1) You can set the device to vibrate every once in a while to remind you if you haven't answered your messages,
2) You can put your "messaging" tab on the home bar at the bottom (replacing the - for me - useless iPod app), and
3) The iPhone pushes in much the same way the BBerry does. I get messages and Email without having to do really anything.
I miss the blinking light, too. Ironically due to moving from an android device that had it (in many colors, too!) to one that doesn't have one (samsung galaxy).
Setting a recurring sound is no substitute.
It pisses co-workers off when you leave it on a desk. And it pisses yourself off when you have to get up at night to shut the damn thing up.
On-screen notifications are no substitute either because, well, you have to activate the screen to see it.
Having never used a Blackberry, I never realized how much people make use of this feature. I wonder if Apple might eventually include an indicator similar to the sleep/power indicator on a MacBook.
1) You can set the device to vibrate every once in a while to remind you if you haven't answered your messages, 2) You can put your "messaging" tab on the home bar at the bottom (replacing the - for me - useless iPod app), and 3) The iPhone pushes in much the same way the BBerry does. I get messages and Email without having to do really anything.