The Behavior Changing Gadget to Get!
Written: Dec 03 '00
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Pros: Convenience, Freedom, PDA Replacement
Cons: Pricey, Confusing Offerings
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| syc's Full Review: RIM Blackberry Two Way Pager |
The Behavior Changing Gadget to Get!
I've heard for the past year or so that the RIM Blackberry is just awesome! I'm a gadget nut, but I've been hesitant to adopt for some reason. I use a Palm Vx for my PDA and use a notebook for my email. I've had phones that can receive and send email, and haven't been all that impressed. But still, I had heard enough that I've been doing research for quite some time to try to figure out how it works and if it would be useful (in my book, that means adding functionality while either reducing the number of gadgets I carry, or, at a minimum, not increasing it -- I have a lot of gadgets). It's a somewhat confusing mix of manufacturer, OEMs, vendors, and service suppliers so I'd like to first go over my research.
One of the first things I figured out is that it is just as important to consider the service provider as it is to consider the hardware and software. There are two major versions of the Blackberry pagers for how your service will be handled.
1) Blackberry Exchange Edition: This version is available directly from RIM and is only useful if you are using Outlook and Exchange Server. Actually, you can use it with Outlook but then you'll only get your email when your PC is on and operational since it relies on redirection software running on your PC. If you have an Exchange Server (or more likely, your corporation), then you don't need to keep your PC on. The downside is that the Exchange Server module that you'll need costs a cool $3000.
2) Blackberry Internet Edition: This version doesn't have anything to do with Exchange or Outlook for the email portion (although, as I'll discuss later, it does sync well with Outlook). To get this version, you'll need to find a service provider in your area. I live in the Chicago area so I had a few options: Onemain.com, Motient, or Sky-Tel. I'm sure there are others out there, but I focused on these choices.
Both versions provide very similar functionality. Email arrives rapidly, and it's a breeze to read them. The little track-roller is awesome! You use it to scroll through text, as well as click to bring up most menu functions. Typing is not bad at all for shorter messages (1 or 2 paragraphs). The PIM features are anemic compared to my Palm, but I've been able to get by fine with the Blackberry. It's got your basic address book, calendar (with weekly and monthly views), notes, and to-do list (can't sort very well on it though). Again, not great, but good enough for basic PIM use and it syncs flawlessly with my Outlook. They both also have some other nice features: vibrate alert, auto on/off, alarms, and a calculator. The vibrate alert is great - I use it all the time without any sound. This is actually more useful than my Palm since I get a little vibration for my calendar meetings as well (whereas I could never heard my Palm). I can even feel it through my jacket pocket (I refuse to wear stuff on my belt)!
The Exchange edition syncs the mail between your Exchange server and your Blackberry. This would be an invaluable feature if you are: an Exchange user and a heavy email user who wants to have the read/unread status of your email synced up. Also, from what I understand, if you delete or move the mail on your Blackberry, the same thing will happen on your PC. Sounds cool and I'll probably get an Exchange Edition Blackberry to try it out, but I'll stop here for now, since I have an Internet Edition.
The Internet Edition Blackberry offering seems to have really expanded in the past few months. When I first started my research about six months ago, I had one provider from which to choose. When I finally made a purchase (two purchases actually...I'll explain more later), I had a bunch of options, including the option to buy it from my local Office Depot, CompUSA, and even my mall at a small kiosk! But there are some very important differences between the Internet Editions. The first is the network on which it runs. There are 2 different networks and they have different attributes. The Blackberry 950 (from Onemain) runs on the Mobitex network (operated by Bell South Wireless Data in the US) and the Blackberry 850 runs on the DataTAC network (run by Motient in the US), which is supposedly more powerful although battery draining. Another difference is the actual provider and configuration. Different providers provide different services. For example, Motient offers their eLink Blackberry or an eLink fortified by Yahoo. The eLink Blackberry has also options like paging, email-to-phone feature, and email-to-fax. The eLink fortified by Yahoo also includes features such as Yahoo Messenger and a mini-web browser. I think you can also purchased directly from Bell South and get email-to-phone and email-to-fax.
