We’ve now looked at our devices in the 3 major functional categories, but what about all the other little applications out there? What about the things we want our ‘phones’ to do that we don’t even know about yet. This is where we have to consider how well our device functions as an overall platform that can be extended and built out.
Today’s hands down winner in the Platform category is:
iPhone
Honestly, I don’t even need to dissect the differences here. One word says it all “App Store”. After less than a month I use my iPhone to track my run times distance and routes, listen to Pandora, update Facebook, ping a server, buy movie tickets, make Skype calls, match paint colors, etc, etc, etc. Apple made a brilliant move by opening up the platform for 3rd party development and sale through the iTunes app store. ’nuff said.
So where does this leave us in an overall analysis?
In my opinion the iPhone is the clear and convincing winner.
iPhone
From what I understand of the first 2 generations of iPhone, I probably wouldn’t have liked it, but the speed, storage capacity (mine’s a 32G), GPS and voice dialing of the 3Gs make it the complete package. I can’t imagine using anything else. (I must admit though, that my first unit crashed and had to be replaced. If anyone from AT&T is reading this, please tell your customer support that you shouldn’t be charging me a 10% restocking fee on an exchange of a bad unit! But, that’s AT&T – a totally different review.)
My final confirmation of iPhone’s magic was in an anniversary gift to my wife last month. When I gave it to her she told me to take it back…she didn’t want it. She’s not a techie and just wants basic functionality because she will NEVER read a manual or user guide. Two weeks later I couldn’t pry it out of her hands. She’s texting, staying up with friends on Facebook, paying bills and taking pictures and videos of the kids. She’s thoroughly enjoying the benefits the phone has brought to her life and she’s never read a single instruction. In fact, it could ALMOST replace a computer for her. She just started using it and she now does over half of what she used to do on her computer on the iPhone.
Blackjack I (Windows Mobile)
My daughter has my Blackjack I and loves it. She uses it to make calls, check email and (of course) for texting. If you’re looking for a basic phone with some PIM capability and over the air syncing this is probably your best bet.
Blackberry Bold
As far as Blackberry goes, I honestly have to say that you would have to pay me to use it…a lot. It has an awesome keyboard but that was pretty much it. I was thoroughly disappointed and have no idea what the crackberry addicts see in these.
In the end, these are all just my opinions and observations. Yours may be totally different. That’s why our Hosted Exchange 2007 service supports all three devices. To each his own.
Related posts:
- iPhone 3Gs vs. Blackberry Bold vs. Windows Mobile (Blackjack) – Part 2: It’s a Phone!
- iPhone 3Gs vs. Blackberry Bold vs. Windows Mobile (Blackjack) – Part 4: Make Me Smile!
- iPhone 3Gs vs. Blackberry Bold vs. Windows Mobile (Blackjack II)
- iPhone 3Gs vs. Blackberry Bold vs. Windows Mobile (Blackjack) – Part 3: Smart!
- A Smartphone and Hooters?
