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Oh hey, defectionchat. Just what I was looking for. My Dad's business works around Blackberry email, allegedly. He's tied to a 9000 at the moment and while it feels generations old he can access his work mail at home and around town and that seems so important to him that he will live with a device he's unhappy wiht. I've heard that iPhone has better corporate support, through something I don't understand called MS Exchange, but my Dad swears up and down that it's not going to work even though he's never tried. Talking to the IT department gets you nothing. They aren't prepared to help anyone but people using company-provided handsets. Is this BES or something? Is there any option? My Dad hates how behind RIM is but between rambling about Pentagon-like security and the "image" of being seen by peers holding anything but a Blackberry, it's hard to actually suggest to him a direction that will make him happy. It's like, he hates the phone, but he goes on at length about how important security is and remote wipes and blah blah blah. I still suspect they're using Exchange but he doesn't know but insists it must be BES or something that can't be done on any other device. Craptacular! fucked around with this message at 09:49 on Aug 13, 2010 |
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Aug 13, 2010 09:21
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Craptacular! posted:Oh hey, defectionchat. Just what I was looking for. If he can access his email from a website like mail.company.com, odds are an iPhone will be able to grab it. You can also remote wipe an iPhone using Exchange as well.  Personally I still love my 9700 Bold. The battery life is awesome, and it does everything else I need it to do. I have a 4Gig card which is enough for a few hours of music and a few TV episodes when I do need media on my phone. I've carried an iPhone before and went back to the BB. I use my phone for work, so the short battery life, and issues with email and calendering just got to me. Supposedly OS 4 is better about it, and I'm really looking at a Samsung Captivate to mess around with, but I haven't found anything that does email as good as the BB yet.
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Aug 13, 2010 16:54
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Cmdr. Shepard posted:I'm actually quite surprised at how content a lot of my friends are with their Blackberries. It's a dumbphone with great email capabilities. It's safe and in their comfort zone, but they think it's a smartphone. I can't tell you how many people I know paying out the rear end for Verizon contracts PLUS the $30 Blackberry fee say "Oh but a Droid is SOOOOOOO expensive!!!" 
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Aug 13, 2010 16:57
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Captain Charisma posted:It's a dumbphone with great email capabilities. It's safe and in their comfort zone, but they think it's a smartphone. How many of them are carrying around 8330s or 8530s which they got on BOGO? There's your answer.
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Aug 13, 2010 18:02
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For this being the BB megathread, there's a lot of bitching. I honestly, don't understand why people hate on BBs so much. Is it elegant? No. But I can use the camera, use Google Maps for GPS, listen to music and podcasts with the media player, have the weather and my calendar displayed on my homescreen, and browse just about any site in a nice column view so that i dont have to scroll left and right, just down. And of course the obligatory fbook/twitter/4sq. What else is everyone trying to do on their BBs that it can't do? Besides touch it, and I loathe touch screen phones anyway (the main reason I don't foresee myself ever getting an iphone/android).
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Aug 13, 2010 18:49
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Fat Man posted:For this being the BB megathread, there's a lot of bitching. I do all of those things but the thing is the user experience for each of those things is horrible. Everything is painful to do, menu upon menu. UI that looks like it was designed by a schizophrenic. Sluggish hardware even at 700$ a phone. and goddamn battery pulls. I can touch my blackberry and it still sucks so hard.
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Aug 13, 2010 19:02
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kalonji posted:I do all of those things but the thing is the user experience for each of those things is horrible. Yeah, the whole "it's a dumbphone that does email" thing isn't fair, but it is a smartphone that does smartphone things very badly. It'll do what you want it to do for the most part, but you're pretty frequently gonna have to fight it. Honestly, the only reason I have one is because I had a huge backlog of minutes on Virgin Mobile that I could use to buy the phone, and because although I don't think it's worth normal smartphone plan prices, it is worth $35 a month for a plan that includes unlimited texting and data. If I were on something like Sprint or Verizon I couldn't conceive of a reason to have one.
