Heavy iPhone user... adding a Blackberry, 9900 or Bold 9790?

I write and reply to a LOT of emails on my iPhone, I'm very fast with typing but don't like typing so much on a screen.

I've used Blackberry's since the 951 days, I like my iPhone fine, but for doing business I think I'm better off with a real keyboard.

Thinking about the 9900 or 9790 ... I bought the 9900 back when it was released, loved the keyboard, wasn't too fussy about the larger/wider size and at the the time decided my iPhone was enough so I returned it.

Actually at the time I cursed the Bold for it being tedious and more complicated to tweak the settings just how I wanted them, since using my iPhone a few years being so simple to used/set up it's 'dumbed' me a little when it comes to setting up other devises.

I do miss the physical keyboard, so I'm going to try a BB again. Been to the store, tested out the 9790 and 9900 keyboards and still can't decide.

Any input appreciated.

Thanks.

Why not get an iPhone 4S? It has voice recognition technology so no more typing at all. My iP4S is blazing fast and I love not typing. I dictated an entire three page report the other day. It was so much easier than typing on my computer.

I had/have a 9780 but don't use it anymore. I think the 9900 keyboard would be better though.

Originally Posted by uniquest

I write and reply to a LOT of emails on my iPhone, I'm very fast with typing but don't like typing so much on a screen.

I've used Blackberry's since the 951 days, I like my iPhone fine, but for doing business I think I'm better off with a real keyboard.

Thinking about the 9900 or 9790 ... I bought the 9900 back when it was released, loved the keyboard, wasn't too fussy about the larger/wider size and at the the time decided my iPhone was enough so I returned it.

Actually at the time I cursed the Bold for it being tedious and more complicated to tweak the settings just how I wanted them, since using my iPhone a few years being so simple to used/set up it's 'dumbed' me a little when it comes to setting up other devises.

I do miss the physical keyboard, so I'm going to try a BB again. Been to the store, tested out the 9790 and 9900 keyboards and still can't decide.

Any input appreciated.

Thanks.

When I saw your post, I giggled because what you are saying is so exactly the same as I felt. But if you are asking opinions on 9900 vs. 9790 (not IP vs BB), then I can chime in.
I have been an iPhone guy since it was launched but accidentally bought a 9700 as a stopgap when I sold my IP3Gs too prematurely (I did not know how difficult it was to get my hands on IP4 at the time), but I was impressed by its "compactness". I felt it magically fit into my palm. At the time, iPhone did not even have notifications or lockscreen weather widget etc, and I liked the 9700 so much. Then I naturally upgraded it to 9780. When I bought the 9900, I just felt it was too wide and ugly (and the wait was too long and my enthusiasm faded away by the time I purchased it), but the ease of physical keypad was superb. But I am not a kind of guy to put too much value on the physical keyboard that permanently occupies the half of precious real estate. So, my attraction to BB was not so much of the qwerty but its compact size, hence the ease of use, keyboard shortcut, one hand operation, separate on-off phone buttons, one button push for speakerphone and I actually liked (to some extent) its archaic menu system of Palm Pilot era.
I also agree completely with your signature line. For just a text based communication, BB is easier to use. It's a toss-around, everyday use & abuse kind of device.
Making a long story short, since my attraction to BB is not the qwerty keyboard per se, but the size and convenience of 9780, I would definitely want a 9790. I wish they threw away this obsession to make the device thinner but maintain the 9780 thickness and form factor with a larger battery. I really don't care of making BBs thinner. Thinness fits the iPhone but not BBs. The only thing I am waiting for is the new OS 7.1 pushed by Rogers so that I can use wifi hotspot for my iPad, or may be even iPhone too. What I like to do is to use a 9790 for text based PIM (calendar, contact, quick jog of notes, to do list and voice memo etc). While OS6, particularly 7 considerably improved the browsing experience, it is still no match to iPhone.
I was reviewing what apps I currently have on my iPhone and scrutinized how much I am using for each app and which ones require the radio connection (internet). I never want to carry more than one device and the iPhone is pretty much an all-in-one device, but for "everyday abuse", tossing the compact 9790 into my pocket is the solution. Plus, I am a bit bore by the iPhone. It is so well made and thought out actually. Perfect kid is not really so attractive some of the times :-).
As soon as the 9790 have 7.1 (hotspot), I am going to pick it up in a heartbeat. I do not want to mess with leaked OS etc.
My only worry is its hardware reliability. So many reports of something (usually buttons and trackpad) going wrong. The more parts, the more chances of something going wary. Smaller KB of 9790 does not bother me. 9900 tried to emulate iPhone too much and it actually sacrificed some key functionality, such as battery life and camera etc. It's back is ugly too and not too comfy to grab.
iPhone obviously, by design, reduced mechanical buttons to minimum and does most of the things by software touchscreen. I had absolutely no trouble in hardware or software of any iPhone I had in the past 4 years or so, none. Certainly no battery pull required, LOL.
So, there...

