[wbkm85]

Well Qbnkelt maybe not having Flash is a good thing.. I can only imagine how many farmvillers out there would get absolutely no work done..lol.

hahaha.. i saw this video on the nexus one earlier.

[ericjay]

I made the switch from a BB 8130 on VZW to iPhone 3GS about 3 weeks ago. I do miss some things that were great on BB, but for me, what I gained outweigh what I lost. Here are my thoughts... representative of nobody but me!

Keyboard: I was worried that I'd have a hard time adjusting to an on-screen keyboard. I know the OP is coming over from a Storm, so probably not a concern. Still, I'll say that I'm typing just as fast on the iPhone as I did on my Pearl's SureType keyboard, faster than I did when I tried out a Btorm, but probably not as fast as I would have had I gone with a full keyboard BB. Verdict: A draw.

Messaging: I'm doing ok with the iPhone. I miss the "Mark Prior as Read;" never realized how often I used it. I also miss new messages count on the lock screen, and the per-account new message badges (*) that I had on my standby screen. Inbound message speeds for me are fine on my work (Exchange w/ Push) and personal (Gmail w/ IMAP every 15 mins) accounts. I find myself using the Gmail web app for my personal account more often than the Mail app, though (Having a great web browser is nice). Verdict: BB wins, but iPhone pulls its weight.

Multitasking: Another big concern for me.... On BB, I had Google Talk running all the time. The iPhone workaround is messaging apps that support push notifications. The app closes, but the service stays active on a server that receives my messages and pushes them to me as a popup and prompts me to open the app (forgive me if that's not the most accurate technical terminology for what's happening). It's workable, but not perfect. The biggest multitasking loss for me is Pandora. I can't listen while doing other things, and that really annoys me. However, iTunes and iPhone work together to manage podcasts (I never found a podcast manager I liked for my BB), so I can listen to those while doing other things. I still use Pandora at the gym or on the bus when I'm not doing anything else. In the end, though, it's wonderful to never have to play the resource management game. My iPhone doesn't slow down when I have too many things running. I don't ever have to stop what I was doing to close some apps and free up some memory. Verdict: A draw.

BBM: I never used this, so a non-issue for me.

Apps: Obviously, there are more iPhone apps than BB apps. In many cases, there's an iPhone app without a BB counterpart. On a regular basis, I use apps published by my bank, my broker, my fitness club, FedEx, Dropbox, Evernote, and TripIt... even Skype, Facebook, and a few games. They're fast, productive, and intuitive. Yes, I am frustrated that Apple has a closed marketplace (especially as a Google Voice user), but the apps that are there and useful to me outweigh what I wish had been approved. Verdict: iPhone

Browser, user interface, display, touch screen : These have all been covered to death, everywhere. However, they're all things that I love about the iPhone. The only site that makes me wish I had Flash is Hulu... I don't really miss it anywhere else on the web. Verdict: iPhone

Battery: If I start the day at 100%, I generally have 40-50% when I wrap up my day. I'd say I'm a heavy user of voice and data. In 2.5 years on Blackberry, and many more years before with other platforms, I never carried a spare battery or replaced my stock battery, so for me, another non issue. If you're worried about running low, there are battery packs, but no, it's not quite the same as carrying a spare and making a quick switch.

Now vs. Later: Apple tends to launch a new iPhone in June, right? I considered waiting... but I usually don't like relying on version X.0 of anything, so I'd probably be waiting until August anyway? I could play the waiting game indefinitely. I wanted a new phone this month, so I got one. If I really want the iPhone 4G, I can pay retail and sell this one on Craigslist to a poor fool who dropped his in the toilet, right?

Well, this was a lot longer than I had expected when I clicked "Post Reply," but hopefully helpful to the OP and to others considering a change.

