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Plan B: An SMB's Guide To Making Do During The Recession

Start The Discussion | Fredric Paul | May 13, 2009 06:05 AM

bMighty's Fredric Paul presents his unique guide to affordable alternatives to the technology you really want.

Plan A: iPhone <font color="#ba2124">|</font> Plan B: BlackBerry

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Plan B: An SMB's Guide To Making Do During The Recession

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Plan A: iPhone | Plan B: BlackBerry

Everyone seems to want an iPhone. Heck, I want an iPhone. Who wouldn't, what with that slick interface and cool music/video player and 3G connectivity, and the App Store, and ... I could go on for days.

And starting at just $200, iPhones aren't all that expensive, right? So who needs a Plan B?

Well, as we all know, that $200 barely gets you in the door. Once you factor in the AT&T voice and data and texting plans, you'll end up spending anywhere from $70 to $150 or more per month! Over a two-year service agreement, that can add up to $2,500 or more. Yikes!

A BlackBerry Curve won't give you the same style points as iPhone, but it will let you do most of the same things an iPhone does. And frankly, it's still significantly better at e-mail than the iPhone is. Plus, BlackBerrys are generally considered to be more secure than iPhones and enjoy more support from company IT departments.

More to the point, because BlackBerry isn't tied to a specific carrier the way Apple is married to AT&T, there are a lot more options in terms of voice and data plans. If you're willing to make some compromises, you can likely spend a lot less every month. E-mail-only plans cost as little as $10!

Oh, and there's an even better Plan C. Because businesses remain much more comfortable with the BlackBerry than the iPhone, there's a good chance you might even be able to get your company to pay for it for you. Turns out those MP3s sound even sweeter when they don't cost an arm and a leg.

Bottom Line: BlackBerrys may not be as sexy as iPhones, but there's a reason they're the best-selling smartphones.

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