Before I start this comparison between RIM’s Blackberry and Apple’s iPhone, I need to state that I am a huge Apple fan!
I have been using Blackberry products for several months now, I was totally impressed with the iPhone, and thought that it was the best gadget ever made. But after using it for a while now, I have started to see the difference between iPhone and Blackberry in a more practical way.
Now, I am convinced that Blackberry is a much better communication device, especially if you use your cell phone mainly for business purposes.
Here are five reasons why I think that Blackberry is better than iPhone as a business tool:
1. Keyboard and typing
The first obvious cultural change when shifting from Blackberry to iPhone is in changing the way you type. Instead of the mini-buttons (berries) keyboard that you use in Blackberry, iPhone utilizes a touch screen technology for typing.
Personally, I find that the mechanical action of keystrokes on a typical Blackberry keyboard results in a better experience and more accurate typing than the touch screen keyboard utilized by iPhone. Furthermore, Blackberry’s keyboard, and its ergonomic design, allows you to use both of your thumbs while typing; whereas, for the iPhone’s touch screen keyboard, you can only use your index finger to touch on the letters forcing the user to use the other hand to hold the device. As such, it is much easier and quicker to type text using Blackberry than iPhone.
2. Battery life
When I used to charge my Blackberry to full, the battery could last up to two days without me having to recharge the batteries, especially on days that I did not do a lot of texting or calling. On the other hand, the iPhone consumes battery life at a more rapid pace. When I charge the iPhone in the morning to 100%, by mid-day it is at 50% of battery life. This is really an issue if you are on the road as you need to find a power supply to charge your phone almost twice a day. To be fair, it is known that G3 consumes more power than other technologies, so I am not sure how G3 Blackberry’s would behave battery wise.
3. Sound quality and phone usage
When I am having a call, I noticed that the sound quality was much better using the Blackberry than the iPhone. Many times I found myself unable to hear the other party on the line, especially when taking calls outdoor.
Another issue with the iPhone is that if you need to dial in an extension number or follow an auto-responder asking you to dial 1 or 2 to continue with the call, you need to shake your iPhone to get the screen activated again, and then tap on the screen to switch to the keypad mode to dial in the extra numbers. This is really frustrating if you are on the go. Using Blackberry, you always have access to your key pad, no shaking or tapping is needed.
4. Email and messaging access
What I like the most about Blackberry is that you always have access to all your messages and emails in one place (even if you have multiple email accounts). You can see all your messages aggregated in one inbox. You can even keep the new messages displayed at the home screen for your quick reference, so you only respond or view the message that you deem important or interesting.
On the other hand, iPhone is really frustrating in managing multiple email accounts. The home screen can only tell you how many unread messages you have on aggregate, but in order for you to actually access your email, you must tap on the email icon that leads to an “Accounts” page that lists all of your email accounts. Then you need to tap on the email account you want to access. This will lead you to another page listing your view options, including inbox, drafts, send, and so on. Only when you tap on the inbox tab you have access to your email (for that single email account). So, instead of instant access to all of your important email in Blackberry, in iPhone, you need to tap on the screen 3 times to gain access to one single account.
5. Peer-to-peer for free
Another great feature for Blackberry is that you can instant message your colleagues, friends, and family using Blackberry on the RIM’s peer-to-peer network for free! This is not the case for iPhone, where you must you SMS or use other instant messaging applications that eat up from your data and phone plans.
In conclusion, iPhone is a cool device that offers great entertainment options on the go, and may be more suitable for personal or non-work related use. On the other hand, if you are mainly looking for a business device that enables you to make quick calls and send messages and emails frequently and instantly, Blackberry is a better choice. In addition, Blackberry has started to attract many application developers to offer many apps on Blackberry platform; thus, enhancing the entertainment value for Blackberry use.
It is going to be interesting to see how Apple and RIM will continue their market share war, especially if RIM starts to spice up its Blackberry’s appeal as a “cool” device, and Apple makes its iPhone look more serious to appeal to the business market.
