NoGoodz

Ah, the old Blackberry versus iPhone debate: a classic, ever-changing conundrum among a growing percentage of the 1st-world populace. These days it’s become almost a part of the human mating ritual: whoever has the snazziest mobile equipment gets the digits. One of the most interesting things about computers and technology is how different the proficiencies at using these tools varies from person to person. And when you crunch all that computing power and skill sets into a common everyday item like a cell phone, you get a blinking light in every pocket of who’s in the know and who’s not.

But which of these two pieces of tech is the sexiest? Which one says “Hey ladies or fellas, why don’t you hop on my 3G network and let me take you for a ride?” And does knowing what a 3G network is seal the deal or tag you as a tech-nerd to never be touched? Will not being able to work your smartphone’s touch screen keyboard make you look weak and un-doable? Well, we might not be able to tell you which one to rub on your pulse points or stuff down your pants, but we can tell you which one, in our opinion, is the best.

Now, for the most part we come from a bi-partisan standpoint: we love Macs but don’t particularly like Apple. And we hate PCs and Windows and Microsoft. Not hate, per se, but we just don’t use them for anything more than cross-browser testing because functionality and form are a big thing to us. If it doesn’t look seamless and like Eve from Wall-E we don’t want to touch it. If fonts aren’t gonna look silky smooth, then why would we want to type all day?

So let’s look at some pro’s and con’s from a tech/usability/pleasure point and see what adds up.

The Goods:

Blackberry - First and foremost the physical keyboard offers a better typing experience. Although the Pearl has text typing similar to regular cell phones like the RAZR, that’s not necessarily a bad thing in terms of user familiarity. As for the Curve, it has a full keyboard which is pretty easy to use but gets better with the upcoming Bold (the suppsed iPhone-killer). Along with a more refined push email/exchange system, MMS capabilities, expandable memory card slot, and a Blackberry-only messaging system (BBM), the variety of versions (Curve, Pearl, Bold, Storm, Javelin, etc.) offer many different options for any type of user.

iPhone - With the iPhone, looks are everything. It’s a sleek and seamless little ditty with a touch screen and very smooth user interface. Furthermore it’s got a great browser based on Safari (the Mac browser) that renders the internet almost exactly as it would on your main computer. And flipping through pictures, contacts, and messages is just fun. And for more fun, the iPhone has hundreds—by now probably thousands—of applications that you can buy and download free right on the home screen and use right away.

The Bads:

Blackberry - Unlike the iPhone, the Blackberry has been around for much longer but has a smaller compliment of applications for download. Although third-party and mostly productivity based, the apps for the Blackberry are half fun/half getting things done and are not all available “Over The Air” for instant download and use. Whereas the iPhone mimics a lot of the interface beauty of the Mac, the Blackberry smacks a bit more of a PC, but with more extensive theming possibilities. The web browsing is crap, even with Opera Mini-Browser installed, and there is a little concept known as “Crackberry Addiction” to take into account.

iPhone - Setting aside the whole “MobileMe” fiasco, the iPhone lacks a few functionality points such as MMS and a clear microphone/speaker system. Also lacking is a sense of full-on openness of platform. It’s like you only partially own your phone since you can be locked out of it if you download something Apple doesn’t give the okay for. With very poor customer support, mysterious service plan pricing, and no reliable form of push email, the fact that it is almost impossible to type on it’s touch-screen rendered keyboard pales in comparison. What does it matter if you can get a sentence out, how’s it going to get there?

Overall:

It really matters what you are looking for when comparing these two smartphones. The iPhone is a really great, expensive toy that you can listen to songs on, download games and fun apps to, and all around looks futuristic and happening. The Blackberry has come a long way to polishing itself into an equally sleek bit of hardware that is more of a destination and a tool for getting the job done. Both could use better javascript rendering, a Flash-enabled web browser like Skyfire, and hardware that doesn’t seem so… scratchable.

So, when the math is done, we’ve chosen the Blackberry as our winner. Choosing function over form, the Blackberry just seems more like a product that will help us make money and not just kill time on, and is a platform that can learn from the lessons inherent in the iPhone (see: Blackberry Storm) and implement them faster in evolutionary iterations than Apple can. Plus, the iPhone says “Hey, check out my playlist” whereas the Blackberry says “Hey, let me buy you dinner while you check out my playlist.”

What’s your favorite? Let us know in the comments below…