Blackberries?
May 30, 2008 work work work
Julia is telling me that a blackberry would change my life and I’m trying to figure out how a person who is tech-illiterate when it comes to these mobile devices would go about making a decision about this.
Can those of you who actually understand this PDA business help answer some questions? Like:
–Does a regular cell phone plan work for them and then you can use wifi to get online or is it something more complicated?
–Can a person really type on those things?
–Does it cost to send emails or is it free (like if you’re using wifi)?
–What’s the most I should spend for a PDA? I don’t need a lot of bells & whistles.
–What’s a decent plan to power the thing?
–Are they all Mac-compatible or will I need to do something fancy?
Teach me, oh glorious internet people! I’m reading around and just getting more confused. (Listen, I didn’t even know how to answer my cellphone until Pennie showed me how to do it.)
May 30th, 2008 at 11:14 am
I have a Palm Centro, not a Blackberry, but the Palm OS works beautifully with my Mac. I did have them turn off the web and email business; even though it was a relatively inexpensive monthly fee, my dad pays the bill (for me and my brother, as his way of being able to contact us whenever he feels like it) and I didn’t want to add to it needlessly. I can wait to get home to send emails.
On the other hand, being able to sync iCal with the thing is invaluable, and I can make notes to myself, create spreadsheets, and do all manner of task organizing. I love it!
May 30th, 2008 at 11:17 am
So you can’t send emails via wifi? I want to be able to get client emails on the run and let them know that I received it. (Because I get assignments without notice and need to be able to say, “Yes, I got it and I’ll have it to you by 9am tomorrow” even if I’m at the park with the kids.)
May 30th, 2008 at 11:21 am
I honestly don’t know; I haven’t tried, mostly because I’d hate to try it and then find out that the email cost me $2 or something.
Unlimited web and email was something like $15 per month - I can’t remember. I imagine that the wi-fi business is going to be different on a company-by-company basis, though.
May 30th, 2008 at 11:41 am
I have an iPhone and I love it.
email, web surfing, my ipod, task list, maps, weather, lots of other web apps. easy typing. decent camera.
downside is that only one provider (AT&T)
May 30th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Dawn,
This is Albert. If you get a blackberry–which I’ve been very happy with–you will need to get a data plan. Mine is unlimited and I think about $40/month. At the time I set it up my recollection is that you could do a flat rate plan for, say the first 10MB, and then it would be priced by the MB. Don’t know if you can still do that. If you plan to do any web surfing I’d get the unlimited data plan. If you think that you will be disciplined, then a restricted plan is the better (cheaper) way. That said, as long as you have a data connection–so pretty much anywhere the phone works–you can get email. I’m not sure what you would have to do to integrate your current email solution with the bb email. You could surely set it up to forward it if there is no ‘transparent’ integration.
If you plan to use it for significant amounts of communication, especially professional type communication, the real keyboard is hard to beat. They aren’t as pretty as iPhones, but I have not heard any good things about trying to tap out a two paragraph email on the iPhone, but you can do it easily — if you can touch type–on the blackberry keyboard.
I don’t know what calendar and other pim applications it integrates with other than outlook and lotus notes. I’d suspect it would work with some apps that are available for Mac, but certainly not all.
Albert
May 30th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
I have an iphone. It costs $80/month, for an unlimited data plan. I think I have unlimited phone, too, but I’m not sure, ’cause i don’t use it very much as a phone. Having one means that you can check your email whenever you want (or at least, wherever you have phone service).
I can type about a paragraph on it, but not much more than that. I occasionally write blog comments with it. (though not this one).
Don’t get access if you have to cut corners too much on the plan — the scoop I’ve heard is that data plans that are not *unlimited* get eaten very quickly. With the phone, you know how many minutes you’ve been talking, but when you’re downloading something it’s impossible to know how many bytes it’s going to be.
The iphone syncs to the mac calendar, and you can use most web sites. (oh, and it’s a phone, too).
Oh, there is the ipod touch — which isn’t a phone, but lets you send emails/surf the nets/etc if you are near a wifi site.
bj
(And, my big recommendation, as I’ve said, is that this isn’t something to cut corners on. If you make the commitment that you need to have on-the-go web access, get something that lets you do that, without nickel and diming you. You’re better off without than with something that charges so that you’re second guessing yourself about whether you should check an email on the run or not).
