Simplify and sync through one device?

[mlokic]

Best device to sync - emails, phone calls, voicemail email, online, music, camera etc

Is iPhone the way to go?

[padma]

The only thing I don't like about Iphone is that you have to go with a specific provider. I believe google is working on one, and I'm sure Msoft will as well. I think we are still a year or 2 away from the perfect device.

[nghs22]

just get an unlocked one and you are good to go. I have an iphone and love it. wait till summer though when the 3G one comes out!!

[overtaxed]

I used to go to a cafe (Starbucks, etc) to catch up on callbacks and emails.
I would bring in a laptop, Palm and cellphone.
It was a royal pain, and I would only do it if I knew I had enough of a break between client visits to set everything up, use it, and break it down.

My Blackberry changed all of that. My emails go to the device, and I have all of my contacts and my calendar on there, too.

So I just take one device into the cafe and get everything done right there.

One of the seldom-talked about benefits of the Blackberry is the mini-usb interface. Almost everyone has a charger with a mini-usb tip these days, or a camera cable with this same connector. You can therefore do a quick charge at a friend's or client's house. Or buy a new cable cheaply if you lose yours. Apple and Palm, of course, still use their (delicate, expensive) proprietary cables.

[read]

I have a Palm Treo, and I have to say that I have mixed feelings about having access to all my email on the go. I've coveted the iPhone but don't trust myself. I think I'd spend the whole day surfing and not really getting anything done.

Some of my most productive days are when I stay away from the internet except for accessing what I need to get 3 crucial tasks done for the day. It's handy having email around to pass the time, but I enjoy life more if I just bring a paperback for that type of thing.

Speaking of reading and gadgets, though, I've been drooling over the Amazon Kindle. An entirely library the size of one paperback? Very exciting!

[mlokic]

Thanks for the ideas! Fantastic response!

[Free4Family&Community]

I am looking for a device for phone,camera, internet, email, good size screen. I have looked at the Iphone & I don't like touch screens. Blackberry screen is not that bigger than a big screen mobile. So I may go with a mobile.

Do you know of any good mobiles that would meet my needs.

[Adguru]

iphone is the way to go

[Free4Family&Community]

iphone is the way to go

Don't like iphone because it does not have a proper keyboard. Touch screens are so slow. I am a fast typer and this would be extremely frustrating for me when I want to type fast and move on to the next thing.

Anything else?

[DaveCraige.com]

Iphone.


It pretty much enables you to work remotely. You can do most everything that you could do on a laptop. (except slower of course)

but yea, use gmail + iphone and you can take everything with you.

[Free4Family&Community]

Iphone.


It pretty much enables you to work remotely. You can do most everything that you could do on a laptop. (except slower of course)

but yea, use gmail + iphone and you can take everything with you.

Can you word process on a iphone?



Can you get a blackberry with a screen as big as an Iphone?

[DaveCraige.com]

Yea, you can write on it, I write about 6 emails a day on it.

I like iphones much better than blackberry's.

there are just some amazing apps. like you can organize all your personal finances right from your iphone with the mint.com app (http://www.mint.com/features/iphone/)

[Tulkas]

I've had my BlackBerry a little over 3 months now. It's a big advantage in regards to saving time.

I spend less time actually online reading news, looking at emails, following useless link after link, etc.

It allows me to waste time so to speak, while waiting on a friend, standing in line, waiting for a table, etc. and allows me to get on the computer when I have a specific task to perform, as opposed to just because.

A lot of people voice opposition to mobile email, in my opinion you should probably manage email better. Unsubscribe to newsletters and the like. Be sure friends and co-workers understand that emails that say, "What's up?" are a waste of time. Train employees or co-workers to not waste your time with pointless or redundant emails. No point in getting an 80 page policy change email. Put it in a file for me, and give me an email highlighting the significant changes that I can quickly delete once I've read it.

Use an alternate email to receive emails not worthy of your immediate time or that are not urgent.

Some people will benefit from different email accounts. For example 1 for family and friends, 1 for business, perhaps one for the muse or other project.

