Peter Sanchez dot Com

Well that didn't take very long did it? Roughly 10 weeks ago I wrote about why I was switching from my iPhone (which I had used for nearly 2 years) back to a BlackBerry.

Well, the other day I broke down and picked up a brand new iPhone 3Gs. I know, I know. I'm a fan boy I guess.

Truth is I love my Blackberry but I also loved the iPhone. With the new release of the iPhone OS (version 3.1), the addition of MMS support (finally!) from AT&T and all the apps I loved and really missed using, I decided to come back to the iPhone.

I bitched about a few things in my post about why I left the iPhone to begin with... The biggest reason was the keyboard. That problem is still there, although the new landscape support really helps - at least in the two places I need it most (email and sms)

There still is no background processing either, but with the addition of PUSH technologies it's sort of helping me forgive that short falling.

All of the other reasons I was burnt on the iPhone have been fixed. MMS, Copy & Paste, [what seems to be] better hardware, etc. have brought me back.

Here is a list of some of the apps that I quickly installed (and love!)

Awesome Note, Touch Term, Ping!, Twitterific, Sportacular, Sirius/XM, Brain Tuner, Currency, Flixster, Remote and Urban Spoon.

Got any other app recommendations for me?

Wow, I've been missing in action haven't I (at least on this f'n blog.) Sorry about that. I promise to try and write more posts but knowing me I'll get tied up with a ton of other things and put this on the back burner... like I always do.

Anyways, on to the actual article...

A few months ago I finally got frustrated enough with my iPhone that I decided to do something I had been wanting to do for 6 months or so... I switched back to a BlackBerry.

Of course, a few days after I made the switch the new iPhone 3GS was announced and I immediately regretted my decision.

So here I am, nearly 2 months later, the 3GS is already out (and selling like hot cakes) and guess what? I'm totally happy with my Blackberry. It does everything I want out of a smart phone and does it very well.

Here were my main gripes with the iPhone (and remember, I had one since they were first released in 2006):

• How about the short life span for one?


• My biggest complaint was the keyboard. It really was a huge pain in the ass for me to use that keyboard. I can't say enough how much I hated that keyword. Landscape mode was better but still not as good as my Blackberry Bolds keyboard. Yea, I truly hated that keyboard. (how many times can I use the word keyboard?)


• Lack of MMS capabilities. God that drove me crazy. Especially since half the time you go to see your MMS message via AT&T's god awful "viewmymessage.com" site it didn't work. Seriously, NO MMS?


• Ok, this is crazy. No copy & paste? Are you fucking kidding me? I "learned" to deal with it from the very beginning and I couldn't believe it still wasn't an option on the most advanced phone ever created. (Yes, I actually use copy & paste probably 10x a week on my Blackberry!)


• No background processing. I would like to leave my messenger open in the background while I make a phone call or search my email. Not possible with the iPhone.

Those are just some of the reasons. Not it's not all bad. I actually do miss the iPhone, but not enough to switch back.

What I miss is the super easy navigation. Flick of the finger and a tap and I'm where I want to be. Oh, and the web browser. Hand's down, best mobile browser EVER! Blows the blackberry browser out of the water!

Even though some of my complaints are fixed on the new iPhone OS (ie, copy & paste was FINALLY added) there still is the keyboard issue, MMS still isn't supported though now it looks like it's an AT&T thing and still no background processing.

I didn't mind the iPhone's email client so much (though I wish it had PUSH support, which is coming soon?) but the Blackberry email application and SMS/MMS abilities are so smooth and efficient. Handling email on my Blackberry is so easy and it even catches a lot of spam that Gmail misses, which is cool.

All in all, I'm glad I came back to Blackberry. Oh, and Blackberry messenger is an awesome app! Too bad any of the AIM client's aren't as slick.

Saturday, I picked up a new Blackberry Pearl which is replacing my old Blackberry 8700g. At first, the smaller phone and especially keyboard was annoying to me. The more I use it, the more I like the interface. Nothing can replace the full keyboard imho, but the rest of the phones navigation is superior. I especially like the roll ball navigation, as opposed to the scroll wheel on the 8700. Again, the biggest adjustment is the keyboard but I am getting the hang of it. The word prediction on this phone is much better than any other device I have used.

Another great feature is the camera! It may be the nicest camera phone I have ever seen. The camera is a 1.3 megapixel and the photos are very nice (considering, it's a phone!) I have a few of them on my Groovr profile.

I will post an update on my feelings on the pearl in a week or so, once I've had more time to play.

Technorati Tags: blackberry, cell phone, pearl

"You have been sent a picture message. View your message at http://www.t-mobilepictures.com"

For months I was annoyed with that. The whole point of receiving MMS (picture) messages is to get a quick glance without having to use your desktop! I finally got tired of it and investigated why I was having this trouble. I use the Blackberry 8700g device with T-Mobile cellular service.

Apparently, I am not the only person frustrated with this. A quick check of the forums at Pinstack.com shows many, many people with the same issue. These are the steps I found to fix this issue.

1. View your service books. Options -> Advanced Options -> Service Book
2. Delete every service book except "Provisioning"
3. Resend your service books via your device, or the My T-Mobile web site.
4. Reboot your device (Pull the battery out, don't use the power button.. Don't ask me why.)

That should be it. Some people still report issues after going through the steps above. If you are still having issues, then you need to call T-Mobile and speak with their support. Good luck.

Technorati Tags: blackberry, mms, software, t-mobile

I found this via Google News...

"That's because Sen. Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn) plans to introduce legislation that would ban people from listening to music players or using electronic devices that would hamper their awareness of their surroundings while crossing the street, said Jason Joppel, Kruger's chief of staff. The legislation would also apply to pedestrians using iPods and other MP3 players, BlackBerries, cell phones or other devices."

Now, this can get hairy. I routinely use my iPod and BlackBerry in public, so this can't be good news. Luckily I live in Los Angeles and not New York. It's not like anyone walks in LA anyways ;)

Full article is Here

Technorati Tags: blackberry, ipod, news