BlackBerry or iphone

[Helenagrace]

I need to renegotiate one of our company mobile contracts. Currently we run BlackBerries but I'm considering buying iphones.

My worry is that BlackBerries are considered the best tools for email on the move but obviously don't have as many useful apps.

Does anyone on here use an iphone for serious business? I can't afford not to be able to pick up emails and I need to keep some way of having messenger chats with associates. I also need to tweet from my phone from time to time.

There's also a part of me that thinks iphones are really just toys and BBs are considered serious business tools. Am I out of date?

my sister has a blackberry (work)
a blueberry (other work)
and an iphone

I use email on my home pc !!

I phones are great for apps but crap for email, if you need email on the move I would stick to Blackberry.

At my last org we negotiated a contract on Vodafone which offered blackberries and iphones depending on user preference. I think this is now possible as there is a free piece of software (think that is what it was) which replaces the need for a separate blackberry server or BEZ. Not sure if that is relevant.

I went for a blackberry as I knew that tapping on the screen instead of the blackberry keypad would drive me nuts. Most people went for an iphone and I think regretted it...

I used to have a BlackBerry, and I hated it. It is not intuitive at all, its settings are hopeless, and trying to get on to the internet was useless.

However, re e-mail it was totally reliable.

I now have an iPhone, and love, love, love it from the point of view of all the apps, getting onto the internet, etc. But e-mail is not reliable - I keep having problems where it says it can't find the server, and will only send e-mail once I'm at home and it picks up our wireless router.

In the ideal world I'd have one of each. In reality, it depends what is most important to you. If you're on the move a lot, and are reliant on sending e-mail away from your own wireless, then I'd have to say go for a BlackBerry.

I'll throw a third idea into the mix - look at an Android phone.

Many people I know got them (while waiting for the i-phone's exclusive carrier agreement to expire), and now wouldn't trade.

Android is associated with Google, so gmail. Very robust, very reliable. Many available apps.

Look into it.

Excerpt from article in the NY Times:

'Google?s Android platform is the most popular smartphone operating system, according to new data from Nielsen. It is used on 29 percent of all active smartphones. Apple?s iPhone and RIM?s BlackBerry devices, meanwhile, each make up 27 percent of active smart phones. Android phones were most popular in the 18 to 24 age demographic as well.'

I know this stat is from America so perhaps has limited value in the UK, but these companies/phones are global businesses - so definitely worth a look.