fooWare!

I’ve been using a Blackberry for 5 years. From the start, I was a typical Crackberry addict. Twenty-four/seven, I had my Blackberry. Over time, I used 4 different Blackberry models. At one point, my wife asked me what would happen if she took my Blackberry and flushed it. I told her another one would grow back in its place.

So how did I shift to the iPhone? And how does it compare for me to the Blackberry which I had gained such dependence?

I’ve had my iPhone 4 for two weeks now, and I will admit the beginning was rocky. Some simple things annoyed the crap out of me.

1. I couldn’t simply look at it and know I’ve received a new message.  Blackberry has a simple indicator light. I can see it across the room. The iPhone, on the other hand, forces me to interact with it to get the same info.
2. The touch interface and the way apps present information should lead the user to the most likely operation. That’s fine if the user thinks like Apple. In the first few days with the iPhone I made a bunch of accidental calls by tapping on contact names.
3. Day after getting my iPhone, I went to New Hampshire for a few days, where AT&T service is pretty poor. My wife still had her Blackberry (she now has an iPhone as well), so comparing AT&T to Sprint service made me even more unhappy.
4. Battery life was really poor to start with, requiring me to charge the phone every night.

Almost sounds like 4 reasons to switch back, right? Not quite. In the span of a week, I’ve turned a corner, and am now quite happy with it.

For one, I’ve made my peace about the indicator light. It leads to crackberry addiction. Think about it, most of the time I’m in front of my laptop, where I also get my email. So I can do without another nagging indicator that yes I received an email.

I’ve gotten used to the interface elements on the iPhone. Not too hard, because I have had an iPod Touch for years and also have an iPad. Adding the phone element to the device was a minor obstacle to overcome. And now I’m tuning into shortcuts and taking advantage of them to make my use of the iPhone more efficient. I’m even getting much quicker with the touch keyboard.

Battery life will always be an issue. Turn on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Location Services, and you’ll suck the life out of your battery in no time. Coverage will always be an issue, you’re at the mercy of the coverage map. The most important call when I was in NH, from my best friend who’s grandmother was in ICU, did connect. So when it mattered most, I got the call.

So that’s my take on it. It was a tough choice at first, but now it works for me. Have you switched devices recently?  Are you happy with the change?