RABid Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 With all the news about patent infringement I started paying attention to Blackberry devices. Now it seems that when someone from my agency goes to a meeting in our state capital, there are people there that cannot break contact through their Blackberry. While attending a meeting on changes to Medicaid in my state, the high ranking Medicaid official interrupted her talk 3 times to step to the side of the stage and respond to Blackberry text messages. Ive noticed it with a few other people at these meetings. Does anyone here use Blackberry? Whats the deal? Robert Edit - another dead typo. This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidLifeCrisis Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 I have refused to give into the pressure of a blackbeery. I have seen the same thing as you. People just totally addicted to it. Have seen CIOs of companys sitting in important meetings playing with their gizmo. They are like crack addicts. With a laptop and cell phone I have more than enough constant communication. I at least have an excuse by saying that I didnt get a chance to check me email. With a PDA what excuse do you have? You are constantly on call. Although last week I lost all internet connectivity and fell seriouly behind. A wireless cell card for my laptop is probably the way I will go to cover those cases. Steve A Lifetime of Peace, Love and Protest Music www.rock-xtreme.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahZark Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 I have a Blackberry and consider it an indispensable tool for my job. For one thing, I'm on the road a decent amount (including some international travel), and it allows me to keep in touch with my office all across the globe without having to lug a laptop along with me and in real time. Gone are the days of logging on from my hotel room at night only to find several messages that built up in my absence, some of which call for prompt responses (or worse, not being able to connect because the access numbers from some far-off place don't work right). My Blackberry is also my cell phone, and I like being able to carry one device that gives me all the functionality I need (email, phone, contacts, calendar, etc.). That said, I am TOTALLY SYMPATHETIC to Robert's complaints, and I try like the dickens not to give in to the temptation to check my Blackberry when I'm in meetings or on other occasions when it's just rude to do so. I am amazed by other people's willingness to do just that, however. Noah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finale Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Imagine now someone that depends daily on a pager (office), a cellphone (clients and wife), a GPS (to avoid traffic jams), a Blackberry (for whatever other job things) and is also addicted to certain music forums like here (not to mention other less recommended Web sites). How many hours do you have left to practice your keyboard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Zeger Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 I echo Noah's thoughts as a Blackberry user who understands Robert's points about Blackberry (and cell phone) etiquette. I leave mine on vibrate all the time and avoid checking it when I'm occupied in a meeting or conversation. I've had a Blackberry for a little more than a year. I don't travel much for business, maybe 1-2 days a month, but having access to my e-mails anytime is a tremendous benefit. I only have 2 B-berry complaints. Though I like not having to carry a separate cell phone, PDA, and messaging device, my Blackberry isn't comfortable as a phone. For web browsing, it's weak. Many sites take forever to load and navigate. My cell phone/data carrier contract is expired so it might be time for a new device. A friend bought one of the newer, more slender Blackberry models that is more phone-shaped but you lose the full keyboard. I couldn't get used to that. Maybe a Treo is in my future but I've heard their e-mail system isn't as strong as Blackberry. I'll probably just go for a Blackberry 8700. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnegrad Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the whole deal with Blackberry that it's "pushed email"? Meaning that if the device is turned on, it's continuously receiving email and notifying you as to it's presence? That could get very annoying after a while. At least with most other devices including the Treo line and my Palm TX, I believe that it only receives email when you actually tell it to "go get email". With "pushed email" that's a very short leash to be on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod S Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 The problem I have is what people consider called 'urgent'. Just because you CAN get a hold of somenone at any time, doesn't mean you shouldn't... people are just getting lazy, neurotic, or just giving themselves too much importance most of the time. I've had problems since I started carrying a pager for work around 96-97. People would page me, I would stop what I was doing and call back, just to find out someone had a question which could easily been done through email and the response wasn't urgent. I basically told people to put a '911' after the phone number if it was urgent, and I would give the person hell if they did that and it wasn't. Otherwise, I would just answer back at my convenience. For me it's simple. Don't send me an email if you need a prompt response (even if I'm in the office), and don't call my cell phone unless it's important. If I leave on business trip, I leave someone 'on call'. I went on business trip to Italy for 10 days, without getting overly stress out about not being able to have access to email all the time. I don't have a blackberry, and I don't intend to. My life is neurotic enough with my cell phone, radio (I work at a steel mill), and office phone at the same time... LOL. I really don't see a benefit of reading email promptly. I much rather have people leave a message at my voice mail or send me a text msg to the cell phone. Korg Kronos X73 / ARP Odyssey / Motif ES Rack / Roland D-05 / JP-08 / SE-05 / Jupiter Xm / Novation Mininova / NL2X / Waldorf Pulse II MBP-LOGIC American Deluxe P-Bass, Yamaha RBX760 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Originally posted by Cydonia: How many hours do you have left to practice your keyboard? So true. We must rearrange our priorities. MUSIC RULES. "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synapse Collapse Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 I am not as glad having a Treo myself as I am happy that the party I am emailing has the device. If I want a response to my email, I am glad the receiver gets back to me despite the fact that he/she is out of the office. Still, music does rule. