That was 7 months ago. And since then, I have been ferrying 2 phones everywhere I go; a BlackBerry and the iPhone. You see, I am a BlackBerry user since 2007. And for a simple guy who does not carry a ‘man-bag’, it has been a pain.

So, the big question is, why carry both? Why not just bring along the all-expenses-paid-for iPhone and ditch the BB? That’s what this blog entry all about. A 7 month self-revelation and an ultimate decision making.

A famous saying would sum it up: “Once you go Black, you will never go back”. That’s the thing about BlackBerry. It’s not just a phone. It’s an eco-system. And no matter how bitchy Engadget is about BlackBerry’s hardware design, BB users just love the practicality it provides. And they just keep buying it.

Engadget’s argument would probably be from the perspective of a smartphone virgin who is hunting for a date in a pub. Yup, he would probably ignore the sober looking boxy-shaped BB and approach a sexy fun-looking iPhone instead.

But I’m not from that category. I’ve been a BB user way before the birth of iOS. I shunned iPhone when it was first launched simply because, in iOS1.0 (and even 2.0), it was too inferior. But that was 2007. In iOS4.0, they are now setting the benchmark.

Anyway, I’m at the tipping point right now. One has to go. I HATE carrying 2 phones.

So, calling defendant #1, will BlackBerry proceed to the stand. “BlackBerry, why should I keep you instead of iPhone?”

“Well, I’m easier to type. Faster to make calls and SMS. Always connected via BlackBerry service. Push-contents. Great FB and Tweeter clients. Able to upload photos just about anywhere in a click.”

True enough, the jury buy that. BlackBerry’s system allows you to be connected (and being connected to a BlackBerry server vs. TMNet has a HUGE MAJOR advantage!).

“Oh, wait a minute. I also have BBM.”

Oh man. That’s the sucker punch! BBM is one reason why I stayed on BB. The group BBM feature is the best I have seen. If you have never BBM’d before, you don’t know what you’re missing. Period.

Calling defendent #2: iPhone, please come to the stand. What’s your defense?

“Ok, I admit that I have caused you shitloads of high blood pressure whenever you use the keypad, not having a customizable dictionary, inability to post a simple photo to the cloud without having to use a 3rd party app, video format limitations, shitty reception signal, shitty Facebook app, dependent on iTunes, shitty notification system and unable to let you download anything from the website other than photos or via a 3rd app…. for these, I apologize. Please bear in mind that I’m just at my fourth year. Ok, fine, Androids made a huge improvement in just 2 years, but they don’t have a control freak as their CEO.”

“In my defense, despite all of my limitations, I think you used me more than that BB thing. The only time you use that BB thing for is making calls, replying Facebook and BBM. Right? Other than that, it’s just me for almost everything. Right? I swear that by the time we get to iOS6 or 8, you’d have nothing to complaint. Please, please keep me!”

Hmm. iPhone has a point. I did utilize it more that the BB. It has been such a good device for everything except making a call. And I don’t make calls that much.

I guess, thinking about this brings Android to mind. It’s got the functionality of the iPhone, and freedom of the BlackBerry. But HTC? Samsung? Sorry… no-go.

Hmmmm…. hard decisions to be made. Maybe I should be reviewing man-bags instead.

2) The USB Cable Doesn’t Charge Via USB
Don’t think leaving your iPad hooked up to your computer will reward you with 100% battery level when you’re done watching the 216th season of Friends. It only charges via wall-mounted power supply (min. 2.1Amp). Good thing it lasts more than 5x than a regular iPod Touch.

3) It’s Thinner. And Big.
Yada yada yada about it being thinner. The fact is, anything with a 10″ screen will always be BIG. 15% thinner won’t make it fit into your pocket nor make it possible to be placed in the front pocket of your Eastpak. Nor your nerdmobile glovebox. And your wife KNOWS when you secretly chuck it into her handbag. It’s so big to a point that sometimes you do the unthinkable: you leave it at home.

