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.

[Raabscuttle]

Having used a Blackberry Storm and an iPhone, I can say that the Storm is a much better device hands down. Now the Blackberry Pearl on the other hand .....

Agreed. iPhone is cool, but i would never give up my Bold for it.

[cyclone]

For those of you who don't like the Blackberry browser, download Opera Mini. It makes most websites a huge pleasure to use.

Don, thanks for bringing some sanity to the conversation. Yes, the iPhone is very alluring in many ways, and its app selection is second-to-none in terms of versatility. In terms of productivity, however, it's seriously lacking, mostly due to Apple's absurd level of control over what developers are and aren't allowed to do. No third-party email apps? FAIL. No third-party browsers? FAIL.

I can go for two days minimum on my Nokia E71 without turning off 3G, bluetooth, or wifi, and if my battery runs low I can pop in another one (bought from eBay for a few dollars). The phone is thinner than the iPhone, has a real keyboard, has a true multi-tasking OS - IM and Twitter and email and web browsing all open at the same time with a quick switch between them, has a range of browsers ranging from lean and fast (Opera Mini) to complete desktop fidelity including Hulu (Skyfire). What does it lack relative to the iPhone? Screensize, touchscreen, and accelerometer. The latter two are great for games but probably not more productive for real-world usage relative to a real keyboard.

[agentxx]

I have the 2g iphone while I don't hate it there are a bunch of things that bother me. First it takes 3 updates to get copypaste and mms c'mon my old school nokia had this. One year later I have to sign up for another 2 years and pay $200 just for a 3g, gps, and a headphone jack that works. These are all features it should have had originally. itunes on windows is laggy and a pain. It shouldn't take days to open my sms app either. My old e61 i could crank out a text in a matter of seconds on the iphone its way longer.

I just ordered the bold as well. I miss a keyboard and being able to stay connected and run multiple applications. I'm sick of the apple phanboys.

The beauty of the BlackBerry is the quality. It has great cell signal for a smartphone (I've had too many different types to count). I've stayed away from the iPhone due to lack of service in my area.

I like the BlackBerry due to its durability, cell signal, and e-mail and Facebook/MySpace/IM features. Of course, just like any other phone...it doesn't have EVERY feature you want but I think it's a great phone compared to every other smartphone I've used.

Hope you enjoy your new phone Don!

[seespottype]

The more I travel for my company, the more I appreciate practical. It's a poor complement for a device - "that Blackberry is sooo pratical", but it comes down to that. A travelor's phone *has* to have a replaceable battery, must have great battery life, must be able survive the insults that a pocket full of keys and change, and must have a great speakerphone. But I tell you, none of those make for a wow experience. But Blackberry understands that more than most, which is why I've grown to appreciate it, and why I can understand why people would switch over to it.

[frankeltank]

Don! what are you gonna do to sync your new hot BB 9000 with your mac? apparently, pocketmac and missing sync don´t work very well. i´m currently debating getting an iphone or a bold 9000 but the syncing options are really steering me towards the iphone even though the bold´s keyboard feels like a dream.

[SoFaKiNgBaDaZz]

i have a blackberry pearl. its been dropped form 20 ft (dont ask) and nothing has happened. The battery life last like 3 days for me. just using text on vibrate and under 10 min calls. The internet is workable.. not the best but it works. i use the iphone and its all a hassle. battery last like 6 hours depending on what you do. no video record. i personally like the blackberry's over the iphone. if you want a awesome touchscreen phone but no the iphone get the blackberry touch. its by far the best phone ever.

[silverbullet1080]

And the iPhone is a toy, and the Bold is a business smartphone. Considering that a massive chunk of apple's app store is trash, I wouldn't really call it a huge plus... I mean the only real thing I can think of that the iPhone has over the Bold is the web browser.

[c-n-e-t]

Hi Don,

You seem to have changed your tune quite a bit. Whatever happened to your original feelings? The first iPhone had been out for a year when you wrote this. And the iPhone 3G isn't all that radically different. Why are you all of a sudden wondering "Why all the BlackBerry hate?" when you yourself couldn't find anything about the devices that could hold a candle to the iPhone, for no other reason than that "it's not the iPhone"?

And I quote: "In other words, now that the iPhone has all of the same business-friendly features we've come to expect from the BlackBerry, but it offers more of the features we want in a consumer-friendly phone, why would we pick the BlackBerry?

Certainly some anti-Apple folks will come up with some (ludicrous) reasons, but if you consider the average person who isn't as tech-savvy as those people, I simply don't see them picking up a BlackBerry if it's sitting next to the iPhone."

Now you say, "There is nothing like a Blackberry for contact, management, calander, sms, mms, and obviously email."

Which is it? And would you go as far as to say that "it's not an iPhone" is a ludicrous reason in and of itself?

Your words, not mine.