I’m sitting here thinking of what to write and I stumble across an idea and that is the title in which you see. I’ve been doing this “blogging” thing for over a year now and it never seems to get old. There are moments when I feel like throwing in the towel but that’s just me having personal thoughts and a lazy habit. At the end of these “moments” I sit back and realize how much I truly love mobile technology as a whole. I haven’t been keeping up on my news about other platforms but Phonedog does that for me. I decided to reveal to the community what RIM has done for me with the BlackBerry platform. I’m sure there are specific things that keep you coming back to your Berry, even after 5 battery pulls, 3 app/theme deletions and a hard slam on the counter; all occurring the same day.
I’ll address 5 points regarding the topic and would like some feedback to see if there’s anyone that is in agreement or has another point.
I – My BlackBerry has never failed me. I had an 8700 with Sprint(first Berry every) and it was fast with data and handled calls very well. It was my introduction into using devices with a QWERTY keypad and I fell in love. Heck, it was my first smartphone. I didn’t keep it long because I couldn’t afford the plan(college) but, it served its purpose. My second BB was the Curve 8900 with T-Mobile USA and it, by far, was the best phone I had ever used. It was quick, supported multiple applications and kept me happy when I needed to handle data and day to day processes. My third device was the Bold 9700, also T-Mobile USA, and it handled everything almost perfectly. I paid full price to upgrade from the 8900 to the 9700. The 3G was great and having native OS 5.0 was a plus. Having BlackBerry 6 support later down the line was even better for a power user like myself. I’m finally using a BlackBerry Torch with AT&T and it outperforms any other Berry that I’ve used or owned. I’ve used 3 carriers and each carrier has their issues but my BlackBerry has never failed me. My Bold was my favorite but T-Mobile failed me and AT&T picked it up for me with the Torch.
II – Best keyboard in the business. If I truly wanted a full touch I could’ve gotten a Storm a long time ago but keyboards really work when I’m selecting text, typing accurately or quickly jotting information. Keyboards aren’t perfect but they are better than touch screens overall. The 8900 keypad was my favorite since it had separate keys. The Bold keypad was an adjustment initially but I learned to love it and it’s implementation on the Torch is flawless. I’ve seen other manufacturers attempt to make devices similar to ours but they always fail miserably. BB = Best keypad/board on a smartphone.
III – Screen size is proportional. We don’t have the best display but what he have is a nice screen size and a good pixel ratio. The screens are also good because they minimize the excessive use of battery. We can view hi-res images and zoom in on web pages without loosing fidelity, especially with BlackBerry 6. I like the simplicity of what we have without the giants throwing specs back and forth. At the end of the day, my screen works and can impress me from time to time.
IV – Battery life is still the best. Other devices are upgrading their battery capacity and their operating systems are utilizing them better but, none can compete with a BlackBerry overall. The Bold 9700, by far, has the best battery life on OS 5.0 or BB 6. It houses a 1500 mAh battery and doesn’t even need to juice it too much because of superior data management from the OS. There are much larger devices, like the HTC Evo or the Droid X that have similar battery sizes, sadly, their issue is having a screen too large and an OS that consumes too much energy. Though I congratulate my Bold on it’s superior battery life, I can now applaud my Torch for getting better with battery management as well; thanks to a new OS leak ;).
V – BlackBerry 6 is beastly. Sliding screens, notifications tab, quick access to wireless options, saving contacts, links, bookmarks and BBM groups to the home screen, new theme support and an awesome Webkit Browser make me very very happy to own a BlackBerry.
I think that final point was the icing on the cake. I’m glad I could elaborate on what makes this device good. I know there are Android and iOS fanboys who would like to know the truth; well, there it is. In closing, what does your BB do to make you “tick”. A few of my many reason are above. To answer my question in full, it means that I have a device that lasts a long time while I’m handling personal or professional business, operating multiple applications, various data channels, and utilizing daily functions almost flawlessly. Comments are welcome.