4) It’s Not Cool To Be Bringing An iPad Around
When you carry something with a size of an World Atlas to wherever, you get tattooed “NERD” on the forehead. If your forehead is big enough, there’s also “I Only Have Virtual Friends”. Walking around with a leather casing that makes the tagline “Thinner” a complete waste of alphabet does not help. Remember you dad’s granny-looking filofax? Now look at your iPad’s leather casing.

5) It’s Not A Laptop For Goodness Sake!
If you buy the Apple Wireless Keyboard, you are missing the point. Please start talking to people.

6) Typing On An iPad Is Dumb.
First of all, the virtual keyboard design on the iPad is dumb. It’s got so much display real estate yet it can’t place a line of numerics and a line of frequently-used symbols above the QWERTY. They just HAVE to make us press the Shift or 123 to access to it. And do you actually use all 10 fingers to type on an iPad? OK, even if you do, an option to have a compact keypad has to be there for 1-finger typist out there.

7) It’s Got A Camera. Yay?
Not having Retina does not help the camera’s reputation at all. In fact, it cuts it open in half and even points out how sucky it is. But, it’s better than none (really?). But look at it this way, at least it’s preventing you to make it as your primary camera, coz the last thing you need it to look like a moron snapping pictures in public with a chopping-board.

8.) I Like To Read Books. So I Buy An iPad.
Really? Wouldn’t a book be cheaper? Don’t kid yourself. As if reading a book under bad lighting is bad enough, what’s worse is to be flourishing your reading habits on something that has a BACKLIGHT. We buy iPad because of internet, social networking and games. And not to mention because it’s such a gorgeous gadget to have. If you like to read books (reading article in Internet does not count!) and be techy at the same time, get a Kindle. Or Nook.

9) You Can’t Draw On It.
Well, you can draw a stick man. But no work of art will come from an iPad. Unless you’re cat and use paws to paint. Using fingers to sketch is like a caveman drawing a picture of a dinosour to another caveman on sand, moments before they became Tyron’s dinner. Your work of art will look like you really miss your kindergarten days. Again, the unthinkable: Apple should really provide a stylus for precision drawing or writing purposes on an iPad. Since an iPad looks like a flip-chart, sribbling notes and ideas sounds practical. Am quite definite it will outsell the wireless keyboard.

10) You Can’t Delete The Photo’s You’ve Synched.
This is not new for iOS users. I hate this. I thought things would be different in the iPad… but what was I thinking. You can’t managed the photos in the iPad. You can’t create folders or albums. iTunes is your king. You just have to accept it. Dammit.

The good news: iOS5 is coming.

Well, the UberTwitter guys have kept themselves busy and made their version of UberTwitter for iOS. Only this time, they call it UberSocial.

Prior to using UberSocial, I’ve been using the official Twitter app for iPhone. This is an amazing app which goes so well with iPhone’s simplicity and clean looking UIs. But when it started to develop a habit of crashing all too often, I switched to TweetDeck. But TweetDeck has always been too messy to me. Yes, it’s loaded with features. But hello, this is iPhone. It’s simplicity. I really think TweetDeck is much suitable for Android users. But it gets the job done.

Enter UberSoc. Upon installing it, the first thing I noticed after scrolling the timelines downwards, I can’t go back to the top of the page by tapping the top screen. WTH? That is a basic iOS feature and they missed it? So, 1 point down.

Then I tapped a tweet, a new page pops up and the tweet was shown in full page. Here’s a shocker: ugly! It’s degrading. The font used was horrible. The background color was distasteful. See for yourself. I wondered if they even reviewed the final outcome at all. Another point down.

Then I tried Direct Message. When it matters, people actually use DM. In fact, it’s Twitter’s mechanism of minimizing spam. It’s a great feature but unfortunately, it’s hidden in UberSoc setting menu. To access to it, you have to perform multiple taps. In BlackBerry’s Twitter, you know when a DM comes in, it gets pushed and you’re notified. In UberSoc, no notification whatsoever when a DM comes in. 3 points down so far.

Next, I wanted to change the refresh rate. iPhone battery doesn’t last that long, so I prefer an hourly refresh rate. But wait! You can’t do that in UberSoc. I was only given a choice of Manual or Auto-refresh of every 3 mins. 3 mins???? 4 points down!

Ok. So far, it’s all shit. But there are a few good things about UberSoc. Read on.

