iPhone vs Others

[AGurlNamedGoo]

Hey kiddos
(hahaha I called you kiddos. I'm only 21. I'm sure everyone here is older than I am. Still, I like to throw the term around )
So I'm sure lots of you have the iPhone if you have a PDA.
I do not. I have a PDA, but it's not an iPhone.

I have a blackberry and I like it that way. A blackberry curve, to be exact.
So - have any of you had both? How do you rate the experiences?

This thread may die before it ever gets answered haha but I thought I'd give it a whirl.

[Galley]

I have no experience with Blackberries, only Palm PDAs. There are a few things the Palm can do like run MS Office-compatible apps, but I imagine the iPhone will soon be able to as well.

[AGurlNamedGoo]

I like that the Blackberries (idk about Palm) can download 3rd party apps. Idk if iPhone has adapted this, yet... when last I investigated, they still couldn't.

[philbowell]

3rd party iPhone apps are coming to the iPhone in June. A few weeks ago Steve released the iPhone Software developers Kit (SDK) as can be seen on the front page of Apple.com. I suggest you watch the keynote as some of the test apps built in only a couple of weeks are quite outstanding and very innovative. I also wouldn't class the iPhone as a PDA, it's more an ultra-mobile computer that runs OS X.

I have only experienced an iPhone, my housemates, but I can safely say I think it's far more advanced than a Blackberry. It might lack certain "features" but the software and UI is incredible. My N73 has a better spec than the iPhone but I don't use half the features because they are so clunky and unpredictable. Phone makers and consumers have been focused, and to an extent still are, on the wrong aspects of a phone. It's not about specs, but about how nice it is to use.

[lucamacis]

I used a windows running PDA for about a year. Very useful, full QWERTY keyboard from underneath. Could run all the main Office aps and extra's. Didnt like the touch screen though and i hated having to get the pen out for the more fiddly bits but texting and making phone calls was a breeze. iPhone has removed the annoyance of terrible touch screens. I dont have an iPhone but maybe one day.

[notabadname]

My last Blackberry was couple of years ago, so info somewhat dated. But from playing with my friends new one also, the iPhone's interconnectivity of its applications and features is much better implemented. From emailing a photo effortlessly that you take with it's camera to snapping someone's pict and including it in a contact list, or searching for a restaurant near you, checking its menu by clicking its web link, dialing its number to make reservations and getting driving directions, and adding to your contact list. It just is so well integrated, and its apps just play so seamlessly with each other. A Blackberry just doesn't work that way, even though it has many of the same capabilities. I think the only (to me) significant difference is that some hardcore "texters" just can't deal without the tactile feel of real keys for texting. I'm just as fast now on my iPhone, but it is different, and for many, an unacceptable difference. So if someone were looking for a texting phone only, and not worried about using a "real" web browser, and having all those other iPhone features, then the Blackberry may be a better choice. If you want all the features that come with a "sudo" laptop, and need it for more than just texting friends all day, than I think the iPhone wins hands down. And with the "Palm"-like availability of 3rd party apps just over the horizon - it will be hard to beat the feature set and expandability of the iPhone in the coming months.

[Galley]

Originally Posted by AGurlNamedGoo

I like that the Blackberries (idk about Palm) can download 3rd party apps. Idk if iPhone has adapted this, yet... when last I investigated, they still couldn't.

There's literally tens of thousands of Palm apps.

[AGurlNamedGoo]

Excellent.
I considered a palm, as well, when I was looking for my PDA. I did a lot of research (I take after my father - we research electronics to death before purchasing), but everywhere I looked people said how low the battery life of the treo was compared to their blackberries. But idk, I guess it's all comfort and feel.
I wish apple would stop creating products with batteries that can't be replaced at home. The iPod I can kind of understand... and i GUESS you don't replace your computer battery that often. However, how about those times when you can't get the machine to shut down except to take the battery out? And then the iPhone... idk... I take my cell phone battery out kind of often. I think that's the most ridiculous of the products to not have removeable.
(please don't come at me with pitchforks and knives)

[philbowell]

You really need to take the battery out of your phone that often? Since the initial debut of the iPhone you are the first person (apart from the people just looking for reasons to abuse Apple) I've heard complain about the fact the iPhone doesn't have a removable battery. You said you understand it with the iPod, whats the difference between that and the iPhone that would warrant a removable battery?

[Yuiichi]

Haha, I'd like to know why you have to take the battery out of your phone often? I don't think I ever have, except when I'm in the mood to take things apart.