[Brennan]

Im in the market for a new smartphone after i broke my old iphone 3. Ive narrowed it down to these two, which is the better phone and what are your experiences with them?

cheers

[BTM]

Why not a Bold 9900?

Iphone will be better for apps and web browsing. In my experience, it sucks as a phone though, and it feels quality but the hardware and firmware is not that reliable. The BB is better for calling/messaging, but it's losing app support (google decided to not support BBOS7 with google apps) and the apps it does have don't have that "slick" feel to them.

I currently have a Bold 9700 and it's been a great phone, but it's time to replace it. I'm currently stuck between the 9900 and S2 Skyrocket, and will most likely end up with the droid.

It basically comes down to what you use your phone for most. Calling/messaging? I vote BB. But if you use apps a lot and are always browsing and playing games, without much talk/text the Iphone will suit your use better.

[Sylon]

I just came from a Blackberry Bold 9700, and while it served its purpose as a phone/messenger, the lack of everything else made it feel like it was ancient tech. The Blackberry Network that BBM runs off of is very unreliable though.

I recently went with the iPhone 4S and I love it. The apps are what really makes the phone popular. Messaging is getting better with iMessage, typing isn't as easy as on a Blackberry, but I manage. Email is a lot quicker than it used to be, maybe not as instant as it is on the Blackberry, but its still pretty quick. Everything is just a lot more simple on the iPhone. I am always worried about dropping the iPhone though, because of all the glass.

Good luck with your choice, both have their pros and cons, and I wouldn't count Android out of the race either.

[Brennan]

I have a budget of £400, i could go more but i just dont think any phone is worth more than that.

These two phones are in and around that price bracket and are direct rivals. Alot of my friends are on BBM which made me want a blackberry but on the other hand im used to an iphone, it has the app store and a much bigger screen as i would use web browsing frequently and also has the ability of jailbreaking

[Brennan]

Originally Posted by Sylon

I wouldn't count Android out of the race either.

I quite like the look of the new Motorola Android Razr, it has the premium feel of the iphone but having no experience of the Android OS im not sure to how user friendly it could be

[Brennan]

any other thoughts guys?

[Bimmer84]

Not on your list, but I have been through quite a few phones in the last few years, and have never been happier than with my Samsung Galaxy S2... Switching from Blackberry to Apple to Android, I am 100% decided I will be staying with Android as a present and future choice...

[Brennan]

the only thing that put me off the Galaxy was the size, its quite a bit bigger than the iphone and also didnt have the premium feel of its rivals

[ragingclue]

Originally Posted by AZZ

the only thing that put me off the Galaxy was the size, its quite a bit bigger than the iphone and also didnt have the premium feel of its rivals

If you're looking for a premium feel among Android smartphones, Samsung is not the manufacturer to look at, HTC is. Now that the SAMOLED variants are being closed on by other manufacturer screens, there are other options if you want a great screen.

Also, iP4 versus 97XX isn't even worth comparing IMO. The 9900 on the other hand, is at least somewhat in the same league. However, there's no direct comparison as they're completely different in selling points and features. Apples and oranges with no way to do a completely objective comparison.

In the end, get a chance to tool around with your options, read reviews (take shit tech blogs with a grain of salt, and it's best to know their tendencies of favoritism first), and get the one that you think is going to do what you need best.

[eaglesfan83]

switching from Droid X to Iphone 4S recently. I am not very impressed. Sure more people have the Iphone and its more popular I just cant figure out why. Seems like the call quality is shittier. Takes horrible pictures, and really nothing outstanding about it.

[Brennan]

Originally Posted by ragingclue

If you're looking for a premium feel among Android smartphones, Samsung is not the manufacturer to look at, HTC is. Now that the SAMOLED variants are being closed on by other manufacturer screens, there are other options if you want a great screen.

Also, iP4 versus 97XX isn't even worth comparing IMO. The 9900 on the other hand, is at least somewhat in the same league. However, there's no direct comparison as they're completely different in selling points and features. Apples and oranges with no way to do a completely objective comparison.

In the end, get a chance to tool around with your options, read reviews (take shit tech blogs with a grain of salt, and it's best to know their tendencies of favoritism first), and get the one that you think is going to do what you need best.

I used my mum's HTC and i must say it has the worst OS i have ever used, it was so confusing, the simplest tasks took an age to complete. The phone itself though felt solid and premium quality for an inexpensive phone.

I have been reading some of the reviews, reading between the technical mumbo jumbo, its hard to sometimes get a simple opinion on them without so much jargon.

Have to admit, the iphone seems to be ticking most of the boxes right now, but im still open to other options

[Sylon]

There is a webpage that you can try Windows Phone7 on any Android or iOS device, and I can't say I like it. Sure the screen transitions are snappy and flashy, but I kept feeling like I was lost when trying to navigate thru the menus. Its a huge improvement over the old Windows Phone OS, but there are better OS's out there.

