Blackberry 9900 or iPhone 4S?

D

Der Meister

New member
Hi everyone,
so I am due for an upgrade next week and thus my question. Blackberry or iPhone. To most people this would be fairly simple i suppose but let me explain. I have been using the the BB bold 9700 for the past 2 years and I must say that, at the time time of choosing this phone I was a first time BB user. A pleasant experience in deed. I purchased an iPad 2 about 9 months ago and at that time also a first time apple (mobile device) user. Needless to say the experience, for me, was also very good. My wife has an iPhone 4 and it's functionality is nearly identical to that of the iPad (both running iOS 5).

I have used the 9900 bold (from friends) and it seems, to put it fairly simple, that BB went and gave my 9700 a shot of steroids and the result...the 9900. Basically the same experience as on my 9700 but they jacked up most of the hardware quite a bit, the OS basically looks like a very fancy theme I loaded on my 9700. The first thing I experienced was that the touch screen functionality lacks behind that of the iPhone and it frustrated me a little. BB Messenger frustrates me because of the broadcasting, and there are key people which I simply cannot remove from my contact list... I am running whatsapp as well to communicate with people using other devices than BB. So I am not bound to BB by BB Messenger but will I miss it when its not there or will I simply adapt to using whatsapp?

On the iPad(which will be the same on the iPhone) the thing that frustrates me most is the nearly everyday app updates that need to be done. Aside from that most apps need internet access to function. The iPhone also has the memory that you buy it with...and not a drop more in any way.

To get to the point of my question...

- I receive between 10 and 30 emails on my phone per day.
- I do most of my browsing on my PC not my phone,
- Apple updates I do through my WiFi net work at home. I don't use Facebook/Twitter on my phone.
- I use Skype allot for business
- I am a Microsoft user (SQL Server, Visual studio, Office)

Taking any one of these phones on my existing contract would only change the following in the contract structure from MTN: The "unlimited" option (BIS) for R60 on the 9900 Bold or 250Mb of data on the iPhone 4S for the same total amount.

All of this has now left me in a gray area of indecisiveness.
Any input on which phone to go for with regards to what I said would be much appreciated.
 
Last edited:
Either this post is way to long to read or I have ultimately left everyone else in that gray area i was talking about...:wtf:
 
I use iPhone 4, iPad and Blackberry (mainly for my work emails.) I prefer my iPhone over the BB because of screen size, although if you like a qwerty keyboard then the Bold wins. I find my fingers a bit fat for the onscreenn iPhone keyboard, but you can turn the phone onto 'landscape' which gives you more space. I dont think you can go wrong with either.

The 250mb should be fine as long as you are not oulling down videos etc.
 
Hi there!

It's difficult for anyone on a public forum to reply to a thread like this and at the same time, with a clear conscience, basically TELL you what product you have to buy. At the end of the day you're the person spending your money and you're the person living with the product. From personal experience I can honestly say that I love my iPhone 4. I would like the iPhone 4S even more, but it's not worth the upgrade for me. However, for "upgrade" time - the iPhone 4S is a no-brainer.

The iPhone 4S is fast and reliable. The battery life isn't too terrible and you have loads of apps available for it. Mind you, the nicer ones are not free. Whatsapp, for example, is $0.99 - so you need to have a valid iTunes account with some money in it (not too difficult to achieve these days).

Personally (key word there) I would choose the iPhone 4S over any current BlackBerry any day. But if you asked me to choose between the iPhone 4S and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus - well, that would be tough. Unfortunately MTN doesn't stock the Galaxy Nexus (they are waiting for the Galaxy 3S).

My opinion - the iPhone 4S strikes a great balance between Work and Play. You've got good quality apps, the best touchscreen on the market and a lovely processor inside. It takes AMAZING photos (the camera in the 4S is brilliant) and it can handle e-mail and messaging as well.

Good luck on your decision.
 
Neo said:
Hi there!

It's difficult for anyone on a public forum to reply to a thread like this and at the same time, with a clear conscience, basically TELL you what product you have to buy. At the end of the day you're the person spending your money and you're the person living with the product. From personal experience I can honestly say that I love my iPhone 4. I would like the iPhone 4S even more, but it's not worth the upgrade for me. However, for "upgrade" time - the iPhone 4S is a no-brainer.

The iPhone 4S is fast and reliable. The battery life isn't too terrible and you have loads of apps available for it. Mind you, the nicer ones are not free. Whatsapp, for example, is $0.99 - so you need to have a valid iTunes account with some money in it (not too difficult to achieve these days).

Personally (key word there) I would choose the iPhone 4S over any current BlackBerry any day. But if you asked me to choose between the iPhone 4S and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus - well, that would be tough. Unfortunately MTN doesn't stock the Galaxy Nexus (they are waiting for the Galaxy 3S).

My opinion - the iPhone 4S strikes a great balance between Work and Play. You've got good quality apps, the best touchscreen on the market and a lovely processor inside. It takes AMAZING photos (the camera in the 4S is brilliant) and it can handle e-mail and messaging as well.

