Blackberrys

Blackberrys - anyone got one, and are they any good.

thanks

David

[preiffer]

Got one around the end of 2005.
Life ended around the start of 2006.

Don't do it.

[mitchja]

I prefer Windows Mobile based Smartphones as they are very easy to sync with your contacts/mail/files on a PC via a cable or bluetooth.

Regards

[Decker]

so are Blackberrys...

Originally posted by preiffer
Got one around the end of 2005.
Life ended around the start of 2006.

Don't do it.

Blackberry

Good enough - thanks

David

If you get lots of email and need to keep on top of it whilst mobile then a BB is the best solution. They are not however great solutions for lots of web browsing. I have a BB 8800 and an iPhone and am torn between the two. The BB is my email device of choice and the iPhone is far far better at web stuff than anything else.

[RichardMannion]

I've never used a BlackBerry, but have been through every generation of Windows Mobile and a whole variety of devices over the last 9 years. The current generation 6.x is extremely good - there are a multitude of devices to choose from, I'm currently using a Samsung i780 phone and is great for mail (and I need to keep on top of a lot of e-mail). I've had a variety of HTC devices in the past that have all been good, there is a great choice of form factors.

Originally posted by David
Blackberrys - anyone got one, and are they any good.

thanks

David

Hi David

I have used both Blackberry and various Windows Mobile devices and my personal preference now is Windows Mobile. As Richard has mentioned there are now a very good range of handsets from a number of manufacturers (In fact im pretty sure that Nokia are the only one not making a WM device).

Its also worth taking into account what related services your airtime provider offer before you make a final call.

Cheers

Mark

[mcmbenjamin]

BlackBerrys are a love-hate relationship. They are VERY reliable. So no excuses about missed e-mails or calls.

My favorite feature is the different settings for different e-mail accounts. You can set the BlackBerry NOT to alert you if certain accounts receive activity. Helpful if you want to have a night out.

[preiffer]

Hmm. Careful with HTC.

I know 3 (relatively well known) people who were sponsored to have an HTC device, free of charge with all bills paid for ongoing, in return for press/promotion activity.

They've just binned them, and returned to using their *old* Nokias as the HTCs were just too crap to use. (And these are what I'd consider 'normal' users - they all have pc's and macs, all able to operate a dvd player, etc. but they hated the HTCs - 'free or not, NEVER again' was one statement the other night, I believe...)

Can I ask, with the new push email options (mobileMe, exchange sync, etc) - why are you not looking towards an iPhone next week?



Just a thought...

[RichardMannion]

Paul does have a point with some of the HTC devices (as they are the most dominant WM providers) - the software supplied on the phones by the actual network is often different and customised. Orange have a nasty habit of shipping locked down or crap versions of the WM software - so I do flash my phone back to the original HTC version.

The iPhone does look a good option now it has full Exchange and ActiveSync support; my only concern is the lack of an actual keyboad as I've tried the full touch screen keyboard thing before on another device and it wasn't too good. Reading mail is great, replying/composing new messages not so great.

[Bazz]

The Nokia N95 is a pretty competent device too and very good for email and not bad for browsing, it has wireless and GPS and a 5MP camera and with an 8Gb card will act as a pretty good MP3 player too; might be worth a look? I do miss the touch screen and virtual qwerty keyboard of my old P900 though.

[mitchja]

That's what I like about my HTC S710 - the slide out keyboard. Great for email and SMS. HTC now do a 3G version of this handset (the S730).

HTC have recently started offering a dedicated push email service too if you dont have Exchange access, although there are plenty of websites offering push email now anyway for a small monthly fee.

I bought a SIM free HTC handset and so it's not network locked and also has the full software available on it (WM 6.0 standard) including upgrades.

It also looks like Apple are going to offer the iPhone 2.0 software upgrade for the iPod Touch too, although I think you will have to pay for it.

Regards

Originally posted by preiffer


Can I ask, with the new push email options (mobileMe, exchange sync, etc) - why are you not looking towards an iPhone next week?

Just a thought...

Huge O2 black hole at our head office. [n]

David

[Darren Wheeler]

They don't call them crackberrys for nothing.

