So how do you all like Blackberry products?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m pretty much already decided on my choice (unless someone comes along with horror stories), but I’m curious about y’alls’ experience with various Blackberry phone products.

My Razr (which is, in the interest of full disclosure, the second one I’ve gotten. The first died by the same problem and was still under warranty) is slowly dying, as it will do this weird thing where it flashes, the screen turns white, then it powers down. I’ve decided that its replacement will be a “smart phone” and while I have ATT and an iPhone looks cool, I think I’m going to go for one of the much, much cheaper other options.

A Blackberry Curve seems right up my alley, as it’s got all of the traditional Blackberry services, a 2 MP camera, as well as a great little media player. Plus, it can work with a mini sd memory card and while it says it can work with up to a 2 Gig card, I’ve heard it can work with the 4 Gig cards.

The phone is going to cost me $199 after a hundred dollar mail in rebate, then the Blackberry service plan I’ll get will run me an additional $30 a month.

Anyway, how does everyone like their Blackberries? What do you like? What do you hate? Does anyone have a Curve and love or hate it?

Oh also, if anyone can verify that the 4 Gig card would work just fine, that’d be nifty too. :smiley:

2

They’re nice.

3

You are so eloquent, dear. That’s why I love you. :slight_smile:

4

I’ve got legs.

aaaand I know how to use themmmmm

5

Oooh, I can answer this one.

I just recently got a Blackberry 8800 which I absolutely love. It’s taken over my life (in a good way).

First, it’s improved my organization and email response time. I was always a little … shall we say, cavalier? … with responding to email. This has fixed the problem. Blackberry does one thing the best in the business - email services. It’s good and it’s efficient.

I also use it in conjunction with my personalized (read: bastardized) version of GTD. (A productivity approach). I find that it’s marvelous for that. The address book is great and I’ve integrated it nicely with Microsoft Outlook. It works for me. I also frequently use the Memopad (which sucks) and a replacement Memopad utility that I’m developing.

Other excitement? I also got Berry Bloglines (read my blog subscriptions on the bberry), google talk/google maps, and AIM on my bberry. It can do ebooks with Mobipocket - although I didn’t like it, so I dumped the application. It syncs up nicely with my existing bluetooth headset. Oh, and I have the 2 GB card in there - I loaded quite a few MP3s on there, but I don’t really use it for listening to music. For one, it has an odd size headset jack, and for two, I usually only listen to MP3s while running. My blackberry doesn’t work out with me. [ETA: I meant to say, this is why I can’t say whether the 4GB card works - I barely use the 2GB card as it is].

Other things? You can surf the SDMB from your bberry - looks pretty good on Opera Mini (which is free).

…

That said, I highly recommend you look into the 8800 rather than the curve.

Why?

(1) No camera. That seems like a drawback, but the camera in the curve is not that great. I don’t like paying extra for something that’s pretty inferior (as phone cameras go). Also, I dunno where you work - but some workplaces (as well as some tourist destinations) get antsy about cameras. It’s good to be able to say, “Nope. No camera.”

(2) GPS. GPS. GPS. GPS. I can’t say enough about this. Even if it’s not worth it to you to shell out 10/month for Telenav (which it was to me), getting Google Maps with GPS is an absolute lifesaver. I was aghast that they took this feature out on the Curve.

(3) Cost. I bought the 8800 for about 100 bucks. That’s it. It just doesn’t seem smart to me to pay more for the Curve.

I’ll be happy to answer any specific questions you have about the Blackberry or the 8800 in general.

6

I really like blackberry preserves, but don’t understand why they cost more than raspberry.

Oh, the phone/e-mail things? No idea.

7

Fine, I’ll answer the questions seriously.
I’ve got the BlackBerry Pearl. I have a crush on her. Well, to call it a crush is kinda…demeaning. It’s more like an obsession.

I got mine for a hundred bucks before the commercials even came out for it. I’ve got maps (good because my sense of direction isn’t grand) I can Dope from anywhere, it holds so much flippin’ information. I put any and all scheduling information into it and it handles it very nicely.

Excuse me. I’ve got a lump in my pants I must take care of.

8

[QUOTE=Doctor Who]

…

That said, I highly recommend you look into the 8800 rather than the curve.

Why?

(1) No camera. That seems like a drawback, but the camera in the curve is not that great. I don’t like paying extra for something that’s pretty inferior (as phone cameras go). Also, I dunno where you work - but some workplaces (as well as some tourist destinations) get antsy about cameras. It’s good to be able to say, “Nope. No camera.”

(2) GPS. GPS. GPS. GPS. I can’t say enough about this. Even if it’s not worth it to you to shell out 10/month for Telenav (which it was to me), getting Google Maps with GPS is an absolute lifesaver. I was aghast that they took this feature out on the Curve.

