Blackberry or I-phone?

[mommyof4]

My husband wants to upgrade my phone to a Blackberry or I-phone. I have no experience with either, so I'm looking for opinions.

Thanks,
Mommyof 4

[Broken Arrow]

What exactly would your husband like to do on the device?

Does he prefer a physical thumb keyboard?

Will it be used more for business or personal use?

[boosami]

I have both--I swap my SIM card back and forth. My iPhone is much cooler and more convenient to use as a phone and media/browsing device. It's fine for writing the occasional email and some text messaging.

But in general I prefer the physical keyboard on my 'berry, so it gets the most use. I respond to a lot of emails on the go, and the physical keyboard allows me to type so much faster than on the iPhone. Plus, on business trips I often cannot have a cell phone with a camera so my BB 8820 is the only thing I can bring... There is not a version of the iPhone without a camera.

[mommyof4]

Originally Posted by Broken Arrow

What exactly would your husband like to do on the device?

Does he prefer a physical thumb keyboard?

Will it be used more for business or personal use?

It would be for me, and I would use it for both personal use and business use- mostly reading/answering emails and texting, some web browsing, too.

[momof1in150]

I have a Blackberry Storm - I use it mostly for work - email, text and web browsing. I like the camera on it and have used it to shoot pictures of properties to send to clients. Blackberry doesn't have the apps that an IPhone does but the monthly service charge is much less.

[project15]

I vote for iphone. I have a touch and think it's the coolest little toy. You don't seem like you'll be using this as a desktop/laptop replacement for emails, but primarily for phone features, so my vote still stands.

[wincrasher]

I'm a huge iphone fan. Its dead simple to use, reliable and can replace carrying several different devices. I like the ease of the syncing with my macs/pcs. The app store is terrific and opens up the useability of the device.

If you are using the commercial email services like gmail, hotmail and the like, the iphone is a snap to set up and collect emails from multiple sources.

If you are on exchange server, then it is more complicated and will involve cooperation from your IT department, which may not be so cooperative. Most organizations are familiar with Blackberry and will set it up for you. They are generally more hesitant about iPhone either because of the newness of it, their security fears or whatever.

[Broken Arrow]

Originally Posted by mommyof4

It would be for me, and I would use it for both personal use and business use- mostly reading/answering emails and texting, some web browsing, too.

Both are capable of accomplishing what you want, and I think it might come down to how much you like the iPhone's virtual touch keyboard versus the Blackberry's physical keyboard (with the exception of the Blackberry Storm). For some, the iPhone's keyboard is enough to be a deal killer.

Although the two has closed the gap between consumer and business use, I still think that the Blackberry is unmatched when it comes to corporate push email support, and for that matter, the iPhone's 3rd party support for consumer applications and games.

Whatever you decide, please be sure to try out working units before you buy.

[sweeps]

I have a blackberry storm -- now that they've finally pushed a software update, it is really a good device.

I had an iphone before -- which overall is a better device (user friendly, lots of apps, etc.). Unfortunately you can only get it on AT&T which has a bad network compared to Verizon, imho.

[toboramai]

iphone for 'cool' factor but they break easily.

im on my third.

[julee_m]

Which would be better for, say, day traders who want to see financial charts and make quick trades?