OT: Blackberry, iphone, smartphone hell.

[strangegrey]

Hey folks,

been slumming it with a piece of shit moto flip phone on verizon for about 2 years now. It's time to get with the times. My wife and I have been desperate to get phones that are email-savy, internet-savy and generally...far more connect-friendly than what we've had.


We're strongly considering getting iphones in late january, when our verizon service runs out. First we have to try out the iphones and see if we dig the interface. Personally, I hate the fact that the iphone doesn't have a querty keyboard....but the open architecture (those of you that have verizon with phones that have 3/4 of the functionality turned off by verizon know what I'm talking about) is something that's a plus.

However, if we decide to simply get blackberrys instead, we can stick with Verizon (whom I feel has a FAR better network than AT&T) and get the new phones right now.


One thing that is eye-opening...is that it appears that the data addon for the iphone from at&t is $30/month....yet the same service from verizon for the blackberry is $50/month.


Can I get you guys to comment on what you have? what service you use and how much your service costs??? I'd love to hear opinions.


Thanks,
Frank

[Don]

I have an 8320 with the $20 unlimited Blackberry data plan on T-Mobile. I'm very satisfied with it.

[Enigma869]

Hey Frank...

Interestingly enough, me and my wife are in a very similar position. I have had other cell phone providers in the past but came back to Verizon, as they've always been the carrier who gives me the most coverage with the fewest dropped calls. I know other providers offer less expensive service, but I'm a Verizon guy for life, because of the awful service that I've gotten from other providers. I'm probably going to be picking up a Blackberry Storm when it comes out on Friday. I know that you can get a great deal on the Blackberry Curve through Verizon right now. I believe they're selling it for about $50 with a two year contract, which is a steal. I know a lot of people who use the Blackberry and swear by them. I can't comment on the cost for data services, because I was told the cost for the data add-on was $30.00 per month (and not the $50 you were told) when I called my local Verizon Wireless store (which was just this past Friday). I will obviously ask for clarification on what the monthly data add-on is, so I don't get a surprise on my bill. Sorry I couldn't offer you a more in-depth review. Good luck on the purchase.


John from Boston

[lights1961]

Hey folks,

been slumming it with a piece of shit moto flip phone on verizon for about 2 years now. It's time to get with the times. My wife and I have been desperate to get phones that are email-savy, internet-savy and generally...far more connect-friendly than what we've had.


We're strongly considering getting iphones in late january, when our verizon service runs out. First we have to try out the iphones and see if we dig the interface. Personally, I hate the fact that the iphone doesn't have a querty keyboard....but the open architecture (those of you that have verizon with phones that have 3/4 of the functionality turned off by verizon know what I'm talking about) is something that's a plus.

However, if we decide to simply get blackberrys instead, we can stick with Verizon (whom I feel has a FAR better network than AT&T) and get the new phones right now.


One thing that is eye-opening...is that it appears that the data addon for the iphone from at&t is $30/month....yet the same service from verizon for the blackberry is $50/month.


Can I get you guys to comment on what you have? what service you use and how much your service costs??? I'd love to hear opinions.


Thanks,
Frank

my blackberry T moble service is amazing... called my office while in europe two weeks ago and the connection was AMAZING. Internet connection is great too anywhere.
email all of it... my business pays for both my wifes razor phone and my blackberry 94.00 a month for both...

Rick

[StoneCold]

I waited for the market to catch up and there's now a phone that gives the iPhone some real competition.

Th G1 Android from Google, carrier T-Mobile

http://www.t-mobileg1.com/?WT.srch=1&WT ... p148490733



Pluses,

Qwerty Keyboard
User replaceable battery
Not locked to iTunes for music (uses mini sd card)
Cheaper data plan (25 vs 30)

I'm sure there's cons but nothing I care about. One con that may matter is that it won't sync with MS outlook.

[Don]

I waited for the market to catch up and there's now a phone that gives the iPhone some real competition.

Th G1 Android from Google, carrier T-Mobile

http://www.t-mobileg1.com/?WT.srch=1&WT ... p148490733

Pluses,

Qwerty Keyboard
User replaceable battery
Not locked to iTunes for music (uses mini sd card)
Cheaper data plan (25 vs 30)

I'm sure there's cons but nothing I care about. One con that may matter is that it won't sync with MS outlook.

