[DueNorthBB]

I have a Passport and my dad got an IPhone 6 Plus. He's away for a month travelling so I am to help him setup his phone.

Here's a photo of the two phones.



The Passport (32 GB) vs the IPhone 6 Plus (64 GB). The IPhone is over $250 more. It also took three to four weeks to get shipped.

[DueNorthBB]

First off it is a bit of a pain to compare the two. The IPhone doesn't have a file manager and the built-in tools for processing the documents aren't the same.

Here is one that I am able to compare. Both using native Adobe Acrobat Reader. Both set to fit page of the same PDF file.



Sorry for the poor focus, but you can get the general idea. The IPhone allows you to see more of a page but the Passport fills the screen better and allow the content to be easier to read.

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[DueNorthBB]

This one is for reading ebooks. Apple comes with iBook which is pretty good. I have to purchase mine, PlayePub book reader which works well and is Built for BlackBerry.

http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/48654



Within the font adjusted to be similar, you can see that the IPhone 6 shows more content. I find that it is easier to read with the Passport and you can use the space bar to go to the next page. Swiping or tapping is needed for the IPhone.

I find with Apple it is harder to move content around. However their built-in tools are pretty powerful and can do a lot (iBook can view PDFs too).

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[dejanh]

Good stuff. Looking forward to more updates.

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[Mr2KiEu]

Thanks for the comparison. I'm still debating on which phone to get.

[DueNorthBB]

Thanks for the comparison. I'm still debating on which phone to get.

It depends if you are consuming content or creating content. If you are consuming it, the iPhone 6 Plus can be better. If you are creating it, the Passport is better.

[ptpete]

Why does the 6 Plus look so much bigger out of the box?

[markusbeutel]

Why does the 6 Plus look so much bigger out of the box?

Because the BB Passport box is much larger and elevated (closer to the camera lens), which makes it seem bigger while in box, and when both are on a flat surface you get a true representation of their size.

[DueNorthBB]

Gaming

Overall the IPhone wins on this. The games run faster, there are more available and those that you find will run well. The Passport does work with a surprising number of games given its unique form factor, but it requires more effort and a few attempts at times to get working.



Minecraft is formatted better on Passport. You can see the super large controls on the IPhone taking more of the screen space. It doesn't look like the menus fill out the extra space well. The IPhone version is faster slightly since it is native versus Android on the Passport.



Most games are formatted to use more of a letterbox display. With "Where is my Water 2?", you can see that the Passport version has some display elements outside the gaming field... but it works. Here's a thread which has more information on this topic:

http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...ssport-966456/

[dejanh]

It depends if you are consuming content or creating content. If you are consuming it, the iPhone 6 Plus can be better. If you are creating it, the Passport is better.

I would think that for consumption of multimedia content, including games, the iPhone 6 Plus would be better. One exception to this being Flash, as it is only supported on the BlackBerry devices. For both creation and consumption of non-multimedia content, the Passport would be better.

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[wundergalz]

best review ever. how about content creation? say powerpoint, word or excel.

[Ankit RS]

Thanks OP. Certain games and apps may be optimized for certain OSes, and it's kinda unfair to compare an android port with a native one anyway. Given that Passport was designed to be used as a workhorse more than an entertainment device (not that it can't or shouldn't be), it'd be great if you could please compare the following usage experience, if possible:

1. Switching between multiple messaging apps
2. Web browsing
3. Using Twitter/FB
4. Sharing content: no. of steps, screens, readily available options etc.
5. Editing text
6. Viewing pictures
7. Replying to messages when in the middle of something.

I'd have requested for camera comparison, video playback too, but I believe that's redundant, and anyway iPhones are way ahead when it comes to picture quality (I don't understand photography, but as an observation, at any given point of time, same picture looks better on an iPhone. Plus, that video playback experience would be better on iPhone because of its form factor is a given.

I understand this might be asking for a bit too much, but I've always wanted to make a usage comparison video, but alas, no iPhone; so, it'd be great if you could test the aforementioned, and would also be fine if you can't because it's a bit too much.

[maxiang]

Subbed.
Nice comparison so far

Q10SQN100-1/10.3.0.1052

[DueNorthBB]

Spreadsheets

I made a sample Excel worksheet to test it out. I placed the file into Dropbox to work between the two devices.

For the BlackBerry, I am using Docs to Go for opening and editing.
For the IPhone, I am using their Numbers app.

With the BlackBerry, I just open within Dropbox (File Manager) and then edit.

With the IPhone, I open Dropbox, see a preview, open in Numbers where it needs to import the files, accept warning of format change and open the file.



BlackBerry: To edit a cell, I just click on it. I just type in the formula I want. There is no help that I can see to help create the formula. Tap on the check and you are done. If you need to change from text to numbers, you can just type in the keyboard or use the virtual keys.

IPhone: To edit a cell, you double tap on it and it zooms into a full blown edit menu. Do what you need, tap on the check and it zooms out. To type in text or other format, you need to click on one of the keyboard buttons on the top to select which virtual keyboard to use.



