For years now I have loved playing with nifty new phones. This has slowed down a bit once I got a Blackberry from work but generally I have been able to keep getting the phones I want. At the moment I have a Blackberry Pearl am happy with it. I love taking pictures with it and sending them to my Flickr account. I also find the Google maps java application to be the most useful thing on the phone. I can use the Bluetooth to tether my computer to the internet when I need but it is slow. Over the air sync to the exchange server is handy and I think I would miss it if I switched. I know I could do IMAP mail but it would not sync contacts, notes, and tasks over the air.
So it seems there are a few things that keep me using my Pearl but I still find my self wanting a Iphone. What I really want is an Iphone minus the phone part. The big screen would be great for watching videos and I want video all the time on my video ipod. I sure hope Apple comes out with something soon because I am not sure how long I can fight the desire to get the Iphone and just use it as an Ipod. Would there would be something wrong with that??? If Apple would tell me when I can get a video Ipod as cool as an Iphone I might just be able to hold my self back, maybe.
You tether your pearl to your laptop? Do you do this under Linux, and if so, are you on AT&T/Cingular with a tethering plan? I have been trying to do this without success so far.
My Pearl is on AT&T/Cingular and I have only had it working in windows. I just set it up as a bluetooth modem then used this link to get it working:
http://www.blackberryforums.com/blackberry-guides/2019-user-howto-use-blackberry-modem-laptop.html
I got an iPhone on “launch day”, and I’m more then happy with it, for the most part. Let me address a few of the issues you mentioned, granted they’re hacks but they work.
-Flickr
You can still take/send pictures the same way, snap a picture, and email it to flickr. There’s an option for this on flickr that will give you an email address that automatically puts them on your photo pool.
-Google Maps
I find it much better on the iPhone then I did on Windows Mobile, minus one key feature… I can’t tether my bluetooth GPS device to the iPhone, and this really sucks. Oh, I think Live Maps for Windows Mobile is much better then gmaps.
-Active Sync
I miss this feature the most, however, most of the things that I’ve read concerning the iPhone state that this will probably be included eventually in a software update. I really hope so at least.
-Laptop tethering
http://cre.ations.net/blog/post/tether-your-iphone
That just came out not too long ago, haven’t tried it yet, but it sounds like it works well.
That said, I’ve had a blackberry, I find the iPhone interface 100% more usable. The lack of 3rd party apps really really ticks me off, but I haven’t missed them yet. The voicemail on demand feature is pretty cool, the screen is beautiful and responsive, web browsing is better then anything I’ve used before, and the iPod portion is perfect, all that I could have asked for. Oh, the videos looks stellar, even YouTube looks good if you’re connected to WiFi.
Worst case, it would be an expensive iPod, but I have a feeling you’ll use it as a phone too if you make the switch.
-Aaron L.