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finale Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Originally posted by Is There Gas in the Car?: Originally posted by Cydonia: How many hours do you have left to practice your keyboard? So true. We must rearrange our priorities. MUSIC RULES. And looking at your avatar, I think your leash is a little too tight. Where's the usual Mariah cleavage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keynote Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 If you use a Blackberry device you may find this of interest: RIM and NTP fight it out concerning Blackberry service That article was a few days ago and a judge has subsequently made an injunction to keep the Blackberry service up and running. For the time being that is..... Just think of the massive withdrawl symptoms those Blackberry addicted junkies will encounter if and when the plug is finally pulled on their Blackberry service? Indispensable? Maybe not if RIM and NTP can't resolve their issues and the service is shutdown thus forcing Blackberry users to abandon their expensive devices and look for an alternative service. Those Canadiens up there at RIM sure are a stubborn bunch, eh? Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Nightime Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 I was assigned a Blackberry for work, and I find it indispensible. Yes, I get email at all hours of the night, yes it's constantly beeping to tell me this, and yes it drives my wife nuts when I'm off work. But, I can access an application that is absolutely necessary for my job, I'm in constant communication, and when it comes time for music, I leave it at home. With all that, though, that's not why it is invaluable. My Mom died last May, and I had to rush up from Florida to Arkansas so I could be there. I get there, and my regular cell phone has no service. The only way I could be in contact with anyone was through the BlackBerry. Even my Dad's cell phone didn't work. But when the call came to get there NOW, my BlackBerry worked perfectly. So now, I can't do without it. "In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome. So God helped him and created woman. Now everybody's got the blues." Willie Dixon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Zeger Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 When I was recently in Toronto and Montreal, I had cell phone service but no e-mail service on my B-berry. When I received my cell phone bill, the calls made in Canada were very expensive. Very frustrating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meccajay Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Crack-Berry strikes again.. TROLL . . . ish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BP3 Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Use an internation dialing plan. They usually run about $5 a month a give you deep discounts on international rates. For instance while doing work in St. Lucia years ago, the int cell rate without a plan was almost $6 a min inc tax, with the intl plan it was $1.29 inc tax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Originally posted by Mr. Nightime: I was assigned a Blackberry for work, and I find it indispensible. Yes, I get email at all hours of the night, yes it's constantly beeping to tell me this, and yes it drives my wife nuts when I'm off work. But, I can access an application that is absolutely necessary for my job, I'm in constant communication, and when it comes time for music, I leave it at home. With all that, though, that's not why it is invaluable. My Mom died last May, and I had to rush up from Florida to Arkansas so I could be there. I get there, and my regular cell phone has no service. The only way I could be in contact with anyone was through the BlackBerry. Even my Dad's cell phone didn't work. But when the call came to get there NOW, my BlackBerry worked perfectly. So now, I can't do without it. There are settings in the Blackberry to turn off the notifications, if you don't want them going off when new emails or meetings come into the device. I have a Blackberry through work and it is an excellent tool for a mobile workplace. I work in a campus setting and find myself in 4-5 different buildings every day. Like a couple of users above, the Blackberry makes life a lot easier in terms of keeping my calendar, contacts, emails in one place that also serves as a cell phone. As discussed in another post (something about deprivation from the internet), I'm not a huge fan of being constantly connected and I do put the thing away when I'm at home and not "on the clock" working. I enjoy the occasional "Data Connection Lost" that occurs when I travel to a very remote location. But for the most part, it is a valuable tool that allows me to get work done in almost any setting, whether in the office or not. Regards, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted March 1, 2006 Author Share Posted March 1, 2006 What is a decent rate for a service plan? I looked at one site and before I knew it I had totaled over $90 a month. This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 Originally posted by Rabid: What is a decent rate for a service plan? I looked at one site and before I knew it I had totaled over $90 a month. I luckily don't have to pay for my service and not sure I would make it a priority if I had to foot the bill. The Blackberry service plans I've seen break out the cell phone and the data separately. The cell phone plan is about $50 and the data is about $40. So if you normally pay about $50 for a cell phone like the majority of consumers, you can pay an extra $40 to sync your email, calendar, contacts, do web browsing, etc. Honestly, I use mine primarily for business purposes and probably would not have much need for it if not for my job that requires me to be constantly hopping and therefore a tool like this makes me much more efficient. Regards, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keynote Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 All you Blackberry users can breathe a huge sigh of relief. This article is hot off the press and was posted this afternoon: Blackberry legal dispute is finally settled All I have to say is try and take a break once in a while to give your fingers some needed relief from crunching buttons on such a small interface for hours on end. I wonder if doing Blackberry 'exercises' with your fingers helps in any way shape or form to strengthen the fingers and make for better endurance or agility while playing the keys? Or in fact does just the opposite and causes or leads to carpal tunnel syndrome or tendinitis which would ultimately hinder a persons keyboard playing ability? I'm not sure studies have been done to determine what effect constant pushing of buttons on Blackberry devices does to the fingers and their corresponding tendons and nerves. We do know that playing video games using a controller device can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. I suppose only heavy Blackberry users know for sure the answer to that one. If you do experience numbness to your fingers or some other anomaly such as one or more of your fingers does not function properly you might try weaning yourself off your Blackberry for a period of time to see if that corrects the problem. If it does then more than likely your Blackberry device is the culprit and consequently you should take appropriate action so the pain, etc. does not return. Even if the withdrawls seem too much to bear. