Blackberry vs iPhone

A

Alyce-in-wonderland

New Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2011
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
I'm sure someone has posted a similar topic but I can't seem to find something along these lines. I'm looking to get a smartphone and weighing up the pros and cons of blackberry vs iphone. I'm not IT inclined so the main use of the phone would be to make calls, internet, 3G and use some applications. Why would an average person choose the one over the other? Which would serve to be the better option?
 
Alyce-in-wonderland said:
I'm sure someone has posted a similar topic but I can't seem to find something along these lines. I'm looking to get a smartphone and weighing up the pros and cons of blackberry vs iphone. I'm not IT inclined so the main use of the phone would be to make calls, internet, 3G and use some applications. Why would an average person choose the one over the other? Which would serve to be the better option?
Click to expand...

LOL. Some would say neither of those count as smartphones.

You want the HTC Desire HD. Now that's a smartphone.
 
Hello Alyce

You left out Android - probably had a good reason, though. I use android because it PRECISELY meets my needs. Yours?

Make Calls: iPhone had that dropped calls things. Someone else can advise if this is fixed or not. But, for that fault, BB wins. Android comes second but the Dial/Disconnect button being one has caused me endless irritation.

Internet: iPhone's Safari - if it is still anything like I remember - beats the other two hands down.

3g: please explain. If you mean to use as a 3G modem, Android wins because you can create a temp WiFi hotspot on it and share the connection with whatever. I believe this is now possible on iP and BB but I cannot say for sure.

Some apps: Android needs to be rooted to BUY apps although many free ones do exist. iP and Android both have market limitations, in fact. Dunno about BB but I have heard it is better so maybe BB can win this one.

Research some more and I am sure others will correct/contradict me above. An aside: all the kids think BBM or whatever it is called is "cool". My kids were talking about it yesterday in the car. I just thought "whatever"...
 
Hi Alyce

I currently own an iPhone 4 and a Blackberry Bold (which is getting on a bit). Haven't worked with Android yet, though I'd like to give it a whirl sometime as I like the idea. But friends who have Android phones have complained about having to be 'rooted' in order to use the Android App Store (whatever it is called). To me it sounds like they're having endless hassles getting the stuff they want, which takes Android right out of the loop for me. Also, because Apple has such strict control over the apps in the iTunes store, 99% of them work as advertised, whereas I've heard of many Android apps crashing repeatedly, etc. With that said, I've had some apps crash on me on the iPhone, but nothing too major.

For me the difference between the iPhone and BB comes down to looks. And I'm not just talking about the casings here. iPhone's iOS is sleek, pretty and intuitive. The BB menu system is exceptionally ugly (as if they put special effort into making it ugly!), and the user interface takes a LOT of getting used to. Then the App store on the iPhone is easy to use, and again looks fantastic. The BB one looks like a dyslexic primary school student tried to design an app store. Shocking.

Make no mistake, the iPhone does have many shortcomings. But many of them have been addressed by regular iOS updates, and if you really want more flexibility, you can jailbreak your phone quite easily.

If there is a way to work around the 'rooted' issue with Android, I would certainly consider that as well, but the BB just doesn't do it for me. If it wasn't for the tailored Blackberry packages (included data, etc.) that are available in South Africa, I doubt that BB would've made us much market share as they have.
 
SkyMatix said:
Hi Alyce
If there is a way to work around the 'rooted' issue with Android, I would certainly consider that as well, but the BB just doesn't do it for me. If it wasn't for the tailored Blackberry packages (included data, etc.) that are available in South Africa, I doubt that BB would've made us much market share as they have.
Click to expand...

This is an issue certainly. Some newer phones, for example, can't be rooted (yet) and like it or not rooting can void the warranty, although all reports suggest that in most instances it can be undone. And if it is undone and a warranty repair takes place, will the device remain rootable?

This is an issue which I think warrants some attention from the Android custodians. For me, it is like buying a Dell. So I get myself a Dell laptop and instead of 'doze (which I HATE) I choose to install Hackintosh or even Linux. It should be my choice as to which OS to install.

I have an LG X130 netbook. It is a WONDERFUL device except for 'doze 7 Starter. So I hackintoshed it. Then, the screen said howzit. I took it to LG in Gosforth Park and they fixed it up, no issues, no void warranty. Imagine if Dell or LG or whoever said the warranty was only valid if you only ran the shipped OEM operating system. Outcry and (as witnessed) anti-trust suits worldwide.

With HTC this is not the case. If you want to run your own OS (say stock Android over HTC's sense) you have to root - you do not have an option. Now, HTC wants to void your warranty? Like hell!

Now back to topic: iPhone has a similar procedure called "Jailbreak" which I also believe voids your warranty. And this is where I cry foul: this is not a hardware hack a la soldering a PS3 it is a low-level software thing which can easily be undone. So, point for BlackBerry where no reason nor means exists - to the best of my knowledge - to alter the OS or low-level software. And it is not the means but the reason that gives them the point.

