Blackberry for personal use???

[AZMickeyfans]

Hi everyone, I was wanting to get some opinions here about blackberrys. Here is the reason why. We are with T-Mobile and I broke my phone. (It was bbmommy's fault in case she reads this ) Anyway, I need to get a new phone.

Dh thinks I should get a blackberry. I am a SAHM but like all of us are rarely at home and busy with the kids schedules. I have a hard time keeping track of appointments and I have a decent calendar system going on now but he thinks I could really use the calendar features of the Blackberry. I think it's a silly waste of money for me to have one just to keep track of soccer and dance times along with his schedule. I only have email for personal use so the great email features on the Blackberry I dont really need. Having said all this I think they are cool. What I really want is a phone that is bluetooth compatible with a camera. I dont think I need all the other bells and whisltes.

Does anyone else have this for personal use?

 

[madhttr]

I have Cingular and when I went looking for a blackberry, I found the Palm Treo. I love it! It is more copact than a blackberry (at the time) and it has the phone capabilities as well as a ton more. I can listen to mp3s on my phone and i can download email from my computer. I chose not to get the internet package right now but may in the future. I totally cherish my phone. My brother, who is a TOTAL copy-cat has now decided that he wants a Treo too. There are ups and downs for both PDA's. You just have to find the one that is right for you.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

I'd wait a little longer and get the iPhone. These new bad boys are freakin' awesome! They're a little pricey, but they do everything! You can see a presentation about them on apple's website.

 

[MassJester]

My Blacberry is of real value to me. I receive e-mail from four different accounts (work, school, personal and one assigned from my phone's service provider). Having all my e-mail file into four separate folders on adevice that follows me is huge.

The calendar function is also extremely valuable. My days are frequently booked from 8:00 a.m. through 9:30 p.m. I'm on the move and I'm not nearly bright enough to keep all that junk in my head.

The contact information is also valuable. All of the contact information I have resident on my desktop in Outlook follows me on my Blackberry. Phone, street address, e-mail and other information are there for me.

I can open MS Word and Excel Documents attached to e-mails.

Even better, my Administrative Assistant enters information into my Outlook at the office and moments later it's live on my handheld.

The world of "immediate contact" that we live inc an be intrusive, but the Blackberry has been a good tool for me.

 

[Charade]

I have one from work. I wouldn't have bought it on my own. My major complaint is the size. It's should be longer and less wide. I don't use it to it's fullest capacity. Email, phone, Nextel radio and that's about it.

 

[AZMickeyfans]

I'd wait a little longer and get the iPhone. These new bad boys are freakin' awesome! They're a little pricey, but they do everything! You can see a presentation about them on apple's website.

Those iphones are Amazing but I think they are just with cingular. Am I right? We got horrible cingular reception in our area so we switched back to t-mobile.

 

[Missy Mouse]

Hi everyone, I was wanting to get some opinions here about blackberrys. Here is the reason why. We are with T-Mobile and I broke my phone. (It was bbmommy's fault in case she reads this ) Anyway, I need to get a new phone.

Dh thinks I should get a blackberry. I am a SAHM but like all of us are rarely at home and busy with the kids schedules. I have a hard time keeping track of appointments and I have a decent calendar system going on now but he thinks I could really use the calendar features of the Blackberry. I think it's a silly waste of money for me to have one just to keep track of soccer and dance times along with his schedule. I only have email for personal use so the great email features on the Blackberry I dont really need. Having said all this I think they are cool. What I really want is a phone that is bluetooth compatible with a camera. I dont think I need all the other bells and whisltes.

Does anyone else have this for personal use?

Blackberries do not have cameras. You'd have to custom order one from Blackberry for a heck of a lot more money. If you're thinking of switching carriers, Cingular has a lot of options for PDA camera phones. Almost any phone these days has a calendar, and most have bluetooth. Beyond that, the Treo 650/680 is a great phone (I had Verizon's Treo 650 for a long time). You want something that has at least 1.3 megapixels in the camera. Reception wise, Verizon is the best. Phone style wise, Cingular has the best selection.

 

[Hedy]

Have you looked at the Sidekick 3 from T mobile?

 

[ChrisnSteph]

Those iphones are Amazing but I think they are just with cingular. Am I right? We got horrible cingular reception in our area so we switched back to t-mobile.

Unfortunately they are. My dh is hoping they'll be open to other carriers after they've been out a while.

 

[AZMickeyfans]

Blackberries do not have cameras. You'd have to custom order one from Blackberry for a heck of a lot more money. If you're thinking of switching carriers, Cingular has a lot of options for PDA camera phones. Almost any phone these days has a calendar, and most have bluetooth. Beyond that, the Treo 650/680 is a great phone (I had Verizon's Treo 650 for a long time). You want something that has at least 1.3 megapixels in the camera. Reception wise, Verizon is the best. Phone style wise, Cingular has the best selection.