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Aug 13, 2010 20:08
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I unluckily ended up with one when my old phone died on me (EnV 2) and wouldn't charge. I went into Verizon and was like, "I need a global phone that wont cost me $300" and they gave me a Blackberry Tour. To be honest though, I was perfectly fine with my EnV2. I like to think I'm not one of those dopes who needs everything safe and perfect with a phone, I just don't need all the gadgets that come with a smart phone in the first place. It's not the best or anything, but the only really awful problem I've had so far is with service, and that's probably just the area I'm in.
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Aug 13, 2010 20:39
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Fat Man posted:For this being the BB megathread, there's a lot of bitching. BlackBerrys are great if you have never used an iPhone, Android phone or webOS phone. A modern smartphone completely blows a BlackBerry out of the water. It felt like a huge leap coming from my 8900 to a MyTouch Slide, and that's just a mid-range Android phone. I tried to browse the web on my BlackBerry. It sucked because the browser sucked and I was stuck on EDGE. The big thing about my old 8900 to my current phone is that I actually like using my phone daily. The whole OS doesn't feel like it's the same OS as a phone I could have bought in 2005, just prettied up.
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Aug 13, 2010 20:56
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Captain Charisma posted:It's a dumbphone with great email capabilities. It's safe and in their comfort zone, but they think it's a smartphone. I've been using a MyTouch 3G for a few weeks...and I'm going back to a Blackberry. INSANITY YOU SAY! Android is awesome, the possibilities with that OS are incredible, and I really, REALLY liked it. But, the hardware sucked. Second generation Android hardware, it was just too slow and laggy. I kept the stock 1.6 ROM on it, and purposefully did not mess with it, as I did not want stability problems, and I did NOT load it up with apps, downloaded maybe 7 or 8. The keyboard could not ever keep up with my button presses, and made typing emails and SMS messages a total pain in the rear end. It got to the point where I would just wait to get back to my computer at work to use Outlook to send email or Google Voice on the computer to send texts. It seemed every application when left open for more than 5 minutes cause a Force Close on exit (especially the native Music app, and Google Maps +Nav), and I would have to wait a minute or two for everything to come back online. Home Launcher crashed I don't know how many times a day. Battery was pretty awful as well. Overall, I was pretty underwhelmed with the thing. Now, a lot of you would tell me to root the phone, and I thought about it. But ultimately, why should I have to root a device in order to get it to function correctly? It should be usable and stable right out of the box. It wasn't like I was trying to do anything insane with it, or downloading 100+ apps. That being said, I will be back on Android in the near future, when I can afford something out of this generation of devices, with at least a Snapdragon or an Arm A8 proc, and a shitload of system RAM. I have no doubt that Android runs smooth on much more advance hardware, but I had thought that at least it would be usable on last-gen stuff. Nice to be back on a Blackberry. Reliable, GPS/WiFi and navigation/maps, as well as stability and good battery life. I do miss the "new hotness," feel of the MyTouch, but not at the sacrifice of usability. TurboLuvah fucked around with this message at 21:39 on Aug 13, 2010 |
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Aug 13, 2010 21:37
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The MyTouch 3G is a first-generation device. Don't take a first-gen device as a representation of Android these days. Android on any second-gen device kicks the poo poo out of any BlackBerry. I can count the times my MyTouch Slide has lagged in a month on 1 hand while my 8900 could hourglass pretty often, especially in the browser.
