5 reasons why you should buy a BlackBerry… and 5 why you shouldn’t

Everybody wants, if not needs, a smartphone these days. But today’s market offers such a plethora of choices that it can be overwhelming. It can be especially difficult to tell which devices fit with which type of people and their specific criteria. Here are 5 reasons why you might want one of RIM’s BlackBerries, and 5 reasons why you might not.

5 reasons why you should buy a BlackBerry

1. You like variety. In stark contrast to the iPhone, Blackberry offers a wide range of phone models, many of which are available in different colours. If you’re a fan of having a spectrum of options to choose from, BlackBerry will satisfy.

2. You like email. For all the criticism the BlackBerry gets about not being “sexy,” it sure knows how to function well. No competitors have been able to match the effectiveness of BlackBerry’s renowned email system.

3. You’re a business person. The BlackBerry doesn’t always make sense for the average joe, but business-oriented people will find more benefits with RIM’s smartphones than others. It’s function-based, practical, and designed for use by enterprises of all sizes.

4. You are a sucker for the original. Can’t stand the new kids on the block? Sick of flashy knock-offs? Then stick with the tried, tested, and true—BlackBerry is the original data-based smartphone device, with its origins tracing back two decades.

5. You’re proudly Canadian. Research in Motion, the company that created and still maintains the BlackBerry brand, is purely and proudly Canadian. If you’re feeling patriotic, support BlackBerry, the Canadian Smartphone.

5 reasons why you shouldn’t buy a BlackBerry

1. You like apps. The iPhone is estimated to have well over 100,000 apps and growing daily. BlackBerry has roughly 5% of that. If you want to play hundreds of games, and goof off with silly and fun apps, the BlackBerry isn’t going to do it for you, but the Apple counterpart will. (Keep it mind though, that the BlackBerry can manage multiple apps simultaneously, while the iPhone cannot.)

2. You like capable operating systems. The Mac OS is a full-fledged computer operating system, converted to use on Smartphone. The BlackBerry OS is a lot less; it’s clumsy, limited, and generally inferior. Competitors feel more like miniature computers, music players, portable gaming machines and phones combined—the BlackBerry tends to feel like a mobile email device and little else.

3. You want a modern UI. If you are somebody who places a high level of value on aesthetics, you may want to reconsider purchasing a BlackBerry. As mentioned before, the BlackBerry is designed to function and operate smoothly—even at the cost of flashy graphics.

4. You want something fresh. It’s new, hot, and trendy. The Apple iPhone, like all Apple products, boasts a modern sleekness that makes the RIM’s devices look ancient. (It’s also well ahead of Google competitors running the Android OS, most of which are strangely outdated for being such new items on the market.)

5. You’re an Apple fanatic. Once a “Mac boy,” always a Mac boy. Apple faithfuls shouldn’t even consider the BlackBerry unless their business demands it, and even then, should snag the iPhone on the side for personal use. After all, what would Steve Jobs think if he saw his fanatical club members cheating on his products with a Berry or ‘Droid?