The blackberry Pearl from T-Mobile has a camera on it. That is the one I was considering. It's thinner and looks more like a regular cell phone but does many of the same things the larger blackberrys do.

 

[Missy Mouse]

The blackberry Pearl from T-Mobile has a camera on it. That is the one I was considering. It's thinner and looks more like a regular cell phone but does many of the same things the larger blackberrys do.

I just went and read about it. It's the first Blackberry camera phone. Cingular has it too. It's very neat looking! The only part that would get irritating (at least to me!) is that the keys are shared on each number instead of being an individual qwerty design. I'm not a fan of the Suretype program (it guesses the word you're trying to spell out), but a lot of people love it. Are you going to get the additional internet/email package, or just use the phone itself?

 

[Missy Mouse]

Unfortunately they are. My dh is hoping they'll be open to other carriers after they've been out a while.

It looks amazing!!

 

[AZMickeyfans]

I just went and read about it. It's the first Blackberry camera phone. Cingular has it too. It's very neat looking! The only part that would get irritating (at least to me!) is that the keys are shared on each number instead of being an individual qwerty design. I'm not a fan of the Suretype program (it guesses the word you're trying to spell out), but a lot of people love it. Are you going to get the additional internet/email package, or just use the phone itself?

I dont know. I still think it's silly to spend that money but it would come in handy. Plus I like "toys" as much as Dh!

 

[Galahad]

DW and I have blackberries from T-Mobile for personal use (as well as business use) and we love them. We use them to IM each other when talking on the phone isn't workable, we use them to get on the web anywhere any time (even use them as a cellular "modem") for our laptops. Getting and send e-mails - even personal ones - from anywhere is great. We don't have a land line so the service from T-mobile is it for us and it works out fine. They don't have a camera or mp3 player but I don't really need that in a phone. I would say that the models without the qwerty key pad would be a problem - too much of a hassle to use.

 

[DVCLiz]

I bought myself the Verizon Q as an early Christmas present. I wanted a full keyboard because it was difficult for me to text message on my regular phone, and I'm beginning to communicate with both of my daughters by text messages more frequently, especially the one away at college.

I don't really use the calendar feature or the email feature, but I do use the online capability frequently. I was at the hairdresser the morning the Academy Awards were announced, and no one could remember who was nominated, so I whipped that sucker out and looked it up right there!!! And, no more boring carpool waits - I can DIS while I'm in line!!! I only use it for random personal stuff, but then again, that's the way I use the internet at home, too.

Also, I'm addicted to the Bubble Breaker game...


Yes, it's totally an expensive toy for me right now. But, I would like to keep up with technology a few more years before I turn into my grandmother, so I am all for getting and learning new things!!

 

[janey99]

I have a blackberry pearl, and my comment would be that it is very expensive, and unless you are actively using all of the features it comes with, it may not be value for price.

If you have never used the typing system before, it can be difficult to get used to. It also does not hold a charge very long, what with all the bells and whistles.

On the cool side, they have manged to fit a teeny tiny trackball into it, about the size of a bead of couscous!

 

[AZMickeyfans]

I have a blackberry pearl, and my comment would be that it is very expensive, and unless you are actively using all of the features it comes with, it may not be value for price.

If you have never used the typing system before, it can be difficult to get used to. It also does not hold a charge very long, what with all the bells and whistles.

On the cool side, they have manged to fit a teeny tiny trackball into it, about the size of a bead of couscous!

Thanks for this information. I am terrible with plugging my phone in so I need one that will hold the charge for awhile. I never even thought of how long the battery lasts with all the features on it. Will have to share this with Dh. Maybe I'll just pick a nice flip phone.

 

[arminnie]

I've been a Treo user with Sprint for years now. I started with the 300, upgaded to a 600, and will be getting the 700p as soon as I get around to it. (Christmas present).

 

[disneynutt1225]

I had a Treo for personal use a few years ago. I hated it because of it's bulk. That said, DH has one for personal use and he LOVES his. He doesn't have internet on it - he uses it primarily for the organizational stuff.

I just bought the Blackjack from Cingular. I love this phone. It's great! Slim, easy to use, lightweight, and great reception.

I looked at the Pearl by Blackberry but I was nervous about the "Pearl" portion of it. It looked a little too fragile for my liking, but it's a nice phone too.

 

[Maryr1]

I have the Motorola Q (I am a SAHM). I love everything about it.I use the calendar feature,I have blue tooth,I use the camera and I LOVE the bubble breaker game. I surf the net and I am amazed how easy it is to navigate. I am not very computer savy. It is the best gadget! I am so happy my DH talked me into it. Go for it and enjoy!!!