Posted on 06/20/2009 2:53:54 PM PDT by Hacksaw
Find the Consumer Report issue on carriers. Verizon consistantly comes out on top. AT&T does not do well. Personally, I’d go for the Blackberry.
Yep. But after handling one last week, I can say that the screen area and even the retractable keyboard are a tad too small for my tastes. And you can’t use the “landscape” mode for the device like you can with the iPhone.
Choose your service provider first...
Go with the one that has the best native OWNED AND OPERATED network where you live and spend most of your time... then pick your phone.
I’’d hold-out for the second generation BB Storm...
Another thing to consider when making a decision about Smartphones is how many app's are available for them. Apple has a huge advantage in this area with well over 35,000 app's available at iTunes.
1. The old Storm has a tactile clicking feeling that the new one (by all reports) will not. The IPhone doesn't have it. I kinda like it but it looks like it's going away.
2. Both have new models that are either not quite available yet (the Storm II) or are only barely, and they're both overpriced at the moment because of it. You can get into an older IPhone for $99. And that's a darn nice phone.
3. The Storm II will have Wi-Fi.
4. It's Verizon versus AT&T, at least at the moment. Verizon has the better coverage where I live and I think AT&T might have the better phone. Annoying.
5. Buy-out for either carrier is minimal if you're near the end of your contract.
6. The Palm Pre is getting rave reviews, just to make things even more difficult, but (for me) T-Mobile isn't an option, more's the pity.
So I'm going month-to-month on my current contract and waiting for a couple of months. I think any of these phones will do and so I'm waiting for one of the carriers to offer me a deal I can't refuse.
I have a weird friend who just asked me which one is the better telephone. Telephone? You can make telephone calls on these things? ;-)
It also depends on what you will primarily use it for. If you do a lot of text paging go with the Blackberry. Iphone touch interface is crap for texting. also how important is storing photos, videos and mp3s. iPhone better for that. also compare the voice quality of the two phones since that is the main reason for it, right? Finally compare monthly costs. Good luck!
Posting this from my iPhone right now. Already had ATT so no issues there. Only thing I don’t like is battery life. Surfing the Internet or watching YouTube vids sucks the juice. Installed wifi in my place to enhance speed for surfing and saving the battery
The Service:
I’ve had the Storm now for 6 months and I really like it. I had AT&T for six years before I switched to Verizon two years ago. AT&T was outstanding until they switched to GSM, at which point their service really faltered. I moved from San Antonio to Salt Lake and dropped AT&T when I couldn’t even get GSM coverage in my apartment. Verizon coverage has been flawless for me, although their billing and customer service isn’t as good as AT&T.
The Storm:
I considered switching back to AT&T to get the Iphone. I have several friends with it and had played with theirs. The apps etc. are awesome, but they always have poor phone coverage compared to my Verizon service. That alone kept me from switching, and I decided to try the Storm. The business stuff rocks vs. the Iphone. Email and messaging are way ahead with the Blackberry interface. I can take and send pictures from my phone via email and I can forward emails via email, things you can’t do with the Iphone.
Another peculiar thing that my buddy told me about the Iphone is that he can’t figure out how to get alerted for instant email. I get both visual and audible alerts when I get a message on my Storm. My friend says that he can’t see that he has a message unless he is on the right screen with his Iphone. That means sometimes his responses are delayed for hours because he doesn’t know that he has a message.
The Storm has become better with the introduction of the Blackberry App Center a couple of weeks ago. Although it doesn’t have all the apps of the Iphone, 500 is enough for me. I get more instant news, weather, and free games than I really need. Before this update, I wanted apps, now I have what I want. The update also increased the camera shutter speed to fast capture, whereas it was nearly unusable before.
One major feature that really lacks on the Storm vs. the Iphone is Youtube. For some reason I rarely get good Youtube reception on the Storm, and it is annoying. My friend’s Iphone Youtube rendering is awesome in comparison. still, Verizon’s overall coverage is still much better than AT&T’s.
In short, I like my Storm a lot. I repeat, I like it a lot! It doesn’t have the apps like the Iphone, or the coolness factor, but it gets business stuff done, and that’s what I use it for. I also love the apps I have downloaded and I love having access to information all the time. I have found the interface to be intuitive and have never used the user manual.
So, for me, the Verizon network is not worth trading for the Iphone. It may be a better catch-all gadget, but the Storm does almost everything the Iphone does with much better overall phone coverage.
Don’t trust the floor models at the Verizon store. They are always misused and slow. Ask the manager to play with his phone for a minute. That’s how I was sold on mine.
Cool toys aside, I want a PHONE and not a handheld computer. If I can get a phone and computer all in one, then great, but AT&T has LOUSY coverage. Just a few miles outside Denver and AT&T craps out. Go into the mountains, AT&T craps out. Go behind a hill and AT&T craps out.
Verizon has had coverage out in the boonies where I couldn’t even see a cell phone tower.
I have a Blackberry Curve 8830, and I am eagerly waiting for the next generation BB on Verizon. The curve is good but is missing some nifty features that would make it far better.
The iPhone is good, no doubt, but not great and certainly nto worth trying to use AT&T service.
I used to be with Verizon, Sprint, and before that SW Bell.
I switched last year to AT&T to get an iPhone. Someone said
it upthread, but I’ll say it again. Best electronic gadget
I’ve ever had. Used to use many versions of the Palm. Had
3 Treos.
There are already 50,000 apps for the iPhone - a great many
free. It will only get better with the new system. I expect
just a year or two to double that number.
No phone will be perfect. I’ve had too many to count since
1992. The iPhone is incredible. I’ve had no problems with AT&T -
and customer service has been outstanding. Find out if your
area and usual travels are in coverage zones.
I’d get the iPhone again - and will upgrade. It is amazing.
ampu
Because they just came out with a new model ... that's why.
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