Blackberry Bold…the iPhone for business

Comments

1. Ricardo Salema said on May 12th, 2008

   Wow, lots of impressive specs, and I don’t have any idea what most of them mean, and I am sure the majority of phone users don’t either.

   Also, do remember that the iPhone is in it’s first release as a product. What release would this be for Blackberry?

   Also, iPhone has brought to market new ways of interacting with interfaces (in it’s first release) based on multi touch and gesture. Ways that are more natural, and dare I say more human than any other phone product on the market today.

   I would hate to have to read the manual for this new blackberry.
   Have you seen the manual for the iPhone? Exactly. There really isn’t one because it doesn’t need one. That goes from using it, to setting it up.

   You also miss one important element that goes beyond technical specs and hardcore functionality, and that is a very serious issue for all businesses today. Something that cannot be underestimated, doing so would even underestimate the work we do in XD every day. Its an issue that goes tot he heart of Experience Design – “How does it make you FEEL when you use it?”

   It’s easy to sell an iPhone because the experience speaks for itself on an emotional level already. Its an experience that is more human, and less technical. Something most people don’t want to deal with, and shouldn’t have to deal with in their lives.

   Most Apple users are not “brainwashed”, they just understand these issues on a natural level.

   Bryant, I have a great book for you to read. I have been passing it around the office, but I think we should get a bunch of them for the whole company. It’s titled “Simplicity” by John Maeda. Maybe some of what I am saying will be better said by him.

2. Tom Wentworth said on May 12th, 2008

   I’ll admit that I’m in the brainwashed die-hard Apple camp however, this move looks reactive and a bit desperate to me :-)

   - We don’t know what the 3G iPhone specs will be. It may include an updated camera, GPS chip, faster processor, etc. Given it will ship before the Bold, it isn’t fair to compare the old iPhone vs. the Bold.

   - The iPhone keyboard works just fine for me. It forces me to think before I type; something I’m not very good at otherwise! I’ve personally experienced the new 2.0 iPhone firmware w/ Exchange support and it puts the iPhone almost on par with the BB as an enterprise device.

   - Most iPhone users don’t care about all the additional codecs on the Bold; they buy content through iTunes.

   - According to my developer friend, the Apple SDK tools are far superior to the Blackberry tools. I can’t wait to see what comes out when the 2.0 firmware ships in June.

   - Mobile Safari is the best mobile browser.

   It’s pretty insane the the iPhone doesn’t support A2DP. If Apple leaves this out of 2.0 (they have as of the current beta 2.0 firmware) its a glaring and dumb omission.

   Agreed that 2008 is quickly becoming the year of mobile! Here’s to anything that helps escalate the demise of the older “Blue” Blackberries!

3. Bryant Shea said on May 12th, 2008

   Ricardo,
   First, my obnoxious response….

   You’re right, specs don’t tell the full story, here is a “simple” summary.

   The iPhone is a cool looking smartphone that has a slow processor and works on a slow data network. It has a camera, but can’t take pictures in low light because it has no flash. It has a music player, but doesn’t work with the latest trend in headphones (bluetooth). It has a lot of memory, but you can’t add more or transfer the memory card to another device. Email integration is cool, but it doesn’t work on corporate networks and has limited security.

   The Blackberry Bold is new smartphone that works on the fastest wireless network available. It allows users to take pictures and videos inside and outside and easily transfer them to another devices by swapping the memory card. It has a lot of space for storage space, but also allows users to add additional space if they need it. It provides GPS functionality that can be used to refine search results and get quick turn by turn directions. You can view your favorite YouTube video and listen to your favorite tunes through the stereo speakers or through your headphones (even bluetooth!). Best of all the screen is razor sharp and it’s the most secure email system on the market.

   My honest response….
   I like the iPhone (I have the iPhone theme on my Blackberry). I’ve even been to the Apple store 4+ times to try and convince myself that I could efficiently use the keyboard. I love the interface, the screen size and the ability to display in widescreen mode. I don’t think Apple people are brainwashed, but if you think the keyboard on the iPhone is better than a Blackberry I do question your sanity.

   From a consumer standpoint the iPhone is great. From an enterprise standpoint it still needs some help. The next release of the software will include corporate email support and I’m sure the next phone will work on 3G networks, but for now those are big obstacles. The keyboard is also a big deal if you need to use it frequently and not having an external port for a memory card is a pain for transfering document.

   I also don’t completely buy-in to the fact it is much easier to use. My wife purchased her first smartphone a few weeks back (Blackberry Curve) and she was able to use everything without ever looking at the manual. The touch screen is great for some applications, but having buttons you can “feel” makes it easier to multi-task for simple things. For example, I can easily adjust the volume, mute my phone, enable speaker phone or jump to my GPS without ever having to look at the phone (I won’t mention the tactical keyboard MIGHT make it easier to type while driving or under the table in a meeting).

   As far as how it makes you feel, I agree the iPhone seems to invoke a lot of positive emotions. Apple does a great job in that area through marketing and by delivering solid products.

   Not matter what, this will be a break through year for mobile. The next iPhone will raise the bar even higher and the roll-out of 3G networks will just add to the excitement. It’s going to be fun!

4. Trevor Campbell said on May 13th, 2008

   The iPhone keyboard is a little like riding a bike. At first it seems impossible but after a short amount of time you become quite efficient at it. The technology that was built into the keyboard is remarkable. If you have never seen the video on Apple about the iPhone keyboard I would suggest you watch it.

   http://www.apple.com/iphone/gettingstarted/keyboard.html

   So call me crazy but I’ll take my iPhone keyboard over the BlackBerry’s any day.

5. do blackberry have sdhc slots | Download Cell Phones said on December 14th, 2008

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