[cobra302]

i understand the logic behind getting an ipod touch, but honestly, i dont think its the same thing. if you had an itouch, you would still be using your bb as the primary communication device. the iphone is a great communication device. the complaints about battery will always be there. the neater the phone, the more you want to play around with it. the more you play with it, the less your battery lasts. yes the 9700 has great battery life from what i understand, but you arent really doing much more on that device but checking emails and texting for the most part. you wouldnt be browsing because the exp just plain stinks. the lack of a physical keyboard honestly isnt that bad. as somone earlier stated, im actually faster on my iphone now than on my old bold 9000, and that had a great keyboard! bb messenger is nice, but cmon, unless all your friends have a bb, you're still texting, and that is universal. the lack of bbm has never seemed like a valid argument to me, but thats just me. texting is just as easy, and you've also got email. if you subscribe to mobile me, you get push email, calendar, and contacts. as well as access to 20 gigs of online storage accessible thru your phone. gmail even pushes now as well as yahoo. i also agree about the removable battery, i dont need one. and honestly, if not for the famous battery pulls necessary on blackberry's at times, this wouldnt really be an issue for most bb users either. how many really carry another charged battery with them and switch them out during the day? most will just hook up to a car charger or computer and charge that way. same thing you would be doing with an iphone as well.

it all comes down to preference i think. bb's have been "corporate" for so long that anything else is just considered a toy, or consumerist. they do email very well, at least for pushing, but honestly, i like the email on an iphone even better. the ability to have separate folders, place emails where i want, instead of just leaving them there. if you have BES, then emails are a whole different story, but most would have BIS, which is great for push, but not much else.

with all that said, i would personally wait and see what gets announced in the summer if you can. there will always be something newer and better coming along, but why spend 200-250 now, when you can have the absoulte newest in just a few months. plus, even if the new version doesnt do it for ya, that just means that the 3GS will prolly be lowered in price making it even a better purchase than it is now. but thats just my opine

[qbnkelt]

OK -
Keyboard - not a big deal. Most of my typing will be on my 9700
Messaging - will appreciate emails rendered correctly
Multitasking - ah, matey, that's a problem
BBM - will continue it on my 9700
Apps - not a big deal to me since I don't play that many games aside from FARMVILLE and all the apps I need I already have. But will love YouTube on it
Browser - THE #1 REASON I'm thinking about this. interface, display - don't like the annoying rotating display and not a huge fan of touchscreen
Battery - the main reason my 3GS went back. I tried to use it as my main phone and I had to turn off everything to last the whole day. Huge disappointment set in.

So - looking at this, assuming they fix the battery issue and a couple of other things....hhhmmm.....

[cobra302]

OK -
Keyboard - not a big deal. Most of my typing will be on my 9700
Messaging - will appreciate emails rendered correctly
Multitasking - ah, matey, that's a problem
BBM - will continue it on my 9700
Apps - not a big deal to me since I don't play that many games aside from FARMVILLE and all the apps I need I already have. But will love YouTube on it
Browser - THE #1 REASON I'm thinking about this. interface, display - don't like the annoying rotating display and not a huge fan of touchscreen
Battery - the main reason my 3GS went back. I tried to use it as my main phone and I had to turn off everything to last the whole day. Huge disappointment set in.

So - looking at this, assuming they fix the battery issue and a couple of other things....hhhmmm.....

oh how i wish the battery was a little better. i agree with multitasking, although honestly, with a few tweaks on apples part this hopefully will be fixed with the new os coming out. i have a few games as apps, but man, tom tom gps, a great rss player that dowloads videos, a mobilerss viewer that lets me read rss feeds, idisk, dropbox, google voice, logmein, ustream, among others, man the list goes on with great apps! and depending on the model at least 8 gigs of storage space to place apps. somone above also mentioned having to juggle resources with the bb, i forgot about that. having to make sure i closed something or else get the spinning icon, and running out of ram! oh i dreaded that. now, with THAT all said, i want a storm 2 so bad i could ****! i'm not sure why, i just like em!

