Blackberry - Is There a Better Product?

[M.D. Holloway]

I have been putting it off for months but my boss really wants me to get a Blackberry or something similar. The company will pay for it and the charges. What are the best devices out there that will
1) Have a good cell
2) Do the e-mail thing
3) Pics / Vids
4) Internet
5) Extras?

[Joeaksa]

Mike,

I still use the BB but not for a phone. Its very good at what it does but I still have a separate phone and data-device. Just did not like the way it worked trying to input numbers and talk and such when compared to a normal cell.

[Z-man]

I have one from work, and it does work fantastic for email and phone, and is a pretty decent web browser. I also use the memo pad feature a lot -- for example, if I need directions, I'll mapquest it in the Blackberry browser, and cut and paste the directions into a memopad file -- that way I don't have to fuss about reconnecting to mapquest later down the road.

-Z-man

[Moses]

Originally posted by LubeMaster77
I have been putting it off for months but my boss really wants me to get a Blackberry or something similar. The company will pay for it and the charges. What are the best devices out there that will
1) Have a good cell
2) Do the e-mail thing
3) Pics / Vids
4) Internet
5) Extras?

July, 2007

[M.D. Holloway]

hmmm...daddy like. I can hold out till the intro I spose. What are the specs?

[alf]

If you use MS Outlook at the office a Windows Mobile phone works nicely.

I have a Cingular 2125, but there are newer and better devices out there.

[Moses]

Originally posted by LubeMaster77
hmmm...daddy like. I can hold out till the intro I spose. What are the specs?

Go through all the on-screen demos. Pretty amazing.

http://www.apple.com/iphone/

[rattlsnak]

cingular 8525 rocks, and it works with an exchange server were BlackBerrys dont, they use push email only.

[cantdrv55]

I don't think BBs do pics, do they?

Don't get a Treo 700P. I have had two. I'm always having software issues. Can't wait until my agreement is up.

[Don Plumley]

For email, the BB is really well done. But it really shines with corporate blackbery enterprise server connected to a corporate exchange server.

I'm using a Treo 750p, it works well. The email is second class compared to the BB, but the contact/calendar/web browser/camera of the Treo is much better.

But it's kinda of bulky in comparison to a Razr...

[alf]

Check out the Samsung BlackJack, I will probably bet getting one of these shortly...

http://business.cingular.com/businesscenter/phones-devices/samsungblackjack.jsp

[cantdrv55]

Treo 750P? Must not be a Verizon product. I'm stuck with Verizon because of our corp discount.

[Paul_Heery]

I've got a Motorola Q. It is a decent phone.

However, I would recommend that you get a Bluetooth headset immediately no matter what smartphone you get. Otherwise, you'll be trying to have a conversation while doing something else on the device (email, web, etc) and you'll constantly be moving the phone back-and-forth to your ear.

[stomachmonkey]

Nokia E62. Supports every type of mail out there, Exchange, Blackberry, standard POP you name it. Great screen. Blue tooth tethering so I can surf with my laptop while on the train or anyplace I need as emergency connection. Has the best browser I've seen on a phone. No WIFI though.

Biggest problem is it's Cingular exclusive in the US. Cingular have crippled the firmware so that unsinged Java apps try to authenticate for every netwrok request making things like g-mail mobile and goggle maps mobile completely useless.

I reflashed mine with the Generic N. American firmware which solves everything.

Will be selling when iPhone comes out so if you want an uncrippled E62 let em know.

[red-beard]

At this moment, the Palm Treos are the best alternative to the Blackberry. If your company is using MS Exchange server, the Treo 680 will sync e-mail as it comes in, just like the Blackberry, without the service cost. The 750 is the same phone using the windows mobile operating system.

I use a 680 and I love the thing. The screen is 320x320. Camera is decent. With a SD card, you can have up to 8GB of storage. It comes with Documents to Go which allow you to read and edit Word, Excel and Powerpoint files. The latest version allows you to read native PDF files. It also comes with P-tunes allowing you to play MP3 files. And while 320x320 is pretty small, you can watch movies, etc on it.

The 680 is GPRS (Cingular/T-Mobile) which is a good choice if you need a worldwide phone. There are Sprint and Verizon models, in both Palm and Windows mobile, with all of the same features.

[speeder]

I've had a couple of Treos, (650 & 700p), and now have a Blackberry 8703e. It depends on what you want it for, both have pros and cons over the other.

The BB doesn't generally have a camera, (the newest Pearl and Curve models do, however), the Treo 700/680/750 have a great camera and camcorder+ amazing software capabilities that most people never use. (GPS device, games, you name it).

As an email machine, the BB crushes it like a grape. RIM, (company who makes BB), has proprietary software on the "push" technology that alerts you in real time whenever you get an email in up to 3 different accounts including a BB account that you get automatically. The BB also acts as a high-speed modem with your laptop anywhere there is cell coverage, (but only with PC at this time, not Mac), plus the browser in the device has a better screen than the Treo. I couldn't hack the stylus, (little pen-like device), of the Treo while driving or trying to use the device discreetly somewhere. (Like in a meeting). The BB thumbwheel+click rocks.

Each one has its shortcomings, but I'm happier w/ the BB overall. Almost everyone I know in LA/NY uses one, and now I'm in MD. visiting SH from the board and virtually everyone in Washington and the military uses it. (BB).

[id10t]

Nokia 770 or 800 with an un-crippled cell phone that will allow bluetooth networking.

At least, that was my choice... but then I'm a sucker for a handheld computer that runs Linux.

[holtjv]

We've had bb, treo's, and blackjacks. for what we need, mostly mail with phone secondary, the bb outshines them all very easily. Not just with push email, but a very logical UI. the phone on the bj was really, really horrible. sent it back in one day. we sent all the treo's back b/c they kept freezing up and mail was not really push (this was the 700, I think) but rather a workaround through a 3d party sw vendor. and you know what happens with 3d party crap sw--crap.

I now have a pearl, which excels as a phone and secondary as email b/c of the combined letter keyboard, which works well but still not as fast as a real qwerty keyboard. has a camera, pictures, mp3, etc. but the phone is just like a cellphone-only device--really superb. the curve will prob be my next as email is cumbersome with the pearl.

[Rad Hatter]

Originally posted by red-beard
At this moment, the Palm Treos are the best alternative to the Blackberry. If your company is using MS Exchange server, the Treo 680 will sync e-mail as it comes in, just like the Blackberry, without the service cost. The 750 is the same phone using the windows mobile operating system.

I use a 680 and I love the thing. The screen is 320x320. Camera is decent. With a SD card, you can have up to 8GB of storage. It comes with Documents to Go which allow you to read and edit Word, Excel and Powerpoint files. The latest version allows you to read native PDF files. It also comes with P-tunes allowing you to play MP3 files. And while 320x320 is pretty small, you can watch movies, etc on it.

The 680 is GPRS (Cingular/T-Mobile) which is a good choice if you need a worldwide phone. There are Sprint and Verizon models, in both Palm and Windows mobile, with all of the same features.

Concur with all above - Treo 680 hard to beat

[stomachmonkey]

You can get all the BB functionality without the device. RIM licensed it out. I had it on my Nokia E62 from Cingular. Had to give it up because I also needed the unlimited tether option which Cingular would not combine with the BB service.