I’m a Phone Snob
Anyone who knows me well, knows I love BlackBerry’s. I’ve been carrying one since 2002 when it first went from a messaging-only device to a smart phone. I’ve also carried Treo’s and Windows Mobile phones, as well as a ton of non-smart-phones. I always come back to BlackBerry. In my experience (and according to the close friends I still have working in all aspects of the wireless industry), BlackBerry’s have the best battery life, the best signal strength and the best durability. Now, a new study just came out that found that the iPhone is 6% more reliable than a BlackBerry and for a single quarter actually outsold BlackBerry’s. Many people misinterpreted this as iPhones have completely outsold BlackBerry’s, but it was actually just for one quarter.
Get a BlackBerry
No one who has tried all four (Android, BlackBerry, iPhone and Treo) will argue that the BlackBerry is hands down the best for email. And if they want to argue, they’re wrong 
Now with the Bold (AT&T) and the Storm (Verizon) either out or about to be out, this is the perfect time to get one of the best business tools you can add to your arsenal.
Here’s a few of the reasons I can strongly urge you to make the switch:
- Incredible battery life. My AT&T BlackBerry Pearl can easily last me through heavy usage for 3-5 days.
- Insane durability. I have literally drop-kicked my BlackBerry (several times) and it barely has a scratch on it.
- Ease of use. Why is there a CrackBerry epidemic? Because once you’ve used one for a few days, you just want more More MORE!
- Applications. You iPhone and Android users love your app store. Guess what? BlackBerry’s have over 4,000 applications currently available. I think Google may even love BlackBerry more than Android. Gmail, Google Maps, GTalk and Calendar Sync are just a few of the awesome applications available.
- Sync-ability. They will sync with just about any PIM (Personal Information Manager) software AND much faster than a Treo. The newest versions will even sync with iTunes.
- eKey. Supra has announced that there will be BlackBerry compatibility with eKey by the end of the year.
That’s the short list.
Your Training Begins
There are BlackBerry users and there are BlackBerry Super Users. For those of you who have had one for a while or for those of you placing one on your holiday wish list, I will be detailing some of the best applications and shortcuts for BlackBerry’s in the coming weeks.
I also hope to acquire a Bold (if my local store can get one in stock) and will offer a complete review from a very heavy user.
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Several years ago I started out with a Treo – liked it but disliked it’s size. Then I transitioned to a Samsung Windows OS – again, mostly liked it, disliked it’s size. About 5 months ago I bought the Blackberry Pearl.
I’M IN LOVE. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this phone. I love everything it does – I have never used so many features on a phone before. The size is the best ever. I keep adding features that I’m using regularly. LOVE IT! I will never switch phones. When I need to replace this one it will be replaced with a BB. Although I am totally coveting the newly debuted BB, I will restrain myself.
I had never used a blackberry before and frankly, never really felt the need to have one. I can not express loudly enough how much better this phone is than the Palm OS/Windows OS phones.
Did I mention that I love my BB???
(iPhone isn’t an option for me at present, I’m with Verizon and will not switch to ATT).
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I just got my first BB last month, after years of a treo – I refer to those as my lost years. Blackberry’s rock!
Nick: what do you think about the BB storm? will the touch screen be as esy to use as the curve?
BB’s rock: http://na.blackberry.com/eng/d.....quirements
My husband just switched from a Treo to the Bold. He loves it! I am unwilling to give up my touch screen and will have to wait until AT&T can come up with a touch BB – given how long the bold took to come out….
If anyone wants to see the Supra – Blackberry integration effort, I have a beta version of the fob they are going to release.
I recorded a Seesmic video (originally on Rain City Guide) showing how it works:
http://seesmic.com/video/4ZmiUhkInb
Not perfect, but a better solution for BB users than the ActiveKey.
You still didn’t do much comparison with the iPhone. I finally made the switch with the new generation being very sketchy about all the hype. Since they enabled Exchange support, it’s now an official business tool with wireless synch of mail, calendar, and contacts (like BB).
BB gets better battery life but the iPhone is better for the multimedia. I’m curious to see more about the new generation of BB’s coming out.
I really love my BB and am anxiously awaiting the Storm, one of my lucky family members will probably inherit my Curve.
I have used a Treo for years, but need to switch. I played with both the Iphone and several BBs this week at PubCon and did my own informal survey.
I didnt meet any Iphone users willing to part with their phone, but found a handful of BB users looking to switch for the media aspects of the Iphone. I watched users of both manage servers and networks from their phones.
I’ll stay with my Moto Q. I can’t stand M$ Outlook and I use Mozilla Thunderbird with a $30 paid extension named BirdieSync. If I went to BB I’d also have to buy Outlook and I hate Outlook..,
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eKey compatibility will seal the deal for me. Hope they hurry-my Treo is getting muy annoying.
