BlackBerry or Iphone? Or maybe something else?

[RuralWeb]

Well the iPhone has just cost me a fortune as I've just scrapped all my windows hardware and ordered iMacs and MacBook pros as I was so impressed with the phone and hacked off with windows as an os.

[pinbrook]

I'm just about to convert my desktop PC to linux (having got used to linux on eeepc)

once i am happy with that, i'll convert the lot - and use wine for actinic

[RuralWeb]

chatting to the business manager at the apple store in Manchester today he was saying that vista was the best thing to happen for applein years. People are so hacked off with vista etc that they are now converting to macs when previously they would have struggled on. So it looks like we are all jumping ship in one way or another.

[gabrielcrowe]

and use wine for actinic

version 1.0 of wine was released recently, however, you'll ahve to struggle somewhat to get it to run Actinic.

I have done it before, but i'd forget about v9. its too reliant on windows components and odd programming practices to run properly.

[pinbrook]

sadly i suspect i will always need one pc on windows. luckily i now do little actinic design work (i only support existing clients) so i can use linux most of the time.

I'm not brave enough for v9 - heck i'm still on 8.5.1

[Cheapprices4u]

i just put boot camp on the imac and installed xp pro

runs actinic fine
i did try parrallels but for some reason actinic wouldnt upload

i use mainly xp ATM til i get used to using leopard
but have the choice to just to leopard when needed

i must admit i ditched the keyboard and put a new ergonomic one on it

[Azurra]

I have a Nokia E90, which hasn't been suggested so far on this thread. It's a solid device and sure to last longer than the 3 XDA models I have worn out in the last 5 years! It has WiFi 802.11 g, Bluetooth (stereo), 3G and 3.5G. It supports POP3, IMAP4 and BlackBerry Connect v4 (though I don't have any way of checking the BlackBerry functionality out nowadays). I find the messaging application is fine for reviewing emails in multiple accounts, deleting SPAM and writing replies while I'm out and about.

The big plus is a 800 x 352 very usable inner screen for web browsing (iPhone is only 480 x 320) - the outer screen is 240 x 320 - and a keyboard that's not too bad to use (though not as fast to use as the XDA Exec keyboard). It also has an integrated GPS and free maps which covers the original listed requirement for walking directions in London. I haven't paid the extra licence fee to use it for navigation by car - my old XDA can do that bit for me running TomTom software that I've already paid for.

Before I started working for myself I had an early Blackberry. Technology has moved on but even against the current Blackberry devices I think the E90 is better - and it runs Blackberry software if you need it to. The only feature missing that I would have liked is a touch screen, but it's something I can live without.

As for other hardware, which the thread has drifted onto, I have been running Actinic (and all my other Windows software) on Win XP through Parallels on a MacBook Pro for nearly 2 years with no problems. I now run Leopard with Parallels accessing Win XP in the Bootcamp but with all my important Windows data on the Mac partition rather than Bootcamp partition so that it is seen and backed-up by Time Machine.

Moving to an environment where I can have the same website in IE and Safari at the same time in adjacent windows was an eye-opener. Some websites just haven't been checked for Mac users!

[Mark H]

One other thing about the iPhone which hasn't been mentioned is the "virtual" keyboard based on the touch screen. I had reconciled myself to the fact that I was never going to be able to use a normal phone keyboard like everyone else (shame) - two thumbs etc - just can't do it. But I now text, email, surf etc very quickly using just index finger - brilliant

[pinbrook]

going off at a different tangent again, but only becauseit wasmentioned earlier - Safari.

i normally only cross reference displays with ie6 ie6 andfirefox.

now that we have safari for windows (thanks iTunes) will it render the same as safari on Mac?

[NicolaUK]

the problem as always is everyone wants something different. IMO the iPhone is the dogs bollocks but it does have a problem with email overseas ie it costs a fortune so for five weeks when I'm away I will be using a blackberry for email and the iPhone or the apple air I'm playing with in the apple shop for internet access on wifi.

Just turn off roaming and it'll still pick up your mail via wi-fi when you have a connection

[RuralWeb]

yep you can switch off roaming and just use wifi but in Canada the wifi is a bit patchy where I'm going and I need email all the time so its got to be a bb. The next gen iPhone will have push email.