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Aug 13, 2010 21:43
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TurboLuvah posted:But, the hardware sucked... The keyboard could not ever keep up with my button presses... It seemed every application when left open for more than 5 minutes cause a Force Close on exit... and I would have to wait a minute or two for everything to come back online... I was pretty underwhelmed with the thing. You've more than accurately described my experience with the Blackberry Curve 8330. It's a slow, plodding, mess of a device that takes ages to do anything. The lack of a keyboard buffer is a killer. I have to pause between words on typing an SMS and wait for the hourglass to clear. Everytime I send an SMS the whole device freezes for up to 10 seconds. When I played around on a friends BB Bold for 5 minutes, I could immediately discern a world of difference between my 8330 and his Blackberry Bold. It was such a snappy experience, but it still didn't "excite" me the way an iPod Touch did. I really, really enjoyed my 8330 when I got it. Up until the point when I got my first iPod Touch. But isn't that how it goes for everyone else? I think hardware has a lot to do with the whole experience. Yes, the BB OS may be behind the times, but I'd argue the bigger problems are the low-end hardware RIM is packing in their phones that can't keep up with the type of use the phones go through. I was shocked to find such a low end processor in the upcoming Torch, for instance. The Shep fucked around with this message at 23:42 on Aug 13, 2010 |
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Aug 13, 2010 23:37
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TurboLuvah posted:Now, a lot of you would tell me to root the phone, and I thought about it. But ultimately, why should I have to root a device in order to get it to function correctly? It should be usable and stable right out of the box. It wasn't like I was trying to do anything insane with it, or downloading 100+ apps. This kind of principle holds up right until you realize how many people load OS leaks of Crackberry because their provider is never going to release a new OTA update. I don't really see much of a difference off my Dad running a OS5 update for the Bold 9000 from that site which AT&T never bothered to deliver, and my running Cyanogenmod on a Nexus One.
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Aug 14, 2010 00:52
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Godzilla07 posted:The MyTouch 3G is a first-generation device. This. It's virtually identical hardware to the G1.
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Aug 14, 2010 01:14
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I love my new Bold 9650. Admittedly, I could care less about music or games or frilly little app things; I need a physical keyboard that lets me hammer out e-mails rapidly, the ability to read/edit documents and spreadsheets, and rugged construction. With some tweaking, my Bold can be controlled entirely by keyboard shortcuts (again, all from the physical keyboard), which is a huge plus. The OS maps up logically with my brain in a way that previous smartphones I've used haven't (a WinMo device and an iPhone). I suspect there are plenty of people like me who make up RIM's userbase, although it's certainly not everybody's cup of tea.
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Aug 14, 2010 02:57
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Craptacular! posted:This kind of principle holds up right until you realize how many people load OS leaks of Crackberry because their provider is never going to release a new OTA update. I don't really see much of a difference off my Dad running a OS5 update for the Bold 9000 from that site which AT&T never bothered to deliver, and my running Cyanogenmod on a Nexus One.
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Aug 14, 2010 03:47
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How about all the android/iOS/webOS faggots get out of the blackberry thread? Its the blackberry thread, not the "Try and convince blackberry people that other devices are better" thread. And that post about the 8330 taking ages to send an SMS? Stop exaggerating. I used a 8330 for like 4-5 months earlier this year after selling my moto droid and going back to a blackberry and it was perfectly fine. EDIT- Infact im using my girlfriends old Pearl which has LESS memory then an 8330 and it seems to send texts fine with no arrow-glasses! Woh! 
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Aug 14, 2010 06:16
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I also love my Bold 9650 - liked the Tour, love the Bold. Granted, I've never used or even tried any other smartphone than BB - but the day will come. Sure, I don't love my old 8330, but it makes a perfectly useful spare phone when I need it.
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Aug 14, 2010 07:22
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chocolateTHUNDER posted:How about all the android/iOS/webOS faggots get out of the blackberry thread? Meh, I donno, most people here seem to ask the question "hey is Blackberry worth keeping?" An honest answer is an honest answer. And for the record, as 2009 as I think Blackberry 6 is, I definitely agree with whoever said that its the hardware that is killing Blackberry. They used to be cutting edge, now its a year behind on its processor. Sad, I like the main Blackberry system.
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Aug 14, 2010 07:28
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chocolateTHUNDER posted:How about all the android/iOS/webOS faggots get out of the blackberry thread? This statement would have credibility if you didn't own a Droid. OP redone because I have nothing better to do at 3 AM. Maybe I should add some image headers, but don't feel like putting that much effort into it right now.