All of the tweet in the timeline is shown in its entirety. So, in practice, there’s no need to tap on a tweet for full page. So we can actually disregard one of the point above. So, 1 point up.

The real Gem of UberSoc is actually tapping on a tweet with a link to an article in a website. When tapped, UberSoc will present the link in a very readable format, without having to redirect to the full website. I think this the sweet. For this, I forgive the another disadvantage. Score now: -2

For the almost non-existent DM notification feature, the workaround solution is actually subscribing to email notification for DMs. Though it sounds primitive, it helps a bit. Score: -1.5

Oh, I like the icon. It looks good on my iPhone. Up by 0.5 point.

In the end, my score for UberSoc is -1. But compared to Twitter that hangs too often or overcomplicated TweetDeck, UberSoc will be my Twitter app for now.

If UberSoc enhances it’s implementation of DM, tap on screen top to move to top of the page and allow customizable refresh rate…. then I can say that UberSoc is in contention for the BEST Twitter app evah!

Then I saw Dailybooth in iPhone’s App Store. My first thought was, hey, maybe they have FOUND a use for Dailybooth in this hard-living world where by developing an app for it could make a difference to the world’s poverty and famine. And since it’s free, I downloaded it.

First impression, the user-interface is really clean. It’s actually great. But after a few minutes, I realized it’s exactly like the ones in the web.

It’s just looking at faces of people who means nothing to me. Pointless, a waste of time and… pointless!

And the thing is, most of them are really proud posting photos of them being drunk. And of their cleavages. hmm, maybe that’s the point.

Needless to say, I deleted the app. Maybe if I’m feeling down or sad, I’ll reinstall it, just to have a good laugh.

In simple note, I am a sucker for beautifully designed cameras. Which is why most of my compact cameras were Panasonic. Anyway, enough about me.

After going retro with Olympus EP2 and EP1 (which I bought by selling off my Sony NEX5 to replace my stolen EP2…and all of these buy/sell happening in 2010), it did play on me “what camera will I buy in 2011″?

So far, the prospect of yet-to-be-released Olympus EP3 sounds inviting. And with Leica seeming to be out-of-reach, I think Fuji’s X100 would probably be just the right candidate to fulfill my empty 2011 camera list. We’ll just have to wait and see until it comes out. Hopefully EP3 will be released around the same time.

Meanwhile, let’s salivate at this gorgeous picture (from dpreview.com). Ahhhhh. Bellisima.

For hardcore iPhone who thinks iPhone is the perfect phone, I think you’ve been living in denial. Either that or iPhone is your first and only phone.

iPhone in its latest OS is leaps and bounds ahead from it’s 2007 original coding. But, even so, it’s extremely inferior to many current phones.

But not to fear, if you are willing to compromise these or spent a bit more to compensate the disadvantages via 3rd party apps, then iPhone could indeed be on par with other offerings.

1) Making a simple call is a pain in the ass…

For a Blackberry user, you just type the name on the keypad and a contact appears. 2sec job. On top of that, you can customize 27 speed dials on the keypad. On an Android, a virtual keypad shortcut is readily available on the homescreen and you search via T9. Fast. 3sec job. For speed dial, you can configure 9 numbers.

iPhone, you need both hands. A few sliding motions and a few taps… 8sec job. If one handed, it would take a few minutes.

Remedy: Buy Smartdial app for $2.99 to enable T9 keypad searches and an icon dialer $0.99 to $2.99 to enable speel dial.

2) Sorry, no bulk SMS

Blackberry or Android: just create a group in your phonebook and SMS away. iPhone, no can do.

Remedy: Spare $0.99 for GroupSMS app. Disadvantage, it’s not synched to your phonebook.

3) Capture a picture and upload it in Facebook, Twitter or Flickr. Whaaat? No can do??

Blackberry or Android: snap a pic and straight away enjoy a long list of sites to share without exiting the camera app.

iPhone: you only have options to MMS or email. MMS??

Remedy: Purchase Camera+ for $2.99 to enable sharing to FB, Flickr or Twitter. Not a long list compared to BB or a Droid but at least, these are the popular ones. Disadvantage: Pictures from Camera+ is not automatically saved in the Camera Roll, you have to manually do it.

