Survey: Many BlackBerry Users Would Stray To iPhone, Nexus One

BlackBerry users may be a loyal lot, but the appeal of Apple's iPhone and Google's Nexus One might give Research In Motion, BlackBerry's maker, reason to worry. That's according to a new study suggesting that about 39 percent of current BlackBerry users would be willing to switch to Apple's iPhone, and about one-third of current BlackBerry users would switch to Google's Nexus One Android phone.

The study, released Monday by Web site analytics company Crowd Science, says BlackBerry still commands the biggest market share among smartphone users polled, and that while most users say they use their smartphones for both personal and business use, about 7 percent of BlackBerry users use their BlackBerry only for business.

When current BlackBerry users were asked whether they'd swap their phone for Google's Nexus One, 32 percent indicated "yes." About 9 percent of current iPhone users told Crowd Science they'd switch to Nexus One. Both users of iPhone and Google Android phones are also less likely to switch to a different smartphone platform. About 97 percent of existing iPhone users saying they'd recommend iPhones to friends.

The bottom line? BlackBerry users are loyal, but plenty have wandering eyes toward both iPhone and Android-based handsets.

"These results show that the restlessness of Blackberry users with their current brand hasn't just been driven by the allure of iPhone," said John Martin, CEO of Crowd Science, in a statement. "Rather, BlackBerry as a brand just isn't garnering the loyalty seen with other mobile operating systems."

According to Crowd Science, the study polled 1,140 respondents. About 44 percent of those respondents were traditional cell phone users. About 17 percent were iPhone users, 15 percent BlackBerry users, 10 percent Nokia users, 4 percent Windows Mobile users, 3 percent Android users and 2 percent Palm users.

Smartphone competition is at an all-time high, and both Apple and Google have done much to fan the flames. Earlier this week, Google's newest hire, XML co-creator Tim Bray, wrote in a blog post that he will "enjoy competing with Apple," chastising Apple and iPhone for its "closed" platform.

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