An Apple a day doesnt always keep the Blackberry away…

Let me start this article by saying that the iPhone has been my primary phone for the last few months. Before that, I was an avid Blackberry user. However, whenever I travel, I still leave my iPhone behind and carry the Bold. Let’s talk about the 3 reasons why I do that.

The biggest reason is the unlimited Data plan even when I’m roaming. RIM, through its years of operation, has created such fantastic relations with telcos around the world that you no longer have to worry about the humungous charges associated with data roaming on almost all other phones. I know exactly what I’m going to pay for my data no matter where I’m travelling or what application I’m using- be it my emails, the web browser, my RSS reader or my twitter client. I doubt any company can come close to RIM any time soon in this regard. If you travel, the blackberry is your best choice if you care about your bills.

The second reason, which is somewhat related to the first is the wonderful Blackberry Messenger. Put your family and friends on it and you can be in touch with them no matter which part of the world you’re in. Yes, I know that you can always email, but there is a reason you prefer IM over emails even on the desktop. Its quick and convenient and the BB messenger allows you to send pictures or audio clips along with your text messages.

The third and final reason is for people who often deal with attachments. The blackberry with its BES or even BIS services is just amazing at handling attachments. With other phones, you usually have to download the complete attachment and then render it on your phone if you want to view or forward it. With Blackberry, the BES or BIS renders the file and sends you a mobile optimized version.

For example, if you receive a jpg file that is, say, 1600×1200 pixels and about 400kb in size, the BES/BIS will change the resolution of to your Blackberry’s screen (say 480×320) which will probably make the size of the file less than 50k. Of course, you can always download the full version. And if you want to forward the message, the BES/BIS will forward the original version of the attachment. Almost all other phones will download the entire 400kb file and if you want to forward the message, resend the entire 400kb all over again. Not only does this save data usage but also your device’s battery.

So while Apple may be far ahead of RIM with regards to the User Interface and multi-media capabilities, if messaging is important to you and especially, if you travel frequently, there is a good reason why you should chose a Blackberry.

Now, what would be truly awesome is if RIMM would release their Virtual O/S for the iPhone like the one they demoed for Windows Mobile some time back. Yeah, I know, time to wake up and smell the Humus.