I was geeked for this but after playing with it a bit, I'm not happy with it. It's pretty big first off, the keyboard is uncomfortable and the screen isn't as clear as the Iphone. Almost there but not quite. I'm thinking the second generation one is going to be killer.

[S2M]

Frank,

Let me tell you a story(John from Boston too):


A few years ago I bought Verizon's first bluetooth Cell Phone. It was a Motorola V710.

http://www.craytonelectronics.com/v710.html

It was great. It has an SD slot, and all the bells and whistles. The main selling point for me was the bluetooth, and the ability to upload; through the SD card - your own ringtones.

About 4 months after I bought the thing I was walking through the mall. Walking past a Verizon dealer, a dude...well more like a carnival barker, called me over to find out what kind of phone I had. I told him I was a Verizon customer. he asked to see my phone, and very excitedly explained to me that there was a 'software update' for my phone. I thought great maybe some patches or whatever to fix some known bugs.

Took about 30 mins. I walked around the mall then came back.

Next time I wanted to upload new ringtones from existing MP3s on my computer, that feature had been disabled. And try though I might, I could not do it. I became members of half a dozen tech savvy boards before finally finding out that verizon was now going to offer downloadable riingtones at a cost to me - and that THAT 'software update' was, amoung other things, a chance for verizon to disable that feature on my phone. Which was the MAIN selling point for me.

That has been MY experience with Verizon. I absolutely loathe cell phone providers.

[StoneCold]

I waited for the market to catch up and there's now a phone that gives the iPhone some real competition.

Th G1 Android from Google, carrier T-Mobile

http://www.t-mobileg1.com/?WT.srch=1&WT ... p148490733

Pluses,

Qwerty Keyboard
User replaceable battery
Not locked to iTunes for music (uses mini sd card)
Cheaper data plan (25 vs 30)

I'm sure there's cons but nothing I care about. One con that may matter is that it won't sync with MS outlook.

I was geeked for this but after playing with it a bit, I'm not happy with it. It's pretty big first off, the keyboard is uncomfortable and the screen isn't as clear as the Iphone. Almost there but not quite. I'm thinking the second generation one is going to be killer.

There's another con that is pretty major. No 3.5mm earphone jack. It uses an extUSB adapter (included) to give you the jack. But you can't charge at the same time. I ordered a $12 3way adapter off ebay to I can charge and still have the music.

The keyboard isn't the best but better than nothing. I can't stand the virtual on the iPhone. I couldn't wait any longer so I went with it. Great free apps for it to. IMEEM, Pacman, Shopeasy, etc.

[Don]

I waited for the market to catch up and there's now a phone that gives the iPhone some real competition.

Th G1 Android from Google, carrier T-Mobile

http://www.t-mobileg1.com/?WT.srch=1&WT ... p148490733

Pluses,

Qwerty Keyboard
User replaceable battery
Not locked to iTunes for music (uses mini sd card)
Cheaper data plan (25 vs 30)

I'm sure there's cons but nothing I care about. One con that may matter is that it won't sync with MS outlook.

I was geeked for this but after playing with it a bit, I'm not happy with it. It's pretty big first off, the keyboard is uncomfortable and the screen isn't as clear as the Iphone. Almost there but not quite. I'm thinking the second generation one is going to be killer.

There's another con that is pretty major. No 3.5mm earphone jack. It uses an extUSB adapter (included) to give you the jack. But you can't charge at the same time. I ordered a $12 3way adapter off ebay to I can charge and still have the music.

The keyboard isn't the best but better than nothing. I can't stand the virtual on the iPhone. I couldn't wait any longer so I went with it. Great free apps for it to. IMEEM, Pacman, Shopeasy, etc.

I've come to the conclusion that I just have to adopt to using on screen keypads. I didn't want to but After using my nokia N800 Internet tablet for a while now, I 've gotten used to it. I've been playing around with my son's I -touch and slowly have gotten used to that also.
If I had the money to blow I would love to get the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 with full qwerty keyboard but it is simply too much.

[Enigma869]

If I had the money to blow I would love to get the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 with full qwerty keyboard but it is simply too much.

Good looking phone. Which provider is it available on, and how much is too expensive?


John from Boston

[S2M]

If I had the money to blow I would love to get the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 with full qwerty keyboard but it is simply too much.

Good looking phone. Which provider is it available on, and how much is too expensive?


John from Boston

Anywhere froom $650, to $950....from what I've seen.....simply too expensive.

[Don]

If I had the money to blow I would love to get the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 with full qwerty keyboard but it is simply too much.

