[Macworld]

Post your comments for Deathmatch rematch: BlackBerry versus iPhone 3.0 here

[jcbeckman]

"You can remote-wipe and incapacitate an iPhone, but only via Exchange. "
Or MobileMe.

[SailorMoon]

I do prefer the iPhone to the BB but I did notice a few errors that should be noted in BB's favor (but the iPhone would still win - though it should win fairly based on the facts). I assume the author hasn't use his BB long enough or his colleagues or admin has shared all the "tips & tricks" available to make this a more fair review.
Menu Navigation for Email:
There are several keyboard shortcuts:
c(compose),
r(reply),
f(forward),
l(reply all).
When reading an email you can use:
t(top) or
b(bottom)
to save scrolling multiple pages.
None of this requires menu navigation as the author suggests.
Deleting email:
While by default the system prompts you to confirm deleting email, this can be turned off in email options.
Keyboard UI On a BB:
Caps: Hold the key down to get caps of that letter.
Numbers: There is a num lock option (alt+num)
Foreign characters: The BB shines. Hold down the letter "e" for example and scroll up or down and you can go through the entire list of accented "e" characters.
Dialing: You can type 1-800-GO-FEDEX and the BB will convert it to numbers for you. Just use the alt key in the phone app.
Downfalls:
While I loved the BES in v4.x, BES 5.x which is entirely web based is great in concept but poor in execution. It's completely unintuitive and trying to deploy an app or OS update is so painfully (and illogically) multi-stepped you'd swear it was written by MS!
BB Mac support sucks and is near non-existent. You require a PC and IE for most things!
Storm:
I have a Storm and will not deploy it to users. Compared to "regular" BBs it's much better at multimedia but the "SurePress" keyboard sucks big time - I hear they're getting rid of it in the Storm 2. I fat finger the Storm's keyboard a 1000 times more than the iPhones.
The rest of the article I agree with completely but thought I should point out these "corrections".

[topherab]

As a long-time BB and iPod Touch user, I'd love to make the switch to an iPhone. The biggest obstacle is the limited service providers. My carrier doesn't have the iPhone, and currently operates a CDMA network. The local carrier that does have the iPhone is notorious for problems and coverage gaps. In contrast, every carrier here has at least two BB models in their lineup.
So until the iPhone becomes more widely available, BB will always have an edge.

[MacTechAspen]

"Foreign characters: The BB shines. Hold down the letter "e" for example and scroll up or down and you can go through the entire list of accented "e" characters."
So does the iPhone.

[meta]

Companies are unlikely to choose the iPhone while it means giving Apple control over whether they're allowed to run their in-house apps on their employees' phones. So until the iPhone is available jailbroken and unlocked, I don't see it taking over.

[davebarnes]

The war is NOT between RIM and Apple.
Nor is it between any one smart phone and another.
It is for the hearts & minds of all the "feature" phone customers out there.

[bonesb]

First - sweet breakdown. Actually, thanks for the nuts & bolts of each of the breakdowns. Kudos!
I use an iPhone 3G and a BB (the Storm on VZW's network). I just couldn't get two devices on ATTs network, and opted for a voice device on VZW's network. For the iPhone, I have the minimum voice package and have more than 3000 rollover minutes in the bank - the iPhone's data makes it the killer device. I make 95% of my calls with my VZW line, ATT's voice quality kills the iPhone as a device I can rely on. OTOH, I use BIS for my Storm - and BIS almost kills the BB.
There's really only one reason I stick with the BB platform - Vlingo Pro. I get around the lack of a keyboard with VP - the app nails being able to write text messages and emails and respond to emails with my voice, and using a keyboard on a mobile phone is passé and outmoded for me. The BIS outage and delays this past week almost cost me two jobs, and the iPhone's email saved my bacon - it picked up the emails BIS missed, and I'll be on the phone to VZW after I cool down. VZW's voice quality and everywhere voice network keeps me spending more coin on their company, and I'll be looking to get a dumbphone next week - Vlingo or Nuance need a voice transcription app on the iPhone - I'd pay up to $25 for one that works.
Thank you for your breakdown. RIM needs to get their act together. The Boy Genius had a serious rant earlier this week against RIM - the iPhone OS makes RIM's offering look like Windows 3.1 did, what, eons ago. The BIS issues make their devices for non-enterprise users a waste of money.

[ncted]

I just switched from 1st gen iPhone to BB Bold. The keyboard was the killer app that made me switch back. I can type twice as fast on the BB as I could on the iPhone, which provides no tactile feedback and gives me sore fingers. As a bonus, I now have a much better voice experience on AT&T.
Having used friends' iPhones, I can say that Apple really should have addressed voice and signal quality in later iPhones. I think half of the complaints AT&T gets over signal quality can probably be attributed to the iPhone these days. A sub-par handset does not equate to a poor network, and I think AT&T takes the rap for Apple.
Does the iPhone beat the Bold as an all around smartphone? Yes. Is it as one-sided as you suggest in your article? No way. BIS is not nearly as difficult to setup as you suggest, and other tasks are not as onerous as described, and many other tasks and settings on the iPhone are needlessly complicated or obscure, such as the iPod setup. Having contextual menus at any place in the interface is actually quite useful as you don't have to leave whatever it is you are doing to go to some centralized settings most of the time. The BB also has excellent integrated help.
I do agree that RIM needs to work harder to compete on features but without giving up what made BB's great. I would have probably gone with another iPhone if it had a Pre-type keyboard.

[QCassidy352]

thanks for this article. I have an iphone and a bb curve (for work), and I agree with almost everything you said. The bottom line is that until RIM does something about its late 90s UI and horrible web browsing, it will lag far behind not on the iphone but the Pre and Android devices as well. That said, it will continue to dominate for business use because it has excellent security, and that's what IT admins care about most.

[JakeT]

I would like to see some improvements to the iPhone's email app. Filters would be nice. I have a lot of email that I have rules set up for in Thunderbird to automatically move it to a folder. I can't even figure out how to create a folder in a pop account to move that mail to manually. It's also limited on how many old messages I can see.

[newuser1980]

although blackberry beat down iphone for every feature, but I still believe billion of people will buy iphone based on brand effect.



just take ipod forexample, everone know most other brand mp3 player has builtin radio, drag and drop copy songs not forced to use itune, butlin mic, can record channel, not sealed battery, extenal speaker, smaller and thinner, but people still think ipod is the king, so review is a waste of time.

[bigglesworth]

The main problem with iphone as I see it is AT&T. If the rumored Apple/Verizon deal comes off at he end of the year then I think it becomes more of a no brainer. Meanwhile I prefer my Blackberry as I have it with Verizon worldwide.

[bonaccij]

I have suggested, if once, a hundred times, that this capability should be offered by AT&T with a partnership from Apple. Apple has done their end by allowing MobileMe users wipe their devices if lost or stolen. Now, AT&T needs to come up with a portal to all users to do the same thing, and this will be a non-issue.