Remedy 2: Purchase a file uploader app that could stretch to $4.99. But it’s no longer a quick upload. It involves a few minutes of exiting and opening other apps follwe by a lenthy downloading time (due to authorization). The cheap apps does not support multi- asking so you have to wait for the download to complete before using the phone and pray no one call or text you during the process.

4) You would not know if you have any notifications unless…

BB has a light blinking. Some HTC Androids have that too. Both have little icons at the top of the homescreen (Android has a cool pull-down menu) to indicate any active notifications.

iPhone does not have any other than the pop-up message that dissapears once you unlock the phone. And also little badges at the app’s icon which could be not visible to you if you don’t scroll to the page it’s at.

Remedy: Jailbreak your iPhone and download a notification app. Without doing this, there’s no app that could ease this pain. So, learn to live with this if you opt not to jailbreak the phone.

5) Downloading a Video or MP3 from a site is no can do!

BB or Android: simply point the browser to a website and download away. It’ll be stored in your default folders for music or video or choose your own folder.

iPhone: Nope. You can’t do this.

Remedy: Purchase a Downloader app for $2.99. Disadvantage: You can’t play the downloaded file via you default iPod player. It could be played via the Downloader app only. At least you can download now.

6) You can’t share a file with your friends using Bluetooth

BB or Android: Pop the bluetooth and you’re on your way. Can’t do that with an iPhone.

Remedy: Ermm. No remedy so far. You can get an app for bluetooth sharing, but it’s enabled just between iPhones.

More to come… to be continued…

Please bear in mind that, in my honest opinion, iPhone’s attention to details and ‘those-little stuff’ are marvelous and made user-experience extremely enriching. iPhone is actually a marvelous ‘palm-sized’ computer but not a really practical ‘phone’. On the other hand,Androids or Blackberry’s focus on the big, practical and ‘it-matters’ stuff has actually made it a better phone…

Stay tuned!

If you need a mobile email machine, constantly on instant messagging be it BBM YM gTalk or even FB IM, uses Twitter on hourly basis and always check FB’s news feed, then it’s quite obvious that Blackberry is the right tool for you. This is probably the ultimate tool for communication.

iPhone on the other hand is totally the opposite. It’s basically a mini computer that could make and receive call on the side. It’s NOT the other way around. Telephony function is just a part-time job. It really is an internet, gaming, computing and photography device.

So, in other words, if you need an all-in-one device, you probably need to look elsewhere. Android is quite close in achieving that but it’s still not there yet.

But in the end, it’s all about sentiment.

So, if iPhone is appealing to you, my tip for you is: get another phone for telephony functions or as back-up. Because with the iPhone, you’ll end up spending hours on the internet or playing games and draining out the battery, so you need the back-up phone to make calls. In reality, the telephony function on iPhone is reaaaaally bad.

If you decide to get a Blackberry knowing what it can and can’t do, then it’s settled. But if at the same time, you need a good internet, gaming, photography and computing device, get yourself an iPod Touch or iPhone too.

See, in the end, it’s not a Blackberry vs. iPhone argument. It’s more to understanding your needs and hooking up with the right device.

But if you want something that’s a bit of Blackberry and iPhone, Android is the closest thing out there.

No matter how outdated a Blackberry looks like in the sea of touchscreen mobile devices, in real life usage, Blackberry only lacks in 3 areas that always makes it short to being the perfect mobile device. (1) Internet browsing (2) Photography tool and (3) Game pod.

Those 3 are exactly what the iPhone is good at. But Blackberry excels in instant messaging and email, and those are exactly what the iPhone can’t match, even in it’s latest bling-bling iOS4 cloak.

Maybe it’s due to the fact that Blackberry is not just a device. Blackberry is a service provider. You’re paying for that exclusive Blackberry service. And no other brands are offering that… for now. Couple that to the well thought designs of Blackberry device, from the menu structure to the QWERTY keypad, there’s just no substitute. Simply unbeatable.

