It was the best of phones, it was the worst of phones.
Let me begin by saying I am not a technically apt person. I understand how to use a smart phone. I understand how to even set up a smart phone. Heck, on this journey, I learned (after a painstaking four hours) how to jailbreak a smart phone. But if you’re looking for an in depth review of a very technical side of a Palm Pre, an iPhone, or a Blackberry, you’ll probably be disappointed.
However, if you’d just like an ordinary girl’s opinion on three popular smart phones, you’ve come to the right place.
BEGINNINGS AND HISTORY….
You should know: I don’t like a lot of frills – Email, text, an actual phone, GPS of some kind, a little internet here and there, and of course…the illustrious Twitter – that’s all I really need. I’m not a “must have the latest gadget” kind of girl either.
I’ve been a Blackberry Pearl user on AT&T from the beginning. For several years. Once I finally learned how to type on the darn thing, it was actually a very easy phone to use. It was constructed terribly; I went through THREE replacements in one year, usually as a result of the trackball falling out, sticking, or the A/S key not working but that’s what insurance is for, right?
I found AT&T quick and helpful in replacing it. The battery life on it was spectacular. I could use it heavily for a couple of days without needing a recharge.
IPHONE TEMPTATIONS…
Then one day last summer, my friend upgraded to the iPhone 3G. He asked if I wanted to have his old iPhone (1G). I said sure. And so the iPhone and I became friends. Aside from it’s width and me dropping it all the time (it was hard for me to grasp and I have pretty long fingers!), it wasn’t too much larger than my Pearl. Typing on it was fairly easy after a few days (although the auto-correct feature got me in trouble on more than one occasion…). And it was fun. The email fetching and resulting hangups/reboots were a little annoying, especially when email is such a large part of my life but overall, it wasn’t too bad.
As I began to travel, I noticed my battery life would be drained extremely fast with moderate usage and honestly, the AT&T signal isn’t the best in the parts of Nashville I frequent the most. It’s not good in SoCal. Or Texas. Traveling with my iPhone became frustrating.
Then it broke.
Out of nowhere, the phone stopped receiving a signal altogether, although it took me a day to realize it. I just assumed AT&T didn’t reach Wichita Falls, where I was when it stopped working.
I went to the Apple Store, and they replaced it (even though it was out of warranty) for no charge. I thought maybe I’d get a better reception with the new phone, but was let down.
FRUSTRATED AND SPRINTING…
So, several months into traveling regularly, I learned that Sprint not only uses Sprint towers, but they also ping off of Verizon towers when roaming. Double the signal? Hmmm. So, I decided to sell the iPhone to get out of my AT&T contract and move on over and return to my first love, the Blackberry. A Curve this time. The data plan was $20 a month cheaper, too. I jailbroke my iPhone for a friend in South Africa and sent it on her merry way.
A week before I made the jump, the Palm Pre confirmed it’s release. My friend, fully knowing my deep rooted affection for all things Blackberry, told me to hold off. He went through some training with the Pre and kind of compared it to a iPhone/Blackberry Hybrid. It looked cool, it had a keyboard, and it was on Sprint. I was a new customer and could get a good rebate on it. So I decided to wait.
PRE EXCITEMENT. POST DISAPPOINTMENT…
I got the Pre and for the first couple of days, I LOVED it. Sure, it had a few nuances that annoyed me – no auto correct spelling at ALL on the phone, no way to change the notification for a text message or an email, and some counter-intuitive user interface bugs, but I’m sure enough people would complain about these basic features that they would be fixed in the first update. However, even though the Google Syncing features were incredible…even though the screen quality was incredible…even though the font smoothing was incredible…with moderate use, my battery would be gone in under 8 hours.
Unacceptable.
The battery thing ruined it for me. Sure, there are some other random bugs which i know will get worked out (email syncing was unpredictable, and switching between applications was slower than I’d hoped for) but the combination of these inconsistencies plus no battery life took me right back to the Sprint store today, only a few days later.
BRINGING BLACKBERRY BACK…
Thank you, Sprint, for having a 30-day money back guarantee.
I traded in my Pre today for a (much cheaper) Blackberry Curve.
It’s the smart phone equivalent to being with a soulmate. There’s a spark of newness, yet there’s familiarity. Sure, it’s not the best looking guy in the place, and not even the most fun, but it’s stable. It’s loyal. It’s consistent. It’s reliable.
OVERALL…
If you get good AT&T reception and like to have fun, get an iPhone. If you could care less about the fun stuff on your phone and simply want it to be functional, the Blackberry is for you. And if you find yourself in the middle and don’t mind waiting until the Pre gets its bugs worked out (especially the battery life), The Pre might be worth the wait.
