[B-cube]

I am new to the Blackberry world and considering Bold 9000 as my next purchase. While comparing with Nokia E71, feature by feature there is no great difference but I am pretty sure there must be several user level differences that make BB loved by users. I have gathered a lot from forums but looking for some finer reasons to justify the high initial & the running cost. I am looking for differences in ease of use of outlook mail, excel spreadsheets, web browsing, GPS & security with BIS. Like number of clicks, menus, customizability & shortcuts. My mail usage is heavy. I love the track ball & the screen resolution. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!

[afropoika]

I can only say that trying the E71 for a week, I rather would go back to an "abc keyboard" than use the QWERTY on the E71. It is SO horrible. Very tiny keys making it almost impossible to text properly. BlackBerry any day over E71

[B-cube]

Thanks for the help. I thought so but wasn't sure.

[afropoika]

If you have any other concerns, feel free to ask me. I have personally used BlackBerry smartphones only recently and occasionally tried a Nokia or iPhone for educational reasons. I feel the Nokia E71 has a stable OS and is very capable, as is my current BlackBerry Curve 8900. The biggest difference is probably the form factor. I find the E71 to be too small for my use, and I'm just 17! With BlackBerrys however you will need a BlackBerry data plan to get most out of the experience, so maybe for financial reasons you might want to reconsider your options.

It is hard to estimate the total cost of ownership, it really depends on your usage patterns. I can say with confidence though, that Internet browsing is a much more enjoyable experience on Nokia than BlackBerry (although this is to change soon).

As far as user interface goes, configuring a Nokia can be tedious at times, because there is no central place for all options. BlackBerry has the best configurability of all. Very simple and easy navigation of options and everything can be found in one place.

Last, but not least, I believe BlackBerry has the most mature PDA functionality compared to other smartphones and the calendar is just fantastic. Contacts management is intuitive too.

Personally I would choose a BlackBerry over the E71, but depending on your usage patterns maybe BlackBerry isn't the best choice out there? I want to be helpful, not force you into something you might not find enjoyable.

If possible try to test both for a day or so, you'll know then best which is the better one. Best of luck for finding the right choice!

- shin

[B-cube]

Thanks again! May I know why do you say browsing is better on Nokia E71? My guess was, with high resolution & trackball, it would be be better on BB. Any experience on usage & editing of spreadsheets?

[amazinglygraceless]

I had a Bold (replaced with a 8900) and still have a E71x and honestly I think the
E71x is the better device in a lot of respects.

The Bold has a bigger screen and a slightly better keyboard, but the E71x has
much better battery life, a smaller but higher resolution screen, RealVideo
(7 - 10) support, better multimedia handling capability, built in ability to switch
between personal and work profile, higher resolution camera, a more intuitive OS
(personal opinion), comes with QuickOffice and PDF reader (allows reading AND
editing docs without buying additional software) full HTML browser with Flash
support and yes, push email.

When I used the two at the same time I would reach for the E71x first and
eventually relegated the Bold to a backup device.

[Laura Knotek]

I had a Bold (replaced with a 8900) and still have a E71x and honestly I think the
E71x is the better device in a lot of respects.

The Bold has a bigger screen and a slightly better keyboard, but the E71x has
much better battery life, a smaller but higher resolution screen, RealVideo
(7 - 10) support, better multimedia handling capability, built in ability to switch
between personal and work profile, higher resolution camera, a more intuitive OS
(personal opinion), comes with QuickOffice and PDF reader (allows reading AND
editing docs without buying additional software) full HTML browser with Flash
support and yes, push email.

When I used the two at the same time I would reach for the E71x first and
eventually relegated the Bold to a backup device.

Maybe I just got a lemon, but I took my Nokia E71x back because the battery died after only 6 hrs. of basically sitting in the holster. I only checked a couple emails, sent 5 texts, and made 1 phone call that lasted 2 minutes. No Web browsing at all. The thing would start beeping around 3 pm, and be dead around 3:30 pm.

I took it back, and the folks at the AT&T store were unable to set up my email on 3 other Nokia E71x devices in the store. I complained to the manager (actually threatened to cancel AT&T and walk over to the Verizon store in the same shopping center), and he offered me the Bold for no additional charge, even though it was $100 more at the time (I was under my 30 days with the Nokia). I have been a customer of AT&T since 2005.

I get great battery life on my Bold, even though I am a heavy user. I used 1.6 GB data last month, 500 SMS/MMS, and 400 minutes. The battery never gets below 20% by the end of the day.

I also found it easier to navigate around on the BlackBerry. The BB button automatically takes you to the home screen. Granted, I only had the Nokia for a short time, but I had trouble finding the folders on the device.

[amazinglygraceless]

@lak 611, yeah I think you got a bad unit. Odd how that happens, but my E71x
actually get better battery life than any of the four BlackBerrys I have owned and
I use the devices heavily. My data usage last cycle was just under the 5,120mb
(5gb) cap

Email setup took me about 5 minutes. I'd say you got double whammied, bad unit
and an even worse store rep.

[Laura Knotek]

@lak 611, yeah I think you got a bad unit. Odd how that happens, but my E71x
actually get better battery life than any of the four BlackBerrys I have owned and
I use the devices heavily. My data usage last cycle was just under the 5,120mb
(5gb) cap

Email setup took me about 5 minutes. I'd say you got double whammied, bad unit
and an even worse store rep.

It took less than 5 minutes for the store reps to set up the BB. I am guessing that all the Nokia devices were defective. The manager said to the reps to mark them all DOA and send them back. A Nokia rep had just visited the store the day before, so the AT&T reps knew how to set up the phones.