[Entertainment72]

Nice post EricJay...
Qbnkelt - do not Fret.. there is a Farmvilereniller thingamagigga app in the works which will sync with facespacbooker thing.

[qbnkelt]

the complaints about battery will always be there. the neater the phone, the more you want to play around with it. the more you play with it, the less your battery lasts. yes the 9700 has great battery life from what i understand, but you arent really doing much more on that device but checking emails and texting for the most part. you wouldnt be browsing because the exp just plain stinks.

bb messenger is nice, but cmon, unless all your friends have a bb, you're still texting, and that is universal.

i also agree about the removable battery, i dont need one. and honestly, if not for the famous battery pulls necessary on blackberry's at times, this wouldnt really be an issue for most bb users either. how many really carry another charged battery with them and switch them out during the day? most will just hook up to a car charger or computer and charge that way.

it all comes down to preference i think.

with all that said, i would personally wait and see what gets announced in the summer if you can. )

Hi!!! Took the liberty of snipping your post to smithereens....

Battery - I do A LOT on my 9700. And I do carry a spare - I'm sometimes in extremely hazardous situations where I've carried a couple of charged batteries. But my situation is a bit extreme in that respect. No kidding on that - for once, there is no joking here.

BBM - almost my entire family is on it. With Cuban/Irish Catholic clan, that's a large group of people. There are countries with less population than one of my family dinners.

Removeable battery - I want it, but I know better than to expect it.

Preference - yup! True. What's right for one person is not necessarily right for another. My mistake the first time was in trying to have it be my primary device. I think my approach right now may be different.

And me, I will be waiting for the summer. And trying to read up on what may be there.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[qbnkelt]

Nice post EricJay...
Qbnkelt - do not Fret.. there is a Farmvilereniller thingamagigga app in the works which will sync with facespacbooker thing.

Well, gosh darn it, pardner! That's just peachy!!! I'll mosey on down to dat dar mall place to get me one of thum dar newfangled thangs!!!!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[cobra302]

Hi!!! Took the liberty of snipping your post to smithereens....

Battery - I do A LOT on my 9700. And I do carry a spare - I'm sometimes in extremely hazardous situations where I've carried a couple of charged batteries. But my situation is a bit extreme in that respect. No kidding on that - for once, there is no joking here.

BBM - almost my entire family is on it. With Cuban/Irish Catholic clan, that's a large group of people. There are countries with less population than one of my family dinners.

Removeable battery - I want it, but I know better than to expect it.

Preference - yup! True. What's right for one person is not necessarily right for another. My mistake the first time was in trying to have it be my primary device. I think my approach right now may be different.

And me, I will be waiting for the summer. And trying to read up on what may be there.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

lol no problem! cuban/irish catholic? wow that is asking for trouble! LOL i can see where that would be nice to have though. BUT, if they already have a blackberry, then they most likely have data, then even if you went to an iphone, there are messaging programs that would still apply. Yahoo messenger, etc. i actually went to an iphone twice. the first time, i went from my bold to a 3G, the email exp was horrible. 3G went right back. second time i went from bold to 3G, my expectations were different like you mentioned. and this time it stuck. i quit trying to make my iphone a blackberry and that really seemed to help. i have been eyeing a friends 9700 though, i told him to keep his hands tightly around it or i might sneak it for a few days. i'm pretty sure i'd come back to iphone though!

[qbnkelt]

Yup, that's where QbnKelt comes from - Cuban Celt.
My poor sainted Da could never keep up with my Mum, but he smiled and belly laughed an awful lot. And he picked up some Spanish! My house was always a noisy insane asylum while I was growing up.

Yes, I'm approaching this differently this time around. If I go with a 4G I will not attempt to make it my primary device. I tried., trust me, I tried to work with the 3GS! This time, I won't have the need to work around the things that I needed and wasn't getting.

Looking forward to a test in the summer!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com