Originally Posted by Caymancroc

Why not get an iPhone 4S? It has voice recognition technology so no more typing at all. My iP4S is blazing fast and I love not typing. I dictated an entire three page report the other day. It was so much easier than typing on my computer.

I had/have a 9780 but don't use it anymore. I think the 9900 keyboard would be better though.

I agree with this too. I really do not care much about the hardware keyboard, except for one touch shortcut. I have the IP4s but I rarely used voice recognition. I know it's there but never thought about it. Perhaps I should learn to use it more, then the need for the hardware KB is absolutely unnecessary. Siri too. I have to use it. If the voice command of text input works so great, indeed there is no need for any type of keyboard (it cannot be eliminated but will be used less frequently).
I will try :-).

I honestly could Not speak out all of the emails I type in a week on my blackberry and maintain my productivity,

the only people I can see dictation working for are light sub 100 written email a week users, moderate 101-200 emails per week maybe heavy but 201+ emails per week keyboard short cuts, autotext, copy and paste, and the ability to be typing notes/emails during the conference calls


as for the comparison between the 9900 and the 9790, if it is compact size you want the 9790 is your device. the 9900 is BEAUTIFUL IMO, but it certainly is big, and the battery life PRE OS7.1 was not very good.

you've already owned the 9900, so go with the 9790.

I have humongous hands. The Bold 9930 is amazing. My friend had gotten the 9790 for his wife and it has a great, compact shape and a great size. The keyboard isn't that high class in front of the 9930 but it works good. I believe that the 9790 kinda lost the touch-screen thing cause of a mere 480X360 but it still does well for simple tasks in what I would use a touchscreen in

I liked the feel of my old 9700, the size worked better for me than the 9000, which was larger. While I do like the 9900, it is larger, and people at work who have it say it doesn't feel as 'handable' as their 9700. So in this case, I'd say go for the smaller device.

I currently have the 9800, the physical keyboard is horrible as is the touchscreen keyboard, so I would not recommend that form factor.

Originally Posted by deRusett

I honestly could Not speak out all of the emails I type in a week on my blackberry and maintain my productivity,

Why not? It's more productive. Just speaking on the phone versus typing has got to be at least twice as fast.

Originally Posted by deRusett

the only people I can see dictation working for are light sub 100 written email a week users, moderate 101-200 emails per week maybe heavy but 201+ emails per week keyboard short cuts, autotext, copy and paste, and the ability to be typing notes/emails during the conference calls

I respond to more than 200 emails/texts/etc. per week and even do postings on this site and others. I have no problems with voice dictation. For notes and reports on conferences I can hook up a full-size Bluetooth keyboard to my iPhone, put it in landscape mode and type away during the meeting. For other meetings I can take notes or record the meeting, and then I can come home and dictate it while I read or listen to it through my headset.

I dictated this entire post.:D

Okay, there are a few factors we should consider here:

1- Size.
Is it a problem to you if your phone is bulky (considering you have an iPhone, I'd say no), but if you want something very slim, the 9900 wins here (although the 9790 is slimmer than the 9780 and 9700).

