iPhone Review Series: iPhone vs. BlackBerry 8700

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 90
    abster2coreabster2core Posts: 2,501member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Shintocam View Post


    He did not mention it because that is simply not true. The 8703e does in deed have GPS - I have one and use it all the time thank you. Go get Blackberry Maps, choose start internal GPS and there you go...



    The only real issue I have with the comparison is that it compares the New iPhone vs a two generation previous Blackberry. Already Blackberry have the 8800 series and the Curve. The 8830 on the CDMA EVDO network is particularly nice as it can be used as a world phone (it runs CDMA EVDO at home and has a GSM Sim slot for abroad). Looking forward to upgrading....



    I stand corrected. Thank you.
  • Reply 22 of 90
    Why compare the iPhone to the BB 8700? It doesn't do video/photos/music. That's the iPhones biggest selling point. Should have went up againsta the 8525 or some other HTC Windows 6 smart phone.
  • Reply 23 of 90
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BlackSummerNight View Post


    Why compare the iPhone to the BB 8700? It doesn't do video/photos/music. That's the iPhones biggest selling point. Should have went up againsta the 8525 or some other HTC Windows 6 smart phone.



    How would that have helped anyone who was considering moving from a Blackberry to an iPhone?



    From the end of the article:



    Quote:

    In the coming weeks, AppleInsider will expand its iPhone Review Series with reviews that compare iPhone to the Treo and Blackjack. If you've moved to iPhone from another smartphone and would like to contribute to the ongoing review series, please drop our publisher an email.



    Certainly, if you own a TyTN or one of it's derivatives, please feel free to do a comparative review.
  • Reply 24 of 90
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by audiopollution View Post


    How would that have helped anyone who was considering moving from a Blackberry to an iPhone?



    Well still, they could have compared it to the 8800 or 8300 series which have cameras etc...



    Still, the fact of the matter is there are some things each will do better and it provides and interesting perspective for the many BB users who may be considering the switch.
  • Reply 25 of 90
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    I guess this article would be helpful to someone who was considering upgrading from the 8703 to an iPhone, but of the 11 things the author wanted to see updated on the iPhone, only the file system storage was something important to me. The #1 thing I would like see is voice dialing, which wasn't on the list. I try to avoid using a phone while driving but sometimes it is almost unavoidable.



    It just goes to show that everyone uses the device in different ways and therefore has different needs. I was never a big phone or iPod user to start with and I'm not a frequent traveler or corporate type either, so I'm pretty content with the functionality as is. In my opinion, the iPhone is just way cooler than anything else out there, which was reason enough for me to own one.
  • Reply 26 of 90
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by newmaq View Post


    Wow, lots of sharp tongued editorials on the "worthiness" of this article. I guess some people are just too damn cool. This was one of the best and thorough reviews comparing the iphone with one of its nearest competitors. If your looking to purchase this kind of device in the near future, I would say this will greatly help one make an informed decision. For those of you too cool for this kind of info, relax.



    I promise not to be sharp tongued or too cool. I would just like to say that I got my 8700 on November 30th 2005. RIM has since come out with the Pearl, the Curve and the 8800. This model is in no way shape or form the nearest competitor to the iPhone. The true competitor will be the soon to come out 8820 with wifi. It is a bit silly to compare a brand new device to a 2 year old device when there have been many new models since. Especially since we all know electronics make leaps and bounds every couple of months.
  • Reply 27 of 90
    macinthe408macinthe408 Posts: 1,050member
    For your next review, maybe compare the Apple iPhone to the Volkswagen Jetta GLI, then blast the iPhone for its lack of tires, engine, steering wheel and airbags.
  • Reply 28 of 90
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jonnynyc View Post


    I promise not to be sharp tongued or too cool. I would just like to say that I got my 8700 on November 30th 2005. RIM has since come out with the Pearl, the Curve and the 8800. This model is in no way shape or form the nearest competitor to the iPhone. The true competitor will be the soon to come out 8820 with wifi. It is a bit silly to compare a brand new device to a 2 year old device when there have been many new models since. Especially since we all know electronics make leaps and bounds every couple of months.



