BlackBerry Forums Support Community

lmlloyd · 07-25-2006, 05:27 AM

I used a BlackBerry for years, got fed up, moved on, and used other devices for the past year and a half. Now, for reasons I don't really want to go into, I am going back to an 8700g that will be here in the next day or so.

What I was wondering, is if there was any really cool stuff that has made the BlackBerry experience any better with the newer OS? I am hoping that EDGE will make the web access better, and that Bluetooth will make the phone experience better. Have they ever added a louder ringer? I see that it is still pretty much an end to end Microsoft solution. Are there personalized ringers on a per-caller basis? Is the formatting of HTML mail any better? I notice there is finally a 3rd-party device-based spellchecker at least.

I suppose I just really want to find something to be excited about with my new toy, and at the moment, I really am not all that thrilled. A lot of the people here seem to be rather enthusiastic about how great the BB is, so wow me. Tell me what's new that makes the 4.1 devices so much better than the 3.6 devices.

finch · 07-25-2006, 07:08 AM

Start here: http://www.blackberryforums.com/gene...ps-tricks.html

lmlloyd · 07-25-2006, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by finch

Start here:

I don't need a primer on how to use a BlackBerry. I know how they work, and what they do. I was just wondering what new features (if any) people were really happy with, and if there was anything in particular that really got people excited about 4.1 and the newest devices.

juwaack68 · 07-25-2006, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmlloyd

I used a BlackBerry for years, got fed up, moved on, and used other devices for the past year and a half. Now, for reasons I don't really want to go into, I am going back to an 8700g that will be here in the next day or so.

What I was wondering, is if there was any really cool stuff that has made the BlackBerry experience any better with the newer OS? I am hoping that EDGE will make the web access better, and that Bluetooth will make the phone experience better. Have they ever added a louder ringer? I see that it is still pretty much an end to end Microsoft solution. Are there personalized ringers on a per-caller basis? Is the formatting of HTML mail any better? I notice there is finally a 3rd-party device-based spellchecker at least.

I suppose I just really want to find something to be excited about with my new toy, and at the moment, I really am not all that thrilled. A lot of the people here seem to be rather enthusiastic about how great the BB is, so wow me. Tell me what's new that makes the 4.1 devices so much better than the 3.6 devices.

Welcome back from the Dark Side

I've never used anything but a Blackberry (except for those old fashioned 'cell phones'), so can't compare with anything else, however....

- Louder ringer? Louder than what? Which device did you use before so perhaps someone can tell you if the 8700g will be louder.

- Personalized ringers? Yes, with OS 4.1 on the device you can set ringers for different people.

- HTML formatting? Again, which device did you use before? I think you'll be happy with the 8700g, but need to know which device you used to compare it to.

- Bluetooth? Don't use it, just support it (how ironic, huh?)

As for 'wow' factors for me ... to list a few ... instant (work) email, ability to set up personal email accounts to send mail to my device, neat 3rd party apps (BBWeather, Berry411, Google Maps, Yahoo IM), my calendar is always updated, my contacts are always updated, can enable/disable 'Out of Office' from my device, can change Auto Signature from my device, can empty my Outlook Deleted Items from my device, I use 'Smart Dialing' to 4-digit dial extensions @ my corporate office, I set up a Speed Dial to call my corporate voicemail system AND log me into my vmail account..... and there are many more cool things.... but that's just me

finch · 07-25-2006, 07:42 AM

It's not a primer, I think the BlackBerry Myths link has some good info on what current gen BlackBerry's offer as well as a link to killer software apps that furhter enhance current models.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmlloyd

I don't need a primer on how to use a BlackBerry. I know how they work, and what they do. I was just wondering what new features (if any) people were really happy with, and if there was anything in particular that really got people excited about 4.1 and the newest devices.

lmlloyd · 07-25-2006, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by juwaack68

Welcome back from the Dark Side

I've never used anything but a Blackberry (except for those old fashioned 'cell phones'), so can't compare with anything else, however....

I hope it will be a long and pleasant stay.

Quote:

Originally Posted by juwaack68

- Louder ringer? Louder than what? Which device did you use before so perhaps someone can tell you if the 8700g will be louder.

Louder than the 6000 series, and the early 7000 series. One of the biggest issues I had was that I would constantly miss phone calls, because in a moderately noisy environment, the ringer just couldn't be heard. It is actually a problem I have had with most PDA-style devices, and one of the main reasons I went back to using a regular cell, with a PDA talking to the network through Bluetooth.

Quote:

Originally Posted by juwaack68

- Personalized ringers? Yes, with OS 4.1 on the device you can set ringers for different people.

Cool, that was a feature I was definitely hoping for!

Quote:

Originally Posted by juwaack68

- HTML formatting? Again, which device did you use before? I think you'll be happy with the 8700g, but need to know which device you used to compare it to.

Well, I don't remember what the exact version of the OS was when I stopped using a BB, but I know it was after 3.6, and everyone was talking about how every problem the BB ever had would be solved when the mythical 4.0 came out in the not so distant future.

I am excited to see how Google Maps works on the device. That is one of the unexpected features I didn't find out about until after I had already ordered the device.

juwaack68 · 07-25-2006, 08:16 AM

I think you'll like the ringer on the new model. My 7100i has a pretty loud ring, but it also depends on which ringer I chose in my Profile. Some ringers are just louder than others by design.

