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Anyone use "Blackberry" smartphones?

Melensdad

Melensdad

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My wife's simple little flip phone died a slow death so we stopped at the Sprint store and she, very hurriedly, without much thought, picked a Blackberry Curve phone for her new phone.

Now I've been using various PALM smart phones for at least a half dozen years and find them simple and reasonably powerful. This Blackberry is so damn complicated in comparison to the PALM phone that if it were mine I'd take it back and trade it in.

What the heck am I missing because I do not see the appeal of the Blackberry? To do the same thing that I do with my PALM it takes more scrolling and clicking and hunting and pecking than I think it should.

Now I'm not saying the Blackberry is not a powerful little bit of electronics, it has FACEBOOK and even SPRINT TV on the phone. WTF for I dunno. But it has it.

Can someone enlighten me?

Better yet, come and explain it to my wife, she couldn't even figure out how to dial the damn phone to call the neighbor!
 
Tractors4u

Tractors4u

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I have the BB 8310 Curve. There are 2 ways to set it up for web browsing. You can either have a pointer/cursor or have it where it highlights the blue "clickable" links such as on Facebook. I will look at mine and see where that setting is. All I've ever had is this Curve. I have been very pleased with it.
 
Tractors4u

Tractors4u

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I found the cursor setting. Let me know what issues you are having and I will try to help you.
 
Melensdad

Melensdad

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Brents we have not even gotten to the web browsing yet.

Perhaps this is a silly question but can the main screen be edited so it includes the main functions my wife plans to use or is it limited to only the various default screens?
 
Tractors4u

Tractors4u

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You can set up the screen in different variations. Highlight an application that you don't want to use. Click the menu button to the left of the track ball. Select "Hide" and that application will be hidden. Applications can be completely removed by connected it to your computer and using the Blackberry desktop software.
 
Bobcat

Bobcat

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B_Skurka said:
<snip>
Now I'm not saying the Blackberry is not a powerful little bit of electronics, it has FACEBOOK and even SPRINT TV on the phone. WTF for I dunno. But it has it.

Can someone enlighten me?
<snip>
Click to expand...

I think the marketing is targeting teenage girls. :rolleyes:
 
Melensdad

Melensdad

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Tractors4u said:
You can set up the screen in different variations. Highlight an application that you don't want to use. Click the menu button to the left of the track ball. Select "Hide" and that application will be hidden. Applications can be completely removed by connected it to your computer and using the Blackberry desktop software.
Click to expand...
Brents, first off, I can't connect it to a computer because it is not APPLE compatible. So the software is worthless . . . something I mentioned to my wife inside the store!!!

But secondly I think you and I are talking about 2 different screens. I see the ability to HIDE things, which is pretty pointless since it actually doesn't do anything in real terms. But that is on the main applications screen. The screen, to which I am referring, is the main phone screen with 6 icons on the left side. Is there a way to rearrange that screen?

Honestly for all the features this phone has it seem overly complicated and slow to navigate with lots of button pushing to accomplish things that should be done with just 1 or 2 clicks.


Bobcat said:
I think the marketing is targeting teenage girls. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Well that would explain why my daughter and my wife both picked it as the next 'wife' phone.

Sadly, my job in life is to explain to my wife how to use her new phone!
 
DaveNay

DaveNay

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If it's that complicated or she doesn't like it, then just take it back for something different. :hammer:
 
NorthernRedneck

NorthernRedneck

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Never used a blackberry....don't really care too either. I've just got a samsung camera phone. I can text with it but never have. I don't bother with texting. Same as browsing the net. We've got 3 computers at home for that. I only use my phone for what it was intended for........to phone people.
 
Tractors4u

Tractors4u

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Bob,

Click on OPTIONS, the little wrench icon. Scroll down to "Screen/Keyboard". That will give you the option to change the look of the screen from icons on the side to a full screen of icons or vice versa.

B_Skurka said:
Brents, first off, I can't connect it to a computer because it is not APPLE compatible. So the software is worthless . . . something I mentioned to my wife inside the store!!!

But secondly I think you and I are talking about 2 different screens. I see the ability to HIDE things, which is pretty pointless since it actually doesn't do anything in real terms. But that is on the main applications screen. The screen, to which I am referring, is the main phone screen with 6 icons on the left side. Is there a way to rearrange that screen?

Honestly for all the features this phone has it seem overly complicated and slow to navigate with lots of button pushing to accomplish things that should be done with just 1 or 2 clicks.



Well that would explain why my daughter and my wife both picked it as the next 'wife' phone.

Sadly, my job in life is to explain to my wife how to use her new phone!
Click to expand...
 
pirate_girl

pirate_girl

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groomerguyNWO said:
Never used a blackberry....don't really care too either. I've just got a samsung camera phone. I can text with it but never have. I don't bother with texting. Same as browsing the net. We've got 3 computers at home for that. I only use my phone for what it was intended for........to phone people.
Click to expand...
I'll jump on here Brian and give you a big amen for that one.
I have NEVER been one to put much importance into my cell phone other than it being a tool to have with me in case of emergencies.
Who gives a damn about the latest gadget?
Big deal.
Gosh, remember when we had dial telephones, and no caller ID, no answering service, no text messaging, none of this keep up with the Joneses modern shit.
How ever did we all survive?
pfffffffft!
 
