Hi everyone!!!
Apologies for the long 1st but wanted to introduce myself to the forum. *waves*
Can't believe it's been nearly 2 weeks since I made the most surprising decision of my technology-crazed life, I made the switch from my beloved Blackberry to the iPhone 4. I surprised all my friends/family but most of all - I surprised myself!
Since then, I've played a lot with my new device and just thought it's time I made a post about why I did it, how I'm surviving and what I absolutely despise about my new toy.
Those who know me know that I've always been attached to the hip to my Blackberry - I've owned and used many (World 8330, Curve 8130, Curve 8330, Bold 9700) and I often joke with my husband that my Blackberry is my "other love" that he has to compete with. It's true - my BB never used to be too far away with me, it even slept in the same bed as us (much to his chagrin) and he's staged many interventions regarding my addiction and using my BB at inappropriate times (haha).
The Blackberry was my first smartphone and it seriously changed my life. Suddenly, I was no longer chained to my computer and I was still instantly connected. I know some people don't like being able to be reached 24/7 but I loved it. It personally gave me so much freedom and since I am a multi tasker at heart, this device was amazing. I loved being more connected to my friends and family, and I was able to do so much on-the-go and I felt so productive. Suddenly I could read/respond to important emails on the bus, in the office, in the waiting room, in line, etc. I could schedule apts, type out reminders, chat with friends, share photos, etc. As time went on, I barely used my Macbook anymore when I got home from work. I stare at the computer screen 24/7 at work, so I had no desire to spend any more time in front of my computer.
I could still do everything I normally do in front of my computer - I had my RSS feeds, email, YouTube, social networking, etc. I loved it.
But after years and years of wedded bliss , and many , many smartphones exploding onto the market - nothing ever tempted me like the arrival of the iPhone 4. Now let's preface this by saying I'm an Apple fangirl and LOVE their products..but I've never liked the iPhone. My husband owned the 2G and I always played with it - it was nice, but certain things about it rubbed me the wrong way and I found I could not type on the glass screen...even when the 3G and 3GS came out, I was not tempted in any way to leave my Blackberry world.
So I suppose every great love sometimes comes to a sad end. I eventually found that the Blackberry OS was just not meeting my needs anymore. I kept waiting and waiting for good updates and promised innovation - it downright started to piss me off that we still didn't have a functional browser and the OS just looked old and aging with each new update - no drastic changes at all! RIM was quickly becoming the dinosaur of the smartphone world.
(I know RIM has greatly improved the browsing experience in OS 6.0, but it's still not going to match the prowess of iOS or Android IMO. )
So many of my friends finally made the leap to iPhone when the iPhone 4 came out - I have to admit, it was sexy and so tempting - the display is FREAKIN' GORGEOUS and the new camera was sweet and I struggled so hard to remain married to my beloved Bold 9700. There were so many things I loved about my 9700 - it was blazing fast, camera was good, multitasking, great keyboard... and so many things I love about the BB OS - great communication device and BBM is amazing...
But I hated the slow re-starts, the fact that you have to reset all permissions when you load a new OS, no frills media player, non-usable browser, etc.
The iPhone 4 started looking better and better even though I know it wasn't the perfect smartphone either.
When my BB finally bit the dust (I still have to reload the OS) after my Asia trip - I made the giant leap of faith and got an iPhone 4.
It was a BIG change to move from using a Blackberry to the iPhone - but I think I'm getting more and more used to it with each day.
I still have to say that the Blackberry is the BEST communication device there is, so if your main goal with a smartphone is to constantly stayed communicated for work and/or personal - stick with this. BB builds the best hardware keyboards on the market - and their push email is the best. You can not beat them! for the business user or someone who needs a true workhorse - this is the best device out there.
Moving from the BB to the iPhone - I found that although the phone has a great UI and is so slick and pretty - you almost need no tutorial to use it - everything feels very "dumbed down". There are also things about the iPhone iOS that are seriously making my scratch my head - sometimes I have to do things that take 4-5 steps when conceivably you should be able to achieve it in 1-2. Customization is very difficult and Apple is sort of evil making you do everything "their way" and having to use all their products (ie. iTunes which many have a hatred with)
I am still getting used to the glass keyboard, I have to say I still prefer my BB keyboard for sure (with the BB I could text and walk with precision) - not this way with the iPhone.
