Comments on: Why all the BlackBerry hate?

Is there a serious case of BlackBerry hatred going on in the tech world? Don Reisinger, who plans to switch from an iPhone 3G to a BlackBerry Bold, thinks so.

[alt117]

I got rid of my iPhone after 6 months for 3 reasons - while I could type OK on the keyboard, I could never really get used to it. Dropped calls, probably more AT&T, but still..., and Safari crashing often.

I replaced it with a G1 and Android. Great physical keyboard, on screen keyboard for quick browser input or texting, in my area, TMO works well, running more than 1 process at a time, and any app I really need is already available in the marketplace.

Lots of choices, something out there for everybody.

[mrcjacobs]

I use what's most useful for the job at hand. I have an iPhone 3G and a BlackBerry Storm. I like both but my Storm is more useful. It is the best device bar none for email. And its built in support for word, powerpoint, etc. make it a no brainer for anyone that actually needs to get work done from time to time on their "smartphone". I've never been impressed by the app store. Sure it's pretty and it's a great repository for all things iPhone but most of the stuff there is junk. For me the iPhone is just an iPod Touch with a phone tacked on for good measure. For some people that's enough. If you want a BlackBerry get a BlackBerry and ignore all those who question you on it. You have to use it, not them!

[nic.disassembly]

don= king of controversy by always stating the opposite of the obvious and then giving the Johnny Cochran argument LOL.

My thoughts: When the 3.0 OS hits, that definitely will make the iPhone undisputed champion. I think people are just scared of perfection. Ok maybe near perfection, I agree with the speakerphone issue. But otherwise, my call quality has never been better with any other phone.

extending on Apple's brands (including Mac), i'm a recent Mac convert from PC and maybe i was fed/drank something without looking. But i don't think I'm ever going back. Maybe Apple just gets it right, and hence they feel (rightfully so) they can charge whatever they want. Until someone can step up to the plate and offer something better, ball's in their court.

Of course (arguing myself here) that's what Microsoft probably thought too, at least at one time lol

[bboybazza]

i agree in some respects with you(and i love and own lots of apple gadgets from time machine to macs, i went from the iphone not to the bold but to the storm (copy and paste video recording and 3 types of keyboard to choose)you will be pleased to know that you can sync a blackberry with itunes so your library will be at your fingertips i hope you enjoy your new phone.

[akkayab]

You could consider Nokia E71 too. Thin and sleek. Lots of free apps on the web for Symbian OS. Push e-mail service from Nokia, up to 10 accounts. scary at first but very comfortable full keyboard. Very good and fast browser. Internet calling using bot WiFi or 3g. Fast, even if there is 5 applications working in the background.

[iroq321]

in my opinion, smartphones NEED buttons, period. I did the exact same thing, went from iPhone to the bold and don't regret it one bit. editing docs, creating/replying to email is worlds better with an actual qwerty. sure swiping and pinching looks and is cool...for a while at least, but in terms of efficiency, gotta have da' buttons!

[thelemurking]

You should know by now that the Apple apologist will come out in droves on any mention of someone ditching an Apple product in favor of a competitor. It's kind of funny with the old moto of THINK DIFFERENTLY when most of them are so freaking brainwashed, that they can't even muster up the ability think for themselves. So thinking differently only works when you think exactly like everyone else with a fruity little logo.

[poster48150]

"It has a better battery life in my testing." - I've had one just a few months. A few days ago, I had left it turned off, but plugged into the A/C adapter, overnight. At about 1:00 pm that day, its light was "green", meaning it was fully charged. I turned it on, and checked email several times, but did not make any phone calls or do anything else with it (web, media). By 5:00 the next morning (16 hours), the battery was down to one "bar". At that rate, the charge would have died in less than 24 hours - without making any calls at all.