Might.
Comments
35 responses to “A Tale of Three Smart Phones”
Sprint is about to get the new blackberry tour this summer. think AT&T Blackberry Bold for CDMA. i’m waiting anxiously!
David Norman?s last blog post..this week is BIG
Did you get a Red Blackberry Curve? I see you as the “red” type.
Andy Darnell?s last blog post..Ever Been Smack Upside the Head?
It’s nice to have a review by a normal user. I’ve been using the Blackberry Curve for several months on the Verizon network and have really enjoyed it! I’ve often wondered about switching to other smartphones, but will probably stick with a Blackberry. I’m awaiting the next Blackberry Storm release and may try my hand at a touch screen smartphone. Thanks again for the reviews!
Tom Hogsed?s last blog post..The Intruder in Our House
And Nokia E71 is good if you’re after something that is mid-range too…and cheap. And it works. Multiple email accounts, small form factor, great keyboard (no touch screen…which is what I wanted)
And…I had no idea you guys still had CDMA over there…!
David?s last blog post..Worship : 14 June 2009
My wife got a curve on sprint a couple weeks ago and loves it. I was trying to get her to wait for the Palm, but it sounds like she wouldn’t have liked it. Battery life was her biggest complaint about her last phone and even on her curve she wishes it would be better.
Adam S?s last blog post..
Good review.
I’m thoroughly attached to my bb – and don’t like the email on the iphone. Have been wondering how the pre would shake out.
Did you use your pre with an instant message application? I had heard there was a glitch with trying to use im on the phone and it draining the battery. I don’t remember the details of the issue… just curious.
Krissie?s last blog post..Surprise!
I feel ya. I got a Pre and love it MINUS the battery life.
I work at a desk all day so I leave it plugged in to the computer but from 730 am to about 11am is what I get if not plugged in at work.
I came from a Blackberry 8830. I definitely miss some things about it but I think with time the pre, and webOS is going to improve greatly (and hopefully so will the battery life). :)
From my pre.
portorikan?s last blog post..Reflections: A Self Portrait
@krissie – i didn’t. i dont really IM!
I like seeing all these new names. now i know who amongst the flowerdust are the geeks :)
i’m switching from blackberry (my last 2 phones were pearl & curve) to an iphone on friday….. you’ve got me nervous!!! mostly because the curve is my FAVORITE phone, to date. i hope all is well!!!
Thanks for the review. My husband is up for a new phone and can’t decide what to get. Blackberry Curve was on his shortlist. I have the Blackberry Storm (Verizon) and he hates it (as do a lot of people) but I love it!
I’ll have to tell him you liked the curve. I’m sure that will seal the deal for him. ;)
Oh…. and on Sprint, do you have to buy two separate data plans or can the two of you share one?
Heidi, bc Hubs is a manager, he gets a special plan, so ours have to be separate. But he said you can get on a family plan and save a few bucks a month
So does Chris watch something at work called “The Show”? My company puts that together for Sprint, at least the web interface and the majority of the graphics based video pieces. I’m always curious to know if it actually gets watched, and is useful.
Krissie?s last blog post..Surprise!
@krissie – he knows what it is….the rest is a mystery. :)
I love my blackberry. My husband is a huge fan of his iphone, but typing on the screen is so annoying to me. I’m like you – I don’t need all the bells and whistles.
Julie?s last blog post..Pop Culture
Anne,
One of your BEST articles. I read it outloud to my hot-nerdy husband who doesn’t have either of these phones but reads about them constantly. He laughed so hard!
Marsyol
PS: SHAMELESS plug, If anyone wants to jailbreak a phone and also send it to South Africa, we are game on shipping!
this is helpful, Anne…my new-in-two with Verizon rolls around next month and – though it would be great to have the iPhone – i have been thinking hard about the Blackberry. like you, i really just need the essentials.
much love from KY!
Anne – you are reading my mind. I’m looking at buying a $99 IPhone – How about texting….is that a good one to text? Going through MCD since we retired from the Pastorate, I think this phone will keep me company studying it forever and ever. I love to learn about technical things! Yes, I remember going through Jackson, Tennessee and our AT&T cell phone could never reach our daughter going to college in Virginia! You’re so smart on all this stuff! Congrats on that!!!
Carol?s last blog post..A Haven of Peace?
“much love from KY”….
That made me do a double take.
ha! good point portorikan! i think i will spell out Kentucky from now on. :)
I am a BB fan! I got a pink Curve last October. Been with Verison for a while so it didn’t cost me a thing. I haven’t downloaded a twitter app yet. Which one works best for you?
