Why the iPhone is worse than a BlackBerry

By on Feb 8, 2012 at 12:11 PM
Featured February 8, 2012

I love my iPhone. In fact, I’ve loved every iPhone Apple has launched since the first model was unveiled in 2007. Slowly but surely, Apple has introduced new features and eliminated upon almost every major gripe people had with iOS to push the limits of what we expect from a modern smartphone, and also to keep the platform on par with or even ahead of the competition. Copy and paste, MMS, background apps, multitasking, notifications, folders and much more have been added over time. There is one thing that makes me hate my iPhone every single day though, and I hope Apple is going to address it soon. I need more control over my alerts.

I really wish Apple would create an area in settings, or even add on to the notifications options, to allow users to set custom alert settings for different things. For instance, I’d love it if I could have different profile modes with settings for vibrate, ring, volume and ringtone much like how RIM’s BlackBerry phones have worked for ages. And there’s plenty of room for improvement beyond what RIM is doing in its BlackBerry OS… just look at how great Motorola’s Smart Actions feature is. Apple could totally take this one step further and allow location-based profiles for alerts, system settings, and more. When I get home, I want Bluetooth to turn off automatically, and I want my alert profile to change, for instance.

I might want my phone to vibrate for almost all alerts, and sometimes I want my phone ring as well. Sometimes I want everything to be on silent and have my phone ring only if it’s a certain person calling or messaging me. I just want more control over how my phone acts in this respect — it’s something that is half-assed in its current state. Sure, you can set custom alert tones for SMS and iMessage, and you can set custom ringers for specific contacts as well, but this is all being fed through a very rudimentary ”your phone is either on ring or vibrate, you idiot” switch.

If Apple does decide to introduce some sort of profile control, it will fix one of the most glaring holes still in iOS, in my view. We’ll get there eventually, I believe.

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  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003334320233 Morrow Rosanna

    my best friend’s mom makes $67 every hour on the computer. She has been laid off for 9 months but last month her check was $8661 just working on the computer for a few hours. Read more here… makecash16.comONLY

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003307727622 Trisjen Harris

    Apple will never give you the consumer control! They live off your fear and taking control over what they think you need. It doesn’t matter what you want. Apple’s way or the highway!

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=500793719 Geno Genov

      You’re an idiot

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003307727622 Trisjen Harris

      Geno Genov Your a hater!!

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=574895156 Josh Destardi

      Geno Genov, could you qualify your comment? I’m not sure what part of Trisjen’s comment you disagree with because you’ve provided no quality response…only a personal attack.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003307727622 Trisjen Harris

    Looking at competition out now from mobile os’s: WM7, iOS5, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich overall eats up all the other OS’s when compared to functionality and integration, and features the whole package!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000565603961 Adam Chew

    Your choice get a blackberry if it is better, no point whining and groaning or worse bad mouthing.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=575497308 Robby Garfinkel

    It isn’t about what the iPhone can or can’t do. Apple clearly can have the iPhone do anything they want. And, it isn’t about being withholding. It has to do with their philosophy of keeping everything simple. So, for the few people that want every action to have a special tone or vibration, well, you are a select few. Everyone else just doesn’t care. Why? Because it complicates our lives. I’ve had phones where I could add a lots of ringtones and alert tones and vibes for lots of things. And guess what? Over time, I forgot what was what. I wound up turning it all off. Part two is that Apple works in such small, secretive teams that they simply don’t have the resources to commit to every little wishlist item.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=575497308 Robby Garfinkel

    It isn’t about what the iPhone can or can’t do. Apple clearly can have the iPhone do anything they want. And, it isn’t about being withholding. It has to do with their philosophy of keeping everything simple. So, for the few people that want every action to have a special tone or vibration, well, you are a select few. Everyone else just doesn’t care. Why? Because it complicates our lives. I’ve had phones where I could add a lots of ringtones and alert tones and vibes for lots of things. And guess what? Over time, I forgot what was what. I wound up turning it all off. Part two is that Apple works in such small, secretive teams that they simply don’t have the resources to commit to every little wishlist item.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=574895156 Josh Destardi

      This is a sad comment. You may as well admit to wanting the government come in and make decisions for you because your life ‘is too complicated’.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=121948257823203 Buffalo Chicken Wrap

    this is relevant because?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=679071751 Wasim Mazahreh

    plus the gaming, camera features, iTunes integration, AirPrint, Cloud Services, smooth os.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=679071751 Wasim Mazahreh

    plus the gaming, camera features, iTunes integration, AirPrint, Cloud Services, smooth os.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001239355999 Kirk Williams