In landscape mode, the IPhone doesn't seem to use all the extra space.

BlackBerry: You save and the file is ready to go.

IPhone: You save and you are good for Numbers. You will need to export for Excel.

With the IPhone, there is more of a workflow needed for editing an Excel file. Numbers however is a much better application compared to Docs to Go (better interface, help and features).

[dejanh]

It's so ironic how bad Docs To Go are on BlackBerry, especially when you know that BlackBerry owns Docs To Go.

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[DueNorthBB]

Email

This is where the BlackBerry shines and is the heart of BB10.

I only setup the IPhone with a few email accounts to see how it handles. It has an email program which you need to click on to enter. It does keep a tally of how many unread email on the icon.



Once you enter the unified mailbox, it is hard to see which ones are read or which source it is coming from. From a distance, the emails just blend into the background. Switching mail boxes consist of going back to a main menu and selecting it from there. Not shown is the landscape view which is similar to Outlook previews but more squeezed.

The BlackBerry Hub is easily accessible with an up and side swipe within an app. Email sources can be color coded and there is an icon which tells you what type of content it is, if it is read or if it is a reply. Switching to a new mailbox is a swipe away with a black pullout menu that makes it easy to know where you are.




On the IPhone, when you open an email, it seems to download the images automatically. It does allow you to see more of the email in height since most content are formatted that way. Replying is pretty straight forward with its virtual keyboard.

BlackBerry doesn't download images automatically. In some ways, not all the content are visible right away. You can squeeze to fit the content and use the keyboard to scroll down. Creating content is a breeze with the hybrid keyboard.

[irweezyy]

Email

This is where the BlackBerry shines and is the heart of BB10.

I only setup the IPhone with a few email accounts to see how it handles. It has an email program which you need to click on to enter. It does keep a tally of how many unread email on the icon.



Once you enter the unified mailbox, it is hard to see which ones are read or which source it is coming from. From a distance, the emails just blend into the background. Switching mail boxes consist of going back to a main menu and selecting it from there. Not shown is the landscape view which is similar to Outlook previews but more squeezed.

The BlackBerry Hub is easily accessible with an up and side swipe within an app. Email sources can be color coded and there is an icon which tells you what type of content it is, if it is read or if it is a reply. Switching to a new mailbox is a swipe away with a black pullout menu that makes it easy to know where you are.




On the IPhone, when you open an email, it seems to download the images automatically. It does allow you to see more of the email in height since most content are formatted that way. Replying is pretty straight forward with its virtual keyboard.

BlackBerry doesn't download images automatically. In some ways, not all the content are visible right away. You can squeeze to fit the content and use the keyboard to scroll down. Creating content is a breeze with the hybrid keyboard.

You can set the Passport to download images automatically as well as fit the email to the screen automatically. Go to hub, then settings, then display and actions and look for download images automatically and rite below that an option for resize email to fit screen.

[Dmessenger]

Very useful thread.Keep it coming Bro..Thanks

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[Dave Bourque]

You can have the BB10 auto download images. It's in the settings.

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[mister2d]

First off it is a bit of a pain to compare the two. The IPhone doesn't have a file manager and the built-in tools for processing the documents aren't the same.

Here is one that I am able to compare. Both using native Adobe Acrobat Reader. Both set to fit page of the same PDF file.



Sorry for the poor focus, but you can get the general idea. The IPhone allows you to see more of a page but the Passport fills the screen better and allow the content to be easier to read.

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I'm not sure selecting 'set to fit page' is the right way to compare with PDFs. You will get different zoom percentages for each phone. Probably the best way would be to manually set the zoom percentages the same for both phones.

[diehardbbuser]

That's 1 thing apple does well that blackberry forgot in bb10.. once downloaded images, iOS saves it automatically for later viewing.. in os7, you could save..in bb10 no option... just plan stupid.

[DueNorthBB]

You can set the Passport to download images automatically as well as fit the email to the screen automatically. Go to hub, then settings, then display and actions and look for download images automatically and rite below that an option for resize email to fit screen.

You learn something new each day. I have enabled the "Fit to screen option" but left the "Load external images" option off. I like to manually load it because of "spam" related reasons. Sites can track if you open your email via images.

[Jdane07]

To be fair about the Minecraft comparison, you can adjust the size of the controls in the settings.

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[Dave Bourque]

You learn something new each day. I have enabled the "Fit to screen option" but left the "Load external images" option off. I like to manually load it because of "spam" related reasons. Sites can track if you open your email via images.

Which is why it's off by default is my guess.

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[D3C0D3R]

That's 1 thing apple does well that blackberry forgot in bb10.. once downloaded images, iOS saves it automatically for later viewing.. in os7, you could save..in bb10 no option... just plan stupid.

Once it's downloaded the images automatically for me, I can go read the emails at any time. Without having an Internet connection I have the images available in all of my emails seamlessly, not sure what you're talking about...

Praise be unto our Lord Squircle | Passport SQW100-1/10.3.0.1418