BlackBerry – ‘OK’, but getting better…

I was slightly amazed by this post over at RIMarkable.  For a fan of any particular style of device to be so blunt and honest about their favorite device is refreshing.

What I want to say to Robb Dunewood about this is that, yes in comparison to the current state-of-the-art in Palm and Windows Mobile devices, the added functionality is behind the curve.  But that dismisses the advances in the devices and software themselves.

When the BlackBerry came out several years ago, it really reminded me of an overgrown pager.  And that is really how I viewed it for a long time.  The functionality was little more than that of a two-way pager.  Now fast-forward to today and you can do a side-by-side comparison with a Treo or an HTC Wizard based device for phone & PIM functions and it is a LOT closer.  (I think the Treo 700p would win the PIM ‘war’ at the moment, though I have seen one yet.)

The truth is that there are currently three completely viable mobile platforms (Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Palm) and one runner up (Symbian).  You can get good push-mail and PIM functions on BlackBerry, Palm, Windows Mobile, and Symbian devices.  If you want to get advanced functionality, it drops to really two options – Palm and Windows Mobile.

The interesting thing that has started to change my perception of BlackBerry is the expanding number of 3rd party applictions.  That is a true indicator of a growing, robust platform.

2am posting with BlackBerry

So we are taking a few days off this week and are up at the cabin in northern Minnesota. The first thing I had to do when we got in was to check out the service on the sPrint BlackBerry 7250 that I brought with. Too cool, we’ve got 1xRTT service here!

So I’m posting completely mobile using the BB browser. Also note that the BB is compatible with WordPress, something that I had not looked into before. Ugh, time for bed.

infoSync World reviews T-Mobile BlackBerry 8700g

To all you crackberry users – infoSync World has reviewed the new T-Mobile BlackBerry 8700g.  The 8700 series has a new, larger QVGA screen, includes EDGE data services for better wireless performance (I’ve seen up to 200kbps on my MDA), a refined user interface, and a new Intel XScale processor helps speed up the device.

Upcoming BlackBerry Review(s)

Since I’m going to be investigating several different BlackBerry devices and the four major mobile providers in the US over the next few weeks, I’m going to do some reviews here on the blog.

The devices I’ll be reviewing will be:

  • BlackBerry 8700c on Cingular
  • BlackBerry 7105t on T-Mobile
  • BlackBerry 7130e on Verizon
  • BlackBerry 7250 on Sprint

So I’ll try and get these reviews up as I work with each model – I’ve got the 8700c for the weekend so if I find the time, that’ll happen soon.

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