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Aug 14, 2010 08:30
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See, I don't understand where all of you are coming from. I've been a smartphone user since 2005, so the whole OMG I HAVE AN APP THAT DOES X has worn off on me. Back in 2006, it was cool that I could control my winamp on my computer from my phone. Was it ever used practically? No. It was used to freak out my roommate and have christmas music playing the second we walked in the house from Xmas Eve Mass. Same with RDP. Sure was it cool that I could term into my computer from my phone. Ya, but I used it literally once. My BB died in June and ATT overnighted me a new one. Since thing, the only programs I've installed is Weatherbug, UberTwitter, FourSquare, Google, Google Maps, Facebook, SportyPal (GPS exercise logger), Kayak, and a CalorieCounter application because we were talking about it at OutBack. I get an hourglass maybe once a week, and then usually its only for about 1 second. I do a hard reset (by alt-caps-del, I've only had to do a literal battery pull once). Are Android and iPhones better and sleeker? Possibly. But the Blackberry does everything that I want it to (just like my Nokia S60 phones did before that and I would still be using them if I could get a good one with a carrier subsidy). And the others are touch-based platforms, and I have yet to have anyone explain to me why you want to have a phone that requires two hands to use. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I was in the minority of people that hated flip phones and refused to use them, and it appears that fad has passed. One day, I hope the touch fad will pass as well. Godzilla07 posted:BlackBerrys are great if you have never used an iPhone, Android phone or webOS phone. A modern smartphone completely blows a BlackBerry out of the water. It felt like a huge leap coming from my 8900 to a MyTouch Slide, and that's just a mid-range Android phone. Just to respond to this specifically. You are talking about an 8900. I have a Bold 9700, basically the top of the line BB. It has every hardware feature that any phone can possibly have (GPS, WiFi, 3G, etc). I read newspapers and wikipedia and blogs just fine on my browser, which is what I want on the go. What specifically about these "modern" smartphones blows the BlackBerry out of the water? Fat Man fucked around with this message at 09:05 on Aug 14, 2010 |
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Aug 14, 2010 09:00
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Fat Man posted:See, I don't understand where all of you are coming from. I've been a smartphone user since 2005, so the whole OMG I HAVE AN APP THAT DOES X has worn off on me. Back in 2006, it was cool that I could control my winamp on my computer from my phone. Was it ever used practically? No. It was used to freak out my roommate and have christmas music playing the second we walked in the house from Xmas Eve Mass. Same with RDP. Sure was it cool that I could term into my computer from my phone. Ya, but I used it literally once. Really good browsers and apps that can load newspapers and wikipedia and blogs faster and more effectively on a bigger and higher-resolution screen? One day the touch fad will fade but it's probably not gonna be replaced with the keypad fad or Slow OS with Tiny Screen and Less Features fad
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Aug 14, 2010 17:50
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What fad would replace it though? Is there a more efficient way to display info that you can also interact with? In the interest of full disclosure, I have a touchscreen device, so I may be biased, but I always thought of it more as a big step forward than a fad.
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Aug 14, 2010 20:15
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stuart scott irl posted:What fad would replace it though? Is there a more efficient way to display info that you can also interact with? In the interest of full disclosure, I have a touchscreen device, so I may be biased, but I always thought of it more as a big step forward than a fad. There's always something in the works, and who knows what will come out of left field. I remember reading a few articles on a company or two convinced that hand gestures are the next way to go, voice to text has made really good strides recently and i there's that one company that is working on a device you call roll up like a scroll. Touch will probably be huge for a while though.