    The Blackberry 8703e was released mid-September, 2006.



    This series of reviews is intended to highlight the differences between various 'smartphones'. It's not unreasonable to expect that many 8703e owners will be looking at switching. Certainly, there will be 8800/8820 owners who'll be looking to switch. We'd love comparative reviews from those who already have!
  • Reply 29 of 90
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by macinthe408 View Post


    For your next review, maybe compare the Apple iPhone to the Volkswagen Jetta GLI, then blast the iPhone for its lack of tires, engine, steering wheel and airbags.



    Thanks for the suggestion. We'll definitely take it into consideration. No, really.



    You do realize that we'd also have to blast the Jetta for it's lack of touch-screen, media abilities and phone, don't you?
  • Reply 30 of 90
    kindredmackindredmac Posts: 153member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by melgross View Post


    Because, no matter how fine the screen on the iPhone is—compared to another phone screen, its 480 x 320 pales to that of even a small laptop.



    You are saying, that if you must have your laptop with you because you need the computer, you would actually prefer using Safari on the phone as opposed to the laptop?



    No what I'm saying is that, what am I going to be using the internet for that badly that the iPhone couldn't handle in a pinch, that's the key point to my thought.



    With the advent of all the free WiFi locations today even compared to just a year ago, if I need to do something on the internet that is taxing I will go find a WiFi location, sit down and "have at it" at broadband speeds, not sit in my car hooked up to a cell phone puttering around at 200k if I'm lucky.



    As for the screen size, the finger pinch zoom works mighty fine for me as is.
  • Reply 31 of 90
    macinthe408macinthe408 Posts: 1,050member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by audiopollution View Post


    Thanks for the suggestion. We'll definitely take it into consideration. No, really.



    You do realize that we'd also have to blast the Jetta for it's lack of touch-screen, media abilities and phone, don't you?



    Actually, you can mod the Jetta to have all those things.



    Unfortunately, I fried my iPhone when trying to weld the steering wheel on. However, it did function quite well with a 2.5-liter engine stuck to its back.
  • Reply 32 of 90
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by KindredMac View Post


    No what I'm saying is that, what am I going to be using the internet for that badly that the iPhone couldn't handle in a pinch, that's the key point to my thought.



    With the advent of all the free WiFi locations today even compared to just a year ago, if I need to do something on the internet that is taxing I will go find a WiFi location, sit down and "have at it" at broadband speeds, not sit in my car hooked up to a cell phone puttering around at 200k if I'm lucky.



    As for the screen size, the finger pinch zoom works mighty fine for me as is.



    None of that invalidates the use of a phone as a modem. It's one of the biggest called for uses. Sprint lets me do that with my Treo 700p.
  • Reply 33 of 90
    nofeernofeer Posts: 2,427member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by KindredMac View Post


    The only problem I had with this review was #6 on his list at the end:







    He had just got done praising the iPhone for its internet browsing superiority when compared to pretty much all smart phones, so why would you want to lug out a laptop to get on the internet?



    Sure, I know there are things that you can see or do on the laptop like:

    - View Flash created pages

    - Download and use files



    Out of the things I listed above, analysts are already saying that these things are first on the Apple's hit list of updates that are coming soon.



    I was actually pretty pleased that he didn't "vomit out" the EDGE v. 3G "comparisons, since a lot of people are only key on 3G because it is the latest BUZZ Word.

    Check out this YouTube comparison:

    http://www.youtube.com/v/QoDZKcVQ6Y4

    (Don't worry about the sound, he got interference from the cell signals while filming)



    EDGE is only slightly slower than 3G and when he reloads the webpage it gets REALLY interesting!



    you need to add the interface speed the treo sucks iphone so smooth and intuitive. interface time saves 20 seconds at least. look at how many keystrokes treo needed



    iphone interface +edge faster than treo 3g with yesteryear interface.
  • Reply 34 of 90
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by NOFEER View Post


    you need to add the interface speed the treo sucks iphone so smooth and intuitive. interface time saves 20 seconds at least. look at how many keystrokes treo needed



    iphone interface +edge faster than treo 3g with yesteryear interface.



