[robboftw]

I know, I know, there have been threads asking this sort of thing before.

What I want to know is why you specifically use a BlackBerry over a different device, such as the iPhone 4 or Samsung Galaxy S II?

I know they have the reputation as 'the' business device, and BBM is very popular, but are there other reasons?

I'm very much looking forward to playing with my 9900 when it arrives, I've never had one before!

[Wiredin]

1: Keyboard
2: BBM
3: Google Talk (I hate how iphone operates Gtalk)
4: email interface
5: looks (I love the look compared to the other phones...the other devices are too pretty)
6: external battery/external memory vs iphone
7: interface is more organized compared to iOS/Android
8: hate the lack of a "back" button on iOS
9: lack of "better than thou" attitude associate with the iOS. Its a tool, not a lifestyle. :P

[justineporter]

There are a few of these threads I have seen through the months but to answer you question from MY opinion is simple.
I first chose blackberry because I was in between a Palm Pre and a BB. The retailer asked how many email accounts I used and I said three, he told me BB would be the way to go because you can have more than one email to the phone at once which is my original decision for buying.
Now I keep coming back to Black. I will honestly never go for an iPhone because they're insurance and warranty suck which I can say that because I worked in the call centers dealing with this for a long time. I keep coming back to a Blackberry because they're the ones that is catching my eye over all other phones, they're giving me what I want. Especially being able to change my theme whenever I want is a big thing for me I like being able to see my screen the way I want it.
I don't need lots of games and apps on my phone so I'm not worried nor do I complain about the lack of apps for BBs.
BBM is a big thing I use it all the time, I like my physical keyboard as well as my option to use a virtual one as well.

These are some of the reasons why I personally like Blackberry over all other phones.

[GingerSnapsBack]

I don't have an iPhone because I don't want to have to use iTunes and I like to personalize my phone with themes and that's something you can't do on an iPhone without jailbreaking it.

I don't have an Android because I like my battery to last more than a couple hours.

[Bonnie Bonzai]

1: Keyboard
2: BBM
3: Google Talk (I hate how iphone operates Gtalk)
4: email interface
5: looks (I love the look compared to the other phones...the other devices are too pretty)
6: external battery/external memory vs iphone
7: interface is more organized compared to iOS/Android
8: hate the lack of a "back" button on iOS
9: lack of "better than thou" attitude associate with the iOS. Its a tool, not a lifestyle. :P

Pretty much what Lennex said (except Google talk)

[PondHockey]

I know, I know, there have been threads asking this sort of thing before.

What I want to know is why you specifically use a BlackBerry over a different device, such as the iPhone 4 or Samsung Galaxy S II?

I know they have the reputation as 'the' business device, and BBM is very popular, but are there other reasons?

I'm very much looking forward to playing with my 9900 when it arrives, I've never had one before!

Function and form is why I prefer my Bold over Iphone. Plus Apple is too controlling and made in China.

[bonkodoofus]

All the iPhones, androids and what have you have a fundamental flaw: their batteries run out of jiuce so fast you wonder what the designers were thinking.

I got an iphone, and the forums are filled with 'turn this off and turn that off' to extend battery life.
Same with two Androids that I tried.

What is the point of having an armful of features and the kitchen sink if you have to keep everything turned off just so your phone lasts through the day?

At a minimum I need the phone, email, Bluetooth plus a visible screen. Those other phones ask you to turn the screen brightness down, switch off 3G, switch off Bluetooth, dont make too many calls, and you can try to get through the day. If you forget to charge it at night, your phone is dead the next day.

That sucks. Its like buying a nice car with a 3 gallon gas tank. Dont drive too far, dont carry more than two people...ridiculous.

My Bold will go for 2-3 days easily with everything on. 4th day, maybe till noon. I wold rather have that, instead of ending up with an expensive paperweight every other day.

[catberryday]

Customization, battery life and keyboard. I have never used an iphone or android based phone nor do I ever intend to if it can be helped. I love my blackberry. The iphone just seemed useless to me with the silly apps my friends were using. I wanted to be able to work on documents so I needed a keyboard. The Android stuff seemed way too confusing with the different OS verions and all the different hardware to choose from. Then all the time I would waste trying to figure out how to customize it. Blackberry made the decision easy.

[AidenSurvival]

1.) I love the Facebook app.
2.) Virtual and physical keyboard.
3.) Ability to change themes without the need to jailbreak.
4.) Forgive me for saying this, but my BlackBerry Torch (first generation) actually has pretty stellar battery life. Android phones, sadly, do not.
5.) BlackBerry Messenger. (The latest version is freakin' awesome!)
6.) I keep returning to BlackBerry.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[swimmer160]

For me, it simply comes down to dsata consumption. I use a lot of data, I average about 1.5 GB per month on my BlackBerry. I used an iPhone for a few months and was almost crushing 5 GB per month with the same usage, no more, no less. From a financial standpoint, owning a BlackBerry is the smarter choice, especially with how expensive data is becoming.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[rollingrock1988]

1. The keyboard- I came from a Palm centro and I loved that form factor.
2. Data Compression
3.BBM
4. Battery Life
5.The keyboard/form factor
6. Love the communications aspect about it.