(3) Cost. I bought the 8800 for about 100 bucks. That’s it. It just doesn’t seem smart to me to pay more for the Curve.

I’ll be happy to answer any specific questions you have about the Blackberry or the 8800 in general.
[/QUOTE]

Virtually all of the comparative reviews I’ve read rank the 8300 (Curve) better than the 8800.

I suppose I should note I work for our family business, so having a camera wont effect any security issues for me. That said, we utilize Microsoft Exchange and Outlook and all of that for our scheduling, client information, and emails- so it will be very handy to bring up those things on my phone while traveling (something I do a lot for work) and unable to get to a computer.

That said, I’m still 21, so I like the little techy features the 8300 has that the 8800 is lacking. While no cell phone camera is great, I can’t count the times it’s come in handy to have one (car accidents, celebrity sightings, major and minor things, as you can see).

Your concern about the media player and headphone jacks are good points, but I think (think think think I’m not sure 100%) that the 8300 has a newer system that has been improved.

And the GPS is really neat, but it’s my understanding that I can buy a little adapter for the 8300 if I decide I need the GPS- which right now I’m not really sure I do. It is a super neat feature though that I’d definitely get if I needed it.

Right now on ATT’s website, the Curve is $199 with the rebates and the 8800 is $299 with all rebates (while a Pearl is $149). I can get a refurbished (ie: used) 8800 for $199, but I haven’t had much luck with the refurb phones from Cingular and ATT.

How easy is it to sync up calenders and stuff (if you know)? Is it just a plug and transfer sort of thing or how does that work?

Also, how is the navigation within the Blackberry itself? Fairly intuitive or does it take some getting used to?

Oh, and do you have any idea about the 4 Gig card? I’d hate to shell out for one without knowing for sure if it will work (I heard that not all phones will work with a 4 gig card for one reason or another).

Thank you for the answer though! It’s good to get an idea about this stuff from personal experience, rather than just tech reviews.

9

So (and this is a serious question) why not shell out for the iPhone?

Yes, I think it has. I noodled around my point a bit, but I really meant to say - I just don’t really use it as an MP3 player. I thought I would, so I was concerned about being limited to 2 gigs, but it just hasn’t played out that way.

Heh. It will change your life one day. One day.

I got my 8800 through Amazon, despite all the negative reviews and hard times. And you know what? It was a mild pain to set up my account, but not significantly more difficult than setting up any other phone account. Also, despite what’s mentioned on Amazon, I kept my old phone number. ETA: Although I will note that Cingular stole all my old rollover minutes when they updated the account.

Super easy. If you use Outlook (which I think you said you did) it’s virtually seamless. The only thing that sucks is, unless you are using a Blackberry Enterprise Server, you can’t sync up your notes and calendar and stuff wirelessly. It has to be a plug and sync. (It’s fine for me - because I only sync mine as backup, but I would like to be able to do it over the air). If anybody knows a good workaround (that doesn’t involve syncing to some third-party company’s server), I’d love to hear it.

Absolutely intuitive. I read the manual just to increase my ability to get things done, but it wasn’t necessary. There will be small things you have to learn to do - like selecting text (for paste/copy) and where to go for settings and the like, but it comes very very very quickly.

Like you, I dunno - I have also HEARD that it works, but I’d buy my card with a return policy. Then I’d check it in the car with my laptop and if it didn’t work, take it right back and get the 2 gig.

Yeah sure, I’m happy to talk about it. Honestly, I love the thing. And I was seriously looking into getting a Curve, but like I said the GPS was a big sticking point. Also, even though the stylings of the case are supposed to be much better, I liked the feel of the 8800 in my hand. Also, the 8800 gets knocks from previous version owners because the keyboard is more crammed together. As it’s the first bberry I’ve ever owned, I don’t notice it. I just notice that I can type like greased lightning on it.

If you have any more questions, just fire em out. Or PM me. Whatever! :smiley:

10

[QUOTE=Doctor Who]
So (and this is a serious question) why not shell out for the iPhone?

[/QUOTE]

$500 for something super new that might not have all of the kinks worked out vs $200 for something that’s been around a bit longer (along with a product line-- you know, the phones, I mean- that’s been around longer). I’m goin’ for the latter, especially since I’m going to have to shell out monthly for the Blackberry service plans.

You say you got yours through Amazon, do you mean just the phone or the service as well? We get all of our business and personal lines through Cingular (now ATT), and because I use it a lot for work AND because I’m a full time student as well, my dad pays for my phone bill. That said, I still have to buy my own phones and pay for extras- like the Blackberry plan, texting, internet, etc. So, I’m pretty much stuck staying with ATT, but their service hasn’t been particularly bad or anything so I’m ok with that.

