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Post by sweetmelissa on May 13, 2009 12:35:06 GMT -5
I am in the market for a new phone and have a contract with AT&T. I need something that will easy access client contacts, schedules, the interwebs, and have reliable service (my current phone drops calls frequently). Currently I am not sure if the Iphone or Blackberry would better suit my purposes. Any advice, pros/cons, or testimonials would be helpful!
Post by GratefulHippie on May 13, 2009 12:52:33 GMT -5
i love my bb curve. i realllllllly wanted the iphone for a while, but i played with one in store and it just annoyed the heck out of me. i'm a texter above anything else, and i can't stand the "keypad" or lack thereof. i'm sure you'd get used to it or whatever, but i didn't want to have to. there's no tactile response because you're just touching the screen.
i also dl'ed opera mini to use as my browser instead of the bb standard one, and its SO easy to use. lets you see sites the way they're supposed to be seen instead of them all being mobile view.
also, the iphone was just too expensive for me as well. you don't get a discount for having an upgrade, and the plans themselves are higher than bb plans. i personally couldn't justify the extra cost.
having said all that, the iphone is a neat piece of technology. but in the end, the bb just better fit my needs.
Hey so I work for At&T and I get this question everyday...
First, I have used ALL of the data phones AT&T has to offer!! Blackberry is one of my favorite brands of phones and they easily beat the pants off the windows mobile devices and the palms. I would try a new phone, and within 2 weeks I would go back to my Blackberry, becuase it had superior reception, battery life, and durability!
This pattern ended when I got my iPhone. Not only is the iPhone easier to use, it allows for full web access(exactly the way you see it on the home computer), and all the free applications you can get really sets this phone apart!
Unless you are in need of editing word/powerpoint/excel documents on the go, ie. sending edited reports to your boss from the airport, then the iPhone is the way to go!
As far as to clear up the misconceptions in this thread already...
A) The keyboard of a store demo device (or your friends for that matter) is going to seem awful because the phones adjust to their users. So if everyone and their mother has been playing with the phone for the last 6 months, it's not calibrated in any way, shape, or form.
B) iPhones now cost as little as $199 with an upgrade(Full price is $599), whereas the new Blackberry Bold is $299 AFTER $100 Mail in Rebate.
C) The plans are IDENTICAL between a blackberry and an iPhone. In fact if you want to have GPS, an iPhone is $9.99 LESS per month then the blackberry!!!
In my honest opinion, iPhone is a grade above ANY other device out there, I 100% reccomend buying one!!
hippieNaustin - I apologize that whoever you talked to at an AT&T store didn't convey the correct info!!
I was lying in a burned out basement With the full moon in my eyes. I was hoping for replacement When the sun burst thru the sky. There was a band playing in my head And I felt like getting high.
Post by pimpmcgeorge on May 13, 2009 13:49:31 GMT -5
I don't know what I did before I got my iPhone. I think I was still communicating via two tin cans and a length of string. The apps available for the iPhone really set it apart from any BlackBerry you're going to get, including the Storm, which I thought sucked when I tried it out. I have apps for finding local shows, recipes, a flashlight, air hockey and everything else I could possibly need to waste time all day. It's a fine piece of machinery, let me tell you.
6/18: Phish in Hartford 6/25: Phish in Camden 7/2-7/4: Nateva 7/17: God Street Wine at Irving Plaza 7/23-7/25: String Cheese at Red Rocks!! 8/17-8/18: Phish at Jones Beach 9/3: Rush at PNC
This Bonnaroo lineup is in dire need of some Rush.
Post by sweetmelissa on May 13, 2009 14:18:39 GMT -5
Thanks for all of the information! It has all been helpful. Now my problem is that I can't upgrade until August and really need a new phone before that time. I just can't see paying $399 for an iPhone today when in August it will be $199. I wonder if there is any way around the whole contract deal.
Post by rooconteur on May 13, 2009 14:27:28 GMT -5
i have a curve. i got it for 50, no rebates or anything, so a great deal. my only complaint is im not on g3. i really like the iphone, but i see it being a lot more fragile than the bb which is pretty rugged. i drop it ALL the time. i had a friend with the iphone dropped it and the screen was fuckd for good.
If you get a good case you can beat them up! I have dropped mine a ton and no issues (knocks on wood)! Unfortunately if it drops and the middle of the screen slams into the corner of your coffee table.... Not much you can do about that!
I was lying in a burned out basement With the full moon in my eyes. I was hoping for replacement When the sun burst thru the sky. There was a band playing in my head And I felt like getting high.
Post by noeysasquatch on May 13, 2009 15:59:09 GMT -5
I've got a BlackBerry Curve with AT&T and it has good call quality. It has a great keyboard and battery life is excellent. It's a great phone and I'm sure the iPhone is great as well, but I really like the keyboard and it doesn't get damaged easily if dropped.
Post by GratefulHippie on May 13, 2009 16:41:07 GMT -5
payment...i haven't met a SINGLE person who owns an iphone who pays LESS than i do. also, using opera mini allows you to see any site the way you want it...just like the iphone. yeah the apps are cool i guess, but i don't need my phone for stuff like that.
i think its all up to the individual purchasing the phone. it's like a car. there will be perks of one that there aren't on others, and in the end you just pick the one that best fits your needs. one isn't better than the other. they're just different, IMO.