As for Google Maps, I just saw another thread where the latest new feature is being able to see traffic conditions in 30 major cities....very cool.

lmlloyd · 07-25-2006, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by finch

It's not a primer, I think the BlackBerry Myths link has some good info on what current gen BlackBerry's offer as well as a link to killer software apps that furhter enhance current models.

I looked through some of that. The thing is, it was only a year and a half ago that I stopped using a BB. Most of the stuff the FAQ is covering are things I already know. I am more interested in hearing from people what they actually like about the current devices, and what they think has improved.

You know, nitpicky stuff, like if people were happy about BIS as opposed to BWC, or things like that.

Dirky · 07-25-2006, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmlloyd

experience better. Have they ever added a louder ringer? .

Well the ringer on my 8700g is by FAR the loudest ringer I have heard on any mobile phone!

Mike

lmlloyd · 07-25-2006, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirky

Well the ringer on my 8700g is by FAR the loudest ringer I have heard on any mobile phone!

Mike

That is good to hear! I don't remember hearing anyone say that about the previous BlackBerries, and I was definitely not impressed with the earlier ones. Hopefully when I get it in I will be surprised by a mighty ringer then.

savidon · 07-25-2006, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmlloyd

I see that it is still pretty much an end to end Microsoft solution.

What does this mean?

The way I look at it, the BB is really an anti-MS solution in many ways ... especially considering that that MS is trying to eat RIM's lunch.

lmlloyd · 07-25-2006, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by savidon

What does this mean?

The way I look at it, the BB is really an anti-MS solution in many ways ... especially considering that that MS is trying to eat RIM's lunch.

Yeah, anti-Microsoft, except for the fact that they only officially support Windows, only officially support Exchange (oh, and Domino), and require you sync to Outlook. I'm sorry, but any enterprise tool that requires your email server be a Windows server running Exchange and connecting to Outlook in order to get 100% functionality, sounds to me like an end to end Microsoft solution. The ironic thing is Windows Mobile is actually more open to non-Microsoft servers and clients than the BlackBerry solution. I had just hoped that in the intervening year and a half, RIM might have started supporting open standards, so you could use any email server you wanted, and any email client you wanted.

jbairdjr · 07-25-2006, 10:33 PM

Did Blackberry stop working with Lotus?
Why does everyone want to bash Microsoft. We have great luck with our Microsoft products, and dont use a MS server.

lmlloyd · 07-25-2006, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbairdjr

Did Blackberry stop working with Lotus?
Why does everyone want to bash Microsoft. We have great luck with our Microsoft products, and dont use a MS server.

I'm not bashing Microsoft. There are just about a dozen capable non-Exchange enterprise communication servers out there aside from just Domino/Notes, and quite a few capable email clients. It isn't that I have anything against Microsoft, it is just that in this day and age having to design your entire mail system around a mobile device is kind of insane.

There are open standards that handle everything a BlackBerry needs, and to lock it down to only Exchange and Domino (does the Lotus BES have full feature parity with the Exchange BES?), just seems like a very backwards business practice in a world moving ever more to Linux servers and Open Source software in the enterprise.

takeshi · 07-26-2006, 09:12 AM

It seems to me that you're looking for hype when most people that are excited about using a Blackberry are excited about it because they are reliable and stable devices, and not because they're "gee whiz" gizmos. That's my take on it, anyway. I could care less about the whistles and bells as long as the core features are very reliable. I spend enough time troubleshooting desktops at work and definitely don't need to spend my free time troubleshooting my own wireless device.

I'm not saying that new features and innovation are irrelevant. Just that I don't support adding on new features just for the sake of adding new features (which for some reason, everyone else seems to expect from everything). Anyway, that's a lot of broad generalization that isn't really germane to this thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmlloyd

I am excited to see how Google Maps works on the device. That is one of the unexpected features I didn't find out about until after I had already ordered the device.

I love Berry411 but I fear that I'm using Google Maps much more these days (especially when traveling).

lmlloyd · 07-26-2006, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by takeshi

It seems to me that you're looking for hype when most people that are excited about using a Blackberry are excited about it because they are reliable and stable devices, and not because they're "gee whiz" gizmos.

Wow, I never imagined I would get such defensive responses just for asking what was new in the BlackBerry world! I can only assume that means that over the past year and a half not much has changed.

Look, it isn't about "gee whiz" features, it is about simply hoping that RIM had done some things to fix some of the problems with the rather aging BB system. For example, when I previously used a BB, I found a lot of problems with the BWC, namely that without MDS it wasn't even half as functional as your average smartphone, because all the third party software required MDS to do anything at all. If BIS fixes these problems by giving software a usable TPC stack, I hardly consider that a "gee whiz" feature. By the same token, when I last used a BB, there was no option for spell checking that didn't require a BES, or even more expensive server solutions like MetaMessage. Mobile spell checkers might have been a "gee whiz" feature in 1995, but they are a pretty standard part of anything with text entry these days!

You might be so impressed by a mobile device which can collect your email that you don't care if anything else on the device functions, but let me assure you that these days they are a dime a dozen. Just about every mobile data device can do a pretty good job of collecting email now. Writing off every other possible use for a handheld as a "gee whiz" feature is fairly unrealistic given the expanded role mobile data devices are playing in today's world. We are only a couple years out from having practical, and truly functional, full-fledged PCs that fit in the palm of your hand and can last all day on a single charge. To try and pretend that the ability to reliably collect email makes a device so special in 2006 that it is above reproach for any other failings, is just silly.