You know, the GPS is pretty bad ass, but I think I’m secretly heartbroken that I couldn’t get it in my car, so now I’m just shunning all that is GPS. :frowning: hehe Who knows, maybe I’ll up and decide to upgrade with the attachment once I have the phone for a bit, but as for now, I know my way around the cities I regularly travel to fairly well, so I’m ok (I hope!).

I’m glad that things are fairly intuitive, as the Cingular stores I’ve gone into don’t have ones I can play with. I mean, they have ones turned on, but they are strapped down to the stupid little display- thus blocking all of the buttons. I asked if they could take it off so I could see it and the woman said no. So, I went to another Cingular store where they were less assholish, and the guy there let me play with one for a little bit, but I didn’t really have time to check everything out.

Holding both, I think I prefer the Curve, but I have smallish girlie hands.

As far as the 4 gig card, one person at the ATT store shrugged and said they didn’t know, another said “OF COURSE it will work,” and another said “Well, it says it only works with 2. . .” So yeah, I have no idea. I read a review on a website that said they tested the 4 and it worked fine, I’d just like to know for sure. Your testing idea is a good one though, I may have to do that.

Oh and I think the slightly more spaced keyboard may help me, as I’ve perpetually got fake nails on heh.

How is the keyboard as far as accidentally pushing other buttons while typing?

11

The keboayrd is jsut liek typoing on a computre. Tiepoes are few and far betwen.
(I kid, I kid. Actually, Pearl has a list of typos built in that it auto corrects. You can add to that list.)

12

Ah, very nice very nice. The Pearl doesn’t have a full keyboard though, so I’m wonderin’ if it’s slightly different as far as accidentally pushing other buttons.

And the Curve also has a spell checker, something that previous Blackberry models lacked.

13

Predictive text, sweetheart. It’s good. It learns words.
(it seems like we’ve had this conversation before…)

14

Half of the time though, predictive text pisses me off. So it’d be nice to have a full keyboard and typing ability.

15

Any reason you’re choosing a Blackberry product over a Windows Mobile device? The latter (IMO) syncs better if you use a Windows PC, and has TONS more software for it (both free and some you pay for.)

16

I’m on my second, its a bad phone (bad form factor, no voice recognition), a decent portable email device. I wouldn’t have it except its the only phone our IT department supports for email access.

17

[QUOTE=DiosaBellissima]
Half of the time though, predictive text pisses me off. So it’d be nice to have a full keyboard and typing ability.
[/QUOTE]

The other half of the time, it works all the time.

18

[QUOTE=bouv]
Any reason you’re choosing a Blackberry product over a Windows Mobile device? The latter (IMO) syncs better if you use a Windows PC, and has TONS more software for it (both free and some you pay for.)
[/QUOTE]

I was wondering the same thing. HTC (branded as AT&T until the upcoming Kaiser) has several good phones which will meet the criteria you are looking for I believe. Look into the TyTn (called the 8525 on the AT&T website) or Kaiser if you aren’t set on a Blackberry. They both have fold out QWERTY keyboards.

19

[QUOTE=DiosaBellissima]
$500 for something super new that might not have all of the kinks worked out vs $200 for something that’s been around a bit longer (along with a product line-- you know, the phones, I mean- that’s been around longer). I’m goin’ for the latter, especially since I’m going to have to shell out monthly for the Blackberry service plans.
[/quote]
Fair enough. I just thought if you like slick techie goodness, the iPhone is where it’s at right now. But your approach seems eminently reasonable.

Service and the phone. I was a Cingular user, and I just re-upped through Amazon and got the phone for $100. Cheaper than going directly through Cingular.

No problems for me.

Not entirely true. There is a freeware add-on that allows spell check. It’s called … lemme check … BBCorrector. It was a bit of a pain in the ass to set up though.

Dangerosa, mind if I ask which version you have? The reason is that my 8800 is a damn good phone, but my buddies with earlier versions universally complain about how shitty the phone was. I think that’s something they really focused on starting with the Pearl.

bouv is absolutely right. You should look into Windows smartphones as well, as they have some bitching software that goes on them. There are tons more applications and fanciness because they’re easier to program for than the blackberry. Doesn’t mean I’d give mine up, because I absolutely love it, but if you’re not married to the blackberry idea yet, you should at least play with some other platforms.

20

[QUOTE=bouv]
Any reason you’re choosing a Blackberry product over a Windows Mobile device? The latter (IMO) syncs better if you use a Windows PC, and has TONS more software for it (both free and some you pay for.)
[/QUOTE]

Windows Mobile device like what? Like a Black Jack? Most of the reviews I’ve read have ranked the Curve ahead of the BlackJack, but I don’t know if that’s specifically the one you’re talking about. I assume you’ve got a Windows Mobile device, yes? What is your experience with that?

And Dangerosa- what kind do you have and what exactly makes it a bad phone?