Filed under: iPhone
What to know before switching from Blackberry to iPhone
Thinking of making the switch? No, not Windows to Mac, Blackberry to iPhone! There's a great list of what you need to know to ensure a smooth transition at Web Worker Daily (WWD). Some of the highlights include the ease of moving applications between home pages and multiple calendar support.It's not all wine and roses on the Apple end of things, though, and WWD lists the email experience as the Blackberry's domain. It's a very thorough list, and one we'd recommend to the informed consumer looking to ditch the 'berry. Read the full article here.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Big John said 12:02PM on 7-17-2008
I used a BlackBerry 8703 for the last 18 months or so before picking up an iPhone 3G on launch Friday. I didn't really find it all that different of a phone experience, a smartphone is still a smartphone. Here's my take on the article's points:
1) SMS chat is more functional. I didn't find SMS messaging all that difficult to follow on my BlackBerry, but this is because I didn't use the e-mail functionality built into the OS. I use Gmail, and the application was much nicer to use (archiving is big for me).
2) Audio options available for quick switches mid-call. I never had an issue with this on my BlackBerry. I used Bluetooth headsets and SYNC in my car, never had a problem with breaking a connection unwanted. If I turned my car off mid-call, the stereo stayed on until I opened the door at which point I knew well enough to have my phone out or my headset on.
3) Multiple calendar support. Finally something I can agree with. Apple's rendition of Calendar on the iPhone isn't perfect but it's eons beyond what the BlackBerry offered, which wasn't much better than what one gets on a RAZR.
4) Multiple home pages. I managed this on my BB by having my main, day-to-day applications showing and the rarely-used applications hidden. If I wanted them, I just simply unhid all applications and easily found what I wanted with minimal scrolling.
5) Email. Email. Email. Huh? I've always felt BlackBerry's e-mail implementation was pretty poor. I don't have a use for multiple signatures because people ignore them anyway (chances are they know who you are to begin with) and the half-second inconvenience of navigating isn't a big deal to me.
6) Typing luxury beyond the keyboard. It took me all of half a day to get used to typing without tactile feedback. I thought it would take a long time to get used to but once you learn to trust the keyboard, the iPhone works just fine. One nag I have is that I would love to have landscape keyboard / view across all applications, not just Safari and the apps that choose to include the functionality.
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Simon said 12:05PM on 7-17-2008
He forgot to mention that simple and easy light that blackberry has. You need to know if you have an email simply by looking at the phone... even in sleep... you don't need to touch it or wake it from sleep...
ah yes also copy-paste
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Big John said 12:04PM on 7-17-2008
I miss the light a bit, but the notification sound and vibrate work better for me as I often have the phone in my pocket, where I can't see the light to begin with.
Copy paste... whatever. It'd be nice but I'm starting to see it was a luxury I didn't use that often.
Simon said 12:21PM on 7-17-2008
I had a blackberry for more than a year, then i bought an iphone and had it for 6 months. Then last month a friend of mine gave me a curve 8310 (the one with gps), so decided to go back just for some days. I cannot describe the feeling I felt when I went back. iPhone was great, especially as an iPod but blackberry is simply on another level in terms of a communications device. And I think it cannot be described. You must have one to know what it is like.
Faster, quicker, and once you get to understand the way the OS is structured, I think it's also better. Many many more features.
Checking mail is no "back-back-tap-back-mailbox-inbox-tap" bla bla... There's also a folder for everything. Mail (recieved and sent), sms, mms ecc.
If you disable dialing from home screen it also has access to all main apps just by pressing a letter. I press "m" for mailbox, "c" to compose a new message, "a" for address book, g for google talk ecc
It also has global search.
The integrated messenger is push, and is quick, seriously quick. It also tells you when a message has been delivered and also when it has been read.
Email is REAL PUSH also with gmail and yahoo and its free (no me.com extra subscription)
And above that is also SUPER FAST. No fancy interface, just the essential.
I really don't see how someone who works with a phone or wants to do serious communication between friends or colleagues can do it better on iPhone rather than a blackberry.
Only 2 things I think bberry should do better is music and push calendaring for private and small businesses (that don't have exchange)
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exNewt said 1:54PM on 7-17-2008
'cepting the BB renders PDF files for poop.
Recently a co-worker and I received a notice about an employee injury.
His BB said (quote):
"What part of the body was injured? ZODIAC LINE LEFT HAND"
My iPhone flawlessly, beautifully and zoomingly rendered the PDF which said:
"Where did the incident happen? ZODIAC LINE
What part of the body was injured? LEFT HAND"
When he asked "What's the zodiac line on the hand?" I said it was 'somewhere near the lifeline' once I stopped laughing!
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exNewt said 7:46PM on 7-17-2008
See iPhone VS BB comparison on PDF here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/opusmark/2678624578/
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