just wondering how good it is currently at putting all the devices into one.. right now im with verizon, using the v710 and an ipaq 4355.. wondering if I should trade in the 4355 for the blackberry 7290, with cingular

i like the idea of quad band gsm, will be in europe/asia at some points, and I'm also becoming more reliant on time-dependent email.. however, I do like the ease of use that the 4355 has, along w/the specific pda functions that I use everyday ie tasks, calendar, and pocket IE with wifi(actually pretty important to me), but i also dont like how it crashes every so often, and pocket inbox sorta sucks..

I also dislike the idea of paying an extra $50/month for data services for a blackberry..

so basically, should I sit on my current setup now, or do you guys rely on your blackberries for everything and how well does it function as a pda/websurfing tool/ppt reader?

thx

mike

 

For email, the BBerry rocks. I've been a devout 7510 user since Nextel introduced it. Every 15 minutes the web client software will grab a copy of whatever email that's residing on your server and send it to your handheld. If your company will invest in a BES, things are even more efficient and easier.

Most people use their PDA's for the organizing, contacts and calandering features. The Crackberry will do all this and more.........in one device, that's why I like it so much. Full qwerty keyboard full of logical shortcuts. I also use mine for my home/cell phone, and come close to 2k minutes a month.

Regarding web surfing, I installed a browser called "webviewer". You can put this on any java enabled device, most RIM devices work well with this product because of the large screen.

I am biased though, because I sell BBerry's for my company. But I tell you, once you fully use it there's no going back. I do miss all those ringtones though.....but supposedly that will be fixed in 05.

Internationally, I've heard the T-Mobile devices work fairly well. Whichever carrier you choose, your web service should run anywhere from $25-45 a month, depending on what company you work for.

 

Currently using the Blackberry 7510 on Nextel. I am a dealer (Nextel, Sprint, AT&T) so my monthly cost is considerably lower. But, I really like it even at retail. Though it did take a while to get use to the roller on the side. There are a lot of very cool data apps out there. You can go to Blackberry's web site to check it out.

It works seamlessly with syncing (sp?) my calender and contacts. My only complaint is that it sometime locks up during a walkie talkie conversation and takes a few seconds to open up. Of course, you won't have to worry about that with Cingular.

You may want to check out the Treo 600 on AT&T and Sprint if they are in your market. Both have fairly fast networks. Sprint's customer service is suspect, but getting better. AT&T allows roaming on Cinglular's network due to the impending merger.

Regardless of the company that you decide on, ask them if they have discounts for employees of your company. If you work for a reasonably large company or government agency most offer discounts. Nextel especially.

Good luck!

 

I have the 6280. I had a PDA and cell but got tired of carring both. I get all my e-mail on both my desk top and Crackberry. There is about a 2 second delay from receipt on desk top to wireless. The Blackberry can do everything the PDA did and more.
Its a little funky to talk on but the ear piece with mic takes care of the problem. Also, at least here in Texas, coverage is much better than on the cell.

 

I use a 6220 for work and it rocks when it comes to email. I get my messages within 2-3 seconds of it being sent to me. It actually shows up on my Blackberry before it shows up in Outlook on my desktop. It does the basic PIM stuff ok. Its simple to use. The only real downsize is the lack of third party apps available compared to Palm devices, but since I use my mainly for email, I don't care.

 

You are right about the 3rd party apps. Although there are a lot of custom written apps if you have 20k-250k lying around