Introduction

When the 3G iPhone was announced, I was enthusiastic but skeptical.  I was disappointed by the first iPhone for many reasons, not the least of which was the poor data speed due to AT&T's EDGE network limitations.  Once the lines got shorter, I finally picked one up and used it instead of my Blackberry 8830.  After two weeks I was thoroughly dissatisfied with the iPhone and returned it. Since we’ve had so many questions about the 3G iPhone, I thought I should share my reasons for sticking with my Blackberry.

Let me start by stating this information is based on my opinion, which is obviously biased towards what I personally find important.  I wanted to love the iPhone. After all, I'm a Mac guy and have been for 20 years.  I was enticed by the commercial’s promise of easy, crisp web access, and the idea of having my phone, music, and pictures of my daughter all in one, easy-to-use device.  The iPhone definitely has all of that.  But in the final analysis, the Blackberry is a better business tool.

The choice of any PDA or SmartPhone goes beyond its technical capabilities and is ultimately based on what each individual user finds important.  I never thought much about what I considered to be critical features of my Blackberry until I didn't have them any more. 

The feature set of a Blackberry and an iPhone are actually pretty similar.  It’s the subtleties of implementation that will impress you or annoy you.  To that end, I have created a list of features I consider to be important, and when people ask "Should I buy an iPhone, a Blackberry, or something else?” I offer this list and tell them to rank it in order of importance.  (Feel free to read this article in the same manner.)

In order of importance (to me):

(1) Functionality as a phone
(2) Ability to sync with my Mac (contacts, calendar, and photos)
(3) Functionality of e-mail
(4) Ability to provide a tethered Internet connection
(5) Ability to browse the web