I avoided the iPhone for a long time. In part out of principle (I’m not one to join the crowd), and AT&T crap network; but also because when I did try them in stores I just wasn’t that impressed.
Posts Tagged ‘iPhone’
Now that I have given you an overview of the past year it is only fitting that I share some of my cellular industry predictions for the coming year and beyond. I’m not an industry insider (I WISH!) and these are my own conjecture based upon my own views and info I have gleaned from the cellular phone blogs. This article will focus on the US but make some observations on worldwide issues as well.
I am so sick of the iPhone tools posting to blogs and places that the BB releases the same old thing every year.
Don’t make me laugh!
Blackberries have what 4 form factors now (open face QWERTY, flip, open face SureTouch, touch screen). iPhone has one. All three incarnations of the iPhone look exactly the same as the previous other than the back on the first one. In fact the only physical enhancements to the iPhone are the processor and video camera. Other than that they are all the same except for the software.
In addition to the form factor changes we have seen
1. Camera/no camera
2. Increasing camera quality (1.3, 2.0, 3.2 MP)
3. Zoom/No Zoom
3. Trackball or TrackPad
4. QWERTY or SureTouch keybaord
5. Physical keyboard/vurtual keyboard
6. SurePress/TruePress touch screen
Apple is the one re-releasing the same old thing every year.
Okay to be fair to you Apple lovers out there, having just did a top ten list of things that make the Storm better than the iPhone, here’s the opposite list, but as much as I scratched my head I was only able to come up with 5, and some of those were gifts.
Top Five Reasons The iPhone is Better Than The Storm
5. iPhone was a Pioneer — Yes it was the first touch screen phone that was done well, all others before it ranged from just not that good to terrible. Weather this is still the case is really a matter of opinion.
4. iPhone is an iPod Touch with a phone in it — Yes seamless integration with your iTunes music (DRM and Non DRM) but RIM has Blackberry Media Sync, which gives the modern BB the ability to Sync with iTunes non-DRM tracks, along with the industry trend moving away from DRM anyway, minimizes this advantage which soon wont be much of one at all.
3. iPhone has a more intuitive user interface — I’m giving this one to them even though I’m not sure I agree with it. There is really nothing wrong with the BB interface and the Storm’s OS 4.7 has cleaned it up a little bit more then previous releases.
2. iPhone is made by Apple – Yes Apple is supposed to be cool and it deffinitely has better name recognition than RIM and Blackberry do in the mainstream but this is deffinitely changing. By rights this really should not matter, but let’s face it in todays world image is everything and things that are well known are often deemed “better” even when they are not.
1. WiFi — Yes, BGR, the Storm does not have WiFi, nor does ANY OTHER CDMA Blackberry on ANY Network, so stop bitching already. It would be nice to have be nice to have but it’s hardly the major oversight you make it out to be.
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2007/09/23/blackberry-8320-wi-fi-vs-blackberry-8300-edge-speed-test/
“Wi-Fi simply wasn’t a big deal for us.”
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2008/11/20/verizon-blackberry-storm-review/
“if you think you don’t need Wi-Fi, you are obviously not a smart person.”
I wonder why BGR did such a 180 on this ussue?
I’m not a huge fan of David Leterman, but I have to admit that his Top Ten list idea was pretty good, so good lots of others are using it now.
So here’s the top ten reasons the Storm is better than the iPhone:
10. Copy and Paste — How can a phone marketed to business users lack something so simple?
9. Reliable PUSH email – The launch of Apples MiniMe was terrible (the whole system crashed) and while it is better now, it’s still not as stable and reliable as RIM’s BIS email has been for years.
8. MMS (Multi Media Messaging) — blows my mind that 3G version still lacks something almost any “dumb phone” has: the ability to send and receive picture messages. c’mon Apple get with the program, but then I suppose they need to have some reason to get people to buy next years model iPhone MMS.
7. Landscape QWERTY Keyboard — Yeah, you still have to hold the phone horizontally to to use the keyboard on the iPhone. Lame.
6. Screen Size — okay this is almost a dead heat here but Storm is slightly bigger.
5. Microsoft Office Document Editing – Okay this one is coming to iPhone sometime next year, but for right now the Storm has Docs To Go (editing only for free, the ability to create documents on the handset for a small fee). iPhone does NOT.
4. Replacable/Expandable Memory – Storm comes with 1GB of internal memory and an 8GB MicroSD card for your storage needs. This is expandable to up to 32 GB according to a RIM knowledge Base Article. iPhone 3G comes with 8 or 16 GB of memory with NO way to expand it, so there is less room for your Tunes, Pics, and other stuff. This is another feature tons of “dumb phones” have but iPhone does not. Yet another reason to buy again next year: like each new generation of iPods, iPhone MMS will have more memory.
3. Replaceable Battery — Yeah no matter how good a phone’s battery life is there are times when you are gonna be away from someplace where you can charge it for long lengths of time. I replaceable battery also opens the door to an extended life battery at some point. With iPhone you are out of luck, but with Storm you can just pick up an extra battery and make sure it is charged before you go.
2. Removable Battery — How many phone issues are fixed with a simple battery pull? This isn’t possible on iPhone, so you have to go into the store or call tech support so they can trouble shoot.
1. Verizon Wireless — “It’s The Network” need I say more? A 3G device is no good if you don’t have a comprehensive, reliable network to back it up!
I’m sure there are more things I could list but you get the idea.Sound off in the comments section about things you think I have missed.
Now off to the mandatory reciprocal list for the iPhone.
