Blackberry or iphone?

Blackberry or iphone?

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I am due an upgrade. I am torn between Blackberry and iphone.

My main use for a smart phone is : Calls, texts, web browsing when on the move, and of course email.

My other half says that as an accountant I should go for a blackberry as it's more 'business-like' whereas iphone is mainly for entertainment.

Any advice? Any other phone I should consider apart from the above? What do accountants mainly use?

Thanks

Replies (19)

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By zarathustra
08th Nov 2011 11:59

BB all the way

Im a BB user, mainly because my fingers are too fat for touchscreens. Also the email is a bit easier to use, or so I am told, especially for multiple email accounts.

However the lack of flashplayer on BB is a bit annoying, and web browsing generally kess pleasurable than the iphone.

I think some of the other, android phones, eg HTC, are technically better bits of kit than iphone, but see earlier comment re touchscrren.

 

PS - used to have an old HTC which ran Windows  mobile, and had a stylus. It was great, but they dont do the stylus anymore.

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Giraffe
By Luke
08th Nov 2011 12:27

I'd vote for iphone

I had a blackberry storm 2 until July when I swapped for an iphone 4. 

Both do the job fine for multiple email accounts, calls and texts.  I find the iphone a lot quicker than the storm2 for web browsing and it is easier to have several web pages open at once. 

The iphone also has more apps available, I don't use many but some that I do use were not available for blackberry at the time I swapped.  Very rarely is there an app for blackberry which is not available on the iphone whereas the other way round is more common.

I am not generally an apple person, I don't have ipad, ipod or many other ithings, but the I must say I love the iphone.

No clients have commented about me having an iphone, many of them have an iphone.  I think the perception of business v play phone has dwindled somewhat now.

That said, I have a colleague who's just swapped back to blackberry after her iphone so go into a shop, have a feel and see what you're comfortable with.  For me, the iphone wins hands down.

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By mn2taxhbj
08th Nov 2011 12:44

Have just acquired a new Blackberry 9800 which looks and feels like an iphone with the touch screen. Very happy with it.

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By charlesc
08th Nov 2011 13:05

Windows Phone

Have been on a windows phone 7 for last year and am very happy with it. Huge improvement on Windows mobile 6.5.

Number of apps is definatly smaller than iphone and android (not sure about BB) but i find it very easy to use, browse internet etc.

links in with my work email and home email with no problems.

 

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By chatman
08th Nov 2011 15:05

Samsung Galaxy

The Samsung Galaxy is supposed to be good. Why does it have to be between the BB and the iPhone? HTC phones are supposed to be very good too.

The problem with the iPhone is that there is so much irrational hype around it that it is hard to get a balanced view from people who use it.

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Sarah Douglas - HouseTree Business Ltd
By sarah douglas
08th Nov 2011 16:51

I love my Iphone and it works well with multiple email addresses and it has been great for my business. I use it heavily for both business and entertainment.

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By chatman
08th Nov 2011 17:44

.

I can't help thinking these posts would be more useful if they explained what their phone/tablet/laptop did badly, or compared two or more different products, or just highlighted the existence of other products. Just saying "my phone/tablet/laptop is great" doesn't seem to be that helpful. We have the same problem on AWeb with software recommendations.

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By Steve Holloway
09th Nov 2011 08:42

My mobile ....

dials out and accepts incoming calls with apparent ease and at 5 years old has an excellent whole life cost profile. It will accept and send texts (which are little messages) but to be honest I can never remember how to do them and my wife has to clear out my 'in box' from time to time. Oh it has an alarm as well which is an excellent feature for when I am staying away from home. It also has a little icon that suggests it might take pictures as well but on the one occasion I tried I ended up with a picture of my own crotch ... I haven't tried it again in case my phone is hacked and the pictures end up on the internet at some point.

Oh it is a Samsung in anyone is interested in exploring further.

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Sarah Douglas - HouseTree Business Ltd
By sarah douglas
09th Nov 2011 21:14

So long as you can use it and does what it says on the tin it is fine.  The directors of my husbands business decided they would all have a samsung galaxy .  He hates it .  He preferred his old phone which is one of the most basic phones you can find. 

