The first post.

0Donald Kelly • 7th Apr 2010 • Rants, Tech • blackberry, iphone, mobile phones, RIM, smartphones

While many blog writers take the time in their first post to go on about all the hard work they’ve done to create their lovely blogs, with the search for a theme, implementation of plugins and loads of other rubbish, I’ve decided to take a different approach.

You’ve not come here to hear me blab on about all of the lovely shite I’ve done in the backend of this site, You’ve probably come here to read my horribly blatant and sharp-edged writing about technology among other things, and so, I won’t let you down, but I should warn you, This will be a horribly long post, which many of you will find completely useless, but the rest of you will find totally enlightening.

This entire post pertains to the subject of smartphones, iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Android, Symbian and all the others, but instead of taking the usual path of pitting one device against the other, I’m going to take an unusually different approach, of saying one none is better than the other.

In order for you to understand this concept, You’ll need to have a quick look at CrackBerry Kevin‘s Hierarchy of Smartphone Needs. It is essientally a modified version of Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, an explanation of personalities, which is placed on a pyramid, items listed on the bottom regions are basics, or physiological needs, such as food, water, shelter and clothing, while things like employment, friendship, intimacy and acceptance are listed progressively higher up the pyramid structure.

The same can be applied to smartphones, as seen in CrackBerry Kevin’s Hierarchy of Smartphone Needs, Things like connectivity, security and compatibility are the basic functions, required to even consider a device a “smartphone” while things like ergonomics, aesthetics, communication via email, music players, GPS and apps, are against, listed higher on the structure, respectfully.

Now, Let’s apply this idea against two, actual people, both of which have inadvertently become unwilling participants in this post, and greater overall debate. The two people we’re going to apply this against? Two people I’ve known for quite a while, Stephen Chinnadorai, and George Pearce.

Stephen Chinnadorai – To explain him in a blog post is nothing short of a task, so we’ll focus more on what he looks for in his mobile device, based upon his personality, he not only consumes a large amount of media (music, video, podcasts and photos) but also creates a large amount as well, and this also translates into something he’s looking for while on the go, therefore, strong media functions would be a must, and could possibly take a slight backseat to performance in the area of communication, furthermore, apps, which allow for an extension of those media functions would be crucial.

George Pearce – While Stephen is more focused on mobile consumption of media, George is more focused on mission critical communications, and therefore the ability to communicate is crucial, and the accompanying access to a carrier network is also important. aesthetics while important, may not totally be the end all of everything.

Now, Let’s take what we know about each individual, and apply it to the hierarchy of needs, and doing so in this case isn’t very difficult.

The iPhone is without a doubt the leader when it comes to media consumption while on the go, it’s messaging functions while sufficient for most, are sub-par compared to other devices available, and it is also the leader on the subject of applications, when it comes to aesthetics, the iPhone is fairly plain, white or black plastic, and a large piece of glass sitting in front of the LCD, but I’m a fan of minimalism, and therefore I can’t complain.

Based on that, we see the near obvious choice for Stephen would be the iPhone, while other devices like Android may also be a good match, the iPhone is still better when it comes to media experience.

BlackBerry has, and possibly always will be the leader in hardcore messaging, from BIS and BES, to a messaging optimized interface in much of the device, the BlackBerry is capable of handling media, but it’s not as lovely as an experience that you’ll find on the iPhone and while the BlackBerry has applications as well, they’re quite bland compared to those of the iPhone (excluding some cases)

The BlackBerry may also get another point in terms of not just aesthetics, but durability as well, RIM has always been known to make devices that are very well and handling drops, and quite a bit more as well. So in this case, the BlackBerry would be the winner.

See, The entire point of this horribly long post is to pour a bit of water on everyone whom seemingly get’s caught up in pitting one device against the other, and declaring one the winner, because there is no clear winner. They’re all losers.

Alright, Yes, that was a horrible excuse to say that every device is a loser, but anyone with even a slight bit of IQ will get the point. This is also a call for consumers to make better informed decisions when it comes to purchasing these devices, Many walk blindly into a shop, and choose one that looks cool, or something which has been shoved down their throat by a representative, not because it’s the better choice for the consumer, but more because it has a higher commissions ratio then other devices available, and therefore becomes the instant favourite.

Now while this instant, commissions fueled device pedaling doesn’t always occur, it does happen, and more often than it should, I’ve overheard countless conversations between potential clients and sales representatives whom are peddling various devices to a consumer/client which completely fail to meet the consumer’s needs, but instead meet the representatives monthly sales quota quite nicely.

If your buying a smartphone, choose wisely, and do your own research, no one know’s what your looking for better than yourself, choose what you think fits you best, and don’t be afraid to ask for a device to be brought from the back so that your able to hold and use an untethered device.

Donald A. Kelly is a 16 year old British Graphic Designer and web consultant, He operates Thirty Nine Creative, a small design cooperative, in which his closest friends focus on creating beautiful designs for web, print and broadcast for clients worldwide. You can find him on Twitter, http://twitter.com/xDAKx