A Blackberry Debate

Hi Crackberry Users & Abusers!

I do not normally post however I love my Blackberry and enjoy debating smartphones with other users. However after I posted a link to my facebook account, my friend and I got into a heated debate.

Here's our discussion and thought it might interests others:

Me:
"BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion is still making all the right moves
to win over companies and IT departments in the enterprise."

1. Open development platform
2. Security and compliance
3. Full manageability for IT
4. Integration with enterprise software
5. Integration with business phone systems

iPhone and Androids may be making the news more often, however the commercial/enterprise markets are still dominated by RIM.


Joe:
According to a study done by Nielson, 50% of US Blackberry owners would like to switch to either Android or Iphone.

(URL was here) 50% of BlackBerry Users Want Apple or Android

Honestly, their Enterprise Email is the o...nly thing keeping Blackberry alive right now. They have fallen behind in the smartphone marketplace in virtually all other aspects upon which smartphones are judged.

Also, I've read some of the early reviews of the new Blackberry and most of them say the exact same thing. While the new OS is easier to work with and the phone is an improvement over its current offerings, it does not compare with the current Android/Iphone offerings.


Me:
Blackberry's have not fallen behind as much as you've made them out to be.

- E-mail/texting
-3G coverage
-WiFi connectivity
...-Multitasking, Folder, Cut/Copy/Paste
-Up to 5MP cameras
-Up to 4GB of internal memory (plus expandable slots)
-Better battery life than most smartphones
-Full browser web support, espically with the new web kits that include tabbed browsing
-App World
-Full multimedia functions for syncing music, video and photos
-Bluetooth
-Touchscreen and full keyboard models
-Data efficient transfer rates
-High level security and integration into business ITS

Am I missing anything?

How is Blackberry dramatically behind the competition?


Joe:
Most of the features that you have listed here can be found on phones that are several years old....
3g, texting, email, wifi, bluetooth,.... come on.... really?

Compare it to the HTC Evo 4G. Do it, I dare you.

...I'll even help you.
- 1ghz processor instead of BB's 624mhz
- dual cameras, 1.3MP front facing and 8MP rear facing with the ability to shoot 720p video, compared to BB's 5mp camera and 480p video recording
- HDMI port
- 6hour talk time vs BB's 5.5hours- evo does have a better battery fyi
- 4G capable vs BB's 3G- potential for faster data transfer rates by far...
- a better resolution screen, 800x480, vs BB's 480x360
- a better App environment
- oh, and it got Android 2.2 yesterday i believe.

Like I've been saying, this new blackberry is nothing we haven't seen before... If this phone had come out last year it would have had a chance but right now it's nothing special.


Me:
I'm not saying this Blackberry is a game changer. This Blackberry is what it should of been months ago. It is on bar with the norm of phones now.

Your blurring the lines between the uses of the phone. We are not debating a "Super Phone" that... can do everything.

Blackberrys do not need to shoot HD video or have HDMI ports. While 4G capabilities are great, the service is limited. Also Blackberry's data transfer efficiencies blow all the other phones out of the water.

Why does the EVO 4G need 1GHz Snapdragon processor? It is to process the video, gaming and media. Blackberrys are not pushing for that consumer market.

A screen resolution is a great point however Blackberry's battery life is among the top among smartphones (and beats the EVO 4G hands down).

While the App environment is popular, it is not core to the functionality of the device. I would love more apps.

Android 2.2 and OS 6 share the same features as an operating system. It is a great platform however it is still relatively new and not ready for commercialization. Blackberry's security software and intergration with IT beats Android, iPhone and Microsoft.

You listed all the bells and whistles that these multimedia smartphones are adverting. They are great bonuses. However Blackberry's functionally, fluid interface and user interaction are what sets them apart from the competition.

Blackberrys are business phones that have become popular among consumers. If you want a multimedia device, go buy an Andriod or an iPhone. But you can knock Blackberrys for not have all these extra features when their are not aiming to add them.