Not every business man or women wants an all singing dancing phone , he wants a small phone that he can just chuck about take and make calls.  It was a basic one he had before.  

What difference does it make to your clients .  If you having a meeting there is no need for them to see your phone.  If they do I am not sure they care anyway.

 

 

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By RogerNeale
10th Nov 2011 11:04

Wait for Windows 7 phone

Forget the iPhone and wait for one of the new Windows7 phones or, if you really want to change now, go for an Android based phone.

These have much better integration with your desktop PC, if it's Windows based.

The new Windows 7 phones will have much better integration with Office 365 and the new versions of Windows and Office that are due out soon.

If you desktop PC is an Apple, then iPhone is the obvious choice.

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By The Naked Accountant
10th Nov 2011 11:25

BB

I went for a blackberry for 2 main reasons.

1) it has the best better battery life (whichever phone you have is useless if it runs out of power)

2) there is a BB app to sync my emails/texts/calendar with the sat nav screen on my BMW car which is really useful when you're out and about.  It also reads out your messages to you so you can keep your eyes on the road.  Iphone doesn't have this app as far as I know.

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By rushtonp
10th Nov 2011 11:47

but what about the tax

Am considering upgrading my phone but wondered about the tax position. If I get the phone through my ltd company would I be caught for bik as hmrc do not view this as a simple phone.

What do others do? Ignore for bik on the basis that personal use is minimal?

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By evanbx
10th Nov 2011 11:54

Blackberry All The Way

I have a Blackberry Bold 9700 and love it (9780 & 9900 are progressively newer and better versions of the same).

If you use Outlook to manage your Calendar, Contacts and Notes etc., then go with Blackberry as it syncs perfectly with Outlook, mapping all fields and supporting the use of Categories, whereas iPhone appears to be much more limited in this regard.

In relation to the remark by zarathustra about BB's browser not having flashplayer, I'm not sure if this is strictly true but it is absolutely certain that iPhones do not support Flash at all.

In terms of usability, this is where I LOVE my Blackberry. I previously had Windows Touchscreen phones and have had some hands-on with other people's iPhones. The thing about touchscreen phones is that they generally require two hand operation, one hand to hold it and other hand for finger swiping and clicking etc.

The Blackberry system of the Trackpad to navigate, flanked by the Blackberry button on one side to bring up menus and the Back button on the other side, lets you fly around the system with small movements of the thumb of the same hand that holds the phone.

And on the traditional QWERTY keyboard Blackberrys, such as mine and the other models listed above, the Trackpad/2Button navigation falls naturally under the thumb of the hand holding the phone.

As regards the keyboard, having had and used touchscreen phones, I much prefer the feel of real keys on the Blackberry. (The keys on the new 9900 are larger and even easier to use than my 9700).

All that said, if Internet Browsing and novely apps are your main focus, then go with the iPhone. The larger screen on the iPhone makes Internet browsing and reading more pleasurable.

But if you just want occasional Google queries, Facebook, YouTube and your favourite news and weather sites etc., then the Blackberry screen size is perfectly fine. Frankly, if I had some heavy Internet Search to do, I wouldn't use any phone but would revert to my laptop.

Also, keep in mind that while the iPhone screen is larger and useful for Internet browsing, for any messaging, e-mail or office doc apps, the screen reduces to Blackberry size (or smaller) when the virtual/touchscreen keyboard comes on)

So in brief, for Outlook sync, one-hand operation and a real keyboard, go Blackberry.

For significant Internet browsing time and novely apps, go iPhone.

I've been reading articles and posts on this site for a couple of years now and this is the first time I've felt compelled to add my tuppence worth, which is a reflection of how enamoured I am of my Blackberry.

The intuitive, straightforwad Blackberry experience reminds of the time when Nokias of yore had the most simple. logical navigation (i.e. pre- the horrific Nokia Symbiam picture icon system).

Blackberry does everything you could want a phone to do, in an efficient way, without any of the fluff associated with iPhone.

