I really like my AT&T BlackBerry 8820 a whole lot. I really hate Windows Mobile devices, and dislike the Treo line. But I still want an iPhone really badly. This article makes it sound like BlackBerrys are better. I disagree.

10. The iPhone’s Not Designed for One-Handed Operation

Duh, I call this a feature, not a problem. Even when I am not driving, I still hate typing with one hand. I could care less.

9. Every iPhone is Created Equally–At Least on the Outside

Again, so what. The one model of iPhone is the model I would want.

8. No Removable Battery, No Backup Power Supply for the iPhone

Based on my BlackBerry usage, the removable battery is completely unnecessary. I generally only charge it once every 2 – 3 days. I have never replaced a battery on a cell phone ever. I usually replace the phone before the battery dies. Even if the iPhone’s battery doesn’t last 3 days, charging it once a day is not a problem.

7. The iPhone Has No Native Video Recording Capabilities

And neither does my BlackBerry! I have an 8820, no camera at all. I mean WTF?! I have to step down to the Curve which is a rickety P.O.S. to get a camera? No way.

6. The iPhone Is Too Darn Expensive

Considering I didn’t pay for my BlackBerry (my company did), this doesn’t apply to me again. Plus the difference between an 8820 and an iPhone is worth the benefits.

5. The iPhone Doesn’t Support VoWi-Fi–Even Though It Could and Should

And neither does my AT&T BlackBerry! Not that I really care though since I am on my company plan with huge voice and data discounts.

4. iPhone User? No GPS for You

Ok, this point isn’t completely negligible. I did run TeleNav on my BB for a while. It is incredibly cool, and does some very awesome things with GPS. But in truth I never really used it. GPS for Google Maps was plenty for my usage.

I’d miss the GPS in Google Maps on an iPhone but not seriously enough to not buy one.

3. Want an iPhone? Hope You’re Ready to Switch Wireless Carriers…

Wrong again! I’m already on AT&T. I’m already suffering with Edge (no 3G on AT&T BlackBerrys).

2. No Physical Keyboard? No Thanks.

I am pretty good with the BB keyboard. I will concede that using a virtual keyboard will suck for quite a while. But I will get over it. I am flexible and adjust quickly. The increased screen size is worth the short period of adjustment.

1. The iPhone Third-Party Apps Debacle

The only apps I would miss, that either don’t already exist, or don’t have a webapp replacement, is my Google Talk or an IRC client. There are ways around both via Webapps, though not quite so pretty. Oh well. not a big deal.

In summary, BlackBerry has GPS, better 3rd party app support (for now), and a physical keyboard. iPhone has a *camera*, huge screen, total hawtness, awesome mobile web browser, media player that doesn’t totally suck. I can certainly say I’m going to get an iPhone as soon as I can.

I once saw an article describing this dilemma. Basically all tasks can be broken into categories based on the difficulty of the task and the frequency of the task. Steps to reduce the time and effort to do these tasks should be prioritized by category. Tasks that are easy to do, that you do frequently, should have shortcuts applied when possible. An example might be using your shell’s alias feature. Tasks that are easy, that you do rarely, don’t bother over complicating it yet. Hard stuff that you do frequently should be automated as much as possible. Perhaps you could try your hand at Shell or Perl scripting. Those rare tasks that take some time on your part should be clearly documented to take out the guess work, perhaps even include copy/paste’able code fragments as well.

I highly suggest these two books by Thomas Limoncelli. The Practice of System and Network Administration, and Time Management for System Administrators. The first book covers a lot of general theory of system administration, not necessarily platform specific but there is lost of unix information. The second book offers excellent ideas and tips on managing your time better, reducing distractions, and getting rid random people interrupting you to ask why their email is slow.