Joe:
lol Whether you like it or not the uses of cell phones is changing. A cell phone is no longer just a phone that you carry with you and chat with your friend and send a text message or email every now and then. Cell phones are becoming all-i...n-one devices. This is a simple fact.

And by the way, you're right. We are not debating a "Super Phone", we are debating where the 9800 Torch fits in to the market today. To do so, I compared it to one of the leading phones in the marketplace right now.

As you can see, the 9800 is inferior to the leading phones in its category by a large margin when it comes to all of the "bells and whistles", which unfortunately is how phones are compared these days.

By the way, businessmen are consumers too and I'm sure they would like to own and use a cutting edge device. In fact, the study I mentioned earlier proves this. An estimated half of Blackberry users would rather switch than stay with a Blackberry. The fact of the matter is that currently BB is the standard for mobile business communication and that is why they have survived. Businessmen use Blackberry because they have to, not because they enjoy using the device.

RIM is continually putting out similar devices with little to no creativity. Upon further research I found that the processor used in the 9800 is actually the same as in the Bold and that the battery used is actually smaller than that used in the Bold. (FYI, the battery is not an OMFGZ battery that will last you a week, like you seem to think. Online reviewers say that it requires a charge a day with regular use).

BTW, the new and improved browser is getting ****ty reviews. It is slower iphone and android based phones- this is fact, there are already side by side comparisons online, look it up on youtube or crackberry.

And for some reason you keep claiming that the 9800 is not meant to be a multimedia device despite Blackberry marketing it as one. Go figure. Don't believe me? Go to their website.

The bottom line is that this phone is just like all of Blackberry's other offerings to date, last year's technology in a new wrapper.


Me:
First of all, I love change and I don't fight it. So your first comment is irrelevant; you know who I am. Everything is going to the cloud, including PCs, smartphones and tablets. I live for that change.

Your arguing the consumer stance a fe...w to a point of arrogance and neglecting to acknowledge why businesses and governments use Blackberrys.

Your survey can point the fingers all they want - businesses want Blackberrys because they work with their systems, integrate deeply and are SECURE. iPhones and Android are NOT secure.

iPhone and Androids are constantly pushing remote updates or making changes on the fly and users are at risk of losing data. Companies do not want that risk with their sensitive data.

President of the United States uses a Blackberry because the NSA has acknowledge Blackberrys are secure enough to handle top level government information.

While the BB's CPU's are lacking, their battery life again is amazing. All batteries are dependent on daily usage. I've watched the YouTube comparison videos and iPhone 4 has also had a few years head start on their browser. I am not surprised to find their device performs faster especially while using a better CPU.

And yes, Blackberry's are NOT primarily multimedia devices. They are business smartphones. They are adding in these multimedia features as we see in OS 6 and the 9800 device.

So your knocking them for not having the features and still knocking them when they are adding them? I've gone over the comparisons between the phones and I can acknowledge the weaknesses RIM and still see the weaknesses in the competition.

However, you are too closed minded to look at RIM from a perspective other than your own and see why businesses and consumers love Blackberrys.

Lets leave it here and agree to disagree.


---

I got a bit heated at the end however I am still a strong believer in Blackberrys. Any thoughts or feedback?

Cheers!


Stark

Every new article I have seen that discusses bb users jumping ship never mention the ones that did and shortly came running back, never to look else where again. Same with the sales charts. How many of those millions, were returned or sold off ebay? They never say because they do not want to know.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Pretty lengthy article for your first post that could be summed up in 1 of two ways. Either search and contribute to the 1,000 other posts exactly like this or just use a paragraph and say that your buddy likes Android/iPhone and you like blackberry and you convinced him to see your ways. Cheers!

I appreciate what you saying however I was not looking at add another discussion. It was a debate I had with a friend and want to share with the community.

Seems to be the debate of the year with everyone. It really just comes down to personal preference.