vs. blackberry bold 9700

[holahermosa]

i'm getting a new phone for christmas and i can't decide between the two.

i'm 19. i currently have a razr, so either one is already a huge upgrade for me. i already have an ipod nano, so music capability isn't huge for me. i want a good camera, but i think both phones have that. i do text a lot so i like that the blackberry has a keyboard. i don't know how much i would use the internet since i have macbook but i like that the iphone's browser is much faster. i also like that the iphone has a much larger app store. my boyfriend has a blackberry storm and it freezes a lot and kills it's own battery, but from what i've read, the 9700 has great battery life. i need something that can make it through a whole day after charging all night. i drop my current phone a lot, and i've heard that the iphone breaks easily, don't know how true that is though.

i'm very undecided. help please?

 

[thelatinist]

I suggest you spend some time in the AT&T store playing with both phones. Try out all the features. Browse pages you might typically want to check on the road. Play with contacts. Make a couple of calls. In the end, only you can make this decision.

 

[mb25667]

Ahh...I used to have a razr too....worst phone I ever owned. Eventually something ended up happening to my battery and it would drain on a 5 minute phone call after a full charge....when I got my iPhone, I took great joy in breaking the razr in half.

Based on your description of your needs, I would suggest the Blackberry, but I'll share my findings since I've tried both.

I tried out a Bold 9000 when my first iPhone had an unfortunate accident. (the cat knocked it into a sink, and no matter how much I tried, I couldn't revive it) I since came back to the iPhone when the 3GS came out.

I'll break some stuff down for you.

Texting/Typing - Some people claim that they can type just as fast on an iphone as a blackberry....me personally, I was MUCH faster and much more accurate on the physical keyboard. That's not a selling point of a phone for me though.

Camera = about equal, but the blackberry has flash, if that makes a difference to you. I don't take a ton of pics with cell phones so that didnt' make a difference to me.

Browser - You'll use it more than you think you will now. Mobile Safari destroys anything on a blackberry...but if you do end up with the bold, get Opera Mini or my personal favorite, bolt browser. Both are better than the built in. Mobile Safari crushes them both too, however. Multi-touch and pinch zooming make web surfing on the iphone just awesome.

Battery life - no doubt about it, the blackberry Bold kills the iphone. I used my Bold all the time and wouldn't have to charge it for 2-3 days. You'll more than likely be charging the iphone daily, however I do sometimes get 2 days if I don't play with it much (meaning internet, games, etc) If you run stuff in the background on the Bold like Pandora Radio or AIM, it will cut down on that battery life though. Apple's push notifications don't seem to draw the "20% more than usual" that they claim from me. I haven't had to change my charging habits since enabling them for Beejive, Ping!, etc.

Durability - The iphone is much more rugged than it looks. Plus with the assortment of cases out there, you can get some relatively cheap peace-of-mind, plus your own customization.

Apps - Iphone demolishes the competition. Not only in sheer number of apps, but also the quality of the apps. Just about anything you can think of, like they say....There's an app for that.

The only quirk to that is that the iPhone does not have backgrounding unless you jailbreak it...meaning you can't listen to Pandora and go do something else on the phone.


If your boyfriend has a Blackberry too....one big selling point is BlackBerry Messenger. That application is awesome, and probably the only thing I miss about my Bold. Doesn't cost text messages...unlimited messaging between blackberries...send pictures, videos, voice, etc. Highly reliable. I loved it.



All that blabbering aside, after trying a blackberry, I was happy to get my iPhone back. It just does MORE than a Blackberry ever could. It fits my personal needs better.

 

[acfusion29]

Texting/Typing - Some people claim that they can type just as fast on an iphone as a blackberry....me personally, I was MUCH faster and much more accurate on the physical keyboard. That's not a selling point of a phone for me though.

-1

I type faster on the iPhone. It really depends on the user.

Camera = about equal, but the blackberry has flash, if that makes a difference to you. I don't take a ton of pics with cell phones so that didnt' make a difference to me.

-1

I know the iPhone doesn't have flash, but the camera is WAY better. Also, video recording on the iPhone is the best I've seen on any mobile device. (Just compare the videos on Youtube).

Battery life - no doubt about it, the blackberry Bold kills the iphone. I used my Bold all the time and wouldn't have to charge it for 2-3 days. You'll more than likely be charging the iphone daily, however I do sometimes get 2 days if I don't play with it much (meaning internet, games, etc) If you run stuff in the background on the Bold like Pandora Radio or AIM, it will cut down on that battery life though. Apple's push notifications don't seem to draw the "20% more than usual" that they claim from me. I haven't had to change my charging habits since enabling them for Beejive, Ping!, etc.

+1

If your boyfriend has a Blackberry too....one big selling point is BlackBerry Messenger. That application is awesome, and probably the only thing I miss about my Bold. Doesn't cost text messages...unlimited messaging between blackberries...send pictures, videos, voice, etc. Highly reliable. I loved it.