Good looking phone. Which provider is it available on, and how much is too expensive?


John from Boston

$799 at the Sony Style store for the unlocked version. No U.S. carriers have picked it up so far, so the price is stuck at that point for the time being.

http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/son ... uselArea.0

[Enigma869]

$799 at the Sony Style store for the unlocked version. No U.S. carriers have picked it up so far, so the price is stuck at that point for the time being.

http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/son ... uselArea.0

Holy fuck! That's a freakin' RIP OFF! They'll never sell that thing to more than 50 people who have money burning a hole in their pocket, at that price!


John from Boston

[strangegrey]

Frank,

Let me tell you a story(John from Boston too):


A few years ago I bought Verizon's first bluetooth Cell Phone. It was a Motorola V710.

http://www.craytonelectronics.com/v710.html

It was great. It has an SD slot, and all the bells and whistles. The main selling point for me was the bluetooth, and the ability to upload; through the SD card - your own ringtones.

About 4 months after I bought the thing I was walking through the mall. Walking past a Verizon dealer, a dude...well more like a carnival barker, called me over to find out what kind of phone I had. I told him I was a Verizon customer. he asked to see my phone, and very excitedly explained to me that there was a 'software update' for my phone. I thought great maybe some patches or whatever to fix some known bugs.

Took about 30 mins. I walked around the mall then came back.

Next time I wanted to upload new ringtones from existing MP3s on my computer, that feature had been disabled. And try though I might, I could not do it. I became members of half a dozen tech savvy boards before finally finding out that verizon was now going to offer downloadable riingtones at a cost to me - and that THAT 'software update' was, amoung other things, a chance for verizon to disable that feature on my phone. Which was the MAIN selling point for me.

That has been MY experience with Verizon. I absolutely loathe cell phone providers.

I have a similar angst with verizon over this. They've disabled functionality on their phone (and tv) products so that they can sell you the same functionality at an a la carte price. It's frustration.


However, on the same tolken, I've been an At&t subscriber and verizon subscriber. I was an AT&T sub back in the late 90s....I quickly changed to verizon when I noticed how amazingly better verizon's coverage is...

regardless, to say the least...I'm not ready to jump from verizon at a whim...and might just give the new blackberry a try.....assuming their prices aren't rediculously more...


I might have to call verizon and see if their prices are really 30 dollars a month and not 50....

[Enigma869]

I'm not ready to jump from verizon at a whim...and might just give the new blackberry a try.....assuming their prices aren't rediculously more...

Frank, I was told that the new Blackberry Storm (which is a touch screen Blackberry) will sell for $249.00 with a $50.00 rebate, which makes the final cost $199.00. I don't know what the iPhone sells for, but I suspect it's more than that price.


John from Boston

[Rick]

I'm not ready to jump from verizon at a whim...and might just give the new blackberry a try.....assuming their prices aren't rediculously more...

Frank, I was told that the new Blackberry Storm (which is a touch screen Blackberry) will sell for $249.00 with a $50.00 rebate, which makes the final cost $199.00. I don't know what the iPhone sells for, but I suspect it's more than that price.


John from Boston

It sure is. It's $299 according to a friend of mine who just got one. With that said, he's having a fucking blast with the thing. It's got more gadgets than MacGyver could use.

[StoneCold]

I'm not ready to jump from verizon at a whim...and might just give the new blackberry a try.....assuming their prices aren't rediculously more...

Frank, I was told that the new Blackberry Storm (which is a touch screen Blackberry) will sell for $249.00 with a $50.00 rebate, which makes the final cost $199.00. I don't know what the iPhone sells for, but I suspect it's more than that price.


John from Boston

entry level iphone 8gb is $199 w contract, I compared when I got the g1 which is $20 bucks less

[strangegrey]

The blackberry storm, after the various breaks/rebates, will be 199.
The iphone 8gb is 199; 16gb 299.

So it's really a wash. I'm not ruling out at&t at this point, however....


I also called verizon this evening. data addon is 29.95...so it's really the same as at&t.

[bluejeangirl76]

So it's really a wash. I'm not ruling out at&t at this point, however....

I was annoyed with at&t's service. I couldn't get reception in a lot of places.
I dropped them for verizon in 2006.

[Don]

The blackberry storm, after the various breaks/rebates, will be 199.
The iphone 8gb is 199; 16gb 299.