Still, I have heard lots of criticism for the BB, admittedly among IT types.

Edit: What sharkbait said is worth a little more than 2c.
 
SharkBait said:
Welcome to the forum. My 2c:

Iphone = snobs [fashion-conscious consumers]
BlackBerry = Messengers [price-sensitive consumers]
Android = Geeks [consumers that want heavy control and customisation]
Click to expand...

agreed. embellished it a bit.
i think a lot of people who aren't tech leaders/early adopters actually just want others to think that they made the right choice.
peer affirmation is more important than most other factors imo.
 
Last edited:
Kudos to all the comments! I agree, it is worth much more than just 2c...

So call me a snob (which you just did!), but I'll stick with the iPhone. For now.

At least I'm level-headed enough to admit that I could see myself going over to Android in the future. But BB will have to improve significantly in terms of look and feel and everything else before I could even think about beginning to maybe consider them ;)
 
I'm also a user of both (iPhone 4 and BlackBerry Bold).


1) My BlackBerry works all-day every-day as my primary communications device (text and voice). In this role there is nothing better. The Operating System may not look as sleek as Apple's but it works well. For texting nothing beats the combination of a proper keyboard and BlackBerry Messenger. For data usage BIS is great (no surpises in the next bill). Apps for the BlackBerry sux however. If you want to play games on your phone the BlackBerry is not the right choice. BlackBerry is for those into social stuff: IM, e-mails, etc.

2) The iPhone has great applications, and for playing games it is by far the better option. There's hundreds of thoudands of applications available very cheaply .... BUT BUT BUT you have to go the dishonest route of registering a false iTunes account (under a false US address for example) to get access to all the good apps. If you want to stay legal with an SA iTunes account you will not be able to buy the good games and you will be stuck with the crappy stuff. You can jailbreak the phone (and someone can help you do so) but then your iPhone is outside of the iTunes domain (and there are risks to that for someone not tech savvy). I actually got bored with my iPhone because after a while you've done this that and the other and then the weaknesses of the iPhone become very prominent. It is - for me - a very frustrating device to type on when used to the great way BlackBerry handles texting. I still can't type properly and fast on the iPhone after months of trying. The soft keyboard also takes up the majority of the screen space (not cool). When you want to correct a letter you have to retype the whole word. An iPhone with a hard keyboard will be a winner. The limitations asscociated with locally available iTunes Store apps is a dealbreaker for me. I will never encourage anyone to go the illegal route but without going that route the iPhone is a dud.
 
Wow, thank you for all the advise. It is really helpful. Only one thing, please explain what this rooting and jailbreaking is. I seem to lose the plot with that.
 
If you haven't done so already go look at the BlackBerry devices here (and see that they are not as ugly/retarded as some would want you to believe :-) ):

Bold (wait for the new Bold 9780 to be launched locally soon if you decide to go with the Bold)

Torch
 
Alyce-in-wonderland said:
Wow, thank you for all the advise. It is really helpful. Only one thing, please explain what this rooting and jailbreaking is. I seem to lose the plot with that.
Click to expand...

Jailbreaking is the process of making the iPhone a usable phone outside the Apple walled garden ecosystem BS & rooting is the process of making your Android phone the ultimate customization tool.
 
Thanks BeVonk for the link. Makes alot more sense now. I now have a much better idea of each of the phones and what works in their favour. Think I should get my hands on both the BB and the iP to have a feel for their function myself before going out buying one. Thanks all, you've been the hugest help!! :)
 
I tried typing on a friends blackberry the other day and it literally took me a couple of minutes to type a sentence like this which not even takes me 60 seconds on my iphone.
On any phone there's a learning curve to getting used to the typing interface. I can type faster on my iphone than a few of my friends with physical keyboards.

Those keys on a BB are just way too small, and the interface is just not the kind i would want to stare at everyday.
I also checked out the potential of expanding a blackberry's features with apps by browsing through their app world a few days back. Trying to find apps similar to what i use on iphone. To me, it seemed that you get a blackberry if you're pretty much happy with the features it is released with.

The nicest thing about the iphone to me is the ability to add so many features that don't come standard.
I've acquired about 500 apps for my iphone and still discovering new apps every single day from GPS like
TomTom navigation, document editors, photography apps, games, rss readers, news, book readers to even getting apps to find out what movies are showing at cinemas or on dstv. My girlfriend was just too happy to get the apps from jamie oliver and gordon ramsey cooking apps (she a chef). Hehe

Browsing internet might cost cheaper on a blackberry but it most definitely is not as enjoyable as on the iphone.
To me, the blackberry still "feels" like a phone's internet, but in contrast, the iphone feels like a smaller computer, so it feels more intuitive and it's easier to "feel at home" and just do your thing. Internet activities such as browsing, forums, facebook, twitter, skype chat/voice/video, and especially emails are absolutely a pleasure to do on the iphone.
 
b1scu1t said:
I tried typing on a friends blackberry the other day and it literally took me a couple of minutes to type a sentence like this which not even takes me 60 seconds on my iphone.
On any phone there's a learning curve to getting used to the typing interface. I can type faster on my iphone than a few of my friends with physical keyboards.