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Aug 14, 2010 22:07
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Fat Man posted:See, I don't understand where all of you are coming from. I've been a smartphone user since 2005, so the whole OMG I HAVE AN APP THAT DOES X has worn off on me. Back in 2006, it was cool that I could control my winamp on my computer from my phone. Was it ever used practically? No. It was used to freak out my roommate and have christmas music playing the second we walked in the house from Xmas Eve Mass. Same with RDP. Sure was it cool that I could term into my computer from my phone. Ya, but I used it literally once. My 8900 was pretty similar to the 9700. Same amount of RAM, GPS, Wi-Fi. Slightly less powerful processor. The only thing it didn't have that the 9700 had is 3G. 3G wouldn't have helped the browsing situation that much. I used a BlackBerry for 2 years, starting with the 8320 then to the 8900. I even have an 8700 as a backup phone. So I've been using a smartphone for a while. Anyways, since you asked, here's the list of things I can do with my mid-range Android phone that I couldn't do on the 9700. These things blow a BlackBerry out of the water for me. Browse the web without burning into my retinas or patience Play a few games on it when time allows Voice satnav without having to pay $9.99/month Sync Google contacts without them being borked in some fashion Full Gmail sync, meaning I can access starred e-mails or my labels/folders Back up texts to my Gmail account and reply to texts while inside other applications Being able to enjoy using my phone after the "shiny new toy" period wears off I operate the phone with one hand most of the time. I can even type at a good clip with Swype for full one-handed use. The only thing that a BlackBerry has over Android is a very, very good IM app. iOS has that same app. If the BlackBerry fits your needs just fine, then so be it. Also, I feel that touch isn't going to go away. I don't want to go back to a 2.4'' screen after experiencing just a modest 3.5'' screen for daily usage. I love the front-facing keyboard form factor but it'll only live on in portrait sliders, which are also touch-based.
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Aug 14, 2010 23:33
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Godzilla07 posted:
Touchscreen or non touchscreen the Landscape slide out keypads seem to be the "in" thing (and touch only). There are a billion of them, smartphone and dumbphone, on all carriers now.
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Aug 15, 2010 00:26
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e: nm
nous_ fucked around with this message at 04:35 on Aug 15, 2010 |
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Aug 15, 2010 04:31
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Godzilla07 posted:This statement would have credibility if you didn't own a Droid. I dont own one anymore, i went back to a blackberry actually. If you didnt slack off on e-stalking me you would have known this  So i guess you can consider the statement credible now!
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Aug 15, 2010 07:34
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Fat Man posted:
I think I am on much the same page as you. I find it does what *I* need it to do and does that part well. The extra bells and whistles are nice, but not essential. Godzilla07 posted:Browse the web without burning into my retinas or patience See, if I compare to you, my counters to these requirements are: 1) web browser is good enough for occasional use. But let's be honest, my netbook does it much better and I'll use for most of my browsing needs. Even an iphone is too small, when compared to a netbook 2) don't play games, I'll use a console 3) voice satnav. Don't need it 4) Google contact/gmail sync - don't use 'em But that's just me. What I do need is: 1) reliable, easy to use, powerful email 2) comprehensive messenging apps 3) cast iron back up/ outlook syncing 4) good battery life 5) good keyboard and pocketable. And the BB does that very well. The only thing missing is skype (a glaring omission), but for the rest, I would rather do without the 'clever' stuff if it does these above things completely reliably. Personal preference though. I see may iphone people who really like them for all the bells and whistles - but I have met many business users who don't get on with it quite so well. I choose the reliable tool and will happily use a ipod and a 360 for the other features.
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Aug 15, 2010 16:40
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Don Draper would use a blackberry. It's a phone for people who drink black coffee and fold the Wall Street Journal when they're done with it.
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Aug 15, 2010 20:02
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spog posted:
This is all a bunch of apologetic bullshit and you know it. The only reason "business users" stick with the BlackBerry is IT departments insistence that they do so. the iPhone 4 which im purchasing to replace my 9550 has better battery life, a better camera, better UI and web browsing, higher definition screen, guaranteed updates to the software FOR 50$ LESS THEN THE STORM 2 SELLS FOR!
