CrackBerry

As some of my friends know, I’ve been recently trying out a BlackBerry as a replacement phone. The move would also involve me changing my service provider from Sprint to T-Mobile. (Sprint has mobile communication devices like BlackBerry, but their service plans seemed to be a little steep, and therefore not an option.) Currently, I am waiting for my Sprint agreement to end (tomorrow, yay!) so I can port my number over. The few times that I have used the phone (as a phone), I’ve been happy with the quality and the coverage.

Cool things that would make it very difficult to give this up:

• Email access: I have email access on the go, and I’m finding that I’m spending less time in front of the computer at home, or when I do, I’m doing things like catch up on blogs, etc.
• Browsing: Instant (well almost-instant) browsing is a great feature, as I can pull up maps, or sites to find out information as we are out on the road. A very cool feature is the ability to save that page to your inbox (for later viewing).
• Text Messaging: I’ve been slow on the uptake to get into this, but now I love it. In fact, I found during our recent trip to Key West that I txt’d more than I called (especially when trying to locate someone).
• Customer Service: The three times that I’ve called into T-Mobile’s customer service, I have been floored with the quality service, and the fact that these people can carry on a conversation, and provide quick service. The one time that I was told something that I wasn’t completely happy with, I didn’t care as much given the way the message was delivered. Unbelievable! Let’s hope this stays this way, and it’s not a “new customer” thing.

Things I’d like to see some improvement on.

• PIM synchronization: While I can’t see my BB actually replacing my PDA, it would be nice if sych’ing was easier. My biggest problem has been the Desktop Manager installation requiring a file that Microsoft considers a security threat, and which was removed during a security update. I’m not sure if the file I downloaded to correct this problem was problematic, however I can get my address book to sync, but no-go for the calendar tools. I’ve not even tried the tasks or notes. For now, I can see both in my future.
• Width of BB: The 7290 is a little wider than a “normal” cell phone, so I find this is more noticeable when I use it as a phone. The solution would be to get a bluetooth headset for the phone, and I may end up putting that on my wishlist soon.

What is amusing is how addictive this thing can be 🙂 There is even a YouTube video explaining how it can ruin your life (well, your friend’s lives … which when it comes down to this, who really cares …).