You’ll Like It!

Countertop has an iPhone bleg.  I’ve been using PDA’s for a while now, the first being a Newton, then through the Graffiti years with Palm, onto the Treo, through the age of Windows Mobile and to the age of the Blackberry.  Most of them I’ve found crippled in one way or another, but I think Apple pretty much nailed what the smart phone ought to be with the iPhone.  But not all is rosy.  Here’s my impression about what the iPhone beats the Blackberry on:

  • Interface.  The iPhone has a far more intuitive interface, and is much easier to navigate.  There’s no little nubby mouse like creature on the iPhone, which I find annoying on the Blackberry.
  • Web browsing.  Except for the lack of flash, browsing on the iPhone is the same as on the desktop, pretty much.
  • Integration with Calendar, Contacts, E-Mail, etc, on an Exchange Server works much better than on a Crackberry, and without expensive enterprise software needed on the server end.  I think mail in general works better.
  • More apps.  There really is an app for everything.

But there are downsides to the iPhone:

  • AT&T is the crappiest provider I’ve ever been with, and I’ve been with both Sprint and T-Mobile.  It is the main reason to avoid the iPhone.  Expect dropped calls, poor coverage, and slow data connections.  AT&T’s call coverage isn’t too bad, but 3G coverage is poor.
  • It is a closed system.  Nothing gets installed on the iPhone without Apple and AT&T approval, unless you want to jailbreak your phone.
  • Some people don’t like Apple’s on screen keyboard.  I like it, but some hate it.
  • Battery life on a Crackberry is typically better than the iPhone.  Don’t forget your charger.
  • iPhone silence switch is easy, too easy, to hit casually.  You will miss calls by flipping it to silent accidentally.
  • Speakerphone on the iPhone is way too quiet.

I still prefer the iPhone, even with the downsides.  But it’ll be a much better platform if they make a CDMA version that can be used on other carriers.

Related posts (automatically generated):

  1. Tactical Blackberry Case
  2. iPhone 3G
  3. 2008 Called, And They Want Their Phone Back

13 thoughts on “You’ll Like It!”

  1. You might want to give the T-Mobile G1 a look. The only gripes I have are thickness (a trade-off for having the slide-out keyboard) and lack of memory (for music and file storage it uses a micro-sd card).

  2. My Blackberry suffers from these deficiencies:

    1) memory “leaks” in the operating system. BB’s are notorious for this. After a week or two of use, it will grind to a halt and the little hourglass icon pops up because it’s out of memory. Doing a battery pull will solve this, and doing a battery-pull once a day will prevent it.

    2) the BB has a lot of SD storage for media, but not for apps! I have 16-gigs for media but only 50-megs for apps. So I can’t keep all the cool apps loaded.

    3) the BB actually has a fairly decent GPS built into it, but some providers (Verizon is one) cripple the GPS and restrict it to be used only with their extra-cost apps on a monthly subscription basis.

  3. IIRC, a CDMA iPhone would require a redesign of the hardware, as the chip they use doesn’t support CDMA. AND don’t expect that anytime soon, because the predominant cellphone protocols WORLDWIDE are NOT CDMA. CDMA is a dead end street…

  4. It would require a redesign, and it does have an international disadvantage. But it is the predominate wireless network protocol in North America, which is where most of the iPhone market it. At this point, the only thing preventing Apple from grabbing even more market share with the iPhone is the fact that it’s a GSM based device.

  5. Forgot to mention that Verizon’s CDMA 3g technology (EVDO) can handle voice or data, but not both at the same time, unlike AT&T’s GSM-based 3g.

  6. GSM encryption cracking is now trivial if you have a software based radio. As software based radios get cheaper there will be no security for GSM calls, they are mostly in the hobby market currently.

    There are more technical links but this podcast gives a good understanding.

    http://twit.tv/sn213

  7. I find most of your pros and cons accurate. I have a BB Storm. Except…what nubby mouse-like creature?

    I went BB because I detest AT&T. I’m sure after a few years I’ll dislike Verizon as much.

  9. The only thing that I like about the iPhone (I own an iPod touch, so it’s basically the same thing) is the web browser.

    Despite the better browsing, I went with Blackberry because I absolutely HATE touch screens. I constantly touch the wrong icon or key.

    The AppStore is an abomination. I love my mac, and I think Apple is great, but the whole idea of them picking and choosing which apps can go on the platform definitely rubs me the wrong way. Also, even though Apple and ATT get that control, there are so many apps that get added to the app store every minute that it’s difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff, and there is a lot of chaff.

  10. the T mobile G1 and G3 phones are far better, cheaper, and more customizable, as it runs on a heavily modified Linux OS.

    This makes my programmer friend go nuts with joy.

  13. Thanks guys.

    Cost isnt an issue as my office is paying. Coverage in rural America is, and is what Im most concerned about.

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