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| Amazon ( 2009-07-02 19:06:07 ) | Dig  Rank |
| Okay--right up front, I'll admit it: I have been a die-hard Palm OS addict since I first purchased one of their (ancient) organizers back in the day. I resisted switching to another brand for a slew of reasons, none of which were all that valid--at least not when I look back on it now. The Palm platform was nothing if not user-friendly...I've said it before: those who designed the Palm OS simply must have assumed it would be used by simpletons who were barely above the deep-thinking of your average Neanderthal. My wife & daughter both have Blackberry Curves, and after playing with them on and off, I further refused to consider anything other than Palm because I couldn't figure it out all that quickly. But things change...but I certainly did NOT want to, I can assure you that. About 6-8 months ago, my Palm 755p began giving me trouble. It wasn't very frequent--at first...but after a few weeks of spontaneous re-starts, some at the most unwanted times, I really began to become annoyed. Working in radio, I did a live broadcast remote at a wireless location and started to seriously consider a Windows Mobile phone (in this case, it was a Moto Q9c). I began to slowly research the Moto Q and Windows Mobile phones in particular on the web and also here at amazon.com. What I discovered was other than a select few, the majority of reviews from Windows users were by and large disappointed with their phones. The common thread wasn't the quality of the phones, but the stability of the Operating System itself. This lead me to consider Blackberry...reluctantly, but a kernal of hope took root and before long, my Treo's problems put me on the fast track to getting a phone that only months before I had vowed never to purchase. I would've loved to get another Palm, but having played with the Centro, I found the keyboard actually TOO small for me to comfortably use--and I don't have big fingers, so I think that says a lot right there. I considered a Windows phone made by Palm, but gave up after reading way too many complaints about the OS screwing up way too much. The upcoming Palm Pre looks VERY promising, but my Treo simply wasn't going to last long enough, so I took the plunge. The Bold is out of the box, striking. It's wider than my Treo but MAN is it thinner by a rather large amount--nearly half I'd say. The keyboard is quite a bit different in several ways...let me explain: some of the icons and symbols are in entirely different locations than what I had become used to with my Treo 650, 700p and subsequent 755p. I thought it would take FOREVER to get used to that, but surprisingly it didn't at all. Also, the keyboard takes advantage of the wider real estate and is spread out further...but the REAL difference (IMO) is my Palm keys were more individual and separated and way higher than on the Bold. Now THIS took some getting used to. On my Palm it was rather easy, even without looking to move my fingers from one key to the next and simply know from that touch alone that I was on a different key. This is not the case with the Bold keyboard. It bothered me--at first, but after a few days, I have become attuned to the difference and it no longer bothers me like it initially did. The next major change is the screen...and boy is this a mighty HUGE change. First off, I have become rather accustomed to using a touch-screen now for quite some time...it was one of my biggest problems with switching to Blackberry. I briefly considered the Storm, but after playing with the virtual keyboard, I ruled that out entirely. I MUST have a keyboard--the virtual one's just don't cut it for me. The other thing is the 100% Upgrade the screen turned out to be compared with the Treo. I've read about it quite a bit and I gotta tell you, until you see it yourself, words almost cannot do it justice. This screen is unbelievably brilliant. Frickin' incredible. It's a bit wider and a tad shorter than my Palm but the display certainly looked 2 to 3 times brighter and way more clear. Off the charts a MUCH better screen. I have yet to see its equal. I cannot tell you how many times I went--out of habit--to grab the stylus in order to tap it on the screen only to realize my phone no longer has one. I hear rumor that RIM is coming out with a Bold-like phone with a keyboard and touch screen...now THAT will be a phone to look out for...but back to my Bold... I'll be honest, it is quite a change switching to an Operating System so dramatically different than the moronically simple one employed by Palm. Breaking old habits seem to be harder the older I get. Where Palm was intuitive and just plain obvious, Blackberry has been difficult and almost imposible to figure out. I chalk this up to my stubborness more than anything else...but the fact remains: the OS of my Blackberry suffers in comparison to how ridiculously easy Palm phones are to use and figure out. While I am STILL working on getting used to my phone, it DOES have some nifty features NOT found in any Palm device (yet)...for instance, the one thing that sets Blackberry's apart from EVERYTHING else out there is e-mail. This certainly is one place where the Bold not only beats Palm, but embarasses it entirely. The set-up was easy enough that even my Grandma could figure it out and within less than 10 minutes, I had 4 separate e-mail accounts up and running without a hitch. Too easy and it is definitely where the Bold shines (other than the screen). The trackball also takes some getting used to. It's nice that you can adjust the sensitivity of the ball, (much like using a mouse) so if you like to scroll quickly, you can, or if you'd like a bit more control, don't worry, you can do that, too. Another place where the Bold wins hands down is the speaker. It actually has TWO separate speakers which delivers actual stereo sound, quite loudly, I might add. Another really nifty thing if you ask me. It paired up with my Bluetooth quite easily and the sound quality from what those on the other end have told me is noticeably better than on my Palm (which was notorious for having Bluetooth issues). One thing I honestly wish Blackberry did differently