[storrey]

Actually I prefer the high-end HTC line-up (e.g. Touch and HD) to both Blackberries and iPhones. The Microsoft operating system is much easier to use with Outlook and there are plenty of applications that can be easily installed on the phone (no locked-down operating system). I don't know why more people aren't enamoured with HTC's phones. The only area I consider the iPhone to have an advantage is web browsing. Skyfire takes care of that though.

[iBuzz]

Interesting article... however, IMHO I've never understood all of the BlackBerry love! I tried a BlackBerry awhile ago and felt it had one of the most awkward user-interfaces that I've ever seen! It's just asking for hate!

Where to begin...

For everyone who says they love the keyboard and buttons... that's great and all, but the UI doesn't use them!

First off, the home screen that displays the list of applications does not actually show the names for the apps. It only shows cryptic icons, and you have to scroll over each one with the trackball in order for text to appear at the bottom that would give you some hints as to what the icon might represent.

If the strength of the BlackBerry is its keyboard, why isn't it incorporated into the UI? For example, how about showing the text for each app and using the keyboard to launch it (e.g., "e" for email, "w" for web browser, etc.). Why do they insist on doing everything through that awkward trackball?

Using the menus are slightly better, but still have major problems. First of all, when you launch a program, there is no indication that any type of menu or list of commands even exists. If you press the BlackBerry button just left of the trackball, the invisible menu will appear. Usually it appears on the bottom left side, but sometimes it appears in the top right. The menu is a list of text that you can read, but there are no keyboard mnemonics that let you instantly activate the command you want from the keyboard. If you type the first letter of the command you want, the focus will jump to it, but then you have to press in on the trackball again to activate it. This is also not useful in menus where there are a number of commands that begin with the same letter. Furthermore, often the menu is so long that it extends off the screen! That means you won't even see all of the commands unless you use that inaccurate trackball to scroll through to the others. I also hate how if your menu focus is at the bottom and you try to scroll down again, it does not go to the top command; it doesn't do anything.

When the BlackBerry displays text or lists, it generally jumbles it all together with black text on white. There's really no division of columns in the email list view, so the time and contact name sometimes look like one word. Clickable active links are not usually identifiable visually.

And, while the software is generally very responsive, there is no "busy" indicator. So when the device does become slow, there's no indication of whether it's frozen or busy.

And everyone says that it's great at email, but if you're connecting to a POP server (not using the corporate BES system), it does the same type of delayed polling to check for email that every other phone does. Plus, it jumbles all your messages together, so if you have separate email addresses that you want to monitor, you can't keep them in separate folders.

The built-in fonts are ugly to me and hard on the eyes and allow you to see what, 3-4 lines of text on the screen. And the UI is just clunky.To enter you press one button, then another to click on something, then another to choose menu. You just keep clicking one button after another to get from point A to point B. It seems like every task takes 4-5 clicks and lots of scrolling and then pressing another button and more scrolling.

In summary, there are two things about the BlackBerry user interface and hardware design that don't make sense. First, it's got an incremental movement type user interface, but it's got non-incremental continuous-movement navigation hardware (the trackball). Second, it's got an icon-based user interface, but a text-based input device (QWERTY keyboard). It would make much more sense if the user interface was navigable using the letters on the keyboard.

That's why I dislike the BlackBerry.

[EvilUrgency]

After supporting Black Berries and Windows Mobile phones for years (more recnetly the iPhone) I chose to replace my Mogul with an iPhone and I would never consider a Black Berry.

One can argue the merits of the devices themselves, they all have features and flaws. I dislike Black Berries because they require either a service running on your PC/Server, Black Berry Enterprise Server, or something cooked up by the service provider just to make email/exchange work. From an IT perspective they are a nightmare. In contrast Windows Mobile and the iPhone can manage your email right out of the box with little set up (WinMo requires a certificate where the iPhone does not).

Supporting the three phones here in the real world I can say that Black Berries take up 75% of my time verses the 25% I spend supporting both WinMo and iPhone not to mention the fact they make up only a small portion of our phones.

