Smartphone choices

Over the past few weeks, if you've been keeping up with my column, you've seen that I've been having a lot of smartphones issues/thoughts. It all began when the iPhone 5 was released and I wasn't impressed whatsoever. I thought it wasn't a worthy upgrade, and Apple was getting lazy when it came to innovation in the post-Steve Jobs era. So I wrote that I was going to switch to Android, specifically the Samsung Galaxy SIII.

I like the Samsung because it's a Google product, and I'm a big Google apps guy. I feel all my emails, calendar events, Google drive files would all be cohesive on the Galaxy.

The following week, iOS6 came out. I analyzed the operating system, and questioned if the software upgrade was impressive enough to stay Team iPhone. Turns out it wasn't.

After seeing I was so hyped up on the Galaxy SIII, someone told me I should look at a BlackBerry. At first, I completely dismissed the suggestion. On second thought however, I started to really like the idea. Currently, my iPhone is strictly for business, social networking, and the odd game of Bike Race. However, I find myself sometimes playing way to many games on the iPhone.

The reason I am entertaining the idea of purchasing a BlackBerry is because it's business professional. BlackBerry's motto is "tools, not toys," and I feel at this time I need a tool. One of my pet peeves with the iPhone is that due to the sensitive touch screen, when I'm talking on the phone, my cheek sometimes presses the end button, dropping my call. On the BlackBerry, phone calls are really never dropped.

The main reason I am looking into a BlackBerry is because I feel that I will be strictly business when using the BlackBerry. I feel that I will not waste my time when using the device, because the applications available aren't that great. I will just be getting the task at hand done, and not getting distracted as easily.

BlackBerry 10 is supposed to be released at the beginning of 2013. If you don't know what 10 is, it's BlackBerry's mobile operating system. In my opinion, the release of BlackBerry 10 is going to be tipping point for the company. RIM has been having a lot of trouble for the past while when it comes to innovation, and attracting new users. BlackBerry 10 is RIM's last shot at the smartphone market. If 10 is really good, I think there could be a positive future for RIM.

As I'm going through my smartphone dilemma, I feel that over the next six months, many other people who have been iPhone users are going to want to switch to a new brand. If 10 is really cool, I think BlackBerry could become a player again.

The main reason I'm having a hard making the decision to buy a BlackBerry Bold is, I don't know if I could live without Instagram. Over the past eight months, I've fallen in love with Instagram. It's my favorite social network. The reason Galaxy made sense for me initially is that it was new, intuitive, and it had Instagram. The killer with BlackBerry is that it doesn't have Instagram. Perhaps Instagram may be a new addition in 10, but I'm not interested in waiting until Christmas.

In conclusion, I'm still entertaining the idea of purchasing a BlackBerry, however the Galaxy S3 currently is looking like the best option for me. The only thing I will miss if I ditch the iPhone and buy a Galaxy S3 is that I will not be able to Face Time my colleagues and friends. Face Time has became a daily routine; it's a really handy application that works extremely well.

Maybe I've been debating these smartphone issues way too much lately, maybe I just ditch the iPhone, Galaxy, and BlackBerry and buy a Windows Phone 7, or a Nokia flip phone. Whatever I do, you guys can head over to Twitter and follow me, @thedavidbell, to be updated when I make my final decision. Within the next 10 days I'm heading on over to Rogers, and making the final decision. Thank you guys for listening to me rant over the past three weeks about smartphones. If you guys are feeling the same way I am, or have something to contribute to the discussion, shoot me an email db@thedavidbell.com, and let's have a conversation.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 30, 2012 A10