Comments on: Round Robin: Adios, BlackBerry Curve

By: Sharon

Sharon — Thu, 29 May 2008 12:19:46 +0000

I went from ipod touch to BB pearl recently. I love my pearl! Even though the browser is worse then the touch. I actually prefer the BB browser over the opera mini. Tons better. I hate the keyboard on the touch and love the keyboard on the pearl, SureType is wonderful! I also love the email and really like browsing now. I don’t miss the touch. And love having a phone along with pda function/internet etc.

By: Overthrow

Overthrow — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 13:16:21 +0000

Blackberry needs to convert themselves to a software company and create a cross platform BB messaging app that will run on any phone. Hardware is better left to Htc, Apple and Samsung...

I think BlackBerry makes some really great hardware. I bet it wouldn't take much for them to build a killer Windows Mobile smartphone with no touchscreen, for example.

[...] web browsing is overblown - the Apple screen is gorgeous, but browsing on a handheld screen is never going to be a satisfying experience; it's a convenience at best.

You're right about mobile browsers not replacing a desktop screen. Usually, when you're trying to read a web page on a mobile device, it's not necessarily about convenience -- it's because you need to find information. If you're out and about, you might need to find information right then and there. At that point, a malfunctional web browser is very bad.

By: nerdstrap

nerdstrap — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 12:33:32 +0000

Blackberry needs to convert themselves to a software company and create a cross platform BB messaging app that will run on any phone. Hardware is better left to Htc, Apple and Samsung…

By: dstrauss

dstrauss — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 11:43:09 +0000

I agree with the hit on throwing Options in almost every nook and cranny of the UI, but witht he exception of the extraordinary iPhone screen, I just don’t see teh adavantage over the Curve (and I’ve had both AND Treo, WM5, WM6, etc.). Even web browsing is overblown – the Apple screen is gorgeous, but browsing on a handheld screen is never going to be a satisfying experience; it’s a convenience at best.

By: Dieter Bohn

Dieter Bohn — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 11:52:42 +0000

It will be interesting to see if everyone goes back to the phone they started with, or switches to one they tried!

Well, the last week of the Round Robin we get to "come home again" to our own devices. I'm pretty sure I'll stay a WM guy, but as I said in my iPhone article, the iPhone has pretty much secured a permanent spot in my gear bag as a movie machine.

By: dckiwi

dckiwi — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 10:49:22 +0000

Some really good points. I know exactly what you mean about using a phone as a quick point of reference when you need to look up a useless bit of trivia; much faster than booting up the laptop.

Unfortunately, some browsers make this a frustrating chore...

By: B-model

B-model — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 10:21:56 +0000

good article. like the poiont about WM wittleing down BB’s advantage. They are going at it fully loaded, and, eventually, they will get it.

By: TimWilmath

TimWilmath — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 15:58:23 +0000

It will be interesting to see if everyone goes back to the phone they started with, or switches to one they tried!

By: marcol

marcol — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 03:07:19 +0000

There's a flip side to that coin, though. There always is: I think that the hardcore BlackBerry users will be entranced by the iPod Touch. Or, if they need a personal cellphone in addition to their enterprise-managed BlackBerry, the iPhone is not going away. I don't know how long the affinity will last; part of me expects each company to begin viciously tearing pages out of each other's playbook, but it's definitely there now.

I'd expect that too, but there are limits and (as I think this round robin will end up showing) it's not possible (with current technology) to have a device that's best at everything. Some of those limits are set early in the design process and are completely immovable. Form factor is perhaps the most obvious - you can't have both a permanently exposed physical QWERTY and a big screen covering most of the front of the device, etc - but there are others too, like choice of (non-text) input method (finger, stylus, d-pad, scroll wheel), that have profound effects on how the device operates and what it's best for.

By: Bla1ze

Bla1ze — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 00:05:17 +0000

Excellent summary, I was glad to see that you gave the Curve a fair shake there and compliment-dig part was totally fair, basically breaking it down to what a BB user would use the device for..it excels at, but for something more maybe the iPhone is the better choice, once again great write and thank you for your perspective.