bluecoyote
07-16-2006, 10:12 PM
6700 and then 7130. I am pimping it out on Sprint's high end, folks, this time with the iPod of the phone world- the Blackberry 7130. Why did I call it that? Because despite lacking any of the advanced multimedia features and endless crap Microsoft tacks on to their OS, Blackberries have had practically zero successful competitors. People who own them are addicted to them. They swear by them. People who own the Blackberry "Killers" just look on in confusion.
Why'd I get a Blackberry? Well no, it's not replacing my 6700, rather, I desired to tether my Powerbook. In reality, this is not a viable solution, read on for more details.
For me it was a hard decision between the 6700 and the 7130e. Why? Because the 6700 is the high school valedictorian who was in every extracurricular club to pad its resume, but not actually spending enough time in any one to make a significant contribution. By contrast, the 7130e only joined a few, but pretty much ran the show.
So you might be asking "What the heck does it do so well?"
Answers:
1) Phone - this is one of the best PHONES I have ever used for Sprint. Voices are clear... much clearer than my Toshiba VM4050 (yes I still have it.) . The speakerphone isn't the loudest but it's rich and clear. Reception is excellent, and the phone UI embarasses the Treos and shames the 6700's lousy POS excuse for one.
2) Email - there's not even any competition. Blackberry email is amazing. Not only is it instantaneous, but it worked with nary a hiccup. Imagine text messaging on steroids, with the ability to quickly send files back and forth. I'd take it any day of the week over Versamail or Outlook Mobile.
3) OHO - By moving your thumb less than half an inch, you can do pretty much everything. The blackberry thumbwheel becomes an extension of your hand.
4) Speed and Stability - in the week I've had it, I've noticed no hang ups, freezes, resets, or inexplicable behavior. None of that can be said for PalmOS or WinMobile.
So, if it's so good, what are my issues?
A) The Neutral
1) Suretype - While I definitely am faster with Suretype than I am with T9, it isn't as nice as I thought it was. While I can appreciate the larger keys, I really think well-implemented T9 is preferrable, especially given the switching the OS does sometimes between Suretype and Doubletap. Nobody would ever prefer it to the exceptionally nice keys on the 6700.
2) It's kind of a Semi-Smartphone - Despite being a smartphone, you're not going to find it hard to replace your Treos with Blackberries. The main reason is that it doesn't offer nearly as much flexibility. It is clearly ment to do only a few things well, and if you don't understand what I see, see the next point.
B) The Less-than-great
1) The Thumbwheel - what? This was the most positive part! How did it get here? Well, because it is, in and of itself, far too limiting an input method. I'd much prefer RIM simply add a button ABOVE the scroll button to act as the 'forward' soft key, and allow clicking the thumbwheel to switch the direction of the scroll, or hell, act as a damn softkey. While it's true that this might diminish some of its one-handed purity, it'd make like a helluvalot easier.
Why? Because currently I think it relies too much on the thumbwheel menus. For example, when using Opera Mini (which runs otherwise perfectly) , to simply access the "Menu" soft key, you must click the thumbwheel, scroll up to menu, and then click it again. That's 3 unnecessary steps in my opinion.
2) Ease of use - despite claims that it'll recognize my POP server settings automatically, this didn't happen. I think the menus are very cumbersome to new users- a lot of information is displayed and it's overwhelming. This is especially as problem when going to a settings menu where text is just crammed on the screen. Guys, if you want to keep it from looking all cluttered ala Windows Mobile that's fine, but for pere's sake, look at an iPod or something.
3) Absolutely no multimedia whatsoever - I really wish RIM would make a consumer-oriented Blackberry. A lot of people like the Blackberry email but don't want to lose some of the nice functionality of their current phones. While most professional settings might not like the camera, some people do. Given how well email works, please consider it, guys! Forget about MobiTV, too.
C) Now the bad...
1) Forget DUN with your Mac. Just forget it. - There's no way to do it. DUN is awkward enough to set up (BB Desktop must be running) on Windows , but RIM completely botched the modem usage on this device. No, it doesn't work like other Sprint phones. You'd think with the OSX plagiarism RIM did on the UI (even Alt+Back works like Apple+Tab, and that pinstriping looks mighty familiar) they'd show a little love, but nope. Mac users would be an excellent market for RIM, too, because they understand the "Don't do everything, do the important things well" theory.
However, if you want to sync, it'll work fairly well with iSync and PocketMac. If you want tethering, get... well, anything else. My 6700 is more Mac friendly than the Blackberry.
RIM gets a big fat "F" here, regardless, because they managed to be worse than LG. I mean even they know how to build a phone that can be used as a modem.
So is it a great device? Absolutely. Can I recommend it? That's tricky. If you're looking for a nice step in between smartphones and non-smartphones, it may fit the bill if you don't mind losing multimedia (and I mean all of it.)
But... the Nokia E61....
The problem I have is that my Nokia E61 arrived on Friday, and just as I was about to claim the Blackberry is 'in a league of its own' and 'less really is more,' the Nokia E61 comes along and manages to trounce it in almost every category imaginable. (And it actually works properly with a Mac, like all Nokias do.) My review on that is coming soon, but go to Mobileburn to read theirs http://mobileburn.com/review.jsp?Id=2548&source=HOMETOP - and be sure to check out their video of the web browser- which is nothing short of jaw-dropping. If the device is 98% as good at email, 100% as good at everything else, and a billion times better at web browsing than the blackberry (even without EVDO!)..... I have to question why anyone would want one if they didn't have to stay with Sprint....