Good luck on your decision.
Click to expand...

I do apologize for asking such a question on the forum. I am brand new to it and it is only now that you've mentioned it that I realize the implication that it might have. None the less, thanks for the input, it already helps allot.
 
Just bare this in mind

iPhone - made to be user friendly and fairly intuitive. The touchscreen is better than that found on the Nexus (tested it myself)
Android (nexus) - made for geeks and people who like digging around for stuff.

If you're after a simple-to-use experience, the Android might not be the right choice. Also, the Nexus might be a little too bulky for some. It's still a nice phone with great features, but you need to be very sure about it before you take that over anything else. The nexus is bordering on tablet-like territory.
 
I wanted to get the Galaxy Nexus, until I saw one and it's not pretty. Hence I will be going for the Samsung Galaxy S2.
 
Last edited:
I say iPhone 4S. Having come from an Android phone (HTC Dream) and my wife had a Samsung Galaxy S, The iPhone is the most use friendly and intuitive OS of any that I've used. My Wife currently has a BB Curve or something and its, IMHO, crap.
 
Der Meister said:
I do apologize for asking such a question on the forum. I am brand new to it and it is only now that you've mentioned it that I realize the implication that it might have. None the less, thanks for the input, it already helps allot.
Click to expand...

No need to apologize, I certainly don't share Neo's view that this sort of question shouldn't be asked ;)
 
So, what I have learned so far is that the BB9900 has been, kind of, left out of the equation by personal opinion in this thread and not by anything else. This now, in my personal opinion, leaves the Samsung Galaxy SII and the iPhone 4S in a duel with the Samsung holding a slightly bigger gun. (personal opinion, not fact)
So when it comes down to pulling the trigger, the utter most refined one will, in the end, be the one standing. This leaves me thinking that it will come down to the OS.
I absolutely love technical settings, tweaks, hacks and cracks... I unfortunately, have never worked on any android running device in my entire life thus I don't have the slightest idea of what its potential is when it comes down to "technical" settings. Does android have the same going "in an out" of apps when you need to do something else on the phone?
(By the way iOS5 on the iPhone is super user friendly and straight foreward, very little technical skills needed to operate it)
 
Fivel said:
No need to apologize, I certainly don't share Neo's view that this sort of question shouldn't be asked ;)
Click to expand...

Err...you guys should wipe off your mouths when talking this much crap. I merely said that these kind of questions are difficult to answer. Seeing as the OP also made a comment that he seems to have "scared" people off because no one replied within 10 seconds. But yeah, whatever. Looks like I'm being made to look like an ass even when I try and be helpful. Scratch that idea then!
 
Lets say I am the manager/salesman at the IStore in my local shopping mall. I am looking for an honest opinion on the phone I would like to upgrade to having used the IPhone for the past 4 years and looking for a change. Obviously I am familiar with the IPhone and it would be my responsibility to tell people what a great product it is(which in fact it is). Trying to do this while having someone tell me that it is the biggest peace of crap on a public forum might have some implications on a professional level. Getting a guy in the shop telling me in my face that he saw a post where someone said the IPhone was a bad option and that I am in fact not telling the truth. (all based on someones opinion)

OK, so there is nothing stopping anyone to ask any type of question and it is in fact good to get facts and reality on the table but I think what Neo was trying to say was is that it might be unwise to ask how your mother looks naked and have someone tell you what they of think her when there is a very big chance that she is also on the forum. As this is the commenting persons view of things and does not necessarily reflect any one else s experience thus making it difficult to comment on the question. It reminds me if of The Matrix - "You cannot be told what the matrix is..."

Anyway i do not enjoy debating on what must or must not be said. I am interested in getting the opinions of real users of the products thereafter making an informed and satisfying decision.
 
Last edited:
I will go for the new Samsung Galaxy Note or the SII rather, the SIII is on the way as well. :D
 
Neo said:
Err...you guys should wipe off your mouths when talking this much crap. I merely said that these kind of questions are difficult to answer. Seeing as the OP also made a comment that he seems to have "scared" people off because no one replied within 10 seconds. But yeah, whatever. Looks like I'm being made to look like an ass even when I try and be helpful. Scratch that idea then!
Click to expand...

Try and not take yourself too seriously - I certainly don't :p
 
Last edited:
Honestly BB (rim) is on a rapid decline in all the leading markets, USA, UK etc, it only does well in emerging countries where consumers get ass raped paying high fees for data and sms's. If you are a 16 year old girls who loves to message for hours on end to all her friends then a bb is for you. Otherwise go for the iPhone/Nexus/S2/Nokia.

How do you make an informed decision - easy : youtube, look at all the unboxings, reviews( at least 3) OS features and more, then go to google and find out what most people think of the phone and then lastly once you have culled it down to 2 or 3 phone you go to a store and ask if they have any demo models that you can use, look at the screen, the way the phone feels in yout hands, how responsive the touch screen is etc then only make a decision.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top