The question you have to ask is 'Do I really really need one because everything collapses in my absence?' If the answer is no, then walk away from the idea. If the answer is yes, then a blackberry will not be the solution as there are bigger problems.

In my experience blackberry users have one to manage their inbox when not in the office. This soon becomes evenings, weekends and while on holiday.

Originally posted by David
Blackberrys - anyone got one, and are they any good.

Crackberrys - a true scourge of modern life. What is it with Crackberry users? Are they so insecure in their jobs that they can't bear to be away from their email for more than ten seconds? And why do Crackberry users always seem to need to have a separate phone too?

The idea and technology is great, and I used to be a big proponent as it is both reliable and a non-Microsoft product. It has a full keyboard, something that Microsoft and their IHVs had disposed of completely until recently in favour of a tiny screen and stylus keyboard - yuch, try using that on any moving vehicle.

But it's the numpties that use Crakcberries. Puuulease get over yourselves. [B)]

Howard

Originally posted by Howard Long

Originally posted by David
Blackberrys - anyone got one, and are they any good.

Crackberrys - a true scourge of modern life. What is it with Crackberry users? Are they so insecure in their jobs that they can't bear to be away from their email for more than ten seconds? And why do Crackberry users always seem to need to have a separate phone too?

But it's the numpties that use Crakcberries. Puuulease get over yourselves. [B)]

Howard

That's a bit harsh Howard ... I don't classify myself as a crackberry but I do find it very useful when travelling.

All hail the new iphone when it's out and I might switch.

Originally posted by slinky09
That's a bit harsh Howard ... I don't classify myself as a crackberry but I do find it very useful when travelling.

All hail the new iphone when it's out and I might switch.

Heh heh... Nothing like a stereotype to bring a reaction!

Seriously, I have a couple of acquaintances who I consider extremely good friends, until I find myself at dinner with them, their Crackberrys, and flimsy excuses that they just have to be in contact with the office. The device is left on the table throughout the meal, and they clearly can't wait for something to come through so they can immediately interrupt conversation and attend to whatever it is that they think is so important, risking themselves being considered extremely rude, especially if I'm paying.

I consider this behaviour almost as crass as self importantly blaring into your phone in a posh restaurant to everyone else's irritation. At least with a crackberry it's kept quiet I suppose.

Hence my generalisation about Crackberry users being insecure in their jobs.

I have a guy at work who is a serially rude guy in a number of ways, including the continuous use of his crackberry throughout meetings, but this is only suppassed by his irritating habit of always making excuses to leave meetings early when he's clearly not been following anything other than his ebay listings on his crackberry. God knows what he's like on vacation with his missus!

I am sure not all Blackberry users are the same. I know I like to be in touch, but push email isn't something I consider I want or need now I've seen how it's used from an (anti) social perspective. If you look at Blackberry users on planes, many of them consider themselves not included when it comes to the use of PEDs during taxi. Even if they do wait for the seat belt signs to be extinguished there's this massive race to switch on the crackberries and be the first to receive an email. Whoo hoo!

Agreed with the iPhone. I was rather negative about it at first until I saw that screen and then I was totally blown away. And unlike Richard, I actually find the iPhone virtual keyboard rather easy to use.

Cheers, Howard

Wake up on the wrong side of the bed today, Howard? [:w]

Let's try to set the technology aside from those who misuse it...otherwise, we could probably make similar sweeping generalisations about car drivers because, well, you know, lots of people who drive do so too fast.

The fact is, for some of us, work demands we be close to email/phone 24/7. I happen to work in a part of my company that has to respond -- IMMEDIATELY -- to emerging risks (operational, media attention, key executive departures, etc). Thus, regrettably, I need to keep my Blackberry armed and at the ready 24/7. This brings me no joy, but it does bring me a substantial paycheck. Hooray for me.

For that reason, the Blackberry is a wonderful tool. Excellent and reliable email service...decent phone. Crap browsing, really -- I pretty much use it to check footy scores. [:D]

That said, and to Howard's defense, if someone is NOT in the situation in which I am at work, and they talk at table, email during meetings, etc., they deserve the full Howard Longian force of indignation. Rude is rude.

