Disciples of the Blackberry, I'm going to say the thing you might not want to hear. Blackberry is dying, if not dead, as a hardware platform. I strongly urge you to find something you dislike the least and begin the transition. That means: please back up your contacts, notes, documents and data from any and all RIM and BB devices to a PC. I do not say this lightly, but cannot in good conscience recommend any more devices from a company that has discontinued production of their own operating system.
The only thing going for it at this point, IMHO, is the physical keyboard. OS updates, which may not seem like much at first, will likely be delayed in being delivered to the phone. This has been my concern over every single Non-Google produced Android phone since I owned a Samsung Galaxy S.
You might be thinking that was a while ago. You'd be right. Why? Because each of the interestingly named editions of Android, and their updates, were released directly to the Google phones while ALL Android phones made by someone else had to wait to receive them... If they got them at all.
So... Would you rather wait for a manufacturer to build a version of the most recently updated Android release that works on your phone? Or would you rather not be thinking about whether or not your data is safer every time we hear about security breaches on mobile devices.
Bottom line:
iPhone: best middle of the road solution. It has all the apps and updates. Siri 2.0 is pretty handy. Accessories practically rain from the sky... AND you can get a battery case that will let you keep using a micro USB cable, if you look a bit, instead of having to invest in all new wires.
Android: Again, IMHO, only buy a handset from Google. Bunches of apps, get updates when they are released, and accessories may be ordered online if the phone is less common. The letdown sometimes is in battery life, but Android v6 (Marshmallow) seems to have finally resolved most of this. Google's virtual assistant has never felt fully formed to me. Maybe I'm not giving it it's due, but it never seems to do what I ask it to. The non-Google licensed Android phones are gorgeous, with great features, but I have my bias about staying up to date within hours or days... Not months or a year behind everyone else.
Windows phone: Very decent hardware. Good battery life. The fantastic Cortana virtual assistant, and honest to goodness MS office on a mobile device. Apps are where this platform falls short. Don't get me wrong, the basics are covered, but if your likely to suffer from app envy if your friends all show up playing with the latest game or software widget. If you honestly spend the bulk of your time with email and documents, I do suggest taking a look at Windows phone. Microsoft is working on right now on an idea called Continuum that looks very promising. Connect your phone to a specialized "dock" and it will be possible to connect a mouse, keyboard and video to a monitor and get real work done, with the phone standing in for a laptop or desktop. That seems pretty exciting to me, but not everybody's interests are the same.
So there you have it. A full rundown, plus opinion. Hope it's helpful and thank you for reading.
The only thing going for it at this point, IMHO, is the physical keyboard. OS updates, which may not seem like much at first, will likely be delayed in being delivered to the phone. This has been my concern over every single Non-Google produced Android phone since I owned a Samsung Galaxy S.
You might be thinking that was a while ago. You'd be right. Why? Because each of the interestingly named editions of Android, and their updates, were released directly to the Google phones while ALL Android phones made by someone else had to wait to receive them... If they got them at all.
So... Would you rather wait for a manufacturer to build a version of the most recently updated Android release that works on your phone? Or would you rather not be thinking about whether or not your data is safer every time we hear about security breaches on mobile devices.
Bottom line:
iPhone: best middle of the road solution. It has all the apps and updates. Siri 2.0 is pretty handy. Accessories practically rain from the sky... AND you can get a battery case that will let you keep using a micro USB cable, if you look a bit, instead of having to invest in all new wires.
Android: Again, IMHO, only buy a handset from Google. Bunches of apps, get updates when they are released, and accessories may be ordered online if the phone is less common. The letdown sometimes is in battery life, but Android v6 (Marshmallow) seems to have finally resolved most of this. Google's virtual assistant has never felt fully formed to me. Maybe I'm not giving it it's due, but it never seems to do what I ask it to. The non-Google licensed Android phones are gorgeous, with great features, but I have my bias about staying up to date within hours or days... Not months or a year behind everyone else.
Windows phone: Very decent hardware. Good battery life. The fantastic Cortana virtual assistant, and honest to goodness MS office on a mobile device. Apps are where this platform falls short. Don't get me wrong, the basics are covered, but if your likely to suffer from app envy if your friends all show up playing with the latest game or software widget. If you honestly spend the bulk of your time with email and documents, I do suggest taking a look at Windows phone. Microsoft is working on right now on an idea called Continuum that looks very promising. Connect your phone to a specialized "dock" and it will be possible to connect a mouse, keyboard and video to a monitor and get real work done, with the phone standing in for a laptop or desktop. That seems pretty exciting to me, but not everybody's interests are the same.
So there you have it. A full rundown, plus opinion. Hope it's helpful and thank you for reading.