One day in early November I strolled home along Tompkins Square Park in Manhattan’s East Village, eagerly clutching the Verizon Bag that held my new Blackberry Pearl. Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, wonderful Birthday all to me, I thought, swinging my bag like the blueberry girl on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. (What was her name?) Anyway, who needs chocolate when you have an orgasmic masterpiece of technology designed for yes, work, but also fun, fun, fun.
I was so delightedly planning its setup that I didn’t notice three guys, mid-to-late twenties, come up next to me until they struck up conversation. “You look like you’re thinking hard about something,” one said. And I was. I was thinking, “What the hell is this guy doing imposing on my last few steps to bettered technology?” But wait, he was cute. Really cute.
The Bob Dilemma
Said guy, we’ll call him Bob, asked me to join them for a few beers. When I earnestly told Bob I needed to set up my new phone he argued that it was the lamest excuse and harshest shutdown he’d ever been dealt. I started to think… what if he was right and my new technology had hurdled me into social incompetence? Did I just really forego tall dark and handsome for small cold and metal? (Ahem. I am talking about my bb pearl here.)
I joined him for that beer. I listened half heartedly about how he did some kind of draft marketing for the NFL. I like football and I should’ve been able to chat this up, but my head wasn’t in the game. I was hopelessly fantasizing about my new equipment, debating what sort of headphones I would buy, and if I would dish it out for that Bluetooth set I saw online. And he could tell. Even when he walked me to my door, we both knew I would rather have passed the evening with my electronic device.
Machine: 1, Man: 0
I rationalized that Bob would probably have made me cry down the line—he’d lie or be inattentive, too obsessive, or jerkface-ish in general. How long could it have lasted? Not as long as my pearl. And there I was–the 21st century girl with a hunk (of technology) that would treat me as I programmed it to.
Accoring to a press release Blackberry maker Research in Motion has decided to call Texas home for its new US headquarters:
The Greater Dallas Chamber is pleased to announce that BlackBerry(R) maker, Research In Motion Limited (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM) has selected Irving, Texas as its U.S. headquarters. RIM is expected to employ over 1,000 people in the region over the next several years, including roles in research and development, technical support, business operations and administration.
Engadget is reporting on a rumor that T-Mobile will be releasing the Blackberry Pearl 8120 (WiFi enabled) On Feburary 18th of 2008. Looks like they’ll only be selling the gray one for now.
Apple vs Microsoft, VI vs emacs, Apache vs IIS, Ron Paul vs Everyone. These are the timeless conflicts of our age and a few months back another one was born: iPhone vs Blackberry. When the iPhone came out there were reviews aplenty and no shortage of comparison reviews contrasting the Blackberry and Apple’s Offering. So we’ve compiled some of the best reviews into one big list and tallied up the score:
- TechCrunch (Winner: Blackberry)
“…until Apple resolves these shortcomings (and perhaps Google makes its applications, especially Gmail, work as seamlessly with the iPhone as Microsoft makes Exchange work with the BlackBerry), others are going to have to pry his BlackBerry from his cold, dead hands (his words, mind you, not ours).”
- iPhone Moble Mob (Winner: iPhone)
“However, the Apple iPhone models at 4GB $499 and 8GB $599 offer remarkable value at unbeatable prices. Where else can you talk to your clients, listen to music, take a video, and email your friends – all in one device?”
- Apple Insider (Winner: iPhone)
“The iPhone and BlackBerry 8703e are both great phones that target different audiences. The iPhone will accommodate the majority of phone users alike who want a phone with PDA functionality, email, iPod features, and Wi-Fi capabilities. The BlackBerry will continue to dominate the corporate enterprise world where email functionality is king”.
- Calcanis.com (Winner: iPhone)
“The iPhone is the greatest phone ever built–that’s hands down the truth. However, it’s best to look at it as a web device with a phone thrown in.”
- Simpable (Winner: iPhone)
“I am not sure if you would call this a review or a lovefest. I know the iPhone doesn’t scream I am productive workaholic like the Blackberry, but life is short. The iPhone will certainly let you stay connected to office and will certainly be a much more useful tool for the rest of your life.”