Jim –
My hubby has the Moto Q – he finds it just “ok”, but not likely to switch until his dies.
For the record – I no longer use outlook – I only use gmail calendar and it’s awesome with my BB.
Nick, I love my Blackberry too.
I am on the beta team testing the FOB for Supra on BB, so far so good.
Should be released first of the year if testing goes well.
If anyone switches to BB just ask for the FOB and you will get a 50.00 discount on the BB. The FOB will cost 50.00 to get. You are basically pre-ordering it.
The app is easy to use, and no more sinking, cool features.
I have used blackberry’s for years and am on my 3rd, the latest pearl, just like the curve but smaller. I hate to tell you but the kool kids use iphones. They are much cooler than blackberries. The treo wasn’t ever kool but the blackberry used to be.
I’ve had a Blackberry since 2003 or so. I’ve got the 8703e and love the push email and Qwerty keyboard. I once strayed and had a Treo 650… four days later I found the error of my ways and was back with Blackberry. It’s a stable platform and I’ve got plenty of apps.
The Blackberry Storm looks interesting. I got an advertisement from my provider to check it out next week.
Nick – I am excited to read the rest of this series. I’m a blackberry user, but haven’t gotten into the nitty-gritty of applications (a few basics, but not a lot), so it will interesting to see what a self-described heavy user finds helpful.
Ohhhhhhhhh….I am so excited about ekey becoming crackberry compatible. Currently I use the Centro by Palm and really like it but it will sure be nice to have the opportunity to use more than just a Palm device. Curious though whether you have tried the iPhone and what you thought?
I love my BlackBerry Curve!
@Christina – I’ve bounced around and tried a few different options as well. I always come back to BB for reliability and functionality. I love the Pearl too, I wish they’d come out with a 3G WiFi version for AT&T.
@Matthew – Glad you made the switch and double-glad it’s working out well for you!
@Candy – The reviews of the Storm have been good so far. I’m personally a bit reluctant because it’s their first touch screen, so I’m going to wait for some more real-world reviews to come in. Plus I want it on AT&T, a true “open” network.
@Brad – Exactly! I have several MicroSD cards, so I really have limitless storage capacity for a ton of music and movies.
@Gina – The Bold definitely has been a bit of a saga. First RIM didn’t want to do a 3G BB, then they said okay, then AT&T said “fix your problems” so RIM took the time to fix it, then AT&T didn’t want to compete against the iPhone 3G for a while, then they said “Give it to us”, but RIM was behind on inventory. Whew. What a pain. Luckily, changing out the antennas is relatively easy, so once Verizon’s exclusive period on the Storm is over, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a (better) Storm on AT&T.
@Ron – I would definitely agree it’s not perfect, but based on the horror stories of the Treo eKey, it can’t be that bad. When I worked in wireless, at least 3 times per day I would deal with R’s who had phones that froze every time they tried to use the eKey.
@Derec – To say iPhone with Exchange is like BB is a bit of an overstatement. Die-hard Exchange sync users will fully admit that the BB push technology is still far superior, mostly in battery life. I also believe saying the iPhone is better for multimedia is a bit of hype – I can add music, video and pictures on my BB just like an iPhone. I can sync with iTunes. I can even send and receive picture messages and shoot video, try that on an iPhone out of the box!
@Michelle – The Storm and Bold both look like some incredible devices for sure. And the Curve has been excellent, definitely not an embarrassing hand-me-down to have!
@Bob – BB users, including myself, frequently get tempted by other options. I’ve tried iPhones (not 3G), Treo’s and WinMo devices, but I’ve always come back. Like I said earlier in this comment, I can do all of the media aspects of an iPhone on a BB, but email, durability, battery life and signal strength are still far superior on a BB.
@Jim – I don’t use Outlook, I use Google Calendar and Mail for Domains. Works beautifully.
@Christina – I’ll second that RE: GCal!
@Missy – Thanks for the discount info, is that on the BB or the FOB?
@Teresa – I know, iPhones are cooler, which is why I’ve been so tempted. But when I realize that the BB is a superior business tool, I push those iPhone thoughts out of my head
@Matt – The apps are a ton of fun and really extend the business functionality of the BB immensely. It also seems like Google actually likes BB best, more so than iPhone or even the G1 (at least for now).
@Nicole – You can already also use most WinMo devices. I’ve used the 1st generation iPhone for a while and it was definitely pretty and fun. But email is still better on BB, I like having applications running in the background, it works better with the various Google Apps I use, has better signal strength and battery life and is far more durable. Not as pretty though