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| Bye Bye Old Faithful |
Well I’ve done it…I’ve taken the leap. I am a Blackberry userno more.
I’m not sure what made me decide to leave the Blackberryworld…or why I chose to do it when I did. Was it the recurring tiny black clock(say that 5 times fast) of doom and the resulting bi-weekly battery pull? Wasit the frustrating browser interface that constantly shifted essential parts ofa webpage off the screen, never to be seen again? Was it the incredible lack ofwell-performing apps?
I don’t know. All I know is sometimes you just know when it’stime to move on…
And move on I did…to a shiny new white (I really wantedblack but beggars can’t be choosers) iPhone 4s on the bMobile network. bMobile,being the consummate pain in the ass that it always is, didn’t spare me anystress trying to acquire this phone. First they had run out of Hotspot devices(which happened to be an essential part of the plan that I wanted) and couldn’tinform me when they would be restocking. As fate would have it, theirauthorized dealer Cellular Planet still had Hotspot devices (I found that outon my own, not through Bmobile’s less than helpful customer service reps) and Imanaged to get the last Hotspot and the last iPhone 4s available, it seemed, inthe entire country.
Flaws with the Hotspot and the iPhone itself had me bitingmy nails for a week, wondering whether I’d made a huge mistake switching frommy flawed but ever-loyal Blackberry Torch. Following the assistance of a wonderfulbMobile technician (they do exist) who went to no ends to get me a newfunctioning Hotspot, and after scouring the Apple forums to solve the issue ofiMessage and push notification failure, I finally was able to settle in and seewhat all the Apple fuss is about.
iPhone has, in short, revolutionized the way I look atmobile phones. Don’t get me wrong…I’m no Apple fan-girl. I’m not a loyalist toany particular operating system or brand of phone – there are some designs andbrands I’d be reluctant to choose (like Sony Ericsson, ew) but for the mostpart I’m relatively open-minded. iPhone has shown me that phones can havefunctions that extend far beyond their instant messaging service. Basically Ihave always taken it for granted that my phone was more than just a device Icould use to message other people…it’s an organizational and functional tool.Applications can really influence the way you carry about your business on aday to day basis. For example, I keep track of my expenses using Evernote andMint, and will eventually (when the thought of checking how much money I *actually*spend doesn’t make me wee myself) use that to come up with a budget I canfollow. I use Flipboard to keep track of news, articles and snippets from theweb, revolving around my interests like Design, Style, Politics, Architecture,etc. For the most part they pull articles at random, but I can also sync myGoogle Reader account and have my specific blogs and sites just a flip away. TheTED app gives me access to the video and audio files from various TED talks, anincredible resource if you’re just looking for a constructive way to pass thetime. I haven’t fully explored that particular app yet but in theory, it’sbrilliant. I‘ve begun to warm to the idea of sharing my life in pictures andnaturally Instagram is the go-to application for that. I’m not a naturalshutterbug…oddly enough since I own a vast array of cameras; but the camera onthe iPhone 4s is so good I don’t have an excuse not to take photos on a regularbasis now. I won’t go into detail on the games…just know that Temple Run and FruitNinja have consumed my life and there is no coming back…
There are a number of other less popular apps I won’t gointo, like the ambient noise app I downloaded to put me to sleep at night andthe flashlight app that saves my life at 2am.
Apps aside, and apart from the amazing camera I spoke aboutearlier, the browser on this phone is a million times better than the browseron Blackberry. Like…no contest. It’s just a really easy, manageable phone and I’mreally happy with the transition.
Now I’m fully aware that you can get the same functionalityout of an Android phone. I haven’t delved deeply into the negative elements ofAndroid, or iOs for that matter. The worst thing I’ve noticed about this phoneis that the iTunes store is incredibly restricting when it comes to purchasingoutside of your region, or even utilizing gift cards purchased outside of yourregion. I have to jump through a lot of hoops to get what I want sometimes, andthat’s pretty annoying. Android strikes me as a little less secure by way ofviruses etc but I assume that there are ways to prevent infections as much aspossible. But I think a lot of apps I pay for on the iPhone are actually freefor Android (at least they’re free on my Android tablet). Aesthetically I’m yetto find an Android phone I like as much as the relatively more compact iPhonedesign. Big phones don’t suit me. I have small hands.
Giving up Blackberry Messenger has been the only realchallenge in the whole process…of course; it was the only thing the Blackberrywas good for. Whats App suffices although not everyone I want to speak to hasjumped on the Whats App train, like my little brother, for example. I do missbeing able to pick up on the latest bacchanal through BBM statuses and pictures,and I do miss the access it gives me to a large number of people (mainly forpromotional purposes) but when I really think about it, that’s a smallsacrifice to make for a phone that can basically change my life. Ok..maybe I’mexaggerating. It can make my life a little easier, a little more organized, anda little less swearing at the tiny rotating…always rotating clock of death.
So if you’re considering the leap…close your eyes, take adeep, deep breath, and jump. The landing is soft…and has a considerably lessshitty browser.
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| The case I eventually ended up with…for now |
PS. I really don’t advise getting this phone unless you have constant access to wifi. the iPhone running on Edge alone is an incredibly frustrating process…and it in no way reflects the true potential of this device. I was fortunate to get one of the last Hotspots on the island. If bMobile doesn’t restock soon then I advise calling around to authorised dealers and trying your luck.
