Patrick Collins has always been big on productivity and organization. It’s what made his first BlackBerry, the Bold 9700, so appealing to him – as well as his current one, the BlackBerry Passport.
A graduate of the University of Texas with a degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Collins is a police officer in Texas. He kindly let us reprint the account he wrote on CrackBerry several weeks ago about his experience leaving BlackBerry for an iPhone…and returning. The story has been edited for grammar, spelling and length.
“Since a friend of mine had an iPhone 5s, and has been harping on me to ‘get out of the caveman age’, I finally decided to give the White Elephant a try.
I should preface this by saying Android was my first smartphone, and daily driver for almost two years, so I know the Android OS well, even the newest phones, due to being the go-to guy for family members when they need help setting up their Samsung Galaxys. So I know Android is not for me (even if BlackBerry makes a device).…
Back when I had my Android, I had a buddy who had a Bold 9700 and, long story short, after hours of tinkering, it was clear the BlackBerry OS was made for getting things done without all the foof, and I dug that. So, it was BlackBerry for me from that point on; from 9700 to 9780 to 9300 to 9900 to Q10 to Z10 back to Q10 to Passport to Classic.
And now back to the point. I had finally decided to take the leap, to join the enemy, to trade in my Montague crest for a Capulet, if you get my drift. So I did. I scrubbed my BlackBerry Classic and sold it to some lucky fellow on Craigslist. No turning back… So I opened the box to this iPhone and, admittedly, I was already scoffing at the froofy floofiness of the packaging, headphones, etc. But again, that’s another story. I start up the phone, input all my email addresses, other forms of communication and accounts, and viola, I am an Apple-boy, or whatever they are dubbed as. It felt dirty but a guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do.
Initially, I was impressed. It seemed easy to enter info and setup new accounts and enter calendar dates, etc. Man it was breath of fresh air to open up the appstore and know that any app I can imagine was not only there, but made specifically for this phone. So, for the briefest of moments, I was happy. Then two, three, and four weeks passed, and boy, did those weeks of heavy daily use bring out the true colors of the almighty iPhone.
These iPhone people have been had.
The operating system is numbingly simple. The lack of customization compared to the BlackBerry is insane for a phone I thought was for the artsy hipster crowd. If you want a personalized ringtone, you better be willing to buy one. If you want to use any Gmail accounts, you better be willing to use the old fashion ‘fetch’ feature since ‘push’ is not available for Gmail addresses. For those that don’t know, ‘fetch’ does not immediately notify you if you receive an email. It instead ‘fetches’ it on predetermined time-intervals, which also drains the already terrible battery.
Want to pick and choose what email account a new contact is associated with? You better be willing to go into settings and change the default contact list each and every time you want a contact somewhere else. Want to designate different colors to display on the calendar for different accounts? Too bad. Again, you can’t if you have Gmail accounts.
Want to set a default browser page that opens up fresh when you open the browser? Too bad…. Want to change any themes to be dark themes? Nope. Want to control your privacy on the fly, and quickly shut down your location? LOL no. Want to lower the volume of your alarm or change the snooze time? Not happening. Need to view a pdf attachment from an email? Better find a computer.
Yes iPhone, you have apps, I get it. You also have a spectacular camera. Bravo. But I don’t play games and I’m not a photographer, so I’m afraid your ‘features’ are lost on me.
The iPhone OS is akin to a parent jingling their keys for a child compared to the BlackBerry. And now I know. Now, I can give a good chuckle when someone says ’get out of the stone-age’, knowing they have a very attractive, and well marketed, inferior device. Well, as long as we have a BlackBerry (10) Operating System. I’ll ride this train ’til the wheels fall off. Just bought a Passport from BB last night.
What is it you regulars say now? Oh right, ‘Rant OFF’.”
“Since a friend of mine had an iPhone 5s, and has been harping on me to ‘get out of the caveman age’, I finally decided to give the White Elephant a try.
Want to set a default browser page that opens up fresh when you open the browser? Too bad…. Want to change any themes to be dark themes? Nope. Want to control your privacy on the fly, and quickly shut down your location? LOL no. Want to lower the volume of your alarm or change the snooze time? Not happening. Need to view a pdf attachment from an email? Better find a computer.