Those keys on a BB are just way too small, and the interface is just not the kind i would want to stare at everyday.
I also checked out the potential of expanding a blackberry's features with apps by browsing through their app world a few days back. Trying to find apps similar to what i use on iphone. To me, it seemed that you get a blackberry if you're pretty much happy with the features it is released with.

The nicest thing about the iphone to me is the ability to add so many features that don't come standard.
I've acquired about 500 apps for my iphone and still discovering new apps every single day from GPS like
TomTom navigation, document editors, photography apps, games, rss readers, news, book readers to even getting apps to find out what movies are showing at cinemas or on dstv. My girlfriend was just too happy to get the apps from jamie oliver and gordon ramsey cooking apps (she a chef). Hehe

Browsing internet might cost cheaper on a blackberry but it most definitely is not as enjoyable as on the iphone.
To me, the blackberry still "feels" like a phone's internet, but in contrast, the iphone feels like a smaller computer, so it feels more intuitive and it's easier to "feel at home" and just do your thing. Internet activities such as browsing, forums, facebook, twitter, skype chat/voice/video, and especially emails are absolutely a pleasure to do on the iphone.
Click to expand...

There's a learning curve to the BB keypad as well, if you took the time on your friends phone to learn then you would've also been fast.
We BB users don't need apps for dstv or movies, we use internet. If you have an OS that's earlier than OS6 then you use column view and you sorted with internet. OS6 adjusts the screen in a similar way when you zoom and adds the functionality of tabbed browsing.
There a helluva lot of apps but I don't think I would have time for all that as I am facing the truth of being a BB addict.
Only problem I have with my BB is the group limit of 30 members on BBM.
 
MR.C said:
There's a learning curve to the BB keypad as well, if you took the time on your friends phone to learn then you would've also been fast.
We BB users don't need apps for dstv or movies, we use internet. If you have an OS that's earlier than OS6 then you use column view and you sorted with internet. OS6 adjusts the screen in a similar way when you zoom and adds the functionality of tabbed browsing.
There a helluva lot of apps but I don't think I would have time for all that as I am facing the truth of being a BB addict.
Only problem I have with my BB is the group limit of 30 members on BBM.
Click to expand...

The blackberry keyboards are uncomfortably small to me, so i doubt i'd spend time with it. My brain started melting trying to finish a sentence haha I enjoy being able to switch the phone to landscape and having a much bigger keyboard.

Yes a lot of things are available through internet, i was just making examples of a small variety of available apps. With over 360000 apps to choose from, internet cannot provide all the solutions that such a huge variety of apps do.

I used to check out local movies on the ster-kinekor website until i discovered wicked app that shows any cinema's movies, or using gps location to check for nearby cinemas, showing posters, trailers, ratings and info.
Nice thing is that the app doesn't load a bunch of useless ads and info as with webpages. It puts only whats relevant, right in front of you. So getting the info i was looking for was much easier and faster than through a web browser.

Other example, I absolutely love using my phone on my wi-fi network at home, as a remote control for my computer, searching and picking a movie on the pc so long, while im making food in the kitchen, playing, pausing, change volume, change music, use the phone as a mouse or do whatever. Use the phone as a webcam for video chat on the computer or even stream content from my phone to my tv.

If you really want to you can even remotely start your car from your iphone

Point is just that, cheap cost internet that isn't as unlimited as the advertisements lead people to believe, still has a lot of limits. To push the limits of the device and make it evermore useful in every day tasks, you need apps. And who can honestly say that they would not appreciate the massive variety and choice of apple's app store.
Hehe even getting the infamous "Adobe Flash" on an iOS device :-)

Ps.
To each his own. :-)
 
I'm just much quicker on a physical keyboard.

As far as apps go there aren't nearly as many to choose from on the blackberry but I've got the internet to keep me amused when I'm trying to kill time. Whether that be surfing mybb (which has been optimised for bberry users:)) when I'm in a queue at the bank or downloading a tv show while I'm waiting to pick up my kids from school. I do wish the bberry came with a tomtom like gps though but I suppose the free one on vodacom is good enough most of the time.

The only time the iphone has the edge for me is at home with wifi but I've got laptops all around as well as an ipad which tbh is a much better iOS user experience with that big screen.

Cheap, affordable mobile internet might make me rethink things but I'll cross that bridge when they've built it.

Btw. Some things about iOS frustrate the hell out of me. For one thing auto correct. How hard is it to either make it teachable or at the very least programmable? :confused:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X