Blackberry questions

[HHD]

500MB a month is what some carriers set as a "reasonable use" limit for the iPhone. I use my iPhone quite heavily every day and I haven't bumped up against the limit, as far as I know (though being in a city and never far from Wifi might have something to do with that).

I tried the Storm but didn't like the keyboard; also, Blackberry's media players make me suicidal.

I think the Bold is an outstanding product, but the new BB 'Onyx' is in the pipeline, which has the Bold's muscle and is around the same size as the new Curves. Should be out in September and looks as if it will be worth waiting for. If you can't wait, get a Bold!

 

[GQgeek]

Ugh... the onyx seems pretty pimp, and definitely worth waiting a couple more months for, assuming it comes out in September (which isn't certain yet and will depend on carrier regardless).

However, I was reading a review of the new iphone 3GS. The screen doesn't get as dirty and is easier to clean, it's faster, and it has a compass. The compass is actually really cool b/c when you are using the gps, the maps will rotate depending on what direction you're facing in. Does the BB do that? And apparently they have a landscape keyboard that has more space between the buttons for better typing accuracy, which was a major misgiving for me. I've also been reading that the browser is far superior on the iphone. Oh and it has a video recording (good for teh gqg33k home Appreciation!) and a 3mpix camera (not sure if it has flash though)..

 

[oneeightyseven]

I read that the 3GS doesn't perform much better than the regular 3G. It does out perform it, however the difference is insignificant.

 

[oneeightyseven]

 

[GQgeek]

btw is there a place i can actually test the phones by playing around with them? I went in to a rogers store and the phones are totally locked down, and there's always a ridiculous line to speak to a rep... I don't wanna drop hundreds of bucks without being able to try both of them properly.

 

[oneeightyseven]

Sorry bud, but you can't touch until you buy. Even in retailers outside of Rogers, Bell, etc. you can't touch the phone. The only way to play around with it is to find someone who has it and play around with their phone. This stupid policy has been the sole reason for me not pulling the trigger on the N97. I want to see how user friendly the OS is and how user friendly the actual phone is in my hands.

 

[countdemoney]

I own a bold, a curve and an iphone 3gs.

In order:
1. iphone 3gs - the first item i would ever truly call an internet appliance. The apps are pretty amazing. I'll have a full report on how it performs after this weekend when I vist home which is somewhat off the grid, but has wifi. The degree of separation between the iphone and the bold is so far is substantial.

Unless you plan to type on your phone a lot, the iphone 3gs is leagues better.

I had a seamless integration with my personal outlook. Faster to set-up than my bold, easier synching,etc. I love my bold, but the iphone 3gs just smokes it. COmpletely blows it out of the water.

2. The bold. Great work phone. Very high praise if you do a lot of email and phone at work. There is no substitute for a physical qwerty keyboard and the bold is a true workhorse.

3. The curve - a solid effort from BB, but I've never had great luck with the GPS and it is nowhere near as good as the bold on reception battery life, ability, etc.

 

[GQgeek]

does the 3gs have a flash?

 

[countdemoney]

No flash, but of the three models, only the curve has it. No camera on the bold which it makes it ideal for secure facilities.

 

[AR_Six]

I'm interested in this BB Magnum thing someone told me about, apparently to have a touchscreen AND a qwerty keyboard. I need to type a lot, but would like something that can meet or exceed iPhone standards.

 

[whacked]

I would not trade my camera-less Crackberry for the iPhone 3GS. Much cheaper plan and not having to deal with AT&T are icing on the cake..


Bolt Browser works great for web browsing on BB; only nuisance is the inabillity to save cookies (as all the heavy work is done on Bitstream's server). Much better than Opera Mini IMO.

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by countdemoney

No flash, but of the three models, only the curve has it. No camera on the bold which it makes it ideal for secure facilities.

Are there different versions of the bold? Or I suppose companies can order them without the camera?

http://na.blackberry.com/eng/devices...hoose_Homepage

The "regular" bold clearly has a 2mp camera as per the webpage.

Also, I don't think i'd be waiting on the magnum, JD, unless you're already happy with what you've got. I've been doing some checking and the onyx doesn't look likely until november at the earliest, and the pluto/magnum is even farther away.

Anyway, i'm leaning towards an iphone 3gs. It seems to take pretty good pictures, has video recording, better browser, fixed part of the type problem with a landscape keyboard, etc. The one issue I'm wondering about is GPS accuracy. A google search turns up a lot of complaints, but they are mostly from last year. Were these issues resolved? Does it work well now? (In cities and driving between them?)

 

[JoeWoah]

Ummm... the BlackBerry Tour is the one you should get. Small like a Curve, as powerful at a Pre, BLOWS AWAY the Bold in every measure, and full 3G and WiFi. Comes out July 12th on Verizon and Sprint. I can assume if will be coming to Rogers around the same time, seems to be that way.

As for the 8900, it has a better screen, is thinner and has the same tech specs as a Bold, so I can't see how anyone is recommending the Bold over the 8900. According to every review I've ever read, the 8900 is better than the Bold.

The Storm 2 hits in August if you want to hold on for that too.

Go to Engadget or Gizmodo and read the reviews before you do something you'll regret, like buying a Bold. It's already more than a year old!

If you want a touchscreen, skip the iPhone, the new one overheats, has been burning people and the cases have been changing colors and warping. WTF Apple! The Palm Pre is a much better smartphone and the Storm 2 might be worth a look when it comes out. Storm 1 sucked at first but has really come into it's own with the new OS builds, so there is hope for the Storm 2. Still, my next phone will likely be a Pre when it hits Verizon.

 

[GQgeek]

The tour doesn't have wifi, and it's the same size as the bold. Both are larger than the upcoming onyx and the curve 8900. This is very clear on BB's website. Don't know a whole lot about the Storm 2 though... I'm not really willing to wait more than a couple months for a product to release though.

 

[JoeWoah]

Originally Posted by GQgeek

The tour doesn't have wifi, and it's the same size as the bold. Both are larger than the upcoming onyx and the curve 8900. This is very clear on BB's website. Don't know a whole lot about the Storm 2 though... I'm not really willing to wait more than a couple months for a product to release though.
Engadget said it was thinner than a Bold and it had WiFi. Sucks if it doesn't. They did say it beats the Bold hands down. It comes out in a a week, so we'll know soon enough what it's deal is.

The specs are very similar to the Bold: A tad narrower, shorter, and thinner, though the 4 mm narrowing to a more Curve-like width is the only change you are likely to notice. The screen offers slightly higher resolution, 480x360 pixels vs. 480x320 for the Bold. Stated battery life—5 hours of talk, 15 days standby—is a bit better than the Bold, despite a slightly smaller battery.