2 - Camera.
If you intend to use it entirely for business, the camera may not be an important factor, but just notice that the 9900 doesn't have autofocus, so the 9790 (which is a bit fatter because of such features) wins here.

3 - Battery life.
The 9900's battery is tiny. Smaller than the one on the 9780. And I think battery life is something quite important, I mean specially if your business is relying on this phone. So 9790 wins here.

4 - Touch Screen.
I'm venturing on something I'm not sure about here, but the 9900 has a touch screen, I'm somewhat positive the 9790 also does, but I can't say for sure.

5 - The actual keyboard.
The 9900 has the best keyboard ever put on a BlackBerry; it's amazing.

So, here it goes:
If you want a slim looking device and the factors that this design puts to jeopardy (battery life, autofocus) do not bother you, the 9900 is the one.
If you do care about the camera and battery life, and are willing to go with a somewhat smaller keyboard (which actually is a pretty good one) and bulkier phone, the 9790 wins.

Personally, i'd pick the 9790 - the design looks better (in my opinion), it's the latest one, the battery is bigger (I need as much battery as I can get) and the detail that the camera has autofocus is nice.

personally id go with the 9900. ive held both in my hand and the 9790 is just to small for me. i loved my 9000 so thats probably why im a lil bias lol

Originally Posted by Caymancroc

Why not get an iPhone 4S? It has voice recognition technology so no more typing at all. My iP4S is blazing fast and I love not typing. I dictated an entire three page report the other day. It was so much easier than typing on my computer.

I had/have a 9780 but don't use it anymore. I think the 9900 keyboard would be better though.

So your iphone is your only phone now?

Originally Posted by uniquest

I write and reply to a LOT of emails on my iPhone, I'm very fast with typing but don't like typing so much on a screen.


Any input appreciated.

Thanks.

Something I didn't address in my first Post in this thread and only because I just finished tackling about 35 emails I had been ignoring on principle.

LEARN to use the Short cuts,
Message shortcuts - BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 Smartphones - User Guide - BlackBerry Bold Series - 7.0

Once these short cuts become second nature you get frustrated not having them, couple these short cuts with "word substitution" aka AutoText, and you'll find yourself going to your Blackberry before your computer when you have a lot of emails to attend to,

I use the Mark unread(Alt U) for any email I actually need my computer to answer because of files I need to add, and it requires some extensive formatting but anything just test based, or using a standard attachment being sent I send from my BlackBerry because it is just faster, and you don't need to look at the screen and can do symbols and all the special keys.

I love my 9930 and I think it's beautiful, which is why I have no case/skin on it. Just stick it in my OEM holster that came with it.

But in your situation, given the information on what you're needing, a 9790 sounds like it would be the best bet. Granted, I've never used one, but considering you already fancy your iPhone for your other needs, the compactness would be better. Also, if this is for communication, the smaller screen and toned-down processor would reap better battery usage. And to be honest, just from looking at the 9790, I would be more inclined to use it as a "toss-around" work horse and not worry about scratching/damaging it...

Since you will be carrying two phones, go with the 9790. Its more compact and has better battery life.

Get the 9790.

I have a 9930 and love it. I have large hands by the way. But back when I had my Tour I typed just as well on it as I do the 9930. I feel RIM's keyboards are made in such a way that hands can "adapt" even if you at first do not think so. Somehow it just works.

Other things:

The 9790 likely has better battery life than lots of folks are getting on their Bold 99xx devices. I get great battery life. Lots do not. Who knows.

One thing that for sure is bound to be better on the 9790 is the camera. I must say the camera on the 99xx is really a bit subpar, all in all.

Originally Posted by Caymancroc

Why not? It's more productive. Just speaking on the phone versus typing has got to be at least twice as fast.

It is only more productive if you work somewhere where you can talk to your phone all day without annoying your co-workers. Or if they do not mind the annoyance (unlikely), then the content of the emails needs to be something you would not mind posting on the bulletin board at work since anyone can over hear you.