Oh, and it's made in Canada. That's worth a smile!
Why'd I get a Blackberry? Well no, it's not replacing my 6700, rather, I desired to tether my Powerbook. In reality, this is not a viable solution, read on for more details.
For me it was a hard decision between the 6700 and the 7130e. Why? Because the 6700 is the high school valedictorian who was in every extracurricular club to pad its resume, but not actually spending enough time in any one to make a significant contribution. By contrast, the 7130e only joined a few, but pretty much ran the show.
So you might be asking "What the heck does it do so well?"
Answers:
1) Phone - this is one of the best PHONES I have ever used for Sprint. Voices are clear... much clearer than my Toshiba VM4050 (yes I still have it.) . The speakerphone isn't the loudest but it's rich and clear. Reception is excellent, and the phone UI embarasses the Treos and shames the 6700's lousy POS excuse for one.
2) Email - there's not even any competition. Blackberry email is amazing. Not only is it instantaneous, but it worked with nary a hiccup. Imagine text messaging on steroids, with the ability to quickly send files back and forth. I'd take it any day of the week over Versamail or Outlook Mobile.
3) OHO - By moving your thumb less than half an inch, you can do pretty much everything. The blackberry thumbwheel becomes an extension of your hand.
4) Speed and Stability - in the week I've had it, I've noticed no hang ups, freezes, resets, or inexplicable behavior. None of that can be said for PalmOS or WinMobile.
So, if it's so good, what are my issues?
A) The Neutral
1) Suretype - While I definitely am faster with Suretype than I am with T9, it isn't as nice as I thought it was. While I can appreciate the larger keys, I really think well-implemented T9 is preferrable, especially given the switching the OS does sometimes between Suretype and Doubletap. Nobody would ever prefer it to the exceptionally nice keys on the 6700.
2) It's kind of a Semi-Smartphone - Despite being a smartphone, you're not going to find it hard to replace your Treos with Blackberries. The main reason is that it doesn't offer nearly as much flexibility. It is clearly ment to do only a few things well, and if you don't understand what I see, see the next point.
B) The Less-than-great
1) The Thumbwheel - what? This was the most positive part! How did it get here? Well, because it is, in and of itself, far too limiting an input method. I'd much prefer RIM simply add a button ABOVE the scroll button to act as the 'forward' soft key, and allow clicking the thumbwheel to switch the direction of the scroll, or hell, act as a damn softkey. While it's true that this might diminish some of its one-handed purity, it'd make like a helluvalot easier.
Why? Because currently I think it relies too much on the thumbwheel menus. For example, when using Opera Mini (which runs otherwise perfectly) , to simply access the "Menu" soft key, you must click the thumbwheel, scroll up to menu, and then click it again. That's 3 unnecessary steps in my opinion.
2) Ease of use - despite claims that it'll recognize my POP server settings automatically, this didn't happen. I think the menus are very cumbersome to new users- a lot of information is displayed and it's overwhelming. This is especially as problem when going to a settings menu where text is just crammed on the screen. Guys, if you want to keep it from looking all cluttered ala Windows Mobile that's fine, but for pere's sake, look at an iPod or something.
3) Absolutely no multimedia whatsoever - I really wish RIM would make a consumer-oriented Blackberry. A lot of people like the Blackberry email but don't want to lose some of the nice functionality of their current phones. While most professional settings might not like the camera, some people do. Given how well email works, please consider it, guys! Forget about MobiTV, too.
C) Now the bad...
1) Forget DUN with your Mac. Just forget it. - There's no way to do it. DUN is awkward enough to set up (BB Desktop must be running) on Windows , but RIM completely botched the modem usage on this device. No, it doesn't work like other Sprint phones. You'd think with the OSX plagiarism RIM did on the UI (even Alt+Back works like Apple+Tab, and that pinstriping looks mighty familiar) they'd show a little love, but nope. Mac users would be an excellent market for RIM, too, because they understand the "Don't do everything, do the important things well" theory.
However, if you want to sync, it'll work fairly well with iSync and PocketMac. If you want tethering, get... well, anything else. My 6700 is more Mac friendly than the Blackberry.
RIM gets a big fat "F" here, regardless, because they managed to be worse than LG. I mean even they know how to build a phone that can be used as a modem.
So is it a great device? Absolutely. Can I recommend it? That's tricky. If you're looking for a nice step in between smartphones and non-smartphones, it may fit the bill if you don't mind losing multimedia (and I mean all of it.)
But... the Nokia E61....
The problem I have is that my Nokia E61 arrived on Friday, and just as I was about to claim the Blackberry is 'in a league of its own' and 'less really is more,' the Nokia E61 comes along and manages to trounce it in almost every category imaginable. (And it actually works properly with a Mac, like all Nokias do.) My review on that is coming soon, but go to Mobileburn to read theirs http://mobileburn.com/review.jsp?Id=2548&source=HOMETOP - and be sure to check out their video of the web browser- which is nothing short of jaw-dropping. If the device is 98% as good at email, 100% as good at everything else, and a billion times better at web browsing than the blackberry (even without EVDO!)..... I have to question why anyone would want one if they didn't have to stay with Sprint....
Oh, and it's made in Canada. That's worth a smile!