iPhone 3Gs VERSUS Blackberry BOLD… I toiled over this….
As my 2 year old blackberry Curve screen was addled with an spinning hourglass for 6 hours straight, I was a bit excited at the thought that I could finally reason the Blackberry Bold! I posted awhile back about how much I loved the BOLD because a friend of mine got one when I lived with them and I was envious of the speed, larger typing pad, larger screen and the ability to watch videos, television, etc on it.
Here I was… finally at the denouement of my Curve and I was at the AT&T store toiling over my decision Blackberry or iPhone, repeatedly, going back and forth, talking with the sales force AND the customers in the store. Every customer in the store had an iPhone, one other one, was like me, wondering, “should I stick with what I know and love, or should I venture out?” Me and my new mystery friend, a Haitian woman and her husband both stood mesmerized by the iPhone display, side by side. Both agreeing that we loved our blackberries, but were intrigued by the technology and capabilities of the Apple!
A customer walked over and pulled out his iPhone and said, “No matter where I am, I can find a Starbucks with this application!” He demonstrated by simply touching his screen how he would find his favorite coffee shop where ever he may be. He then went on to describe that there were 100,000 applications created for the unit and that I would be crazy not to get it! Another man at the register was buying accessories for his iPhone shouted over to me, as I asked about the battery life… (exuberantly) “It will last all day!” These customers were so enthusiastic and felt free enough to chime in due to their satisfaction.
The sales person then asked me, “What will you use it for, email, texting OR Internet?” I replied, “All three.” The salesman had a blacberry to check his emails all day and his iPhone to surf the internet. He had two because the company paid for it. I was envious as I wanted both… I walked over to the iPhone display and the other woman, who was confused as well, walked over and I said to her, “I am doing it!” We high-fived simultaneously, and she said, “then I will too!” We both laughed.
I am at the register setting up the phone with my emails, contacts, and getting a quick lesson when I ask aloud, “What is the speaker like?” The salesman across the store shouts, “not as good as the blackberry!”, and then the woman throws me the hairy eyeball of confusion, and I throw it back! I then ask, “how is the battery life again?” My salesgirl says, you will need to buy a car charger because you are using a big screen and it can run out of juice fast…., and a screen protector, and an AppleCare Plan.. Again, the other woman customer, at another register, with another salesperson shoots over a killer glance at me as if to say, “Are we making the right decision?” We kept laughing and smiling because both of us were going through the same concerns over and over in our minds, having just come off the Crackberry!
The salesgirl told me the iPhone is much easier to use than the Blackberry due to the touch screen. As I was packing up my bag with my wallet and putting away the boxes, cords, accessories, my iPhone rang! I didn’t know how to answer it! I selected the “motorcycle” sound ring.. which is hilarious! I figured it out, and felt a little concerned as I drove home, with a half charged phone I didn’t know how to use…I was uneasy…
I then played around with it at home and have noticed that it really does work much better for me on so many levels, due to my blogging and Internet activity. I am still getting used to the delayed emails which I must manually retrieve, but my texts come in instantaneously, and I have so many more ways to use this handheld device than I could have ever imagined! I can record video and put it up on YOUTUBE, I can leave myself voice memos, important for us creative types who’s life consists of brainstorm after brainstorm! It has increased memory to store all the pics, videos, web pages, applications, etc. I can’t wait to explore the Application World! I hear it is mind-blowing! Oh, and the texting is not so bad, you can do it one handed, and tip the phone sideways for larger buttons!
Farewell to the Crackberry, and hello to having an electrical outlet forever available to me to use my new handheld COMPUTER.. ah.. hem.. I mean iPhone!