CaymanCroc must live and work in a silent place and have the best enunciation of anyone on the planet. I have no real distinguishable accent and speak very clearly and Siri can't even perform basic tasks when i tried on my friends 4s.

"what is the phone number to the west laramie fly store" - 3 attempts, when it finally recognized the sentence properly it gave me 20 numbers to random businesses in town, the fly store being the 13th in the list. Worthless.

"Send a text to "john doe" saying we will meet at the rifle range at noon." Not once did it get it right in 4 attempts in a quiet room with 3 different speakers.

"Give me directions to peloton cycles in Ft Collins Colorado." Again, couldn't recognize the work peloton (pelican! hahaha) and struggled with Ft Collins, never recognized it properly and yielded nothing.

Stupid gimmick, unfortunately most people are amused by a robotic voice answering their stupid questions about the meaning of life to the point of buying it for $700 dollars. I could sell them a magic 8 ball that is more useful for 5 dollars and it makes a better desk ornament.

I can hit a convenience key, type west laramie fly store, have it pop up, call them and get the information i need before Siri recognizes the sentence on the 3rd attempt and gives me the number for luciano's italian restaurant.

Siri's biggest potential would be at reading books so you don't have to buy audiobooks :)

I use my Kindle 3G like this and by the way, it sounds exactly like Siri, same voice.

For anything else it's useless where I live and around me Ireland, Scotland, Wales, no chance of ever understanding them unless they all start talking with an american accent.

I have used Vlingo in the past and I have noticed even when it worked perfectly, it still slowed me down a lot, when you have the full 9900 qwerty anything else seems slow.

And I don't know about you but when you dictate an email, can you speak it fluently without pausing? Sometimes I have to pause and pick my workds carefully. Also how do you attach files with Siri?

I just picked up my 9790 today. It's very very very nice. Great in the hand, the keyboard is brilliant (and I have meaty paws) and the screen is just about the right size. It does do touch screen (for whoever wasn't sure) though I'm yet to use it much - I was the same on the 9900 - couldn't figure out why they put touch screens in - waste of money & battery life if you ask me. :)

So, 9790 is my recommendation.

Talking to your phone to make emails is lame and it's going to prove very annoying when a lot of people start doing it. Stating you can just use Siri on the iPhone to input emails is ridiculous :confused:

If you do a lot of emailing use the 9900, it's that simple. The phone is fast and great looking :eek:

Originally Posted by kevinnugent

I just picked up my 9790 today. It's very very very nice. Great in the hand, the keyboard is brilliant (and I have meaty paws) and the screen is just about the right size. It does do touch screen (for whoever wasn't sure) though I'm yet to use it much - I was the same on the 9900 - couldn't figure out why they put touch screens in - waste of money & battery life if you ask me. :)

So, 9790 is my recommendation.

I actually use the touchscreen a lot on the 9900
I pinch zoom pdf drawing sent to me, works much faster than the zoom/pan with a track pad, same with excel files, but I need the keyboard and trackpad for actually adding content tot he excel files and editing them.

And with this post, I will press "submit" on the screen with my thumb, over navigating to it with the trackpad,
For the bulk of my use I am not touching the screen, but it certainly has its advantages, and I wouldn't want to give it up.

Originally Posted by deRusett

I actually use the touchscreen a lot on the 9900
I pinch zoom pdf drawing sent to me, works much faster than the zoom/pan with a track pad, same with excel files, but I need the keyboard and trackpad for actually adding content tot he excel files and editing them.

And with this post, I will press "submit" on the screen with my thumb, over navigating to it with the trackpad,
For the bulk of my use I am not touching the screen, but it certainly has its advantages, and I wouldn't want to give it up.

I am with you. I would not hesitate to go for the 9900 due to the touchscreen and larger keyboard. I love the form factor. My iPhone does what I need and more, and I am just as productive as I was on my BB. But if I were switching back and wanted a physical keyboard, the 9900 would be the only choice. After using one with a touchscreen for a few days, I could never go back to a non-touchscreen device. RIM did a splendid job on this one. (I would most like go 9860 though because I like full touchscreens.)