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Aug 15, 2010 20:14
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enjoy your children's toy. make sure to "hold it right"
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Aug 16, 2010 02:11
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kalonji posted:
My Dad just upgraded from an Curve to a Bold 9650, his company pays his cellphone bill he is welcome to whatever phone/carrier he wants. Anyone who isn't into the latest hardware/software just buys what they feel most comfortable with. He answers 130+ emails daily, likes to check scores from NBA/NFL/MLB etc. and some very light web browsing. "Business users" might just want a phone for business and don't care about surfing SA, mobile hotspots, 6 homescreens, or all the other bells and whistles that come with android/iphone even if they are clearly superior devices. nous_ posted:It's a phone for people who drink black coffee and fold the Wall Street Journal when they're done with it. This is Pops.
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Aug 16, 2010 02:43
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The BlackBerry Megathread: SERIOUS BUSINESS PHONES FOR SERIOUS BUSINESS USERS E: Or this. The BlackBerry Megathread: Work pays for it, so do you think I care? Godzilla07 fucked around with this message at 05:41 on Aug 16, 2010 |
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Aug 16, 2010 05:32
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Godzilla07 posted:
Its this one. If I didn't have to return my blackberry at the end of my contract I would of literally set it alight and stomped on the ashes.
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Aug 16, 2010 06:40
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nous_ posted:enjoy your children's toy. make sure to "hold it right" Usually the SomethingAwful forums are noted for a higher standard of conversation than 99% of the internet forums. It's what allows Lowtax to charge entrance fees. Posts like this are rapidly drawing this thread down to internet par. I'll just submit that my opinion is the three biggest types of Blackberry users are: 1) Text messaging fiends who don't like touchscreens 2) People who are given them by their IT departments and are forced to stay on RIM because of encrypted email. Contrary to popular belief, some businesses actually do use BES instead of Exchange. 3) Patriotic Canadians who buy them for the same reason so many Americans buy GM cars and spend the product's lifetime bitching about it. The Torch does not appeal to touchscreen-haters, and it does not appeal to office IT departments as a top-flight device because businesses don't want to spend that much on employee hardware. That basically leaves #3, since the whole fandom that used to boast of their "crackberries" died out two years ago.
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Aug 16, 2010 06:47
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Craptacular! posted:Usually the SomethingAwful forums are noted for a higher standard of conversation than 99% of the internet forums. quote:That basically leaves #3, since the whole fandom that used to boast of their "crackberries" died out two years ago. Anyway, I think that for people who aren't gadget freaks the only real weakness BBs currently have is the nearly unusable browser. But even a real browser would only be a temporary bandaid on their ancient OS.
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Aug 16, 2010 08:16
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WithoutTheFezOn posted:Anyway, I think that for people who aren't gadget freaks the only real weakness BBs currently have is the nearly unusable browser. But even a real browser would only be a temporary bandaid on their ancient OS. I think that in this thread, there are a few people who don't appreciate that the rasion d'etre for a BB is messaging (email, sms, messengering and contact management) And it does this very, very well. Sure, it falls down when you compare it to the iphone as a multimedia device, but as long as it is best at what its main purpose is, it will have a place in the market. As an example: my netbook is clearly surperior to a iphone for web-browsing and working on office documents, but I wouldn't go into a iphone thread and bitch about the iphone. It is horses for courses.
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Aug 16, 2010 08:39
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Honestly asking: What is so superior about the e-mail/messaging capabilities of the Blackberry? I only ever owned an iPod touch, so I can't speak to iOS4, but my Android device does Gmail, Google talk, and SMS spectacularly, and I just set up Exchange sync with my work e-mail and haven't had a problem with it yet. Previously I used a blackberry for my work e-mail and I haven't noticed significant differences. Admittedly I haven't tried AIM or other IM services with it yet, but I don't use them.
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Aug 16, 2010 08:49
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stuart scott irl posted:Honestly asking: What is so superior about the e-mail/messaging capabilities of the Blackberry? Absolutely nothing. At least, nothing in the year 2010. Push email and blackberry messenger are such weak reasons to continually claim that a BB is superior in the email and messaging department. The only answer that has any credibility is the magical security features that BES supposedly has regarding encryption and remote access.
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Aug 16, 2010 10:11
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