May 30th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Ah…love the crackberry. And I put it off for a very long time because I tend to be an addict to my email communications. But I’ve found it helpful and offered me freedom to be away from office/home computer and laptop.
Two things…with the basic service you can get and send emails - it’s not wifi - and you set it up so the emails come to your phone. Anywhere there is phone service you will get your emails and calls. For Verizon anyway, I pay an extra $15 to have the ability to dial in high speed anywhere. On the laptop I just plug the phone up and I have wireless access. It’s worth it to me because you can’t get on everywhere. It will work whereever you have phone coverage/bars. It syncs up with my outlook calendar easily.
It helped me actually leave work and computer earlier because this way I know when there is something to worry about.
Love it, love it, love it. But I have to figure out how to download music and pictures to it.
May 30th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Don’t do it. I have a crackberry moratorium in this house. One will never darken our door as long as I am in charge. If Mr. A had one, his job would expect him to be available 24-7. There is no reason to encourage that kind of availability, in my opinion. Your situation may be different, but it is kind of like a cell phone. Once you get one, people will get pissy if you don’t respond to them right away.
Here is one more reason why you should not get sucked into the crackberry addiction: http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=8040027&ch=4226726&src=news
May 30th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Yeah, AmFam, my situation *is* different. My job has a lot of flexibility as long as I can respond to client emails between 9am and 5pm. If I had a way to check email on the go, I could take my kids to the park without worrying that I’m going to miss an assignment. (Like yesterday — I take Thursday afternoons off for homeschool park days. I had to check email at my friend’s house at the potluck after and sure enough I had an assignment that they wanted by end of the day but because I got the email, I was able to push it to 9am.) I get very nervous if I’m away from my computer ‘cuz of situations like that but I also get tired of planning my day around when I can get to a computer. I don’t work 40 hours but I need to be available during the typical 40-hour work week.
May 30th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
My friend, I know nothing about anything, BUT, I have a friend who’s very very techie (he’s a professor at my graduate institution) and when he was at my defense I was admiring his nice iphone and first I asked whether he already had AT&T before (he did) and whether it was cost effective. He explained that he got it because he was spending WAY too much for data service stuff with his previous phone and the with the iphone he can send tons of emails, etc, and is charged much less (I think he said 50 bucks now as opposed to the 80+ that he was spending with his previous phone [I supposed it was a blackberry type phone]).
So… since you’re already a mac person, I guess it’d be a good fit and DEFINITELY would enable you to email, etc, on the go.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
I don’t know about the mac vs. pc thing and which magic phone is better…but Dawn, you are right it is different than being on call for a boss. I think the difference is being self employed. One of the great things about it is that when you are slow work-wise, you can take off. But it is still good to be connected because you are right, sometimes when clients need it quickly, they do need a response in order to plan their projects. Responsiveness is big, big.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
It’s actually a *major* tool that will to allow you to do your job, so sure, don’t get all the bells n whistles you can, but don’t skimp, either. I need one, too.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Get an iPhone.
I’ve used a mobile email device since Nov. 2003. I work similarly to you and I can’t believe you’ve gone this long without the ability to accept assignments while lifeguarding your kids.
Go now. Get an iPhone. I can explain more about why you don’t need to bother with all the alternatives on Pam and RIM OSes, but I have a Mac network too, and no need to copy my leanring curve.
Get an iPhone. It will pay for itself the first time you bill completed work from the park.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Yeah, I bought the iphone because i needed to replace my phone, but like PhoenixRising, I know a number of folks who considered their iphone a life-changing purchase. Go to a store and check one out.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Hey Dawn,
I have an iPhone and I love it. I can access emails, send text, type notes, sync with iCal and Address Book, and I can play my music in the car. Are you near an Apple Store? The people there would love to spend time with you and help you learn more about the iPhone.
Word to the wise: Apple is holding their Worldwide Developers Conference 06/09 - 06/13 where they are expected to announce the iPhone 2.0