Comments on: BlackBerry Bold distant second to iPhone 3G demand

By: Crazy me

Crazy me — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 19:33:24 +0000

Get ready for BB 9000. It is gona come in USA at the end of this month. Got a Email from a Canadian compnay ( SNtraders ) and the said that they r getting few units within few days but they didnt confirm the price but acording to them it will B around 650$

http://sntradersonline.com/phone_details.php?product_id=snp863

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:20:44 +0000

With the Bold you will be able to tether it to a laptop, maybe not a major concern for everybody, but the iPhone will not allow it. Even though you have to pay 10 bucks more for the data plan. Also the Bluetooth capabilities of the iPhone are severly limited, to only calls. With Bluetooth on the Bold you will be able to tether you laptop to to Internet and still make a call. Something you will not be able to do with the iPhone.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:54:30 +0000

Also, like Charlie, I hate to double post, but the typing has been a bit of a bummer so far.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:52:53 +0000

QuicklyBored just got its hands on the iPhone 3G and our sister site BlackBerry Cool will be getting its hands on the BlackBerry Bold.

Stay tuned for the most in-depth comparisons of the two on the internet.

By: Charlie V

Charlie V — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:32:16 +0000

I hate to double post, but I should add that I also disabled the 3G. In real world I would probably be using an iPhone 3G in GSM mode to get the 10 hours talk time. The wifi and 3G settings are two menus deep, easy to find (though the AT&T rep told me it was impossible to disable 3G, duh). Because the iPhone’s browser is so rich, it really, really crawls in GSM mode. I loaded google news on my GSM Blackberry and the iPhone in GSM mode simultaneously, and the Blackberry was at least 3x faster. No, it didn’t look the same, but the information was there (and I am using a jacked up German Vodaphone OS on my Blackberry, which is buggy).

Apple is much better at marketing to consumers than Blackberry, so while I am sure that the story, above, is correct, I am not sure that it answers any relevant question. Blackberry outsells iPhone about 8 or 9 to 1 worldwide. Asking consumers which phone they want to buy and hearing iPhone from most is about like calling corporate IT departments and asking which phone they would buy. The answer would be different, prescisely because the two brands are aimed, at least so far, at different markets.

Just my opinion…

By: Charlie V

Charlie V — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:23:10 +0000

I use a Blackberry 88XX, which I bought shortly before the first iPhone’s release (like, a week), after reading earliy reviews. Today, I spent some time with a working iPhone 3G demo at AT&T. I was very unimpressed. However, my focus is business use. The Microsoft Exchange compatibility is the main reason I checked it out (seonc reason is I always wanted one but I did not want to pay the cost of the original), but the iPhone’s user interface is more video game than smartphone, and less intuitive than the Blackberry. I am new to Blackberry (this is my first one), and am no fanboy, but in about 10 mins, during which I thought I would be wowed, I was put off. Typing is difficult, no turn by turn GPS…you can’t even search the contacts except by scrolling. Finally, though the iPhone is a marvel to the eye, it looks far too fragile for my use.

I have to say that the 3G was fast (I disabled wifi) and the internet browser is beautiful. I think the Bold will have HTML email and a better browser, so I will wait for it.

The cost of iPhone’s data plans, in my mind, is low. iPhone users are far heavier internet users (on their phones, I mean) than users of any other phones. I read that somewhere today so it must be true. Switching from a Blackberry to an iPhone (on AT&T) with push mail is a zero sum.

I’d rather be Bold than cool.

By: jalahandro

jalahandro — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 06:06:31 +0000

After reading the comments above, I suspect they were all computer generated. Far too many polite and intelligent comments to make sense for an open post.

I have two major issues with the iphone. But before I disclose them, it’s only fair to say, that I have an ipod, and I pretty much use it every day. I love the hell out of it. So much so, and this brings me to my first issue with the iphone, replacing the battery was a real pain. I don’t know how apple has gotten away with treating a battery as something that only a service center can handle. I replaced my own battery the second time, but I can’t imagine going through that grief on the road with a phone.

The real deal breaker is somewhat ironic. I have an old 15GB ipod, and I can’t imagine downgrading to 8GB, especially if you add the storage required from taking pictures and watching the odd video. Apple has spoiled me to the point where I can’t go back again. The new OS on the Bold will handle the 16GB memory cards when they hit the market. In the meantime, at least I can swap memory on the fly, if needed.

My current phone died, and frankly, I’m so sold on the Blackberry Bold specs, cpu, e-mail, gps, oh and don’t forget wi-fi, to help cut down on the cost of Rogers’ network, that I’ll wait until July 25th, I hope.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:41:08 +0000

Interesting point Jason. Great comment.

It’s highly possible that BlackBerrys have put more money into higher quality materials for their devices that would lead to fewer calls dropped. Eg Better antenna design and layout.

To be totally honest, this is getting out of my technical understanding of the engineering behind the devices.

Perhaps someone can shed some light on the tech spec differences that proves that BlackBerrys would get better coverage etc.

Walt Mossberg claims that the iPhone 3G has improved the problems you’re mentioning. Check out his review of the iPhone:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121555740704037313.html?mod=blogs

“One side benefit to 3G is that in some areas, voice coverage improves. At my neighborhood shopping center, where the first iPhone got little or no AT&T service, the iPhone 3G registered strong coverage. But I still found that calls regularly broke up on some major streets. In New York City, riding in a taxi along the Hudson, one important call was dropped three times on the new iPhone. Finally, I borrowed a cheap Verizon phone and got perfect reception.”

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:14:09 +0000

Kyle, I actually WOULD blame the iPhone for poor call quality, dropped calls and weak signal strength. I’ve been with AT&T for over three years and in that time, I’ve had several different phones, including two iPhones (I “upgraded” when they dropped the price on the higher-capacity model). Call quality and signal strength are significantly lower on the iPhone than they were when I had a Blackberry. And that’s all on the same carrier.

I think the iPhone’s great for web browsing, playing MP3s and having a slick-looking OS. But as a phone, it’s left me totally unimpressed. Personally, I’m just going to keep my fingers crossed that the Blackberry Bold doesn’t turn out to be a dud.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:21:19 +0000

Everyone in the United States. What about Britain, Canada and the 70 other countries where the iPhone is sold?

The US is the largest economy but it isn’t the only economy.