So it's really a wash. I'm not ruling out at&t at this point, however....


I also called verizon this evening. data addon is 29.95...so it's really the same as at&t.

Go to Tmobile and have them check their signal strength at all of the important places you frequent. They do it right inside the store.

The Behold is looking sweet

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/det ... 8ac9447b27

[StoneCold]

GB, for multimedia that's a cool phone. Has 5mp cam and can shoot vids which neither the G1 nor the iPhone can.

Virtual keyboard much better than most. No wifi but that's not a biggie.

[MartyMoffatt]

I’ve had a Blackberry Curve for 18 months and have just switched to an iPhone about 2 months ago, so I’ve had experience of using both. I was happy with the Blackberry – its email push technology works fantastically well and some of the apps were quite useful.

When I switched to the iPhone the lack of a keypad initially took some getting used to but it does actually work quite well. The add-on apps are what make the product though. With the inbuilt GPS, so the phone always knows exactly where you are, it’s like carrying your own personal SatNav with you. Google maps and Google Earth work like they were built for this device. Youtube too works better on the iPhone than it does on a PC, and the MySpace and Facebook apps mean it’s easy to keep on top of things on the move.

There are only three things that prevent me from describing the iPhone as the perfect device – two are bugs that I’m sure will be fixed soon, and the third is a massive oversight on Apple’s part IMO.

Firstly, the operating system isn’t completely stable. Twice now in the two months I’ve had the iPhone I have experienced what’s been called the white screen on death (Google it – hundreds of iPhone users have had this problem). This is where the iPhone freezes completely and becomes unresponsive to anything. The only solution seems to be to do a hard reboot 6 or 7 times until the iPhone finally wakes up again.

Secondly, the mail push technology used by Apple is not nearly as good as Blackberry’s at the moment. It will work fine for a day or two and then inexplicably stop working. Unfortunately you can’t tell if the lack of emails coming through is due to there not being any or because the iPhone has stopped collecting them. The only solution if you have any doubt is to do a reboot. Then the mails come flooding in again.

Finally, I was annoyed to find that all the peripherals I have for my iPod WON’T work with the iPhone, despite having the same cable and connectors. This means my iPod camera connector, speakers, iTrip etc all are pretty much useless with the iPhone.

Things like the crap inbuilt camera don’t worry me, because as a photographer I wouldn’t dream of using any kind of phone camera anyway (that’s not snobbery, its just that the lenses and sensors in these things really are technically inferior to a dedicated camera).

However, apart from these small gripes, I am happy with my iPhone and do feel it is a much more useful all round product than the Blackberry. If you just want email and a phone, you can’t go wrong with a Blackberry. If you want all the other cool stuff, the iPhone is way out in front.

Marty

[DracIsBack]

However, apart from these small gripes, I am happy with my iPhone and do feel it is a much more useful all round product than the Blackberry.

"the BlackBerry" is kind of like saying "The computer". They aren't all the same. Certainly neither the Bold nor the Storm are the same as the Curve ... just as the old iPhone is not the same as the iPhone 3G.

[MartyMoffatt]

However, apart from these small gripes, I am happy with my iPhone and do feel it is a much more useful all round product than the Blackberry.

"the BlackBerry" is kind of like saying "The computer". They aren't all the same. Certainly neither the Bold nor the Storm are the same as the Curve ... just as the old iPhone is not the same as the iPhone 3G.

I thought it was a given that I was talking about the Blackberry Curve as that's the one I mentioned earlier in my post.

[strangegrey]

So it's really a wash. I'm not ruling out at&t at this point, however....

I was annoyed with at&t's service. I couldn't get reception in a lot of places.
I dropped them for verizon in 2006.

Now....*this* is important to me. and one of the reasons why I wont rule out verizon, just to jump on the iphone fad. I had at&t 10 years ago, and their coverage friggin blew monkey chunks. Granted, alot can change in 10 years...but I keep hearing the same thing even now...from lots of ex-at&t users, ex-tmobile users, etc...that all go back to verizon after having frustrating coverage issues with their former carriers.

A friend of mine....who's an anti-windows, mac-scob.....bought the iphone as soon as it was available....and has been singing it's praises for as long as I can remember. I asked him "How's the coverage?" His response was a shrug and "ehhh...it's not the best...it takes some getting used to....but DUDE, it's an iphone. you gotta get it!"