Anyway, I'm off now to cuddle my Blackberry and perhaps write it a love poem.

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Replying to FirstTab:
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By chatman
10th Nov 2011 12:09

Touchscreen Phones

evanbx wrote:
The thing about touchscreen phones is that they generally require two hand operation, one hand to hold it and other hand for finger swiping and clicking etc.

I agree; whenever I see someone using an iPhone they always seem to be using both hands.

By the way, this comment seems to imply that the Blackberry and the iPhone are the only phones around. Just because a Blackberry might not be suitable for you doesn't mean you  are lumbered with iPhone as the only alternative.

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By chatman
10th Nov 2011 12:10

Phones with Numeric Keypads

I would like my next phone to have an off-screen numeric (not QWERTY) keypad. Does anyone know of any?

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By hsr1012
10th Nov 2011 13:00

Blackberry all the way for business

I have both an iPhone and a Blackberry Curve 8520 (9300/9360 are newer 3G versions)

The iPhone is great for personal reasons such as videos on it to entertain the children and apps for shopping, etc but I would not swap my BB for any of this when it comes to business.

We happen to have a couple of BB's in our practice and as such use BES express to have instant syncronisation with our exchange server meaning that even when out we are able to have up to date calendars, meaning no more double booking appointments when staff in the office have booked clients in whilst I'm out with another client. Emails are also delivered as if in the office or using webmail ie gmail.

I fully agree with @evanbx on the ease of use with one hand and do much prefer typing with the keyboard than the virtual one that exists on touchscreen phones.

I would also suggest that if you didn't want an iPhone or BB to look at the windows 7 phones for better syncing with outlook etc or android phones.  The Motorola Atrix is quite a nice phone with some good features.

I agree that there is so much hype around iThings that it is difficult to get a review that offers much else than it is great.

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By fisch4billf
10th Nov 2011 13:29

Love my iPhone

I just acquired an iPhone. I used to have an HTC TouchPro 2, Windows Mobile 6.5 phone. The TouchPro was an awesome phone for me - I work in the Information Systems department of our hospital. When I came up to my upgrade/renewal time, I did some research and decided to go with the iPhone 4. I asked about business vs. "play" phone also, andthe overwhelming concensus was that it really wasn't an issue. What the decision issues boiled down to were availability of relevant apps, and battery life. The 3G/4G thing is also a consideration. The iPhone I have has a terrific battery life as well as a very quick recharge window. My TouchPro would lose its charge in the space of about a day and a half without even being used.

The availability of apps for the iPhone is second to none - although Android apps are growing rapidly. While I admit there are many frivolous, even some totally ridiculous apps in the Apple App Store, there are also many that truly expand the functionality of the phone. There are even apps (some are free) that will allow good Remote Desktop access to your business network. Obviously there are inconveniences due to the disparity of screen size, but, in an emergency (which is the only time I use my phone for RDC), it works. I rarely play games on my phone. I use the Barnes and Noble Nook app from time to time, but very little else in the way of games.

I migrated from a physical keyboard on the TouchPro (which also had a virtual keyboard available) to the touchscreen keyboard on the iPhone. There is a learning curve involved, but, the touchscreen on the iPhone is immensely superior to what I had experienced in the past, and now I have few "hiccups" in using it.

I have been a Microsoft person since the 80's when Windows 3.0 was the current operating system, and don't own an Apple computer. I did have an iPod, which has since died, and now have the iPhone. While I don't anticipate changing everything over to Apple anytime soon, I can certainly appreciate the elegance of the iPhone. It's a very solid piece of equipment.

All that being said - and hopefully it helps - your decision will really depend on how you use your phone.

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By chatman
10th Nov 2011 14:04

Balanced iPhone Review

Quite a balanced view!

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Replying to User deleted:
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By aadil
10th Nov 2011 14:18

Thanks all

Thank you all for a great response. I have learnt a lot. I guess I shall stick to a BB.

Could anyone shed some light on the different versions of the BB?  I know there is Torch, Bold, Curve;  Does it matter which one to go for?

 

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