Others like myself may find it better to have them all sent to the a single email account. Depends on how you use email. I receive an average of 2 emails a day, when I use to wade through several dozen a day.

Another advantage of the BlackBerry (or other smartphones) is that mobile websites are streamlined. Not as many pointless, time wasting links in the streamlined content of sites designed for mobile use.

[Dus10]

I am going to sound like a M$ punk, but I love Windows Mobile phones. I use Exchange Server for my email, and Windows Mobile devices speak natively to it without the need for server-side software, like Blackberry BES. Plus, the RIM devices (Blackberry) depend on their servers, and it has been down before.

I have the original Blackjack, and I have put on a cooked ROM with Windows Mobile 6.1. It makes it really nice. My phone is for everything. I get my contacts, calendar, and email from Exchange. I have all of my music on a 4GB MicroSD that plays in Windows Media player and I have a pair of bluetooth stereo headphones that I picked up for $30 from Best Buy (Insignia brand... normally $50). I use the notepad in my phone to keep my exercise log. I text Ping.fm to update all of my social networking stuff, and rarely ever log in.

I am finally thinking about upgrading to the Blackjack II, but we will see.

Plus, I can tether it to my laptop and get data connectivity on it anywhere I can get a good signal.

[elmer328]

Hey everyone...

I went through this about 6 months ago. I was really interested in the iphone, but then I looked at other other options including the Blackberry Curve from T-Mobile.

I was planning to take a 6 month trip to Australia (here for another month) to build a new ecommerce website for my primary business as well as an order management system. Coincidentally, I picked up 4HWW about 3 months ago in an airport in either Sydney, AU or Auckland, NZ - I don't remember.

Anyway, before I left on my trip, by chance I went in to T-Mobile one day after checking out the iPhone at the ATT store. TMobile has a service they call UMA which costs $10.00 per month and works on several Blackberrys. Here's the thing: UMA uses a wireless internet connection to place an unlimited number of VOIP calls. After a little more research, I switched my service on the spot. (In the States, the VOIP UMA and cell tower calls can be handed off to each other seemlessly so you can leave a wifi hotspot without dropping the call.)

I've been in Australia for 5 months now and using UMA. I typically use 3000 minutes a month. My bill is 25% lower than it was with Sprint and the VOIP service is amazing. If you're travelling and have access to wireless internet - it's a great thing to have to stay connected to friends and family. I've spoken with friends who not only don't know that I'm on a cell phone, much less using VOIP, much less IN AUSTRALIA!

BTW...all of the data and text messaging works too. As for syncing everything. My business email uses Gmail. My Gmail email, calendar, contacts, etc sync with both my Outlook and my Blackberry automatically. The Blackberry syncs wirelessly to Gmail calendar, email, and contacts - no need to sync with the computer every day.

Sorry this is so long...Blackberry's arent' as sexy or fun as the iPhone, but T-Mobiles UMA service is something all Lifestyle Designers should consider! I hope you find this helpful!

[Dus10]

I just upgraded to the Blackjack II. I was reluctant to do it because I was originally unimpressed by the Blackjack II, but it now comes with Windows Mobile 6.1, which made it just like my old Blackjack with a faster processor, better battery life, a bigger screen, a better keypad, and it is just a new phone (I had my Blackjack for two years). I was also reluctant to upgrade because the Blackjack II is not a new phone, and I didn't want to waste my upgrade on a phone that is about a year old.

Anyhow, my Blackjack still had value to someone, and they bought it from me for enough money to cover the cost of the new Blackjack II. Plus, I was able to use the upgrade from work rather than my account.

Since it now has Windows Mobile 6.1, it is great, and we just recently upgraded to Exchange Server 2007, so they play very nicely.

It has a nice camera, manages all of my contacts and calendar, handles my Exchange email and my GMail, can browse the web with relative ease (compared to many other phones), and is also a free GPS with the Google Maps application installed (it can track via cell tower or GPS, and it can show traffic and give directions). My data plan is $15/month, and I add the $5 text plan. It is really a great value, especially when I can tether it to my laptop for remote connectivity.