blackberry v. iPhone - which is best? Or do I need something else?

[edam]

Hello, hoping some of you IT-savvy people can help a dimwit.

I want to be able to check my emails when I'm out of my home and my office, without carting my laptop around. Suspect this means investing in a Blackberry or iPhone. Which is best? (My current mobile is supposed to be whatever it was the last best thing about connecting to the net was - 3G or summat - but actually is rubbish.)

And do you know the best/cheapest place I can get one?

(Btw, I use Macs at home but am about to start a new job working in a proper office with PCs and stuff. So something that could link to my Mac iBook would be nice. And PC stuff may claim to do that, but sometimes it doesn't really work. Although I don't want to talk myself into an iPhone if I don't need it as I imagine like all Mac stuff it's really expensive...)

'I don't need to change the world, I'm just looking for a few emails..' (apols to B Bragg)

Blackberry for straight boring emailing
Iphone for everything else, especially swanky apps

Get an android phone!
I have the milestone (droid in US)- has a slideout keyboard, bigger than BB's; touchscreen like iphone, and don't have to slide out the keyboard if you don't want; lots of apps; links into googlemail seamlessly (android is google product); very fast; erm...

And when you text an emoticon, it looks like a cute little robot [shallow]

blackberry is cr@p. imho

For p-b-s - it does appear the iPod Touch is pretty much the same (size etc) apart from the iPhone having the phone electronics instead of larger storage capacity), and the somewhat higher cost, too, of course.

iPhone will use 802.11 wi-fi if possible, and mobile data if no wi-fi, but there's no way to do what I think you want to - it would wipe out the market for the iPhone if there was a cheap adaptor to plug into iPod Touch to give it access to the mobile networks.

I suppose, for the OP, it depends on how much spare time you have to idle away with the iPhone apps.

LeninGrad "How much are these nowadays?"

Anything from 0 (eg 8 GB on an 18 or 24 month contract could be 0 quid plus 25/month) to 540 quid for a 32 GB phone on PAYG.

Best look at a Carphone Warehouse mag to see the range of options depending on network.

Oh, and be careful out there (having just read of a student running up a 7,000+ pound bill because he used a UK Orange SIM while abroad).

One thing to note is that the battery on an iPhonedoes run down quickly. My Blackberry lasts 3 days or so and it's always on, always sending and receiving emails. I rarely use it as a phone.

My iPhone on the other hand barely lasts a day - but then I use it as an iPod on the train (maybe 2.5 hours round trip inc tube), as a phone for maybe 20 mins a day and play lots of silly apps on it and running graphics does seem to use up the battery.

to onebat.

Good point, Lenin, I'll ask.

Oh, and can I keep my number? Currently have a Virgin PAYG mobile. (I'm normally a cheapskate when it comes to technology, but am being seduced by the iPhone.)

There is a new 4G Iphone coming out soon (not sure how soon) and that will have a better battery life.

I am keeping tabs on j's smoking for you!

ooh thanks MollieO - my contract is up in the summer and I was hoping they'd bring out a new phone around then, they normally release them in the summer

I've just upgraded to the 3Gs and the battery is better than my old 3G. I used to charge every day and now it is about every 2nd or 3rd day depending on what I've used it for. My BB lasts longer but then the only thing I use it for is to read emails. I use my Iphone as a phone, sending and receiving emails, surfing the net, playing games, listening to music. I reckon if I could do the same with the BB the battery life of the BB would be similar.

Looks like there should be a pile of old laptops (and earlier models of iPhones) around (oh yes, and a bigger pile of Blackberrys!)

Out of interest do people just pass them on to relations/ friends or flog them?

I'm not specially bothered about the iPhone (iPod Touch will do what I want, and being limited to wi-fi means I'd know it was never racking up bills !!) but if there are old laptops gathering dust...

I know some of the neighbours around me don't have the funds to buy new, and I've offered wi-fi access for them to get discounts on gas/elec or use the net to search for things on Amazon etc. Would have passed on one of the laptops I'm using but (long story, elsewhere) my sister will be getting the nice shiny Windows 7 laptop to use, that I only bought a couple of weeks ago... so need to keep the one I was going to pass on to the couple next door.

I usually grind mine into the ground WebDude. Random keys gone, fishpaste in inner workings, the lot. The one that actually survived went to ds for school stuff.

But you've made me think for next time.

like the pun there, HC. How's he doing?

not well . you?

I have had a BlackBerry for a few years now, and I hate it. It's not intuitive at all and accessing the web is so slow it's like the worst early days of dial up.

I'm getting an iPhone at the weekend, and am looking forward to it!

Just hope it does the job with e-mail, like BlackBerries do. (But then, you can't view attachments easily on the BB, so the iPhone has to be better in this regard)

If you want a true business phone get a Blackberry. If you want to play with your music and download cool aps then the iphone is good. iPhone is notorious for poor reception (but the aps are good fun). Also, do you have a preference of touch screen or true qwerty buttons. I have the touch screen because you can't feel the buttons. However, I have an ipod, and I LOVE that I can plug it into the treadmills at the gym and watch my videos whilst I run.

BTW, I don't have a blackberry or an iPhone. But other at work have the latest iPhone and the sound quality is in fact shit. But, they all have fun playing with the aps in meetings... but of course they bought these phones to enhance their work .

HC, me neither. Think JA and I really do need to do that email support thing and remind each other of our conversation!

Strix/BIWI thanks for that. Am deffo leaning towards iphone. Now just need to find a cheap deal!