BUT ---
I love the browser (of course!) and the multimedia functions are amazing. I take even more photos now (hard to believe, I know) and sharing them is SO easy and fun! It always took forever with a Blackberry to upload or send/email .
and the apps and games - so fun and I've found great productivity ones too! The apps were always sorely lacking on Blackberry - let's not kid ourselves, their app store is a joke
My favourite iPhone apps
- Dragan Diction - "speak" your words and copy/paste the text for a text, email, etc. 99.999% accuracy, amazing
- This American Life app - great app if you're a fan of this radio show - my favourite podcast in the world. I always try to listen weekly
- Slacker radio - great music app to stream customized stations
- Camera +, Photoshop express, retro camera, instagram, pocketbooth, hipstamatic - all MUST HAVEs if you like taking photos
- Drop Box - big fan of Drop Box, so easy to sync files " in the cloud"
- List Pro - great for making lists and checking it off! I love lists
- Tip Calculator - enough said
- Instapaper - save web pages and read when you're offline...a total lifesaver while travelling and no 3G/wifi connection
- Pulse News - amazing beautiful gorgeous RSS reader - I use this daily
- Fav games: flight control, angry birds, cut the rope, fruit ninja, tap tap revenge, trace
Tell me your faves - I have a ton of apps, but these come to mind as my absolute fav!
What I miss about BB
-their notification system - so easy to customize, the blinking red light was awesome! if I want to check if I got any messages on my iPhone, I have to look at the screen...this makes me less addicted but it's an extra task.
-BBM ...Kik/What's App is just not the same, although kudos for trying. BBM was the best messaging app ever!
-physical keyboard ..typing on a glass screen is just not the same. I am much slower typing on iPhone
-multitasking - way better experience on BB - the iPhone 4 needs serious work.
- BB Bold 9700 had amazing battery life...
Hopes I want for next iPhone
- better notification system
- multitasking that isn't a joke
- even better camera
- widgets on screen (c'mon already!!)
- better battery life
After playing around with the iPhone ,now I'm itching to try out the Android OS, maybe next year
Maybe some day I'll find my perfect smartphone
Apologies for the long 1st but wanted to introduce myself to the forum. *waves*
Can't believe it's been nearly 2 weeks since I made the most surprising decision of my technology-crazed life, I made the switch from my beloved Blackberry to the iPhone 4. I surprised all my friends/family but most of all - I surprised myself!
Since then, I've played a lot with my new device and just thought it's time I made a post about why I did it, how I'm surviving and what I absolutely despise about my new toy.
Those who know me know that I've always been attached to the hip to my Blackberry - I've owned and used many (World 8330, Curve 8130, Curve 8330, Bold 9700) and I often joke with my husband that my Blackberry is my "other love" that he has to compete with. It's true - my BB never used to be too far away with me, it even slept in the same bed as us (much to his chagrin) and he's staged many interventions regarding my addiction and using my BB at inappropriate times (haha).
The Blackberry was my first smartphone and it seriously changed my life. Suddenly, I was no longer chained to my computer and I was still instantly connected. I know some people don't like being able to be reached 24/7 but I loved it. It personally gave me so much freedom and since I am a multi tasker at heart, this device was amazing. I loved being more connected to my friends and family, and I was able to do so much on-the-go and I felt so productive. Suddenly I could read/respond to important emails on the bus, in the office, in the waiting room, in line, etc. I could schedule apts, type out reminders, chat with friends, share photos, etc. As time went on, I barely used my Macbook anymore when I got home from work. I stare at the computer screen 24/7 at work, so I had no desire to spend any more time in front of my computer.
I could still do everything I normally do in front of my computer - I had my RSS feeds, email, YouTube, social networking, etc. I loved it.
But after years and years of wedded bliss , and many , many smartphones exploding onto the market - nothing ever tempted me like the arrival of the iPhone 4. Now let's preface this by saying I'm an Apple fangirl and LOVE their products..but I've never liked the iPhone. My husband owned the 2G and I always played with it - it was nice, but certain things about it rubbed me the wrong way and I found I could not type on the glass screen...even when the 3G and 3GS came out, I was not tempted in any way to leave my Blackberry world.