Post by questionablesanity on May 15, 2009 11:34:15 GMT -5
I bought a BB storm and hate it. it was cool at first, but I'm annoyed with it now. It freezes all the time. I bought it over an Iphone due to the removable/upgradable memory, removable battery, cost, and the 3.2 mp camera. I'd go with an Iphone. Although I've met several people who have had several because they keep breaking. They've gone back to regular phones. I rarely use the internet on it other than email.
A Thieve's Parade 2/24 Conspirator 2/26 Kevin Smith 3/11 Keller 3/17 Papadosio 3/18 JJ Grey 3/25 Bela Fleck/Edgar Meyer 3/26 Toubab Krewe 3/27 O'Death 4/11 Budos Band 4/22 EOTO 4/28 Summer Camp 5/6-29 All Good
I'm probably getting a Curve over the weekend. I read the reviews for the Storm and they're lukewarm at best.
Sweetmelissa, go in to the store and sweet talk them. I have a friend who's had AT&T for a while who was able to talk them in to the new customer price for the Curve 8900 just last week.
I bought a BB storm and hate it. it was cool at first, but I'm annoyed with it now. It freezes all the time. I bought it over an Iphone due to the removable/upgradable memory, removable battery, cost, and the 3.2 mp camera. I'd go with an Iphone. Although I've met several people who have had several because they keep breaking. They've gone back to regular phones. I rarely use the internet on it other than email.
if that's the case, it sounds like the blackberry would be more your thing. all your emails will go straight to your phone's home screen and you don't even have to get on the internet!
I have the original iPhone and I love it. I've messed around with friends' Blackberrys and I don't like them very much. The UI is very user-friendly on the iPhone; not so on the Blackberry. Also, I like the keyboard on the iPhone, despite the lack of tactile feedback. If you'd rather have actual buttons, they will come at the expense of screen size.
payment...i haven't met a SINGLE person who owns an iphone who pays LESS than i do. also, using opera mini allows you to see any site the way you want it...just like the iphone. yeah the apps are cool i guess, but i don't need my phone for stuff like that.
i think its all up to the individual purchasing the phone. it's like a car. there will be perks of one that there aren't on others, and in the end you just pick the one that best fits your needs. one isn't better than the other. they're just different, IMO.
You have it with AT&T, and you pay for the data plan? If the answer is yes, then the people you know with an iPhone must be adding more things on to their package.
With ANY data device you can pay for three main things... 1. Voice Plan - 39.99 for 450 mins, 59.99 for 900 mins, etc. 2. Data Plan - $30 for this, $45 if you have a corporate enterprise server. 3. Text Messaging - $5 for 200, $15 for 1500, $20 for unlimited, $30 for family unlimited
So if you are on the same minute plan, have data, and the same text messaging plan, the costs are even for ANY (blackberry, iPhone, Palm, windows mobile) data device.
Anyway, beating a dead horse now... Karma for the fact that Bonnaroo is sooo close! And isn't that all the really matters??
Edit: Ohhh no Karma option... Either way still wishing good karma on you! ;D
I was lying in a burned out basement With the full moon in my eyes. I was hoping for replacement When the sun burst thru the sky. There was a band playing in my head And I felt like getting high.
payment...i haven't met a SINGLE person who owns an iphone who pays LESS than i do. also, using opera mini allows you to see any site the way you want it...just like the iphone. yeah the apps are cool i guess, but i don't need my phone for stuff like that.
i think its all up to the individual purchasing the phone. it's like a car. there will be perks of one that there aren't on others, and in the end you just pick the one that best fits your needs. one isn't better than the other. they're just different, IMO.
You have it with AT&T, and you pay for the data plan? If the answer is yes, then the people you know with an iPhone must be adding more things on to their package.
With ANY data device you can pay for three main things... 1. Voice Plan - 39.99 for 450 mins, 59.99 for 900 mins, etc. 2. Data Plan - $30 for this, $45 if you have a corporate enterprise server. 3. Text Messaging - $5 for 200, $15 for 1500, $20 for unlimited, $30 for family unlimited
Wow, are those really the only plans you can use an Iphone with on ATT? Unless you're paying about a bill a month, your phone is essentially crippled. :/
Not for everybody, although there are many people that don't need/use them enough to justify the cost.
I'm a complete nerd (and I've been using pocketpc's since I was like 12), so I use my smartphone a LOT. I probably surf the web/write papers on it more than I use the actual phone. They're also invaluable when they can tether to a laptop and be used as a modem.
As a techie, the high cost is well worth the benefits imo.
Post by sweetmelissa on May 19, 2009 12:41:33 GMT -5
I was talked into getting a blackberry curve yesterday at the AT&T Store. So far it has met all of my expectations and I'm happy with it. I was able to get it thru upgrade and even got a phone charger and a skin thrown in for free.
They did say that the internet package for the blackberry was $30 more a month and the iPhone interweb package would have made my bill $70 more a month.
Thanks to everyone for all of the advice and opinions!
I got a Blackberry Curve two months ago, and I love it. I've had an iPod Touch for about two years now (essentially the same thing as an iPhone, minus calling and texting), and I like it, but I prefer the Blackberry. I find it's generally faster (I don't have 3G on either one) and easier to use. The iTouch seems to exchange practicality for design. The touch screen is occasionally unresponsive, and I have big hands, so my fingers often hit the wrong keys on the screen, which doesn't happen as much with the Blackberry's physical keyboard. The Blackberry just seems a lot sturdier and more practical - I've never seen a Blackberry with a cracked screen, but at least half the people I know with iPhones have them. Also, judging from the times when I have used an iPhone instead of just the iTouch, I've noticed that for all the really cool bells and whistles, it's weakest feature by far seems to be the actual phone part.