    It's not actually faster. My Treo loads pages MUCH faster than the iPhone. I've compared it to an iPhone owned by a friend.



    I'm sure that there will be special circumstances when that isn't true, and the pages on the iPhone look much better, and are more useful, no doubt. But the speed simply isn't there, despite what may be seen on the video.



    Both systems have to wait for the connection, and that stinks. It's the biggest problem.



    But, it's not that hard to get there on the Treo.



    Using my thumb, one tap to turn the phone on. One tap to get to the phone menu, and one tap to get to the browser. It takes about five seconds. After that, it depends. If you have the page bookmarked you go to it by tapping on the address, or going to the page where the address is, like going to the various folders on the browser on my Mac.



    Or, I can type it on the address line, either by writing it with my stylus, or typing it on the keyboard, which admittedly isn't wonderful.



    As a modem, though, it';s fairly fast, at a download speed of between 500 and 800k/sec.
  • Reply 35 of 90
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by melgross View Post


    It's not actually faster. My Treo loads pages MUCH faster than the iPhone. I've compared it to an iPhone owned by a friend.







    My experience -- with a colleague's Treo -- is the exact opposite.



    But of course, we're only two data points.....
  • Reply 36 of 90
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by KindredMac View Post


    He had just got done praising the iPhone for its internet browsing superiority when compared to pretty much all smart phones, so why would you want to lug out a laptop to get on the internet?



    How about as a backup internet service if your primary fails at home? Right now, I wish I had some secondary, I'm experiencing some odd troubles where having an alternative might help me diagnose the problem or at least do some basic things such as print a shipping label just to get by.



    Just because you can do everything you want to do with an iPhone doesn't always mean it's the ideal way and that there aren't legitimate reasons to want some expanded functionality.
  • Reply 37 of 90
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post






    My experience -- with a colleague's Treo -- is the exact opposite.



    But of course, we're only two data points.....



    It's hard to say unless you are using the devices with the same service provider.
  • Reply 38 of 90
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    I enjoyed the review. Its valid to prefer a comparison between a newer blackberry model and iPhone. But I see the value in Kasper giving a review based on the fact that he uses these as his primary devices over a long term instead of a few days of testing.



    I agree with all of Kasper's need attention points. Which of course is the benefit of the iPhone is that all of this can be improved in software updates. Number 7 is the only point I don't care much about MMS makes little difference to me. I'd prefer the ability to email multiple pictures. ATT does not allow tethering so this was never really an Apple choice.



    Quote:

    so why would you want to lug out a laptop to get on the internet?



    Internet in your pocket is a nice convenience. But in no way does it replace a full sized keyboard and 15" screen. I mostly use the internet on iPhone for AIM, looking at emails, and sending quick messages. But it has not replaced most of what I do on my laptop.



    Quote:

    It's not actually faster. My Treo loads pages MUCH faster than the iPhone. I've compared it to an iPhone owned by a friend.



    This can depend on a few factors. Was the iPhone using EDGE or WiFi? Was the web page already cached in your Treo?



    But lets say it is true and the Treo's browser is currently faster than Safari on iPhone. The advantage of the iPhone is that this is just the beginning. There is a tremendous amount of development going into Webkit and Safari on iPhone will be improved.
  • Reply 39 of 90
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post


    It's hard to say unless you are using the devices with the same service provider.



    Good point.
  • Reply 40 of 90
    There seems to be one glaring oversight in this review, one that I think really makes the iPhone a non-starter for people considering switching from any BB or qwerty smartphone device. How is lengthy amounts of typing on the iPhone compared to your BB???



    I personally haven't used the iPhone, but what I've gathered from the many reviews and opinions of friends who actually own the device, it seems to be only "ok" at lengthy typing or excessive SMSing. I think this is a critically point, because of the ever increasing amount of text messaging going on in North America, and it's dominance over voice in Asia.
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