Monthly Archives: September 2009

This is a bit of a personal post and reflects my particular usage more than anything else, but it also highlights the best bits of my daily smartphones and how they work well together as a team. With so many comments flying around the web which criticise other mobile platforms, it is a positive step to realise that no platform is perfect and that if you need two SIM cards you may as well use two phones which together accomplish everything you need.

I have a SIM card paid for by my employer and a personal SIM and so require two phones. Up until recently I have been using the BlackBerry Curve 8900 and a Nokia 6303. The 6303 is a workhorse and goes on forever before it needs recharging and the 8900 is capable of managing my life with ease. The problem is that my iPhone 3G has been sitting around doing little for the past few weeks and that seems like a waste to me, so I decided to give the 6303 a rest for a while and see how I got on with the iPhone and the Curve running (and entertaining) my life.

Here’s a quick rundown of where they shine and where they fall flat. Interestingly where each falls over the other picks up the mantle and vice versa, so the combination works well.

PIM

Curve 8900- from the super simple calendar to the memopad, contacts and tasks apps, it all seems to fit the way I run my life. I have some extras installed such as Slick Tasks and Ascendo Money, but the setup on the BlackBerry is by far the best for me at this time. Rating: 8/10

iPhone- a complete shambles if you ask me. I hate the iPhone calendar with a passion and also do not get on with the contacts app either. There are many good ToDo apps on the market, but nothing yet that can realistically improve the iPhone calendar for me. Rating: 4/10

Email

Curve 8900- I am no fan of the BlackBerry system and can only really praise it for the speed at which it delivers emails. No folders and no real synchronisation for BIS users, but it is the one I am using because I much prefer the hardware keyboard on the Curve. Rating: 7/10

iPhone- the software keyboard and general implementation of the email software on the iPhone is not good for me. MS Exchange works well, but when using more than one account, more clicks are needed that should be required. Emails display very well indeed, but that is not enough for me to use it day to day. Rating 6/10

eBooks

Curve 8900- eBooks are a big part of my smartphone usage and eReader has not performed well for me recently. Trying to unlock books has been difficult (no idea why?) and the general performance of the app and the support it is receiving is far from good. MobiPocket performs better, but the cost of books can be prohibitive. The small screen on the Curve is fine for reading books, but no match for the iPhone. Rating: 5/10

iPhone- by contract the eReader app on the iPhone seems to be getting all of the support at the moment. Books look fantastic and the interface is a joy to use. Rating: 9/10

Video

Curve 8900- not too bad at all. The ultra high resolution screen is extremely clear, but there have been problems with some films concerning voice sync which I have not suffered on the iPhone. Rating: 7/10

iPhone- superb. Great navigation abilities alongside the large screen make the iPhone a joy to use for watching films and TV episodes. The ability to watch BBD iPlayer is an added bonus. Rating: 9/10

Music

Curve 8900- brilliant audio and the ability to store hundreds of tracks make the Curve my preferred device for music. Admittedly I am using an 8GB iPhone 3G which limits space, but the audio quality and navigation of the music software is better on the Curve in my opinion. Rating: 9/10

iPhone- the iPhone should trump this easily, but many devices are starting to compete in terms of audio quality and that is what matters most. The Curve should not sound better, but it does to me. Rating: 8/10

Voice

Curve 8900- no contest here. From the voice quality to the speakerphone to the general integration of the phone side with the other built in apps, the Curve 8900 is one of the best voice phones I have ever used. Rating: 9/10

iPhone- not good really. The voice from the ear piece is fine, but the speakerphone is poor (better on the 3GS though). The signal quality could be better as well because it does struggle in some areas where the Curve has no problems (both tested on GPRS). Rating: 6/10

GPS

Curve 8900- the Curve GPS antenna is far superior to the one found on the iPhone and the difference is stark when they are both used with Google Maps. However, the GPS software solutions are poor on BlackBerry and so it barely gets a look in. Rating: 6/10

iPhone- the receiver is not great, but it is just about good enough for general usage. TomTom, Navigon and especially Co-Pilot have brought the best out of this phone and so it is my main device for navigation nowadays. Rating: 8/10

Gaming

Curve 8900- I don’t play many games these days, but even if I did the BlackBerry would not be the device to use. The games available are sparse and when compared with the same titles on the iPhone the contest is over before it starts. Rating: 3/10

iPhone- what can I say really? So many great quality titles in a form factor which suits mobile gaming perfectly. It is getting better every day. Rating: 10/10

Web browsing / connectivity

Curve 8900- this may surprise you, but almost all of my mobile browsing is done on the Curve. I can’t quite explain why, but I find the process easier and it just works for me. The keyboard helps a lot, particularly with social networking, and this is probably the main reason why it works. Rating: 7/10

iPhone- it is obviously better than the BlackBerry and is a joy to use when I have some down time, but the Curve still gets  used the most. So, I use the solution with a lower rating? Strange… Rating: 9/10

Battery

Curve 8900- this area is often overlooked, but the gap here is positively huge. I can charge the Curve once every four days even with some fairly hefty usage and it seems to go on forever. Rating: 9/10

iPhone- once a day charging for me which is a pain. The big screen obviously affects this the most and is almost a price worth paying for most I would guess. Rating: 6/10

So, there you have it. The Curve 8900 and iPhone 3G both hold an important place in ‘my’ smartphone world and complement each other perfectly. You may disagree with some of the comments about each device, but these are my experiences and that is how I see it. Rather than me moaning about the defects of each, I have decided to embrace the good sides and make them work for me. They are both remarkably good in specific areas and I for one am grateful that I get to use each every day.