# Blackberry?



## Blue Tick (Jan 27, 2007)

Anyone use a Blackberry? 

If so can you tell me a little about it? Currently I use a Dell Axim X3 Pocket PC but it's three years old. I would like to upgrade to something a little newer.

Does any have any suggestions what I should go with?


Thanks!


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## Kevin Lewis (Mar 8, 2007)

*Blackberry*

John,

I have used a Blackberry 8700c from Cingular for about a year. I have also used the treo 650 for about a year, one other windows ce device and a palm.

I definitely like the blackberry over all of them for a couple of reasons. Number one, the blackberry isnt regularly resetting itself and restarting b/c some little glitch happened. I have never had my blackberry reset and restart by itself except for the few times I have dropped it and the battery fell out.

Secondly, I like that it handles the basics very well. When I say basics I mean, contacts, memos, to dos, calendar and of course e-mail which bb is notorious for. I would be hard pressed to ever go back to a palm or windows ce device. I am just too satisfied. 

True, there are very few add ons and mulitimedia programs for the bb, but to this I say amen. If you want to play games on it or take pictures with it, buy a nintendo or a digital camera.

Hope this helps.


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## panta dokimazete (Mar 8, 2007)




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## Semper Fidelis (Mar 9, 2007)

I think you meant _Crack_berry. That's what everyone here calls them.

It actually took a lot of work to get Blackberry service in Japan. It was me and some of my peers that worked with EDS to get a Japanese carrier to have the service pushed out to Japan so we could use it here. Japan is one of the few countries that has a completely unique carrier system that prevents global phones from working in their country.

I got a Blackberry about 6 months ago. In terms of navigation, the use of the wheel is very nice. The menus are easy navigable. Theoretically, if somebody was foolish enough to be reading e-mail while driving (OK, I'm a fool! but the speed limit is only 30 mph here so you can get away with it), the one handed operation is nice.

What I really like is the fact that I can go on business trips with just a handheld. I used to have to bring my notebook computer with me to keep up on e-mail. Some of you may remember I travelled to VA late last year and then was in TX for XMAS. I was able to keep up with e-mail in both places using just my Blackberry.

The U.S. Government faced a major crisis fairly recently because some company had sued the company that owns Blackberry and there was a risk it could have been turned off. There was a major scramble to keep that from happening. I'm not kidding when I call these things Crack-berries. Just today, we were eating lunch and I was sitting next to my Commanding General. He looked over at one of his Colonel Commanders who was checking an e-mail, smiled, and quipped: "Blackberries...." They're a nice thing to have but kind of a curse that e-mail follows you everywhere.


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## Herald (Mar 9, 2007)

I've bounced between three different smartphones since November. I had the Treo 650. Excellent phone. It served me well but I was ready for a more powerful platform for business. I switched to the Samsung Blackjack. It had mistake written all over it. I should have known better. Next was the Treo 750. I didn't like its navigation and the keys were very stiff. I've settled on the Cingular 8525. It uses Windows Mobile 5.0. It has 3G/UMTS network compatibility. Best of all is the WiFi. I stopped by a Panera Bread and the phone connected to their wireless network flawlessly. The benefits are tremendous. I can leave my laptop home and work off my new mobile device. Not a Blackberry, but it'll do.


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## ReformedWretch (Mar 9, 2007)

I've thought about one of these numerous times but I think I am going to hold off for the iphone!


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## crhoades (Mar 9, 2007)

I had the Blackberry 7100 for over a year and loved it. Just yesterday I got the ultimate phone - the BlackBerry Pearl (8100). It is everything that a phone should be. It does email great. It is as tiny as a razor. The screen and sound is superb. It has a 1.3 megapixel camera with flash and 5x zoom. It plays .mp3's and video and can take a 2GB microSD card. Can we say sermonaudio on the phone on the go? I will probably carry my .mp3 player less now. It has mapping software that can give you step by step directions. Coupled with a Bluetooth GPS receiever you have a navigation system that can go with you anywhere. I have Cingular as a carrier and it is on the high speed Edge network. Super fast browsing. It syncs up with my company's Exchange server so I get all of my emails, appointments, and contacts mirrored on my laptop and my phone. Oh yeah, it makes calls too!

Overall, I would rather have this phone than any other one out there.


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## Arch2k (Mar 9, 2007)

The Pearl intrigued me at first, but missing Wi-Fi will probably cause me to wait for something else. CNET gave the pearl a 7.3. Maybe a Blackberry 8300?


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## crhoades (Mar 9, 2007)

Jeff_Bartel said:


> The Pearl intrigued me at first, but missing Wi-Fi will probably cause me to wait for something else. CNET gave the pearl a 7.3. Maybe a Blackberry 8300?


 
Not familiar with Wi-Fi enabled phones. What's the function and purpose?