So I suppose every great love sometimes comes to a sad end. I eventually found that the Blackberry OS was just not meeting my needs anymore. I kept waiting and waiting for good updates and promised innovation - it downright started to piss me off that we still didn't have a functional browser and the OS just looked old and aging with each new update - no drastic changes at all! RIM was quickly becoming the dinosaur of the smartphone world.
(I know RIM has greatly improved the browsing experience in OS 6.0, but it's still not going to match the prowess of iOS or Android IMO. )
So many of my friends finally made the leap to iPhone when the iPhone 4 came out - I have to admit, it was sexy and so tempting - the display is FREAKIN' GORGEOUS and the new camera was sweet and I struggled so hard to remain married to my beloved Bold 9700. There were so many things I loved about my 9700 - it was blazing fast, camera was good, multitasking, great keyboard... and so many things I love about the BB OS - great communication device and BBM is amazing...
But I hated the slow re-starts, the fact that you have to reset all permissions when you load a new OS, no frills media player, non-usable browser, etc.
The iPhone 4 started looking better and better even though I know it wasn't the perfect smartphone either.
When my BB finally bit the dust (I still have to reload the OS) after my Asia trip - I made the giant leap of faith and got an iPhone 4.
It was a BIG change to move from using a Blackberry to the iPhone - but I think I'm getting more and more used to it with each day.
I still have to say that the Blackberry is the BEST communication device there is, so if your main goal with a smartphone is to constantly stayed communicated for work and/or personal - stick with this. BB builds the best hardware keyboards on the market - and their push email is the best. You can not beat them! for the business user or someone who needs a true workhorse - this is the best device out there.
Moving from the BB to the iPhone - I found that although the phone has a great UI and is so slick and pretty - you almost need no tutorial to use it - everything feels very "dumbed down". There are also things about the iPhone iOS that are seriously making my scratch my head - sometimes I have to do things that take 4-5 steps when conceivably you should be able to achieve it in 1-2. Customization is very difficult and Apple is sort of evil making you do everything "their way" and having to use all their products (ie. iTunes which many have a hatred with)
I am still getting used to the glass keyboard, I have to say I still prefer my BB keyboard for sure (with the BB I could text and walk with precision) - not this way with the iPhone.
BUT ---
I love the browser (of course!) and the multimedia functions are amazing. I take even more photos now (hard to believe, I know) and sharing them is SO easy and fun! It always took forever with a Blackberry to upload or send/email .
and the apps and games - so fun and I've found great productivity ones too! The apps were always sorely lacking on Blackberry - let's not kid ourselves, their app store is a joke
My favourite iPhone apps
- Dragan Diction - "speak" your words and copy/paste the text for a text, email, etc. 99.999% accuracy, amazing
- This American Life app - great app if you're a fan of this radio show - my favourite podcast in the world. I always try to listen weekly
- Slacker radio - great music app to stream customized stations
- Camera +, Photoshop express, retro camera, instagram, pocketbooth, hipstamatic - all MUST HAVEs if you like taking photos
- Drop Box - big fan of Drop Box, so easy to sync files " in the cloud"
- List Pro - great for making lists and checking it off! I love lists
- Tip Calculator - enough said
- Instapaper - save web pages and read when you're offline...a total lifesaver while travelling and no 3G/wifi connection
- Pulse News - amazing beautiful gorgeous RSS reader - I use this daily
- Fav games: flight control, angry birds, cut the rope, fruit ninja, tap tap revenge, trace
Tell me your faves - I have a ton of apps, but these come to mind as my absolute fav!
What I miss about BB
-their notification system - so easy to customize, the blinking red light was awesome! if I want to check if I got any messages on my iPhone, I have to look at the screen...this makes me less addicted but it's an extra task.
-BBM ...Kik/What's App is just not the same, although kudos for trying. BBM was the best messaging app ever!
-physical keyboard ..typing on a glass screen is just not the same. I am much slower typing on iPhone
-multitasking - way better experience on BB - the iPhone 4 needs serious work.
- BB Bold 9700 had amazing battery life...
Hopes I want for next iPhone
- better notification system
- multitasking that isn't a joke
- even better camera
- widgets on screen (c'mon already!!)
- better battery life
After playing around with the iPhone ,now I'm itching to try out the Android OS, maybe next year
Maybe some day I'll find my perfect smartphone