BlackBerry vs. Windows Mobile?

May 17, 2007 12:33 PM

I just started as a creative director at a new company. Having a mobile device to read emails on the go will be necessary. I'm wondering which is better for my needs? A BlackBerry or a Windows Mobile smartphone?

Here's what I will need to do with the device:
1. Read/write emails
2. Look at attachments, mostly PowerPoints, PDFs and JPGs
3. I work on a Mac
4. Company email is on Exchange

I'm sure both can do #1 easily, but which is better for #2?

posted by lunarboy to technology (14 comments total)

I'm sure both can do #1 easily, but which is better for #2?

Symbian.
posted by Kwantsar at 12:39 PM on May 17, 2007

Sorry, but my company only offers BlackBerry or Windows Mobile.
posted by lunarboy at 12:40 PM on May 17, 2007

If your company has a Blackberry Enterprise Server, definitely get the Blackberry. If they only offer ActiveSync/IMAP, take Windows Mobile.

With a BES, Blackberry is the platform for mobile email.
posted by Bluecoat93 at 12:46 PM on May 17, 2007

Symbian also be slow (in its Series 60 dress) and buggy (in too many handsets)
posted by bonaldi at 12:47 PM on May 17, 2007

I have a WM5 device (Cingular 8525, which is really an HTC TyTN). It's pretty good for email, although WM5 is not without its kinks. If you can, you should wait for a WM6 device, as WM6 has a (much more) real memory model and will be able to handle more in the way of larger docs/images.
posted by plinth at 12:55 PM on May 17, 2007

Just a note that I have a BB, and they totally suck at PDFs. (They show a zoomed out image of the whole page, but you can't zoom in to actually read anything.) They handle .jpg and .doc well enough. Never tried powerpoint, but I would not be optimistic.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 12:56 PM on May 17, 2007

kingjoeshmoe: you can zoom in to read PDFs on my Blackberry Pearl (8100)
posted by dcjd at 12:59 PM on May 17, 2007

Agreeing with everyone else: go with the Blackberry. One caveat though, if you'll be editting files on the device instead of just viewing them, WM6 will work better.
posted by Eddie Mars at 1:17 PM on May 17, 2007

blackberrys are so much sexier.
posted by pwally at 1:44 PM on May 17, 2007

You don't need BES for a Blackberry in North America anymore. They now offer a web based service (their enterprise website) that allows you to tie the device PIN to your Exchange Outlook Web Access (aka Microsoft Entourage) email credentials. In condensed form, that means you can use a Blackberry quite easily. Expect their Enterprise site to forget your Exchange password frequently.

I use a Motorola Q that's using essentially the same thing but without involving Blackberry's enterprise website.

The key difference is that I set my phone up with my email credentials and it checks my mail using OWA directly to the Exchange server. I use a PC but I haven't set up Activesync at all. It's totally unnecessary.

- PDF's are just fine, zoomable and pannable. JPG's look great. It's incredibly easy to email shots to and from the phone, as well as video. Powerpoint works okay, just like in town.

Storage space on the device is an issue if you receive a lot of attachments. Battery life is an issue if you spend a lot of time manipulating graphics on it.

Your Mac is not involved in synchronizing since everything (contacts, tasks, calendar, etc) are all syncing off the server, not the desktop.

My two cents: I love the Motorola, set up couldn't have been easier, and I have clients with their Blackberries and they love them.
posted by disclaimer at 1:52 PM on May 17, 2007

I have a blackberry 7130e through verizon, and I can't imagine using anything else anymore. My company has a BES with exchange, and mail is very quick, and support for doc and xls files are just fine.

Not sure on powerpoint.

I think one of the coolest feature for the blackberry is being able to use it as a tether modem to connect to your laptop and use anywhere. I actually get decent speeds in the metropolitan areas.
posted by Industrial PhD at 2:47 PM on May 17, 2007

Just FWIW, Nokia's Eseries phones can connect to a BES using Blackberry Connect or use ActiveSync through the Mail for Exchange program to get email. E61 and E61i are really nice phones.

That said, take the BlackBerry. Windows Mobile is good if you enjoy hacking on your phone, otherwise, not so much.
posted by wierdo at 4:10 PM on May 17, 2007

Powerpoint viewer works pretty well on a WM5 device... I use it all the time to review my slides for my coursework...

Apart from that, it's starting to look like there is not much between the two of them.. I would have initially suggested the WM5 device for the Exchange sync, but it appears the blackberry can do that anyway...

I guess your best bet would be the play with each of them and see which you prefer... Bear in mind that if you want to sync the WM5 device with your Mac (as opposed to just the Exchange server), then you'll need to get your company to pony up some cash for "The Missing Sync" or it won't work (you can still transfer files etc, but not sync anything else)...

Regardless, have fun with whatever you choose... I love my little HP rw6828 (WM5) and don't know what I'd do without it!
posted by ranglin at 4:26 PM on May 17, 2007

dcjd: I think you have a better provider and/or BB than I do. On mine (t-mobile, BB model 7290), there's a zoom in option, but it does nothing more than let you see a blurry close up of the full page thumbnail.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 6:09 PM on May 17, 2007