I was reading Game Informer magazine the other day, and the Letter from the Editor was basically a shout-out to everyone who's ever accused him of favoring one platform over another over the years. He did this by running through a list of what he likes and dislikes about every major gaming platform currently on the market.
Dealing with accusations of bias is a sad, annoying truth when you make a living reviewing *anything* for a living. While I'd be the first to tell you that I have my personal preferences when it comes to mobile devices and applications, I also do my very best to remain as objective as possible - and to view products from multiple perspectives - when reviewing a phone, accessory, or service.
That said, I'm stealing that gaming editor's idea here by offering a run-down of what I love and hate about the major smartphone platforms we've been spending so much time covering this Summer at PhoneDog. Take it for what you will, but I'm tellin' ya, there are things I love and hate about every device out there, and I really mean it when I say that just because I like a particular phone doesn't mean you will, or should, as well.
Now if only I could get YouTube commenters to stop yelling at each other (and me) for a minute and come read my blog ...
BlackBerry OS and RIM
- I love that Email shows up reliably and near-instantly on a BlackBerry device.
- I hate that Email on a BlackBerry looks kind of like Email on a DOS machine from 1995.
- I love that the keyboards on BlackBerry devices, with few exceptions, rock.
- I hate that BlackBerry can't make a device with a keyboard that's also fun to use like some other (Palm Pre, HTC G1) QWERTY-fied smartphones out there.
- I love that RIM redid the BlackBerry OS' user interface to make it look more modern.
- I hate that the BlackBerry OS is clunky and machine-like in an age of entirely user-friendly smartphone OSs like iPhone OS, WebOS, and Android.
- I love that BlackBerries have been shipping with 3.5mm headphone jacks and microSD card slots for ages now, making them viable all-in-one messaging and music machines.
- I hate that RIM is trying to promote their Life With BlackBerry accessories instead of spending their time rebuilding their OS. I know that's a repeat of what I just said I hated, but it's worth repeating. BlackBerry needs a new OS - or at least a thoroughly revamped UI. Those submenus are nasty.
- I love that BlackBerries have trackballs. If the mythical touchscreen and trackball BlackBerry ever comes to be, that could be really hot.
- I hate that I'm seeing some spyshots of forthcoming BlackBerries that have ditched the trackball in favor of an optical D-Pad. Seriously, I think the trackball is genius when it comes to navigating Web links and other tiny elements on a smartphone display.
- UPDATE: Several of you have pointed out that the new BlackBerry devices seemingly will have optical trackpads, not D-Pads. Right you are, my bad! I like optical trackpads much better than D-pads, but I fear I'll still miss the trackball. Another of you points out that trackballs are one of BlackBerry devices top hardware failure points, too. So there you go. As always, thanks for chiming in to steer me straight!
- I love that BlackBerries now have decent Web Browsers. And you can bump it up with Opera, Skyfire, or Bolt.
- I hate that BlackBerry's default Web browser isn't in the same class as Apple's, Google's, or Palm's.
- I love that BlackBerry tried to make an all-touch ... who am I kidding, no I don't. I hate the BlackBerry Storm. I hate everything about it.
How about you? What do you love and hate about BlackBerry OS and RIM in general?
You fill up the comments and in the meantime, I think I'll pick another platform and do this all over again ...