As I mentioned earlier, I got two Blackberry units to try out. One from Onemain.com and one from Motient (eLink fortified with Yahoo). Because my mobile phone has really bad reception at my workplace, I wanted to try out the different networks Mobitex and DataTAC) and see which one worked better for me. Both claimed that they would be able to provide in-building coverage. I had heard that DataTAC is more powerful because it always seeks the nearest tower, but that you lose battery life as a result. I can indeed confirm that you lose battery life much faster. My informal tests showed that the battery on the Motient network was gone in about 4 days, whereas the battery on the BSWD network lasts about 2 weeks. Unfortunately, I can't confirm the stronger signal on the DataTAC network since I wasn't able to get a reliable signal at all. I got no coverage in-building, and one-bar coverage, if any, outside. The Yahoo Messenger feature seemed like it might be useful if it was faster, but was too slow to be practical. The web browser, while interesting, is easily replicable using third party software such as PocketGenie from WolfeTech (highly recommended!).
The Onemain Blackberry, however, worked like a charm -- even in-building! When I first got it, I thought it'd be nice to get email instantly, but thought the novelty would kind of fade soon. Well, it hasn't yet! To set it up, I had to forward all my email at my POP to a special Onemain.com account. The account automatically forwards it to my Blackberry, and when I respond via my Blackberry, it looks like I responded from my POP account (and is totally invisible to everyone...except for the fact that my email is about 1/3 the normal length). When I start up Outlook, it gets a copy of all my email so I always have them in both places (although I have to manually mark them read). The overall experience, once set up, is so convenient, I can't get over it! Instead of hovering around my notebook computer, or starting it up first thing at work or when I get home, I use it only when I actually have something to do or want to surf the web. It probably doesn't sound like much, but I'm amazed at how much it's changed my habits. I'm an extremely heavy email user, and I rely on getting email in a timely manner. Since I've gotten the Blackberry, I feel a (probably false) sense of freedom. If anything, I've probably increased my email now because I'm adding alerts for news, stocks, etc.
I've also picked up PocketGenie which has a slug of options such as Directories, Directions, Movie Listings, pinging, whois, and much more. It's a very useful service so I'd suggest at least looking into it if you get a Blackberry. Another service I find very useful is hz.com. I find myself wishing there were more ASCII based email things like hz.com around. The one big downside that I've found, and the reason why I want to try out the Exchange Edition, is that I have to wade through my email twice. My strategy thus far has been to use my one device when I'm in front of it, and then mark everything read on the other device the minute I pick it up to go or sit down. Other slight annoyances would have to be adjusting to the far less feature-filled applets on the Blackberry and adjusting to having no apps to download and install. I hope that the Java Micro Edition will take off on the Blackberry units.
To summarize, once you get past the slightly confusing offerings and setup process, it's well worth it. I no longer carry my beloved Palm and I get all my emails right away. My tip? First, figure out which device you want. If the Bell South network works well for you, it'd probably be better based on my experience with the battery life. Then, figure out what features are really important to you. The eLink fortified by Yahoo has some cool capabilities, and is actually cheaper! But since I use it for work, I didn't want the Yahoo email tag stuck to the bottom of all my emails. The Motient network has the email to fax and to phone, but the network doesn't work for me at all so it's out. The Onemain account is kind of barebones 2-way paging and PIM, but it works great. My original intent was to "get the Blackberry, try it out for a week or so, then give it to someone else to try out for a week or so". But I've since revised it to "get the Blackberry for myself, and then get another one for others to try out." Onemain and RIM both offer 30 day guarantees so it can't hurt to try it out for yourself. It's pricey, but if your email addiction justifies it, or if your work is picking up the tab, it's the one gadget to have.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 350.00
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Epinions.com ID:
syc
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Member: Sean Chou
Location: Chicago, IL
Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Half-heartedly recovering gadget geek.
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