From a small to large business IT perspective the Black Berry = FAIL.

[ReisingerLOL]

The laziest columnist on the internet is now just recycling user comments. Stellar work.

[kyle5434]

Heh. I just upgraded from a Treo 650 to a Treo 755p (to take advantage of more memory and EVDO speeds). I've been a PalmOS user for 15 years, and while it's not as "sexy" as the iPhone, the Treo works just fine for me. I don't use iTunes (it's too dumbed down for me), and AT&T's coverage in my neck of the woods is crap anyway.

I picked up a new 755p on eBay for $160 and activated it on my account without having to do a new contract. With the (now discontinued) TealOS installed on it, it's got a new shiny interface and 99% of the features I need in a mobile phone.

So don't pay any attention to the fanboys, Don. Use what works for you.

[nixermac]

Don,

I am not sure where you got the idea that the iPhone has limitations. Well you do have and it is appreciated. Frankly the BB is limited. I tried their touchphone and it sucked. I do a lot more than just pinch and swipe, like ssh to the servers and executing many of my stuff. And then when home, I have my Macbook Pro connected to my tv with RemotePad app, I enjoy wonderful trackpad / keyboard to control my mac to listen to music, watch movies or just plain browse Safari from the comfort of my couch and ease of reading large letters on a 50" HDTV. All controls on my hand.

Then again, would I care if you bought a pair of jeans that I do not use. What do I care what you use?

Go ahead with the BB song. I guess sometimes it is just that.

[jerrymmanteca]

This is such a fascinating subject. I spent 3 months reviewing smartphones for our business operation and the one thing I learned is that the iPhone is hands down beloved. The Blackberry Bold is the better phone for business and I think overall. I run circles around iPhone users with one hand. Try zooming with only one hand. Having said that:

The iPhone has a magical pull on people that somehow satisfies the organic need to interact with a device that the Bold doesn't. This is not a winable argument! Might as well convert a shark to eating seaweed.

[iBuzz]

To zoom in with one hand within the browser on the iPhone, you just double-tap. To zoom out, double-tap again.

[MickBurke]

As I told the folks at starbucks last week, when i select blackberry in their weekly "Tip War" (a VERY smart way to get people to tip by the way!) I have an iphone and like it a lot, but it's not my religion. You appear to have heard from a few folks who apple is their religion. There's plenty of them out there!

[dlkingstar]

Hey Don, for the iTunes library issue you can use Didiom. It is a streaming app for your library. If you got to the website www.Didiom.com, there's more info. I personally haven't used it, but it seems like a great app if it works...

[sergio.andrade]

Screen size! It is a major issue for me.
From my point of view it is about palmtop computers with cellular connectivity. A large display is a must.
I have a Palm T5 with a 3.7" screen I got addicted to, can't roll back to a tiny display. Iphone 3G made me move on from the Palm+phone solution to a single mobile computing device.

[joshsc]

Its not Blackberry hate, it's the Apple Fanatics who can't deal with someone not going with anything that isn't' Apple. You could have said it was a gold brick and they would have hated. They're the biggest bunch of psycho haters out there.

[ctyankeeinok]

I have had a BlackBerry Bold on ATT for about 6 months now. I like the tight integration with the company email, calendar, and contacts. I can look up someone on the MS Exchange server but not in my contacts, then add them to my contacts. That is valuable if you are in a large organization. I like the voice dialing with no voice training required - iPhone did not have that. I have tried the iPhone typing, but I prefer the tactile feedback. The Bold browser is significantly better (light years) than the 8800 browser, but it still has it's issues. You have to tinker with the settings to get things to work. You have to enable all of the options and use the Internet Browser, rather than the BlackBerry Browser. I use the phone around the world, so the multitude of frequencies it supports is a big plus. Viewing pdf's is a no go on the BB, you really need an iPhone if that is important. I'm not a big games or iTunes person, so those issues don't factor in for me.