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted September 20, 2006 Author Share Posted September 20, 2006 Well, I think I am one step closer to Blackberry. My boss came back from a meeting complaining that he was the only CEO there without a messaging device. I told him that I would buy him one if I could get one for myself. Ding. Ding. Ding! Amazon + Cingular seems to have a good deal and I hope this works out. The Blackberry 8700c is free from Amazon with a 2 year contrct from Cingular, and they have a decent individual plan for $29.95 if you also get phone service. Not a bad deal for an agency that cannot afford a Blackberry Server. Anyone else using this? Robert This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Zeger Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 That does sound like a very good deal, Robert. After having a Blackberry for a few years, I (my company, actually) just switched to the Motorola Q. The Q was $199 and unlimited data service from Verizon is around $45/month (above the cell phone service). Bberry e-mail is much better than with the Q. It's easier to write e-mails and incoming e-mails are pushed to the Bberry while the Q has to sync every few minutes (I'm told this will change). I became very familiar with the Bberry keyboard and shortcuts so maybe I still have a preference for it over the Q. The Q display is sharper and web browser much faster than Bberry. The Q runs Windows so opening Word and Excel attachments on the road are great. Also, having a camera has come in handy a few times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Klopmeyer Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 There have been several news articles lately on the addictive nature of the BlackBerry, which is why the whole "CrackBerry" moniker has arisen. I don't know, man... I held out on getting a cell phone for a long time past most of my contemporaries, until 1998 or so. I don't necessarily like being in constant contact. At the same time, my job has been made easier because of other people's BlackBerries. For example, I'll send out an ad comp for approval, and instead of waiting until my client gets back to the office, he's providing feedback immediately, being able to receive and look at my ad as a PDF file. I can see all the benefits, and perhaps if I was on the road as much as some other folks, it would get great. But for me, the last thing I really want is a constant tether to work. - Jeff Marketing Communications for MI/Pro Audio My solo music and stuff They Stole My Crayon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 Flip side of the coin is that people have come to expect an immediate response. Has anyone else noticed this? Pandora's Box has been opened & we're going to play hell trying to close it again. "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted September 20, 2006 Author Share Posted September 20, 2006 My cell phone remains off most of the time. In the office I don't get good signal and it constantly causes the speakers in my computer and office phone to buzz as is searches for a tower. At home I turn it off because WAY too many times I go to bed with it on and am awakened during the night by the low battery warning. The Blackberry will be a little different. I don't think that the $29 a month plan is "teathered" so I have to retrieve emails. I think. But I will leave it on more during the day. Especially on trips. I will use it as a line of contact when I am on vacation or sick leave. Robert This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Klopmeyer Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 Originally posted by Is There Gas in the Car?: Flip side of the coin is that people have come to expect an immediate response.Yeah, but they can all blow me. - Jeff Marketing Communications for MI/Pro Audio My solo music and stuff They Stole My Crayon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 Originally posted by Jeff Klopmeyer: Originally posted by Is There Gas in the Car?: Flip side of the coin is that people have come to expect an immediate response.Yeah, but they can all blow me. - Jeff Excellent! I can understand precisely. "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Nightime Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 Since I posted about how invaluable my BlackBerry was, I stopped working for the company that assigned me one and had to give it back. And you know, I don't miss it at all. I can attest to the addictive nature of it. I work now in the IS Helpdesk for a major worldwide communications corporation. We got a call not long ago from a guy that couldn't get his emails on his BlackBerry. Thing is, he was in line with his kids at Space Mountain at Disney World. He's on vacation with his kids, and can't leave the thing at home. That's addiction. "In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome. So God helped him and created woman. Now everybody's got the blues." Willie Dixon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Klopmeyer Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 Originally posted by Mr. Nightime: He's on vacation with his kids, and can't leave the thing at home. That's addiction. All day yesterday, I was dealing with a guy, sending ad files back and forth. At one point, I hear some noise in the background and ask what he's doing. "Oh, I'm in Hawaii with my wife and son. He's splashing in the pool." Dude... put DOWN the CrackBerry and spend time with your family! Work ain't gonna vanish while you're gone. Sheesh! - Jeff Marketing Communications for MI/Pro Audio My solo music and stuff They Stole My Crayon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzwee Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 Blackberry won't do. If had a Blackberry instead of a laptop, I wouldn't be hanging out at this forum all day with a constantly open browser. Hmmmm. Maybe that might be a good thing because Gangsu says I talk too much. Hamburg Steinway O, Crumar Mojo, Nord Electro 4 HP 73, EV ZXA1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 Dammit, I cannot wait until my plan expires so that I can upgrade to a Blackberry type device. Only because it would be a lot easier to send group text messages to my bandmates, clients, etc. Otherwise, it is sad when folks attach their impotence to communication devices. They thought music was bad for the kids...how about a crackberry addicted parent? PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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