[BTM]

I have an HTC (along with the BB) and initially didn't like it. I kept hearing how much better droid was than the IOS, and when I first got it I was pissed. The quality of of the device is Iphone-esque as well. It feels weighty, solid in your hand, and the materials used are above average. However, mine and a co-workers had the same problem with the camera lens rattling in its little thing, buzzing and making it impossible to make out the voice of someone you're talking to. Both were replaced under warranty, no problem, but without the new cases we are using which eliminate the protruding camera, I feel the problem would keep arising. The device is the Inspire btw.

After nearly a year, I can say that it does give up some of the simplicity and "ease of use" at the expense of intuition. However, I've noticed that "easy to use" and simple operating systems can also be the most cumbersome and frustrating, which is exactly where IOS put me after a while. The single "home" button drove me crazy after a while, what's nice on the droids is you have a home, menu, and back button always in the same place, and they always do the same thing.

Overall, after somewhat of a learning curve, the latest Iphone isn't even on my radar shopping for a new phone, given how much I prefer the BB and droid options.

[BTM]

a pic of what I mean:



With no case, the phone on it's back relies on the camera to rest upon, which will knock it loose causing the buzzing I was talking about. Considering HTC themselves don't sell a case for it (or at least didn't when we first got them) it amazes me the problem never arose during product testing.

[ragingclue]

Originally Posted by Sylon

There is a webpage that you can try Windows Phone7 on any Android or iOS device, and I can't say I like it. Sure the screen transitions are snappy and flashy, but I kept feeling like I was lost when trying to navigate thru the menus. Its a huge improvement over the old Windows Phone OS, but there are better OS's out there.

I had a Windoze phone for a while, through the Mango Betas. I have to say there are some seriously lacking aspects of that OS as compared to WinMo 6.5 (WTF no file explorer WTF), but now that they're FINALLY adding a lot of features, it's a great OS if you like your phone to be as it will be out of the box. The people tab, although I'm no socialite, is pretty cool. The OS takes some getting used to, even if you're a long time WinMo person, but it's intentionally simplistic in nature and doesn't allow a lot of customization.

Originally Posted by AZZ

I used my mum's HTC and i must say it has the worst OS i have ever used, it was so confusing, the simplest tasks took an age to complete. The phone itself though felt solid and premium quality for an inexpensive phone.

I have been reading some of the reviews, reading between the technical mumbo jumbo, its hard to sometimes get a simple opinion on them without so much jargon.

Have to admit, the iphone seems to be ticking most of the boxes right now, but im still open to other options

What OS was your mom's HTC using? If Android, the SenseUI is notorious for lagging it out, but this is the case with all manufacturers. Samsung has stupid Touch Wiz, HTC has Sense, etc.... It's hard for me to recommend Android phones if the person doesn't want to root and install third party launchers, get rid of bloatware, and all that other stuff you can (and should) do to enhance the user experience. Android phones, most of the time, are not out-of-the-box devices IMO. iPhone, Blackberry, and WP7 are, Android is not. However, once you get to rooting, flashing, OC/UV, etc... then the Android OS really shines.

The great thing is that there are so many good choices out there (and yes WP7 is actually worthwhile now that Mango came along). Get what you like best.

[Brennan]

Originally Posted by ragingclue

What OS was your mom's HTC using? If Android, the SenseUI is notorious for lagging it out, but this is the case with all manufacturers.

it was the HTC Smart, uses the Brew Mobile OS but the Sense UI. I just dont understand why they made it so complicated. It was a nice little phone though, felt more expensive than it was.

Im not one to really want to mess around with the UI (although i jailbroke my old iphone) i prefer a more 'plug and play' approach so maybe an android is not best suited to me

[Jet335i]

I have a bold 9930 and an iphone before that - and my wife has the iphone 4. I can say the keyboard and messaging capability on the blackberry is very good - the keyboard being the best I've felt on a blackberry.

However, for an-all around better experience that is more convenient, I'd say the iphone.

[triple_link]

I have a 9700 now and will be upgrading to another BlackBerry. I don't like the walled garden of Apple and have been unimpressed with Android. The Android phones of friends and co-workers always seem to have some issue that needs a work around. Recently upgraded the wife to a 9810 and transferring contacts and email couldn't have been easier. For me The 9700 has been a solid phpne with no issues at all and has been very rugged. The wife's 9800 and 9810 have both been the same as were the 8310's we had before that.

[M3Bahn]

I'm starting to get annoyed with my GS2, best thing about it is the pictures it takes and download speeds.

I really miss my 9700 keyboard and can't beat the BB email, o well...

[ZZZZ]

I have had some chance to play with the Bold 9900 for a day and I really do like that phone a lot. I've never owned a blackberry before, but it's pretty darn slick as a communication device. As an entertainment device, well grab a iPhone, iTouch, or Android phone instead.

[HK8888]

iPhone 5 is coming this Fall.

[bimcoding]

iphone... but prob wait until iphone 5 comes out later this year. maybe i'm a little bias but i love my iphone. the BB interface just seems ancient.