Why did you choose a blackberry over other smartphones?

[tthomson44]

It is what my employer gave me! But I am happy with it.

[andi08]

Reliable, easy to use, fab email, qwerty board, good media, small , neat, good battery life...the list goes on.........

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[R1cE]

Blackberries are the BEST communications device. From the full qwerty keyboard, to the 26 speed dials, nothing on the market can touch it there. I also like how the apps compliment the phone instead of defining the phone. The iphone is a phone that is defined by its apps.

[Raiderhog]

Liked my work BB, so figured why not get one for personal use.

[like2bcold]

i been shopping for a smart phone for a while. i looked at the iphone and got an ipod touch so the gadget part of it was all i wanted. i used friends windows mobile phones samsung blackjack/jack and pantech duo. they were good but the OS was slow at almost everything. i used a BB bold 9000 and loved it. it had wifi, gps, push, 3G, and qwerty. the only thing i didnt like was the size. i liked the curve size but couldnt get gps wifi and 3G together in one phone. 9700 came to be i swear RIM was listening.

[wtenns]

I was a Palm Treo user for years and very much anti Blackberry. When the iPhone came out, I was intrigued but it wasn't carried by the wireless network I've been with for the last 15 years. I had heard that Blackberry was releasing the Storm to try and compete with the iPhone so I put my name on the wait list to get one. Thankfully I was put on to Crackberry.com otherwise I would've gone back to my Treo in a hearbeat and the my BB would've turned into a paperweight. The most recent OS leak for the 9530 had my BB running like a top and loved having the push email and screen real estate it offered. I've upgraded to the 9550 and am not looking back even though the iPhone is now offered on my network!

[noaim]

push notifications that work push email... love the push multi tasking is another reason I choose it over the iphone the iphone is not a multi tasking device

[muse126]

The reasons why I chose a BB (9700):

- Fantastic physical keyboard
- Good RF/call quality
- Strong vibrate (it's beastly on the 9700)
- Pretty good build quality
- Amazing battery life
- The LED msg indicator

Pretty much sums it up. Thinking of getting an iPod Touch to fill in all the shortcomings of the BB (considering I lost my iPhone). The iPhone is great in that department (media), but falls short in most of the positives I listed for the BB, which is why I ended up choosing one over it with my early HUB. Overall, I'm satisfied with my choice.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[leezy10]

I needed a new phone and my friend had a BB Pearl, I looked into BB and found the push email, web browsing, reliability and overall support for the phones (Not always through official RIM user guides,these forums have been great for any questions I've had)
My friend switched to an iPhone due to issues with their network and phone compatibility. I on the other hand have the same carrier and a new 8900.
-Although there was a huge learning curve once I got my Pearl, after a few months I had the basics down and by the time I got my new phone, all I had to learn was the enhancements and new features. (GPS and Movie Watching!!)
To sum up:

Push email - this is the deal breaker for me as I don't always have computer access during the day and need to be able to respond to the emails I do get.

Support- Crackberry etc.

Web Browsing - While it could be better, it does the job for me

Keyboard layout - I love the full QWERTY keyboard on the 8900. Makes it kinda hard to type without both hands but that's besides the point

As the person above me mentioned, LED indicator for messages, I don't like the service light so that's off (I would like to see a customizable LED light profile for certain contacts)

-WiFi - while the blackberry plans are pretty comprehensive, it's nice to know that you have the option to use WiFi networks for calls and messages without using your data plan