Tractors4u

Tractors4u

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I'm a gadget guy, I confess. When I am sitting in an airport or a boring meeting I take out the Blackberry and surf the web. If we are out at the range during Guard drill and the weather starts looking bad, I look up the weather. I was at the camp ground at Talladega last fall and was reading Forums Forums from my Blackberry. I like it and when my contract is up I will probably get an iPhone.
 
REDDOGTWO

REDDOGTWO

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No story. Growing up on the farm, we had no phone.

I do remember when they put it in, I was about four or five. When we did get it, it was a rotary phone on a party line.

The only story is that back then, black berry was a type of wine.
 
pirate_girl

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REDDOGTWO said:
No story. Growing up on the farm, we had no phone.

I do remember when they put it in, I was about four or five. When we did get it, it was a rotary phone on a party line.

The only story is that back then, black berry was a type of wine.
Click to expand...
:smile:.. thank you.
 
T

Trakternut

Active member
I 'member party lines. Our neighbors would take the phone off the hook, lay it in a big metal pan and listen to conversations while they ate. :doh:

However, I don't remember the "ring codes", they were long past when I came around.


Oh track though: I have a camera phone that'll also shoot 15 sec. vids. I use the camera a lot. I don't text much. I just like having a damn phone what works!
 
thcri

thcri

Gone But Not Forgotten
Bob,

Can you update me on what you ended up doing? Because of the Altel Verizon merger and the fact that my phone broke I am being forced to do something. At the end of September I have to switch to Verizon or move on to someone else. We really only have ATT and Sprint in our area. Sprint I would not use because of service and ATT does not have the best of coverage. I would really like to have something that will give me the web options and most of the Blackberry's have the really small keys that don't work with my large hands. The Storm has a little better keypad for typing.
 
Melensdad

Melensdad

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My wife kept her Blackberry. I picked up a new Palm Pre. The Pre is not as good for a business user, I would avoid it. The Blackberry is a better business tool but MY preference is still to the Palm Treo. It has a better keyboard than the Blackberry (my opinion) while the Blackberry has a pretty screen, I think its icons are too small and too complex to be easy/quick to identify. The Palm icons are vastly superior to the Blackberry icons because they are simple, bold and easy to identify. The combination of the touch screen, good keyboard and the multifunction toggle of the Palm is just simple, intuitive and fast to use. The Blackberry offers some advantages but (for me) not enough that I'd pass up the simple, fast and reliable Palm operating system.

Just my opinion, but for a no-nonsense business user who wants a smart phone, I think the Palm Treo models are best bets. Best phone I ever had.

Want flashy phone, with lots of programs, a better camera, get the Blackberry.

Want a smaller phone that fits in your pocket and is unobtrusive but not good for serious business use, go for the Palm Pre.

The Palm Centro is a smaller version of the Treo, smaller screen, smaller keyboard, perhaps ideal for teens who text, I liked mine but wanted something smaller and went to the Pre. Pre is interesting, but not for business phone users.
 
thcri

thcri

Gone But Not Forgotten
Spiffy1 said:
I think ATT bought Altel from Verizon, or am I still one step behind?
Click to expand...


Had a lot to do with the area. Verizon is taking the areas the government is allowing them to take. Some areas they can not take, I don't know if Verizon took them yet and sold off or what. Our area Verizon is keeping Alltel.
 
S

Spiffy1

Huh?
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Interesting. So it may be Verizon [which I'd prefer over ATT] yet here as well, but Alltel hasn't sent any us information either way.
 
thcri

thcri

Gone But Not Forgotten
Spiffy1 said:
Interesting. So it may be Verizon [which I'd prefer over ATT] yet here as well, but Alltel hasn't sent any us information either way.
Click to expand...


Go to Verizon's Web page and type in your zip code. You might get some information on it.
 
N

nobull1

New member
groomerguyNWO said:
Never used a blackberry....don't really care too either. I've just got a samsung camera phone. I can text with it but never have. I don't bother with texting. Same as browsing the net. We've got 3 computers at home for that. I only use my phone for what it was intended for........to phone people.
Click to expand...

We have a lot in common; Canada, Brian, Samsung phone, never Blackberry, no texting, no browsing.

I use two cell phones for business and average 1500-3000 minutes per month depending on the time of year. A pretty basic, reliable and easy to use phone works for me. The one feature I do use is the camera to take job-site pictures to help do estimates. I am a techie type of guy but won't get features just because I can. My life is so busy that I don't really have time or need to play with phones that the features are not intuitive.

I think the phone manufacturers have run out of good features and now are just adding things to say they have it.
 
thcri

thcri

Gone But Not Forgotten
Well, I got the Blackberry tonight. In the first 5 minutes I was kicking myself as Bob was somewhat right about navigating through it. But just sitting down for about 5 minutes didn't take long and found it was actually easy to move around in it. So I am a happy camper right now.


murph
 
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