I'd write more, but I need to go check my Blackberry... [:I]

GJ

I have noticed Blackberry users always seem to look very intense and stressed and might be slightly lessso if they didn't know what was going on in the office. Iphone users myself included always seem a bit more chilled and smile a bit more, perhaps because they checked the important stuff and can the instantly laugh it off on youttube at the touch of a virtual button.

Originally posted by Howard Long

Originally posted by slinky09
That's a bit harsh Howard ... I don't classify myself as a crackberry but I do find it very useful when travelling.

All hail the new iphone when it's out and I might switch.

Heh heh... Nothing like a stereotype to bring a reaction!

Seriously, I have a couple of acquaintances who I consider extremely good friends, until I find myself at dinner with them, their Crackberrys, and flimsy excuses that they just have to be in contact with the office. The device is left on the table throughout the meal, and they clearly can't wait for something to come through so they can immediately interrupt conversation and attend to whatever it is that they think is so important, risking themselves being considered extremely rude, especially if I'm paying.

I consider this behaviour almost as crass as self importantly blaring into your phone in a posh restaurant to everyone else's irritation. At least with a crackberry it's kept quiet I suppose.

Hence my generalisation about Crackberry users being insecure in their jobs.

I consider myself neither a stereotype, nor a rude blackberry user over a dinner table, nor a shouter into telephones. All of which I consider to be infra dig. Au contraire, you cannot accept a challenge to your rude and crass stereotype and become one yourself in reaction.

Please do get some security.

When I travel for twenty four hours and find myself in airports around the world, a blackberry is often invaluable for changes of plan, connecting to colleagues, surfing the Web or simply playing brick bat to stave off ennui.

Originally posted by Howard Long
Crackberrys - a true scourge of modern life. What is it with Crackberry users? Are they so insecure in their jobs that they can't bear to be away from their email for more than ten seconds? And why do Crackberry users always seem to need to have a separate phone too?

I have a seperate phone for just the reasons you have mentioned - the phone is mine, the blackberry belongs to work. Therefore my friends and family have my mobile number and work my blackberry number. Therefore if I decide to forget my blackberry on a day/night out (wouldn't want to risk losing it [}:)]) I can still be in contact with people I am meeting etc.

Originally posted by oxmatt

Originally posted by Howard Long
Crackberrys - a true scourge of modern life. What is it with Crackberry users? Are they so insecure in their jobs that they can't bear to be away from their email for more than ten seconds? And why do Crackberry users always seem to need to have a separate phone too?

I have a seperate phone for just the reasons you have mentioned - the phone is mine, the blackberry belongs to work. Therefore my friends and family have my mobile number and work my blackberry number. Therefore if I decide to forget my blackberry on a day/night out (wouldn't want to risk losing it [}:)]) I can still be in contact with people I am meeting etc.

Oxmatt, I echo your behaviour, all of my friends send mail and phone to a seperate address / number for precisely the same reason. I am fairly adamant about this so I can switch off work and move into a personal zone.

Howard - perhaps you might soon retract your beastly comments?

Originally posted by slinky09

Originally posted by Howard Long

Heh heh... Nothing like a stereotype to bring a reaction!
....

I consider myself neither a stereotype,

Sorry, slinky09, you misunderstand me - I was not saying _you're_ a stereotype. I was referring to my use of a hypothetical stereotype to describe my generalised perception. Sorry, it was never my intention to be accusatory like that, although re-reading it it is clear that it could be construed in that way. I hope that you understand, I was being rather tongue in cheek and did not mean at any time to suggest that you in particular were fitting into my prejudged pigeon-holing view on the world. HTH, no bad feelings.

Cheers, H

Originally posted by slinky09
Howard - perhaps you might soon retract your beastly comments?

Slink09, sorry as I said, my comments did not refer to you specifically although I can see that they could be taken as such. I apologise wholeheartedly for any misunderstanding.

Happy to discuss over PMs (or Pimms even).

Cheers, Howard