The Smartest Smartphone for You
There are certain staples that tend to be recession-proof: alcohol, toilet paper, Spam. You can add smartphones to that list, reports the New York Times. Sales of BlackBerrys, iPhones and other smartphone models are projected to increase by 25% this year.
In case you’re thinking about contributing to that increase, Gizmodo has a guide to the latest and greatest models: the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3G S, the Palm Pre, the HTC Magic, and the BlackBerry Storm. The tech savvy folks at Gizmodo compare the hardware, software, and cost of these little electronic extensions of ourselves.
Check out the Gizmodo piece for tech love poems and detailed charts. Here’s the short version:
To summarize: iPhone OS claims advantages in ease of use, its burgeoning App Store, and a respectable core feature set, but falters on multitasking and its lack of ability to install unsanctioned apps. The Pre’s WebOS is extremely slick and friendly to multitasking, but its App Catalog is light on content, and its development SDK is somewhat restrictive. Android and BlackBerry OS are both more laissez-faire, letting users install apps from whatever source they choose. Neither of their app stores is spectacular, but Android’s is markedly less anemic.
Last month, we did a post on the best iPhone apps for lawyers. If you chose to download Black’s Law Dictionary, we’d love to know if it’s worth its hefty price tag. We included some polls in that post about which smartphones you all prefer, and what’s on offer at your firms. Results after the jump.
We asked about your PDA of choice for BigLaw correspondence. The Blackberry came out on top, but the iPhone is gaining ground:
Only 31% of those who voted said iPhones were an option at their firms. But when it is an option, 62% opt for it.
Smartphone Buyers Guide: The Best of the Best [Gizmodo]
Smartphone Rises Fast From Gadget to Necessity [New York Times]
Earlier: Top Ten iPhone Apps for Biglawyers
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Comments
First!!!
"Wait until we invent the Brownberry."
-- SotomayOR!
I just carry a beeper and a taser.
Didn't Obama used to go by Barry?
As in...
I hope we can change the tax rate on blackberries.
-BHO
I'm only human, but im working on that. I want to replace my hands with blackberries.
For an enterprise user such as myself, I found the Palm pre to be a disappointment. The pre is a kid's phone much like the iphone. Anytime I see an attorney with an iphone, I know that person is not serious about the profession. At the firm, I believe blackberries are distributed. I still use my 1997 Startac in between phones. The best smartphone I have used was the Treo 650. I am currently awaiting a Touch Diamond 2.
Treos are the bomb...too bad they're losing the BB battle so badly.
If you're in a firm, email is top priority and everything else is a distant second. This means blackberry. PE must be breaking character if he thinks the treo 650 was an acceptable business phone. The email reliability of that thing was abysmal.
The iphone has gotten better at receiving email in a timely manner, but the BB is still king of actually letting you know that message is there. Add a blinking red LED to the iphone, and the gap closes quite a bit, but if you're in a job where missing an email can get you fired, it's still BB or nothing.
If you're in-house, it's a toss up between the iphone and BB. 24/7 email is less important, making it easier for the ease of use and wider variety of apps to tip the scales in the iphone's favor.
6 - You should also spray paint them completely black so your camouflage isn't compromised.
8 is right. i like my Storm, but miss my Treo, despite its bulk and lack of "apps." most of them (except for Pandora) are basically useless anyway.
IPhart is a killer app.
IPhart is a killer app.
Slacker > Pandora
"missing an email can get you fired." please. there are probably a dozen ways that are more reliable than a blinking LED in which someone can contact you immediately if necessary. you have a cell phone. you have a secretary. you're not the damn National Security Advisor.
People should look into Nokia's cutting edge smartphones, the E72 (or E71) and the N97.
People should look into Nokia's cutting edge smartphones, the E72 (or E71) and the N97.
Looks like blackberries are clustered around the big cities, and iPhones are more evenly spread around the country.
9-
In-house, 24/7 e-mail is just as important. Possibly more important.
19-
We're probably both oversimplifying, but I think you'll find a much larger % of firm associates are tied to their blackberries for fear of missing an email than inhouse counsel. That's not to say that some inhouse counsel work even harder than biglaw, but that's not really the point of my argument anyway.
My post had more to do with what kind of environment you worked in. I stand by the substance of my post, which is to say that if your work environment demands immediate accessibility around the clock, you need a blackberry. If your work is not as draconian about email access, go with the iphone, which has a better user experience and still allows you to stay connected but lacks the bulletproof reliability of BB
15-
That may be true, but there are plenty of partners out there who will send an email and not bother to call you, but will still chew you out if you haven't responded within half an hour. Your mileage may vary, but if you have a boss like that, then you better know when that email comes in.
See my follow up at post 20. Figure out how badly you need immediate email access, and plan your gadget purchases accordingly. If your boss is smart enough to contact you by cell or god forbid, nice enough to wait until morning for a reply to the email he sent out at 10pm, then by all means dont bother getting a BB.