One thing to note about the phones you used…
The Pearl had two new features that BB hadn’t done on any phone before it… the Shuretype keyboard and the trackball (pearl). Otherwise it used the same technology that BB had been “perfecting” for years. Admittedly, you had two issues with the phone: the keyboard and the trackball.
The iPhone 1G was a first-generation piece of hardware from Apple. They had never done a phone before, they had never done touchscreen (like that) before, and they had never used that operating system before. With all of the new technology in a first-generation piece of hardware you have to expect issues. While even now it isn’t perfect, the iPhone line has come a long way from it’s 1G debut.
The Pre is also a first-generation piece of hardware. One of the most common issues with first-generation phones is poor battery life (the iPhone 1G, the Pre, the G1 Google phone, etc.). But aside from that, the Pre uses a lot of new technologies that Palm had never put into their previous phones. No doubt Palm will advance its technology with its next release–assuming they stay in business that long.
I’m not saying all of this to point out any faults in your article–it is a very good honest experience from a typical smartphone user. I just wanted to point out the fact that the two phones you didn’t like were first-generation hardware. I used to have a Pearl and I really liked it. Now I really like my iPhone 3G, but I would go back to a BB if the situation were right.
There is not “one phone to rule them all” but rather “many different phones for many different users in many different situations.” Enjoy the Curve. :)
ben stewart?s last blog post..What is Compassion?
A twitter client for the Blackberry I would suggest is ubertwitter. Best one for free. Twitterberry is nice too.
portorikan: thank you!
I love my pre! Hands down the best phone I have ever had. The thing about this phone is multi-tasking. Here is what I did Saturday morning…I had my turn-by-turn GPS going and streaming Pandora radio and texting. I was able to play Pandora and when I was supposed to turn, it would mute the music and tell me where to go. This is amazing because on the BlackBerry or iPhone, it does 1 thing at a time. I sold my ipod touch after I did my cardio routine at the gym (playing mp3 and Pandora radio) a few times and thought it sounded better on the pre than the ipod.
The battery life is something they are looking into right now and forums are saying a fix is on the way in a week or two. I just keep my wireless Touchstone charging device with me and put it next to me and it charges all the time. I am sure they will come up with a fix for this or a bigger battery. The other little glitches should be fixed as well.
It’s hard to compare a 3rd generation iPhone to a 1st generation Pre. Very few people remember that it had no apps at launch or a long time if you didn’t jailbreak it and was buggy not to mention the battery life — which is a huge issue.
If you are going to stay with a Blackberry, you will want to look at the new BB Tour from Sprint coming out this summer. It will be a world edition version of the Blackberry Bold on AT&T and the replacement for the 8830 on Sprint.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/16/blackberry-tour-announced-by-sprint-too-199-99-later-this-sum/
I am not a blogger person but I was bummed when Lynse told me you went back to the boring BB and had to share my love for the Pre. :)
Thanks for the explanation! I was wondering about that since no one else here carries the phone, but the whole ‘South Africa’ thing makes more sense. :)
Thanks!
BB’s get the job done. I have a Bold and love it.
Interesting…
I was so looking forward to giving the pre a try too…
So, what are you favorite apps for the pearl?
What do you use for twitter? GPS?
What kind of battery life do you get as a bona-fide ‘power user’?
Wow! I just noticed the URL of this post.
Doing a little SEO, are we?
Sorry to hear that the Pre didn’t hold up for you!
It’s good to read this kind of comparison. Most of the in-depth reviews on the tech blogs kind of lose touch on what is actually relevant to non-technical people. Reading a “non-techie” opinion from someone who has experienced all three platforms is even better!
Zeke Weeks?s last blog post..Re-entry
Hey Anne,
I just mentioned this post to my office mate, who has been lusting after and reading about the Pre for months. He’s planning to get one in a couple of months, so I shared the head’s up about the battery.
He says that, based on the general consensus among the geeks, the bad battery life is usually caused by leaving the IM client running all day. He says the pre basically requires more proactive battery conservation on the part of the user, and if you pay attention to what you’re doing, the battery life really isn’t all that bad.
Does that sound consistent with your experience?
That was a pretty good (non-techie) review. I agree with your overall conclusion… that the iPhone is the “fun” smartphone an the BlackBerry is the “business” smartphone. I’m slowly becoming a Mac guy, I just bought two more Macs yesterday, and I was proud to pull out my Verizon BlackBerry Storm in the Apple store! I love the simpleness of my BlackBerry. I also use Google Sync for my contacts and calendar and it works like a charm! I haven’t physically connected my phone to a computer in 4 months!
My BlackBerry is for the business side of me… so I did buy the iPod Touch so I could join the app game that Apple has going on. It’s like having the sweet iPhone without the crappy AT&T service! :)
iPhone forever!
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