A lot of people are hoping that the latest Blackberry OS6 would finally make seamless internet browsing a reality for BB user. And with the upcoming Blackberry Playbook tablet, gaming too will be a forte. The plus point by having the tablet as an extension of a Blackberry device is that, you can enjoy surfing and gaming using your current Blackberry internet plan on the tablet and not draining the phone’s battery. The perfect yin and yang.

So, after a bit more than a week owning an iPhone 4 with the intention of making it my corporate phone, I ended up NOT able to let go the Blackberry.

I’m back to operating like I used to, a Blackberry as my communication device and an iPod Touch for Internet stuff and games. Just that, now, it’s an iPhone instead of an iPod Touch.

Not much of a progress actually, other than, with the iPhone 4, I made more friends.

So the advice that I have been giving out to people who came up and asked me “so, Blackberry or iPhone?”:

Conditional tips. If you have never owned a Blackberry, keep our options open. Consider an Android too. Just know the pro and cons. It’s ok to choose iPhone or Android for its cool factors because since you’ve never experienced the advantages of the ‘true-push’ data service of a Blackberry, you don’t really know what you’re missing.

If you’re currently a Blackberry user, stick to it. Forget iPhone. You’d curse the iPhone for it’s messaging limitations, dependent on telco data service, slow navigation in real life usage, hard to type virtual keypad and unreasonable battery drains. Once Blackberry Playbook comes in next year, you have the perfect setup to just about do anything.

While you wait, an iPod Touch, or if money is not an issue, iPhone or Android are quite a good device to compliment your Blackberry… but definitely not to replace it.

Next up: Real Life Usage of iPhone 4 vs. The Outdated Blackberry 9700. Soon.

Taken by Johan. Thanks!

Both have very different strategies with Maxis taking a whole lot more risks by offering premium priced packages. Digi in the other hand, offers realistic affordable packages with a not too shabby coverage.

You’d think that Digi would have captured the majority of the market but somehow Maxis still manages to hold a strong segment for the iPhone market.

I guess, in the end, its a matter of taste and the insignificant opportunity cost between the packages being offered. Because, in essence, we are talking about an iPhone, a premium item, where cost was not a huge consideration to begin with.

For example, given a choice paying RM88 versus RM100 for 3gb and 1gb of monthly Internet respectively will surely spell 1 winner. But the truth is, knowing that it would be a challenge for an average Samad to even get to the 500mb mark, the difference of 2gb was actually a non-argument in the first place.

And if RM12 means having to change service provider or worst still, change a phone number that has defined you since your overgrown sideburn days, it would be a cost that an average Subra would be willing to forego.

So, though these 2 providers offer different strategies, as long as the starting points are different, its hard to call a winner.

I’ve been a Maxis user for the longest time. When Digi showed their packages, I felt like I had been falalaed by Maxis for the longest time. But since I had no network issues and been receiving good services from them, I really don’t see any reason to migrate for just a few bucks of savings per month.

But if the difference is huge and significant enough, it’s a different call.

When Maxis set a launch date a day earlier from Digi, I did not hesitate to wait for Digi. Mainly coz Maxis’ RRP is not much different from iPhones from Singapore and for unknown reasons, Digi was disclosing their price right up to their launch date. Why lar? Why?

For the record, right up till now, I still do not know how much Digi is offering for their iPhones. All I see is a signage telling us to be ready for the most affordable iPhone in town. Quite a disastrous strategy that has lost them a large chunk of potential customers.

But anyway, one man’s vanilla is another man’s sambal belacan. So far, there’s only one brand that could create such a havoc; Apple.

The truth is, I still use my BlackBerry more than the iPhone for social networking and staying connected. I like having the iPhone as my mobile internet device. And also as my game pod. Oh, not forgetting, as my official corporate email device.

But in the end, we all have our own reasons. And having the opportunity to choose is never a bad thing.

Most important thing, when you’ve made your choice, give your heart a break, stop comparing.

Update (25.09.2010 7:00am)
Ah, finally Digi released their full pricing. It comes only with a 24-month contract with a very attractive packages starting from RM58/month. If they have released this bit of information, it would probably would have shorten the lines during Maxis launch party that started 34-hours earlier. Lost opportunity.