- CNBC (Winner: Blackberry)
“When you look at the iPhone, you look at its functionality, it appeals to a significantly different customer base than necessarily the enterprise BlackBerry users,” Garrity said. “From that standpoint, the point of comparison between the two really isn’t fair.”
- BlackBerry Cool (Winner: Blackberry)
“The majority opinion is that no, the iPhone won’t pose a threat to the BlackBerry. But you need to wonder - with BlackBerry trying to slowly move into the consumer market, you can’t tell me that the iPhone won’t be shoving them around a little then.”
- Iam Lumb (Winner: Blackberry)
“RIM has significant first-mover advantage and also the potential to capitalize on the iPhone marketing buzz. Apple needs to move quickly and deliver a very solid 1.0 version of the iPhone, as they’re already in catch-up mode.”
- Crackberry Forums (Winner: Blackberry)
“My 2 main problems with the iphone are 1.) no push email 2.) touchscreen. The latter i am afraid we will all have to get used to as I can see all phones being touch in the not so distant future. Apple recently announced they will be allowing 3rd party apps and I really like their internet browser… but for me… BB hands down.”
- Slate (Winner: Blackberry)
“Aside from the obvious benefits of Visual Voicemail, it’s hard to conjure a scenario in which any of the iPhone’s gee-whiz features will help you get any work done. Multitouch is fun to play around with, and it’s neat to rotate the screen from portrait to landscape. I’m skeptical that either feature will ever help me meet a deadline.”
- ProductClash (Winner: iPhone)
“iPhone: 14, Blackberry: 7″
- Yahoo Versus (Winner: Blackberry)
“Community preference: BlackBerry Pearl (51% of 788 votes)”
- Message Partners (Winner: Blackberry)
“So my vote? IPhone is great for reading the internet on the can or showing to your kids and neighbors, but I found it cumbersome, poorly designed and not suited for business use.”
Winner? Blackberry…
The iPhone definitely has a cool/sexy factor that the Blackberry can’t touch. A crackberry won’t get you any dates, but an iPhone just might. And there’s no camera on the Blackberry 8800, so even if you do land a date with it, you won’t be able to prove it to anyone.
And of course this is the first generation of iPhone whereas the RIM has had countless generations and models of the Blackberry to refine and perfect their device, so its possible that future version of the iPhone will kick the ‘berry’s butt, only time will tell.
But the key difference as stated in almost all of these reviews is that the iPhone is an entertainment/mobile media device while the Blackberry is a mobile productivity and communications device, so the winner for you is the one that best suits your needs.
What do you guys think? Any of these reviews totally off the mark or have I missed anything?
What was once on the desktop is now on the web, and what was once isolation is now socialized. Web 2.0 is changing the way we use the internet, but if you have a Blackberry there are a few things you need to do before you can really take advantage of the new web on the go. Here’s a few starting points.
Opera
The first thing you’ll need is Opera mini, since the default browser won’t allow you to do things like Digg stories or view ajax-based pages. Opera mini is cool, its a full graphical browser with zoom, like Safari on the iPhone. (and its free).
Twitter
Next you’ll probably want to install Twitterberry, the Twitter app for Blackberry. Not only will this cut down on the constant vibration from tweet-happy friends (And your SMS bill) but it will allow you to view your friends’ timelines and respond. Very cool, and again, free.
Gmail
We all know the official email client of Web 2.0 is gmail, so you’ll need to download Gmail Mobile which will allow you to access your gmail inbox from your Blackberry, including labels, starred items and read items. Or if you’re using Google Apps for your domain, a similar application exists to let you use your mail from your ‘berry.
Facebook
Obviously you’ll need to get at your Facebook friends from your blackberry, so go install Facebook for Blackberry. While it has its problems, its the best mobile interface for the site and allows you to write on walls, upload pictures, poke friends, send messages, check your friend’s statuses and update your own with twitter-like intensity.
Google Maps
If you’ve got a Blackberry with GPS, the next application is an absolute must-have. Google maps for Blackberry with GPS integration is a dream, but it will eat your battery for breakfast, so keep the idling on this app to a minimum.
If you liked that, you might like our blackberry destruction video post too.
