yeah, i guess i should clarify. the phone to which i'm comparing it is my E71.
i like NM a lot, but it will not allow me to create an account for one of my *crucial* email addresses. instead i have to use the native messaging client which i do NOT like. plus, even that has started balking since about the same time as my last FW update (v.400), so i'm pretty much SOL when i'm not in front of a computer. the one thing i can say about the E71 in this regard is that it will display both the native inbox and my NM inbox simultaneously on the home screen (when the former is working, that is)
BB has no trouble at all working with my "problem child" account, and its messaging and browsing features are all better integrated. compare this to my E71 which requires that i use *native messaging + NM + i-sms + opera* to get the same features. needless to say, the combo doesn't provide an integrated solution.
the 9700 has a better display, though, honestly, the E71's is perfectly fine for how i use it. but for others that can be an important factor.
BB app market is better supported than s60's. this IS a big deal to me. when i am able to root-out apps for s60 (and you really do have to dig through the muck to find them) i have to worry about whether they're s60v3 or v5, fp1 or fp2, compatible with only certain displays, etc. Add to this the fact that many apps haven't been touched by the devs in 2, 3, 4 years and/or have expired certificates and/or are unsigned. i have no problem signing apps these days, but when i first came to symbian it all seemed like such a hassle and such a daunting task compared to, say, the apple app store, where everything was in one place and simple plug-n-play. And let's not talk about the $$$ of decent s60 pay-apps - i'm perfectly happy to pay $10+ for something like Best Profiles, but $20-30 for Solitaire??? finally, it's just a fact that popular apps either come late to symbian or never come at all.
E71 lacks USB charging and a 3.5mm jack (the significance of which is not to be underestimated
though i've never had to opportunity to do an apples-apples power comparison, the 9700 reportedly has much better battery life (feel free to tell me if i'm wrong)
FW/SW updates - nokia drags its feet on US market models and when new FW does come down the line it often contains as many bugs as it purports to fix. and once you've updated there's no risk free way to go back. BB doesn't seem to have these issues. plus, if i'm not mistaken, BB updates are cross-platform.
other things....well, a lot of my dissatisfaction has to do with some of the issues i've experienced/experiencing with my E71. i'd send it back to nokia for repairs, but being out of warranty i have no idea what my out-of-pocket $$$ would be. plus some of the issues, like predictable BT disconnects and wifi issues aren't "repairable." i also hate(d) that pc suite won't sync with thunderbird/lightning. outlook, for whatever reason, doesn't want to play nice in my system, so that's simply not an option. a few weeks ago i discovered how to sync TB/L calendar/contacts with my phone using mfe through google calendar/sync, so the pc suite issue is now moot, but that doesn't make up for the last year that i didn't have that ability. this would not have been an issue with a 9700.
yes, the E72 does add a 3.5mm jack and an improved camera, but the substantive issues remain.
certainly the E71 is better built than the 9700, and it's smaller and more attractive. not having to pay $40-60/mo. for a BB data plan also helps. but i need a phone that can handle ALL of my email accounts and make phone calls and has dev support and does not have a nervous breakdown after every FW update.
i'd chuck it and buy an E72, but from reading this forum i don't think i'd see much of an improvement. maybe when it hits the $275 range it'll be worth it. i love my E71, but if i didn't already own it i'd probably go with the 9700.
i like NM a lot, but it will not allow me to create an account for one of my *crucial* email addresses. instead i have to use the native messaging client which i do NOT like. plus, even that has started balking since about the same time as my last FW update (v.400), so i'm pretty much SOL when i'm not in front of a computer. the one thing i can say about the E71 in this regard is that it will display both the native inbox and my NM inbox simultaneously on the home screen (when the former is working, that is)
BB has no trouble at all working with my "problem child" account, and its messaging and browsing features are all better integrated. compare this to my E71 which requires that i use *native messaging + NM + i-sms + opera* to get the same features. needless to say, the combo doesn't provide an integrated solution.
the 9700 has a better display, though, honestly, the E71's is perfectly fine for how i use it. but for others that can be an important factor.
BB app market is better supported than s60's. this IS a big deal to me. when i am able to root-out apps for s60 (and you really do have to dig through the muck to find them) i have to worry about whether they're s60v3 or v5, fp1 or fp2, compatible with only certain displays, etc. Add to this the fact that many apps haven't been touched by the devs in 2, 3, 4 years and/or have expired certificates and/or are unsigned. i have no problem signing apps these days, but when i first came to symbian it all seemed like such a hassle and such a daunting task compared to, say, the apple app store, where everything was in one place and simple plug-n-play. And let's not talk about the $$$ of decent s60 pay-apps - i'm perfectly happy to pay $10+ for something like Best Profiles, but $20-30 for Solitaire??? finally, it's just a fact that popular apps either come late to symbian or never come at all.
E71 lacks USB charging and a 3.5mm jack (the significance of which is not to be underestimated
though i've never had to opportunity to do an apples-apples power comparison, the 9700 reportedly has much better battery life (feel free to tell me if i'm wrong)
FW/SW updates - nokia drags its feet on US market models and when new FW does come down the line it often contains as many bugs as it purports to fix. and once you've updated there's no risk free way to go back. BB doesn't seem to have these issues. plus, if i'm not mistaken, BB updates are cross-platform.
other things....well, a lot of my dissatisfaction has to do with some of the issues i've experienced/experiencing with my E71. i'd send it back to nokia for repairs, but being out of warranty i have no idea what my out-of-pocket $$$ would be. plus some of the issues, like predictable BT disconnects and wifi issues aren't "repairable." i also hate(d) that pc suite won't sync with thunderbird/lightning. outlook, for whatever reason, doesn't want to play nice in my system, so that's simply not an option. a few weeks ago i discovered how to sync TB/L calendar/contacts with my phone using mfe through google calendar/sync, so the pc suite issue is now moot, but that doesn't make up for the last year that i didn't have that ability. this would not have been an issue with a 9700.
yes, the E72 does add a 3.5mm jack and an improved camera, but the substantive issues remain.
certainly the E71 is better built than the 9700, and it's smaller and more attractive. not having to pay $40-60/mo. for a BB data plan also helps. but i need a phone that can handle ALL of my email accounts and make phone calls and has dev support and does not have a nervous breakdown after every FW update.
i'd chuck it and buy an E72, but from reading this forum i don't think i'd see much of an improvement. maybe when it hits the $275 range it'll be worth it. i love my E71, but if i didn't already own it i'd probably go with the 9700.