[robboftw]

For me, it simply comes down to dsata consumption. I use a lot of data, I average about 1.5 GB per month on my BlackBerry. I used an iPhone for a few months and was almost crushing 5 GB per month with the same usage, no more, no less. From a financial standpoint, owning a BlackBerry is the smarter choice, especially with how expensive data is becoming.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

That isn't a response I expected. 5GB per month? What did you use it for!

[jono212.]

For me

Battery Life
Design/Look of the BB's
Stable OS
BBM
E-Mail
Changeable Battery
Expandable Memory

For me RIM have a stable OS.Windows phone is a good OS but still in the puppy stages and not suitable for me as a phone OS, Android is like an unfinished/unpolished school project and iOS restricts you too much. Also with the i device when I had one it would crash and not reset using power and home button (sometimes) and you would have to wait for the battery to drain.

If I spend �600 on a device I want to be able to customise it how I want aswell

I do have a WP7 HTC trophy purely for xbox live integration and zune (I use it as an ipod/game device no sim in it)

For me the blackberry has and always will be the ultimate communications device its the only phone I have ever owned that I can get two full days out of from one charge.

I know I will get people saying the opposite but its true and please no graphs showing me the iphone has a better battery life I am going on user experience having owned an iphone,android and my 9000/9780 with the same data syncing at the same intervals RSS etc.. and my 2 E-Mail accounts using push the BB wins hands down each and everytime

This is why I will always use a BB

Sent from my BlackBerry 9780 using Tapatalk

[pcgizmo#IM]

I've never been a fan of crApple products, and I'm not completely sold on Android yet. My BlackBerry Bold 9650 does everything I need to.

[jonathon.94]

Lol I use data like crazy. I use pandora, slacker, internet browser, facebook, and occasional youtube. If I was on anything but a blackberry and was on the tiered 2gb plan I would be in trouble.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[dcgore]

Blackberrys make me feel always connected. Im not sure if you have noticed or maybe it's just me but people with blackberrys seem to be always "active." I love apple product and have had all iphones but in the end when it comes to messaging, bberry is the best...not to mention call quality.

Iphone 4 is beautiful but it really doesn't feel like a phone to me and that's how i can put it.

[T�nis]

The usual reasons everybody has already mentioned (keyboard, data compression, battery life, etc.) And there are a few more things: BIS, notification profiles, and security. I love BIS and it's push email, the @carrier.BlackBerry email address that comes with it, and being able to set Level 1 messenging filters with it. Notification profiles are highly customizable, and the combined messages inbox makes total sense. As for security, BlackBerry's device and media card data security is unmatched: unbreakable AES.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[ADGrant]

1. The keyboard
2. The keyboard
3. The keyboard
4. Low data consumption allows me to use the $15 AT&T plan
5. AT&T freely hands out unlock codes (unlike with the iPhone).
6. Standard SIM card (unlike the iPhone)
7. Visual Voicemail (iPhone is the only other AT&T phone to have this).
8. Battery life (Androids is terrible).

[karaya1]

Keyboard: I just don't enjoy touchscreens. Personal preference.

Stability: I've not had issues with IOS, but with a Original moto droid and X2 i had several total freezes. Including a few during phone calls. Not acceptable.
I've never had a BB freeze during a call. My only issues with freezing have been when installing all my apps after an OS upgrade almost simultaneously . Once i just installed one at a time, its never happened again. I reboot my shrunken OS 6 9700 once a week. Monday morning when i shower. It works perfectly all week.

Battery: 2 Days, is no issue with my 9700. When i travel and set it to 2g only, i can go 3 days easily if needed. I charge my phone on a charging pod every day normally, but it's nice to end the day with 75%-85% juice left.

Email: I still think the BB does email better than all devices. I use four email accounts and have never missed an important message.

OS layout: I love how i have my OS organized. It's simple and fast to access everything i need.

Apps: All the apps i need i have. Gmaps, Scottrade (as of last month! finally), bloomberg, berryweather, banking, BB protect, Docs2go. BB travel and apps that have all the train schedules when i am in Europe. Perfect. And they all work without bugs or issues. I do not have one game on my phone.

Media- It streams news podcasts well, with good sound and clear video. It's good enough for how little i use it. The playback for MP3's is good enough and i don't need to use iTunes.

UMA Calling- Awesome. Its what i use at home and in the mountains of Wyoming where NO carriers have service.