That scares me...and while I will admit that Marty's excellent comments regarding the iphone's bugs are concerns of mine...in the end, I want a phone that actually gets it's signal coverage.

[strangegrey]

I’ve had a Blackberry Curve for 18 months and have just switched to an iPhone about 2 months ago, so I’ve had experience of using both. I was happy with the Blackberry – its email push technology works fantastically well and some of the apps were quite useful.

When I switched to the iPhone the lack of a keypad initially took some getting used to but it does actually work quite well. The add-on apps are what make the product though. With the inbuilt GPS, so the phone always knows exactly where you are, it’s like carrying your own personal SatNav with you. Google maps and Google Earth work like they were built for this device. Youtube too works better on the iPhone than it does on a PC, and the MySpace and Facebook apps mean it’s easy to keep on top of things on the move.

There are only three things that prevent me from describing the iPhone as the perfect device – two are bugs that I’m sure will be fixed soon, and the third is a massive oversight on Apple’s part IMO.

Firstly, the operating system isn’t completely stable. Twice now in the two months I’ve had the iPhone I have experienced what’s been called the white screen on death (Google it – hundreds of iPhone users have had this problem). This is where the iPhone freezes completely and becomes unresponsive to anything. The only solution seems to be to do a hard reboot 6 or 7 times until the iPhone finally wakes up again.

Secondly, the mail push technology used by Apple is not nearly as good as Blackberry’s at the moment. It will work fine for a day or two and then inexplicably stop working. Unfortunately you can’t tell if the lack of emails coming through is due to there not being any or because the iPhone has stopped collecting them. The only solution if you have any doubt is to do a reboot. Then the mails come flooding in again.

Finally, I was annoyed to find that all the peripherals I have for my iPod WON’T work with the iPhone, despite having the same cable and connectors. This means my iPod camera connector, speakers, iTrip etc all are pretty much useless with the iPhone.

Things like the crap inbuilt camera don’t worry me, because as a photographer I wouldn’t dream of using any kind of phone camera anyway (that’s not snobbery, its just that the lenses and sensors in these things really are technically inferior to a dedicated camera).

However, apart from these small gripes, I am happy with my iPhone and do feel it is a much more useful all round product than the Blackberry. If you just want email and a phone, you can’t go wrong with a Blackberry. If you want all the other cool stuff, the iPhone is way out in front.

Marty

Marty, thank you so much for the comments regarding the iphone. Those 3 bugs scare the bejesus out of me. Especially the email freeze. I'm not so sure I can give people the excuse "sorry, my iphone misplaced my emails" for a few days....lol...

If you don't mind, could you expand on a few things for me?

Can you say why you went to the iphone from the blackberry?

Are there any issues with the blackberry that you can expand on?

Do any of the signal coverage issues come into play with the iphone for you?

[bluejeangirl76]

I was annoyed with at&t's service. I couldn't get reception in a lot of places.
I dropped them for verizon in 2006.

Now....*this* is important to me. and one of the reasons why I wont rule out verizon, just to jump on the iphone fad. I had at&t 10 years ago, and their coverage friggin blew monkey chunks. Granted, alot can change in 10 years...but I keep hearing the same thing even now...from lots of ex-at&t users, ex-tmobile users, etc...that all go back to verizon after having frustrating coverage issues with their former carriers.

This was my experience... I had at&t, and two others in my office had verizon... both of them were able to use their cell phones in the office, walk around the whole office talking with no problem... in the very same 10 feet of office space, I got zero reception. In order to use my phone, I had to go outside, walk around until I fould the one inch of space where I could get reception, which was never the same spot twice by the way, then crouch down, hide under a bush, raise one arm in the air, close one eye and STAY in that exact postition until I was finished with my call otherwise it would be dropped. Fuck at&t.

[Saint John]

The only thing I can offer to this thread (which isn't much!!!) is that it has been my experience that T-Mobile's reception is unparalleled.

[strangegrey]

The only thing I can offer to this thread (which isn't much!!!) is that it has been my experience that T-Mobile's reception is unparalleled.

Unparalleled in a good way or a bad? I've been told that there's not much worse than T-mobile...except for allhell, er Alltel.

[Saint John]

The only thing I can offer to this thread (which isn't much!!!) is that it has been my experience that T-Mobile's reception is unparalleled.

Unparalleled in a good way or a bad? I've been told that there's not much worse than T-mobile...except for allhell, er Alltel.

In a positive way. I've probably had 5 dropped calls in the last 3 years.