Why do you need a BlackBerry anyway?
I recently changed jobs. I went from full high-speed Internet access to no desktop Internet access. If there is no connection to the Internet, hackers can't come in that way. The IT security folks call this "air gap" security. The only access to the Internet is via store-and-forward e-mail. Non-work-related mailing lists are not allowed. Posting on public forums is subject to rules, yada yada yada.
So, I had to find another way to check something on the WWW or my e-mail like I was accustomed to. Other people who use Berries may have other specifics, but there is one truth:
Everyone who uses a BlackBerry has a need for text communication.
Why not a Palm - or why I bought a BlackBerry
In a nutshell: I hate Graffiti (the Palm input mechanism).
Back when bringing a PDA out in a meeting was disruptive, I had a Newton 120. The Newton is still the design standard for PDA's, with its elegant OS, speed and capabilities (particularly in its final iteration), and application integration. Unfortunately, it got a lot of early bad publicity (in part because the software was too much for the hardware then available) and the cost was too high for most folks (around $1000US).
One way to speed up an early Newton up was to use Graffiti for text input. I tried it and hated it. I refuse to become a stenographer. The print recogition (introduced in v2.0 of the Newton OS) works very well, but needs more processing power than Graffiti. Ultimately, I stopped using the Newton because Apple stopped supporting it. First, they shut down the tightly-integrated e-mail service, eWorld. Then they really didn't support Windows users as well as Mac users. Then they killed the whole thing just after the first really-ready-for-prime-time Newton was introduced (the 2000/2100). The 2100 is still more than a match for any WinCEPro/PocketPC device - with the exception of colour support and Windows/MSOffice integration.
Anyhow, my requirements for a new PDA were:
I didn't need huge PDA functionality. All I need is a list of names/phone numbers/e-mail addresses, a calendar that gives alarms that I have to be at such-and-such a place in a few minutes, a calculator, an alarm clock, and a notepad (and synchronization).
With these requirements, there wasn't much choice. One possibility was a WAP phone with a simple PDA like the Nokia 7160, but I found SMS e-mail limiting, and projected on-line WAP-access costs were too high. The obvious solution was a Palm VII, but there was that Graffiti thing, and I really wanted something smaller. Size also affected the Visor or the iPAQ with a wireless modem card - and all of these cost much more than the BlackBerry. Motorola two-way pagers were also a possibility, but I couldn't get the services I wanted in the area I lived in, so I didn't even look at them. I went with the BlackBerry.
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So, how does the BlackBerry 950 work - really?
Pretty nicely, if e-mail is an important part of your life. The keyboard is really useable with one's thumbs. It isn't as fast as touch typing, but it is faster (for me) than Newton print recognition or Graffiti after a few words. Supposedly people can get 30 words per minute on the BlackBerry keyboard. I can get that on a regular keyboard at best, doubtful on a BlackBerry. What's important is the BlackBerry keyboard works well enough that I don't have to think about it while "writing." (I did these pages on a PC using Arachnophilia.)
The BlackBerry's finish is reminiscent of old electonic testing equipment - when "electronic" meant tubes. Its plastic is made to look like metal painted with crinkled enamel. This is functional as it helps grip. No snap-on covers here. The unit is heavier than it looks (this is a relative thing), but fits nicely held between two hands. The whole layout appears optimized for right-handers.
The size makes it truly "wearable." This is the best feature of the device. While one has to consciously bring anything larger, the BlackBerry is ignorable. If I always wore a suit or carried a purse that wouldn't be a big deal, but I don't, so it is. The secure belt holster includes a sensor that turns the screen off to save battery power.
Speaking of batteries, the three weeks commonly quoted as the life of an AA cell must be with very light use. I have the wireless powered up 18 hours a day (it replaces my pager), compose a dozen or so e-mails a day, read a couple hundred messages a day, visit a few web pages, and use the backlighting when I have to - and an alkaline AA lasts three days. I consider this pretty amazing for a 386 with 4 Meg storage and a 2 watt radio transmitter!
The supplied applications aren't the most feature-rich. The OS doesn't support cut-and-paste!!!! I couldn't believe it. This was my greatest disappointment with the BlackBerry. To enter text, the only editing tools you get are word wrap and a backspace key ... and you can't even delete parts of quoted messages in replies! This latter oversight probably comes from the corporate heritage. Corporate e-mail users wouldn't know what list-server netiquette was, let alone how over-quoting (and HTML mail) drives list-server digest-mode readers crazy.
Slight annoyances include the "more" key. Messages come in about 2k chunks, so in a big long message, you end up hitting "more" a few times, and experience lag every time. Feb/03 Update: there is some software that has more(all) functionality, but I don't have it. Sent messages also have some kind of limit, I guess 2k as well, but I've only hit it once.
Rumour has it that cut-and-paste will be supported in the next OS upgrade. I'm holding my breath. I'm also holding my breath for common folders, and to be able to open a web address sent to me in the text of an e-mail.Feb/03 update: All this functionality is pretty much in OS3.5 YAY!!! I still prefer e-mail organized like Sparrow, but I'm used to the default e-mail application now.
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Last update February 2, 2003. Copyright 2001, 2003 Craig Seko All rights reserved.