+1

BBM = awesome

 

[holahermosa]

All that blabbering aside, after trying a blackberry, I was happy to get my iPhone back. It just does MORE than a Blackberry ever could. It fits my personal needs better.

ya that's why i think i want an iphone instead of a blackberry. i'm really leaning more towards that i think. i want a phone that i can actually have fun on. it seems to me that's what the iphone is and blackberry is more of a business type phone. anyways,

i'm not really concerned about how fast i can text, it's more how easily i can text without hitting the wrong buttons or things like that.

i probably wouldn't use blackberry messenger because i have unlimited text and pictures and all that already and my boyfriend does also, so getting the blackberry for just that reason would be kinda dumb for me, in my opinion.

i like that the iphone has a much faster browser because i'm very impatient. if the bold's browser is like the storm's then i probably wouldn't even try using it because it would just get on my nerves. i also like the mass amount of apps for the iphone. i like that it has the potential to have an app for everything i could need. haha

questions:

would buying one of those plastic covers keep either phone safe from breaking? sometimes i feel like people only use those for the looks haha.

and is the iphone's screen really scratch proof protected? i read that on some website, didn't know if that was true or not.

can you set an actual picture as your background on the iphone or is it always the page with the apps and stuff?

why did you suggest the blackberry for me instead of the iphone?

p.s. i HATE my razr so much. i was considering throwing it against the wall when i got a new phone, but i think i like the idea of breaking it in half. haha

 

[mb25667]

questions:

would buying one of those plastic covers keep either phone safe from breaking? sometimes i feel like people only use those for the looks haha.

and is the iphone's screen really scratch proof protected? i read that on some website, didn't know if that was true or not.

can you set an actual picture as your background on the iphone or is it always the page with the apps and stuff?

why did you suggest the blackberry for me instead of the iphone?

p.s. i HATE my razr so much. i was considering throwing it against the wall when i got a new phone, but i think i like the idea of breaking it in half. haha

I just thought your first post indicated you weren't that interested in web surfing or games and stuff...you said a few words that made me change my analysis....You want to have fun on your phone.

Blackberry is not a "fun" phone. The things that it does, it does them very well (e-mail, typing/texting, battery life, etc)

And your questions:
1. Cases - Yeah, they definitely protect it and absorb the shock of falling. I'm currently rocking the CapsuleRebelM...but Speck makes a nice one called the CandyShell that looks really good.

2. Screen - Not really scratch PROOF....more like highly resistant. Check out some of the youtube videos of guys throwing them in bags with keys and coins, etc...they come out looking great. I wouldnt' go sliding it glass down across pavement, but it will stand up well to the "normal" wear and tear.

3. Without jailbreaking...the only background you can set is on your lock screen. When you unlock the phone, it's just the black background with your apps.

As for your razr....make a video with your new iphone of you putting the razr in a blender and put it on youtube...lol

 

[jdzialak]

Ahh...I used to have a razr too....worst phone I ever owned. Eventually something ended up happening to my battery and it would drain on a 5 minute phone call after a full charge....when I got my iPhone, I took great joy in breaking the razr in half.

Based on your description of your needs, I would suggest the Blackberry, but I'll share my findings since I've tried both.

I tried out a Bold 9000 when my first iPhone had an unfortunate accident. (the cat knocked it into a sink, and no matter how much I tried, I couldn't revive it) I since came back to the iPhone when the 3GS came out.

I'll break some stuff down for you.

Texting/Typing - Some people claim that they can type just as fast on an iphone as a blackberry....me personally, I was MUCH faster and much more accurate on the physical keyboard. That's not a selling point of a phone for me though.

Camera = about equal, but the blackberry has flash, if that makes a difference to you. I don't take a ton of pics with cell phones so that didnt' make a difference to me.

Browser - You'll use it more than you think you will now. Mobile Safari destroys anything on a blackberry...but if you do end up with the bold, get Opera Mini or my personal favorite, bolt browser. Both are better than the built in. Mobile Safari crushes them both too, however. Multi-touch and pinch zooming make web surfing on the iphone just awesome.

Battery life - no doubt about it, the blackberry Bold kills the iphone. I used my Bold all the time and wouldn't have to charge it for 2-3 days. You'll more than likely be charging the iphone daily, however I do sometimes get 2 days if I don't play with it much (meaning internet, games, etc) If you run stuff in the background on the Bold like Pandora Radio or AIM, it will cut down on that battery life though. Apple's push notifications don't seem to draw the "20% more than usual" that they claim from me. I haven't had to change my charging habits since enabling them for Beejive, Ping!, etc.

Durability - The iphone is much more rugged than it looks. Plus with the assortment of cases out there, you can get some relatively cheap peace-of-mind, plus your own customization.

Apps - Iphone demolishes the competition. Not only in sheer number of apps, but also the quality of the apps. Just about anything you can think of, like they say....There's an app for that.

The only quirk to that is that the iPhone does not have backgrounding unless you jailbreak it...meaning you can't listen to Pandora and go do something else on the phone.


If your boyfriend has a Blackberry too....one big selling point is BlackBerry Messenger. That application is awesome, and probably the only thing I miss about my Bold. Doesn't cost text messages...unlimited messaging between blackberries...send pictures, videos, voice, etc. Highly reliable. I loved it.



All that blabbering aside, after trying a blackberry, I was happy to get my iPhone back. It just does MORE than a Blackberry ever could. It fits my personal needs better.

Great answer! This should be saved for all others who ask about iPhone vs BB.
I had a Curve I loved before my iPhone and agree 100% on everything you said.
Both are great, it totally depends on your personal preference and needs.

And with landscape typing on the iPhone, I'm almost as fast as I was on my BB.

Joe