I have been using a Blackberry for a few years now, and the iPhone 3G for about a year. I use both of them simultaneously at this point in time, so I like both the devices and in fact use them for specific reasons. So here's my analysis:
(Note: some of the network related comments maybe specific to India / Indian operators. Also note: I have not yet tried the Blackberry Storm beyond a cursory look-over)
First the verdict: If you are looking for an all-round fun device, the iPhone is your best bet. However, if your smartphone is primarily for work and you actually have other specific "entertainment" devices (iPod/mp3 players, Kindle/ebook readers, etc.), then Blackberry scores over every other device.
Top 5 Reasons I still like my Blackberry:
1) Great push mail system, the best there is.
2) I can forward emails with large attachments in a second... on the iPhone (or in fact any other device), you have to download and upload... more on this later
3) Seamless integration with enterprise email, address book and calendar
4) Keyboard is easy to operate and supports typing long mails / texts
5) The red light indicator for new messages or missed calls... extremely useful when the phone is on silent
Top 5 Reasons I love my iPhone
1) The interface is amazingly attractive and intuitive... even my 18month old child can unlock the phone and play her favorite music... no kidding!
2) The App Store! (in fact this can take up all 5 spots on this list...)
3) iTunes integration for my music, videos, podcasts, movies... and the iTunes store
4) The visual effect... when watching images, powerpoint slideshows or movies, the screen resolution is unbeatable
5) The WOW factor... face it, we all love to show off what we have and iPhone enables that
What I still don't like about the iPhone
1) Limited "profiles" options... you just have Ring, Ring+Vibrate, Vibrate and Silent options... I like to be able to customize these settings (at an application level: SMS, Emails, Phone, etc.) for various situations. The BB allows you to add / edit these, but not the iPhone
2) The speakers are a let down... for an entertainment device like the iPhone (iPod), I would have expected much better volume levels and stereo capability... I can hardly put it on speakerphone when I am on a phone call
3) The iPhone is a not a great phone. It takes much longer to discover cellular networks and logon to them than any other smartphone. The voice quality is OK, but I feel that its signal reception is also weaker
4) The battery does not support the device capabilities; you can do so much but the battery drains when Push is enabled or GPS is used or any application is used for a while. Given that it does not have a replaceable batter, you need to have the charger handy
5) The battery issue is also responsible for the lack of parallel processing. It is a bit irritating to not be able to do the equivalent of an alt-tab or apple-tab to switch between apps. You have to go back to Home to switch apps, in most cases terminating the previous session (except Mail and Safari)
The Blackberry Killer App: E-Mail
The best thing about the BB is the integration with enterprise e-mail... of course, that comes at a cost (installing BB Servers) and is not meant for all. I get lots of mails with attachments, and in many cases, I just need to forward them to colleagues without necessarily opening the files. Because the BB mail actions happen off the BB Server, the forward can take place without having to download the entire mail onto your device and (worse still) having to upload it back! This is very useful when you are on the move...
(Most other smartphones, including the iPhone, have a mail client that works similar to your mail clients on the PC, either in IMAP or POP mode... even when Push / Exchange integration are enabled)
Combine this with the convenient keyboard that lets you type long mails / replies, the BB is unbeatable as a work email device.
The iPhone Killer App(s): The App Store
Others are trying to replicate the success of the iPhone app store, but Apple has a clear 12-18 month edge here. The App Store has made the iPhone into a powerful entertainment, networking, productivity, gaming and more device! With thousands of apps, many of them free, there is something for everyone: from time-pass, trivial stuff like Paper Toss to Bloomberg to Webex meetings to online Live Poker. By tapping into the amazing creativity of developers worldwide, Apple has offered iPhone users the ability to customize the device for stuff they are interested in. The "i" in the iPhone does stand for "I", the ability to make it personal!
(Actually, the iPod Touch provides pretty much most of the functionality of the iPhone for much less, it just doesn't have the cellular capability. While I don't miss the cellular voice on the iPod Touch, the always-on and ubiquitous cellular data capability is increasingly... you can remain connected to your mail or Facebook or Twitter or latest stock information on Bloomberg, whatever.)
So, the phone you choose really depends on what type of a person you are... and if you are someone confused like me :-) then you end up with more than one smartphone! Hope this helps, and do write in if you need any more detail or my views on any specific issues.
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