Solid Encryption for phone data and media card- I don't have to sweat important data going to people who don't need it. I actually use my phone as a backup of some sensitive data from my computer.

Calling- Always strong signal, doesn't drop calls and it works superbly as a phone.

BBM- I use this with friends at home, abroad and my significant other. The D/R are very useful as are the groups and lists that can integrate with the calender.

Profiles: I know what two quick buzzes mean, i know what one long buzz means, different sounds, ect. Very useful.

Durability- I've put my devices through some rough times and have never broken one. My 8320 has been watered, dropped more times than i could count and through 3 owners and once i popped a new screen cover on it, it looks and works great. My 8900 has been passed on and is still going strong too. These things last. My 9700 i picked up used with a broken headphone jack for cheap. I replaced the jack for $10 from ebay and the phone looks to be in mint condition.

3.2 MP auto-focus camera is good enough and i use it once in awhile and am always pleased.

I feel it does everything a communication device needs to do and it does it superbly.

ETA:
Data compression- Might slow the browser a little but keeps costs down, especially when abroad.
Tethering- Always worked without a headache when needed in a pinch.
OS 6 Browser allows me to do what i want to do. Read news sites, sports scores, google search, ect with a pleasant experience. I've had no complaints with the OS 6 Webkit browser.

[jlp916]

1. Keyboard, I love having the best of both worlds with my Torch. Have no interest in going to an all touch phone.
2. Battery life
3. BBM
4. Push email notifications
5. external battery/memory

I don't really have the need to play games on my phone so I needed a solid workhorse not some toy.

[hondateg91]

Why I have a BlackBerry?
-Keyboard
-Simple & efficient UI(works perfect for my needs)
-Messaging just works(again for my needs)

Why not Android?
-I was always worrying about the battery even with an extended battery
-Browser was top notch, but again dont do a ton of browsing
-UI is most of the time fluent
-The screens on most are hard to see outside which drove me insane.

Why not Apple?
-Dont like the way you have to use iTunes for almost everything
-Jailbreaking was boring. Some reason it just wasn't the same as Android
-UI is very fluent and never had issues
-Dont like the homescreen layout. Not many options to "clean it up"

Overall I just always go back to Blackberry. Its fun to mess with other platforms and try out all the different phone which ispart of my addictions.

[NFLPLAYBOOK]

I was using the iPhone but tired of being attached to a charging cord all day long. That was just my biggest complaint with it. So I switch to android and OMG. Not only was I switching batteries constantly, but I found it to be the most unstable OS I have ever used. Luckily the Playbook was released and I loved the new QNX software as well as the form factor. I was so impressed with it that a bought my first BB phone to have the complete Playbook experience. I will be upgrading to a 9860 as soon as I can get one.

[olblueyez]

Keyboard
Battery Life
Email
Custom OS's and Interface
Freedom from BigBrother
Standardized Connectors fit my wifes Nokia too
Ergonomics
Ability to Repair the BB myself is so nice
Looks, although mine is a 9000 and is a bit different than most

The 2 most valuble assets of my old 9000 are two things that enabled me to continue to use it and enjoy it even more today than the day I got it.

1. A Hybrid OS has improved all aspects of my phone many times over to the point were it runs better today than it did when I got it and was using the att OS.

2. My trackball was still functional but had worn and become very unappealing to look at and this also made scrolling more cumbersome. I bought 2 trackballs for about $10 and installed one and now my old 9000 is like new again.

Do I feel pressure to buy another device ASAP? Nope. Whenever the right (9900) one comes along.

Blackberry earned my loyalty with a truly great product designed for the user and not for some bean counters or control freaks.

They Must be from some place like Canada where the word "Free" still has the same meaning it did 100 years ago.

[Snafufubar]

Lol I use data like crazy. I use pandora, slacker, internet browser, facebook, and occasional youtube. If I was on anything but a blackberry and was on the tiered 2gb plan I would be in trouble.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Does BB compress all data that goes out to their devices? Say for example web browsing use less on BB than Iphone? How about streaming music, is it compressed as well? Just trying to understand how much compression matters with Blackberry plans/phones.

[bbboyjr]

1. Great keyboard
2. Long battery life
3. Swap-able battery
4. Ability to use memory card
5. Ability to customize via themes
6. Reliability
7. Ease of one-hand operation (I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I don't want a touch screen)
8. I don't like to follow the herd. Let the "cool" people have their iphones.
9. The autocorrect feature is great (customizable) on the BB and is horrible on the iphone.
10. There may be a gazillion apps for the iphone, but most of them are junk. There are many great apps for the BB, and it does everything I need it to do.

Do I have some complaints about the BB? Yes, it's not perfect. But I like it better than anything else I've tried. I'm excited for the 9900 to come to ATT.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com