shawn farner|*feeding* the social media obsession

There’s a lot of hoopla around the web now that Apple’s iPhone firmware 2.0 is out.  The 3G iPhone also drops tomorrow, which ensures the madness will go on for at least another day or two.  Despite all the hype, though, I find that I’m not feeling tempted to jump to AT&T for the iPhone.  Why?

BlackBerry.

I recently became the owner of a BlackBerry Pearl.  In just a short period of time, the way I stay connected has changed dramatically.  No longer am I tethered to a laptop or desktop computer.  I can talk on AIM, Yahoo or MSN.  I can receive email.  I can be notified of new wall posts or messages on Facebook.  And the most beautiful thing is that all of these apps can run in the background and will push notifications to me.  Only being able to run one application at a time is a real detriment to the iPhone.

To me, true connectivity shouldn’t mean constantly checking all your lines of communication manually.  It shouldn’t mean having to ask every five minutes, “Do I have new email?”  It should be the equivalent of having a personal assistant tap you on the shoulder and say, “Your email is here.”

Why else will I stick with the BlackBerry?  Verizon Wireless.  In my opinion, they are the carrier to beat as far as coverage goes.  I can’t recall a time when I did not have coverage on the Verizon network.  I can recall plenty of times when friends on AT&T Wireless had to borrow my phone.

I’ll probably be alone on this one, but I’m also not a fan of device convergence, at least not between phones and media players.  I don’t really use the media player on the BlackBerry at all.  I would rather carry two devices than kill my phone battery listening to music.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fanboy by any stretch.  The iPhone’s operating system is way more user friendly and is much more polished.  The iPhone web browser is also worlds above the BlackBerry browser.  As far as connectivity goes, though, the BlackBerry is more of a web-friendly device.  Since I’m a web-friendly guy, why should I get an iPhone?