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## Herald (Mar 9, 2007)

WiFi phone are able to connect to wireless LAN's. If you go to a Panera Bread, you can connect your laptop to their internet connection if you have a wireless card. Same with WiFi phones. You can connect to wireless internet connections.


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## crhoades (Mar 9, 2007)

BaptistInCrisis said:


> WiFi phone are able to connect to wireless LAN's. If you go to a Panera Bread, you can connect your laptop to their internet connection if you have a wireless card. Same with WiFi phones. You can connect to wireless internet connections.


 
Here's where I'm scratching my head...The phone already has high-speed internet access without being around a wi-fi. I can surf the web and post on PB from anywhere. I can even use my phone as a high-speed wireless modem to connect my laptop to the internet. What does wi-fi give that isn't already there?


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## etexas (Mar 9, 2007)

My friends and my wife all laugh at me (wow hints of Job there...not intended),because I do not even use a cell phone. Got one in our kitchen, never use it. I don't like them, and strangely I cannot pinpoint why......I did feel better when I found I was not alone in the universe, Stephen King hates them as well and WILL NOT carry one.


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## Arch2k (Mar 11, 2007)

crhoades said:


> Here's where I'm scratching my head...The phone already has high-speed internet access without being around a wi-fi. I can surf the web and post on PB from anywhere. I can even use my phone as a high-speed wireless modem to connect my laptop to the internet. What does wi-fi give that isn't already there?


 
I could be wrong, but I think the difference is an issue of cost. I am looking for a device that will connect to the internet without paying an additional cost from your cell company. Rather, I would like to use the internet connection I already pay for, broadcast it wirelessly, and use that for my internet connection. How many times should a guy have to pay for internet?


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## Herald (Mar 11, 2007)

crhoades said:


> Here's where I'm scratching my head...The phone already has high-speed internet access without being around a wi-fi. I can surf the web and post on PB from anywhere. I can even use my phone as a high-speed wireless modem to connect my laptop to the internet. What does wi-fi give that isn't already there?



Speed and cost. When you are using your cell phone to connect to the internet you cannot connect at broadband speeds. It is faster than older technology, but it cannot compare with true broadband speeds. Cost becomes a factor because you must either A) Pay for each mps of download 
-or- B) Pay for a data package from your cell phone provider. These packages can be $30-$40-$50 per month depending on your provider. If you're traveling on business you can connect to hotel wireless networks. You can't do that with a non-WiFi cell phone. Locally I use a few "free" wireless hotspots and Panera Bread locations to connect via WiFi. I also pay for a data package because I need constant access to my email all day long. I'm in sales and email is the preferred method for customers to keep in contact with me.


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## Blue Tick (Mar 11, 2007)

What's the cost on a Blackberry?


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## bookslover (Mar 11, 2007)

BaptistInCrisis said:


> I'm in sales and email is the preferred method for customers to keep in contact with me.



What do you sell? Maybe I want one...or a couple of gallons...or a long ton or two (just keeping my options open here, 'cause I don't know what it is yet)...


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## bookslover (Mar 11, 2007)

I follow Jesus said:


> My friends and my wife all laugh at me (wow hints of Job there...not intended),because I do not even use a cell phone. Got one in our kitchen, never use it. I don't like them, and strangely I cannot pinpoint why......I did feel better when I found I was not alone in the universe, Stephen King hates them as well and WILL NOT carry one.



Don't feel bad. I don't have a cell phone, have never had one, and don't want one. People refuse to give themselves any privacy with those things. Where I work, I've even noticed people using them _in the men's room_, when they're in...you know...those little tiny rooms with the metal walls?


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## Herald (Mar 11, 2007)

bookslover said:


> What do you sell? Maybe I want one...or a couple of gallons...or a long ton or two (just keeping my options open here, 'cause I don't know what it is yet)...



Subscriptions to "The Arminian Times."


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## Kevin Lewis (Mar 11, 2007)

*Regarding cost of a blackberry*

I use a 8700c with Cingular. I was looking on amazon the other day (for fun) and saw you can still get a new BB 8700c for $00 after rebates if you start a new account. Thats what I did about a year ago. No problems.

BlackBerry 8700c Phone (Cingular)
Other products by BlackBerry
(58 customer reviews) See more about this phone
List Price: $499.99
Price: $24.99
(when purchased with new service plan)
You Save: $475.00 (95%)
Rebates: $25.00
Price After Rebates: FREE

I am not sure about the other models. The new Pearl 8100 is probably more expensive. But if I was going to go with the Pearl I would go with the 8800 which went back to the full keyboard (and took away the camera - thank the Lord).


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## bookslover (Mar 11, 2007)

BaptistInCrisis said:


> Subscriptions to "The Arminian Times."



LOL. Probably a big seller in most of the country...


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