Review: BlackBerry vs. iPhone. An Apple Zombie’s Perspective.

I am an Apple Zombie, a brain-numbed follower of all things that come from Cupertino. So, I should be carrying an iPhone, right? Well, not so fast.

I have written extensively about my iPod Touch, the entertainment device, identical to the iPhone, without the phone. So, before deciding on a smart phone, I became quite familiar with the iPhone platform. Still, I bought a BlackBerry.

To be sure, I love my iPod touch. When I bought it, I was using a Motorola KRZR phone, which had almost no ‘net functionality, so the ability to use WiFi on my iPod was revolutionary for me – almost life-changing. Finally, I was able to keep up with the world – away from home. I learned every public and non-public WiFi site in Germantown, and visited them often to pull email or read the Drudge Report. And, I could even listen to Kanye West at the same time (and, yes, I realize I just referred to Drudge and Kanye in the same paragraph).

Still, for me, the killer app for a smart device is email. I am an attorney who works from home. My kids go to school in a wired environment, and they communicate with me via email. So, the better device for email is the winner. And, that has to be the BlackBerry.

Gosh, I tried to like the email interface on the Apple platform. But, I never got used to the touch screen keyboard. And, having to toggle between letters and symbols is madness, MADNESS I SAY! There is no substitute for a full keyboard. With just a little bit of practice, I can type nearly as fast on the BlackBerry as with my keyboard at home. That’s powerful. And, the “push mail” feature on the BlackBerry is hard to live without once you get it. Never do I need to think about “pulling” my mail; when someone sends me a message, I hear an alert tone, and the message is waiting for me. In terms of functionality, email works just like a text message. Sorry, Steve, that “just works.”

Certainly, the iPhone has its charms. It is vastly superior to the BlackBerry for web surfing. Let’s face it – the web interface on the BlackBerry is just slightly better than a nagging rash. It’s slow, clunky, and really hard to use. Safari on the iPhone has more of the feel of a PC, and the pages display much more naturally. I understand that the web interface in the new BlackBerry, dubbed the “Bold,” will be better. It certainly can’t be much worse. So, I hold out hope here.

The iPhone also has WiFi capability, which the current BlackBerry does not. The difference in speed between WiFi and AT&T’s Edge network is too obvious to ignore. Again, though, this is to be addressed in the new Bold (which will finally offer G3, too), coming soon.

Of course, iPhone most outshines the BackBerry in entertainment content. Sure, my BlackBerry Curve has an MP3 player in it – and it’s a pretty nice one. The audio is good, and with an added flash card, it can hold a lot of content. But, it ain’t an iPod. The iPod moves seamlessly from audio to video, and beyond. The BlackBerry just can’t keep up. But, I am not sure it needs to – the BlackBerry is for a different audience all together.

To me, the BlackBerry/iPhone question can be stated simply. Does one want a toy that happens to be a phone, or does one want a working tool? There is nothing wrong with wanting a cool, gee-whiz gadget. Many people are, and will be quite happy with their iPhones. But, if there is real work to be done, there is simply no substitute for a BlackBerry. It’s the gold standard. And from Canada, no less…

Despite all the promised changes in the new BlackBerry, I am sure it will never achieve the cool factor of the iPhone. But, that’s OK. I have work to do.

Now, I had better find some brains…