    James Caldwell Sounds someone doesn’t know how to use iTunes. http://www.apple.com/itunes/how-to/

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=512699224 Ryan Locking

    Wasim Mazahreh That’s called Apple’s lock-in-business model. Main reason why I will never own an Apple Product. I think they are great products, but their business model is scary and way to controlling for my liking. Plus Windows 8 Tablets and Windows Phones are looking way to awesome to pass up.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=732771094 Mauricio Siqueira

    lol. ‘They are always playing catch up!’, then…
    Like this? https://p.twimg.com/AktZl-FCQAAKJHQ.jpg:large

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=732771094 Mauricio Siqueira

    lol. ‘They are always playing catch up!’, then…
    Like this? https://p.twimg.com/AktZl-FCQAAKJHQ.jpg:large

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1096506879 Tyler Peters

    Braden McGrath I wasn’t trolling and I stand by my comment… You do lose that one ability in ICS but quite frankly thats if your running vanilla ICS and not a carrier or manufacturer altered rom which almost no phones are vanilla anymore. I’m sure it will be added back in but android already has location aware controls that allow me to do everything this guy is wishing his iPhone could do! And the simple fact is that apple has been playing catch up since android was released! Ie. MMS, notifications, copy paste, multi tasking, widgets, wifi hotspot… the list goes on if ya like but your just gonna label me as a phandroid so i’m gonna stop wasting my time and get back to my gorgeous 4.3 inch screen on my dual core 1.7 ghz 1 gig of ram phone while you go tinker with your iusedtobecool device. Have a nice day. P.S. I wrote this whole rebutal using voice to text with active on the fly editing that is built right into Android 4.0!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=15503203 Braden McGrath

    Tyler Peters I wasn’t specifically labeling you as a troll, although I’d definitely call you a Fandroid. ;) My comment was directed to some of the other people commenting, hence the “not on topic” part.

    Of iOS, Android, and BB, I definitely prefer Android myself as well, but I honestly don’t think it is “the right choice” for everyone. I’m on a GNex myself, so I too have dual cores and 1GB of RAM. :P Each OS has its place. iOS is still good for the “average user” who isn’t a techie. I’d push my mom & dad (both in their 50s) to iPhone before I’d tell them to get an Android phone, although ICS has gotten much better in that regard. The fragmentation of Android is definitely an issue, and you really do need to be something of a phone geek to appreciate Android to the fullest.

    Blackberry still has a place in business. No way in hell would I give most of our users an iPhone, and most of them aren’t nerdy enough to understand the true purpose and power of Android. Plus, they all want keyboards for e-mailing, which RIM still has locked up pretty well. (There are Android exceptions like the Moto Droid line, but those are few and far between.)

    Honestly, I wouldn’t mind iPhone as much if I had more control over it. A physical keyboard (attached, not one of the BT addons) would be nice as well. (I am not enjoying touch-only on the GNexus.)

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=508066191 Scott Michalczyk

    Trisjen Harris I’m not even going to attempt to explain how idiotic your statements are. Have a good day my friend.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=508066191 Scott Michalczyk

    Trisjen Harris I’m not even going to attempt to explain how idiotic your statements are. Have a good day my friend.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1096506879 Tyler Peters

    Mark Ivan Jacobson Respectfully… If you need any car to stimulate a girls libido then you have much bigger problems than just not having the money to buy the car.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1642023290 Scott Kleiman

    Not everyone!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=531154812 Yogesh Pandit

    I like my ATRIX much better than iphone.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000122124701 Brett Mirly

    Said the evil troll

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1612920436 Mark Pelegrini

    @Jerry Sheinlin , here you are applesucksfatties.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=569456437 Mike Christoff

    Robby, I somewhat agree with you. The common task should be simple to do, however… the complex and less common task should still at least be possible, but perhaps hidden in ‘advanced’ settings so as not to scare and confuse the more technophobic.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=575497308 Robby Garfinkel

    Josh Destardi Yes, I need the government to tell me things like… which way a baseball cap should be worn.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=575497308 Robby Garfinkel

    Mike Christoff I get what you are saying. There are lots of times I think, “I wish it did…” But for most iPhone users, its is fine as is. They aren’t geeks like us who like to tinker and customize. And as I mentioned, Apple, being so secretive, works in such small teams, that they can only focus on certain features, rather than ones most people won’t use.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1104612970 Rubéncito Mejias

    Tyler Steele jailbreak is simple

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