BlackBerries are a Racket: iPhones rule.

First off, I thought this day would never happen:

<N/A> | BlackBerry Messaging Agent bes-blackberry Agent 1 (Application Event Log on BES) | 01/20/2009 20:14:17 (*********) -> [AUDIT] jcruz@wharton.upenn.edu - User activated on the BES

That's one of the automated messages we get when a user successfully connects to our BlackBerry Enterprise Server.  Yes, true believers, I've switched from a vaunted Windows Mobile phone to a BlackBerry.

Mostly because my AT&T Tilt is dying, and an 8820 became available recently, but also because we need some in-house support expertise on the BlackBerry itself.

Which leads me to the subject of this post.

BlackBerry and their vaunted Enterprise Redirection is not worth the money.  Here's my tally (assuming we're buying a phone for a new account)

• BlackBerry Enterprise License: $100
• BlackBerry Enterprise Redirection Plan: $45/month (unlimited), $39.99/month (4MB.yeah.*4*MB)
• BlackBerry Bold: $299

Look at the below for an iPhone:

• Exchange Active Sync License: Free/included
• iPhone Data Plan: $45/month (unlimited for Enterprise)
• iPhone 8GB: $199

And for a new HTC Fuze:

• Exchange Active Sync license: Free/included
• MS DirectPush Data Plan: $29.99/month (unlimited)
• HTC Fuze: $299

Out of the gate, the iPhone costs us less, and even more insidiously, the data plan costs us less per month.  So my question to everyone is:

Why are we still buying BlackBerries?

Granted, you know, we're *not*, because we're trying to cut spending, but think about how much money we could be saving if all 200+ BlackBerry users we have had started with iPhones to begin with?

Do I hear a call to switching to the iPhone?  Even switching to Windows Mobile phones (the HTC Fuze being the current example) would save us some bucks!

Don't even get me started on the amount of staff time *wasted* because the various carriers out there don't have a clue about how to add BlackBerry Enterprise Redirection to the phone's plan.  It took me 55 minutes to do that tonight, and I know exactly what I need and what to ask for!

<sigh>

As you were, true believers.  I'm saving up for an iPhone.

UPDATE: So it turns out that the Enterprise plan for the iPhone, the one that lets you connect to Exchange, is actually $45/month, not $30/month.  Soooo, looks like this whole post is a wash!!!

UPDATE2: According to peeps in the know (and an actual iPhone user on our Exchange servers) only the $30/month plan is necessary.  Take that, BlackBerry!  iPhonez still rulexz!