The email stored on the phone (in the pocket outlook client) is not encrypted. Also, encryption is not forced between the client and server (although it can be configured that way). The Blackberry encrypts end-to-end, and the local data is encrypted as well. If you don't enter the password correctly within 10 attempts, the device is wiped. If you lose most other devices, the lucky recipient has access to everything on the device.

I guess you have to turn something on with a Blackberry for that to be true. It certainly isnt for mine.

It would seem from what you are saying that if someone left a BB on a table in a pub for instance, oh say during an FT Do in London, that no random person could pick it up and send sexually explicit propositions to people in the BB address book. And yet, from what I have heard it isnt the case that this cannot be done. At least thats what I have heard.

I finally realized that mail syncs with Mail, whihc I don't use. So iPhone was plugging in funky 10 year-old smtp servers and I couldn't understand why.

i never read nanuals.

so, the lockout and wipe feature is certainly not enabled at initialization, but certainly can be. I for one have never had it enabled on my blackberry's, and nobody in my past enterprises has either. I have the feeling, that the password login EACH TIME that this would require is disabled for many corporations and users. I'd be interested to know how many users actually use this.

Point is, password enablement, and local wipe is certainly available either by standard or add-on software on other device types. And, network wipe of missing devices, is certainly available for any device accessing and exchange environment, so I guess that just leaves us with.

message is not encrypted from device to exchange through the air or the cloud? Is that all?

My company's BB implementation includes over the air and device encryption, password enabled on the device (after 30 minutes of non-use) with the lock-out and wipe after 10 unsuccessful attempts. We are forced to change our password on the device every 60 days as well. It's fairly secure, but as someone mentioned earlier if you just used it in a pub and left in on the table, someone could pick it up and send mail or read mail within that 30 minute window before it locks itself up again.

Reading the price plan I now want to move to US and get an iphone.

GAH!

Similar here. We don't have to change it every 60 days, however, and are allowed to let it go up to an hour before locking.

The price plan is in line with most other operators. Keep in mind that the phone itself cost $600, you'd be hard pressed to find any phone in the UK selling for that much when purchased with a 2 year agreement.

68 bugs:

http://www.applehound.com/node/104

What's so impressive? T-Mobile UK's plans - even the 12 month contract ones - don't seem so very different, for example.

From the site...

Please note:

* Some of the steps required to reproduce unexpected results are obscure and may not occur during normal usage.
* We received several messages in response to a previous bug list we created asking what we were trying to accomplish by finding flaws in the iPhone. It is our thought that if we stumble upon an issue and Apple fixes it, then we will all have a better iPhone update!
* Each bug has been tested on two iPhones.
* While we interpret the following items as bugs, it is possible that the results are in line with the Apple iPhone User Interface design specifications.
* We have submitted these bugs to Apple.
* We will update this list with any additional bugs we find and can reproduce!
* Please feel free to add any bugs you have found to the comment section at the bottom of this posting.

I'm paying �50 a month for vodaphone with blackberry 6mb data per month, 750 minutes and 500 texts (or was it the other way around? Can't remember).

And that's on an 18 month contract no unlimited evening and weekend calls.

What is nicer about the iphone plans, is that they are about 10-30$ a month CHEAPER than all the other ATT plans with unlimited data and SMS included.

So, that is nice. Could be a yearly savings (to apply to the 500-600$ price of the phone) of 120-360$ a year, taxes not included. Over the course of two years, one could have paid for the phone.

Ah, but Blackberry is expensive here because the networks assume (probably mostly correctly) that it'll be businesses paying for it.

For �25 per month, I get 250 minutes and 3000 texts, and unlimited off-peak data for two months (with data costs capped at �1.50 per day - this costs �5 per month extra, normally). And I'm on a one month rolling contract. Didn't get a free phone, of course.

�42.50 on T-Mobile gets you free evening and weekend calls, (mostly) unlimited data, and �180 per month of credit - 1800 texts, 900 minutes or some combination of the two.

Plus I presume in the US, incoming calls come out of the free minutes too?

Correct. That is true of any US plan that I know of. (There may be an obscure MVNO somewhere that has structured a plan that has incoming free, but you can essentially assume that any US plan will mean that incoming calls as well as outgoing come out of that minute allowance.) Of course, with unlimited nights and weekends, this is less of a problem, although nights don't start until 9pm with ATT (and they end at 7am).

I never have a problem with this, but for some folks the transition could be an issue I guess.