is allow the phone to ring and vibrate at the same time. I always figured my wife just couldn't figure it out herself for why her's never did...but as it turns out the phone will vibrate first, and THEN ring. You cannot switch it to do both simultaneously...why, I simply have no clue. The addition of WiFi is a nice added bonus. At work I can surf using the wireless network at my office, also at home and at several friends houses out in the country where service is spotty. Another major advantage over Palm...although in fairness many newer Palms have built-in WiFi...but NONE of the models I have used ever did. 3G service is pretty nice, too...but my Treo 700p and 755p were both EVDO equipped, which are essentially the same thing, so no big difference there. Downloading websites and attachments via email online is a breeze. A couple places where Blackberry can take a cue from Palm (and I realize there aren't that many) are the lack of a switch on the outside that allows you to turn off the ringer instantly without using the screen. I also wish the button to turn on the speaker during a call was situated on the screen and activated via the trackball rather than having to push the tiny $ key on front...it just seems a bit harder to find, even in the dark with the backlight on. A small annoyance, but a valid one all the same. While I have heard many complain about the clarity of the camera, I gotta tell you its WAY better than the measly 1.3 mega-pixel standard on the Palms I've used. I snapped a photo of my little son and sent it to my wife's Blackberry Curve and she wrote back wondering where I had got the photo never once considering it had come from my phone. Sure it'd be nice to have a 3.2 mp camera like on the Storm and 8900, but all in all I am satisfied--especially having come from the inferior Treo camera. The video recorder is noticeably of less quality than the camera is, which strikes me a little odd, but I don't usually videotape much using my phone, so I don't really see that to be a problem for me--but you never know. All in all, I gotta admit--and while it was a LONG time in coming, the Blackberry has won me over. The lack of almost ANY advance in the Palm OS over the course of over 10 years is pretty inexcusable if you ask me. Seriously, my original Palm organizer (no phone) looks relatively unchanged (other than color vs monochrome) from my old Treo 755p. Sure there are a few cosmetic changes in that time, but overall, the OS looks essentially exactly the same as it did from the beginning. That certainly made it easy to figure out when you upgraded over your previous model, but come ON...really? That is much too long to hold onto an outdated OS. The upcoming Pre certainly looks way cool and is an obvious 100% upgrade on the OS, but it just may be a little too late for some--it certainly was for me. If you are a die-hard Palm user frantically becoming disillusioned with your phone, its time to seriously consider moving on and putting the old away in exchange for something enirely new...just be prepared to take a while to get used to it...knowing that alone will make the conversion much easier to handle. Kudos to Blackberry on such a fine product. Conversion complete. *****UPDATE***** I am STILL working on getting used to Blackberry's entirely different Operating System. I find myself continually reaching for a stylus that isn't there, but I am slowly adjusting to a non-touch-screen phone (emphasis on s-l-o-w-l-y). The battery...? Well, let's just say as long as you have WiFi turned off, it's reasonably okay...which is to say on par with my Treo 755p...well, maybe a shade better, but not by much. The trackball...? Surfing on the Web using the trackball is MUCH less efficient than being able to use a stylus (or my finger). I find when I want to scroll down to the bottom of a particularly large page, it can seem like forever having to scroll down so slowly. I wish it were differently--and who knows? Maybe there is a work-around that I am unaware of... The e-mail set up and usage is simply FIRST RATE I have to admit. I haven't bothered to check my e-mail using my computer in several weeks now because I simply don't NEED to. I still send e-mail using my computer because even with the QWERTY keyboard, actually writing a message is still easier using a regular-sized keyboard...but I do find myself not even trying to access e-mail online much...thanks Bold! WiFi IS VERY convenient! The only minor gripe I have is that when I am in an area with less than stellar AT&T coverage, I turn on WiFi and the phone STILL tries to use the almost non-existent signal to go online. I naturally assumed that the phone would use the strongest signal available, but as it turns out, that isn't the case. Now that I have that figured out, it's simply a case of figuring out where my signal strengths are and remember to turn off and on WiFi and phone receiver. Yes, it IS a bit of a problem, but my Alltel 755p had poor reception where my bedroom is and I was plain SOL if I wanted to check something online--at least NOW I have an option, however inconvenient it may be (I assure you, this is a minor gripe at best). The mp3 player is incredibly easy to use--unfortunately the built-in equalizer isn't all that great and the volume isn't quite what I'd like it to be--but seeing as I have managed to mis-place (lost) my Sansa Clip mp3 player, this is at least a nice alternative that otherwise wasn't available. I downloaded Transformers and Eagle Eye recently and I MUST say, this is yet one more place where the stunning screen simply SHINES beyond the competition. Add to that the fantastic stereo speakers, and watching feature-length movies in the palm of my hand couldn't be more cool & simple. I DO wish the button to turn on the speakerphone was a bit easier to locate and turn on...once again, adding a button to access the speaker ON the screen with the trackball, well that would be a giant leap forward for this device if you ask me. I am still finding it difficult to access a couple of books I downloaded using Mobi Pocket (ie I cannot access them at all), but otherwise, I am still impressed and VERY happy. |
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