BlackBerry… It’s More Than a Fruit
Submitted by SharpMan Editorial Team on Friday 15th October 2010- Function
- Form-factors
- Fun
You may have first seen them emerge from the jacket pockets of those really together types; then you began seeing them more and more. Now that hot SharpWoman at the bar is using one.
You’ve also seen their effect. Maybe it’s a colleague, or worse yet, your competitor. They’re calm… cool… connected. They’re way ahead of the game. They’ve harnessed the power of the RIM BlackBerry.
A BlackBerry is part phone, part PDA and part palm-sized, wireless e-mail-enabled laptop. It allows access to Microsoft Outlook functions (e-mail, contacts and calendar), as well as the ability to browse the Internet, communicate via Instant Messenger services (IM), send text messages (SMS), receive pages and make mobile phone calls. Once an extravagance, the BlackBerry is emerging as an essential tool for work and fun. The two most popular BlackBerry phones are the BlackBerry Curve and Bold, which have attracted millions of users.
Okay, that’s good P.R. hype, but what can this gizmo do for you?
Scenario One: You’re stuck in traffic… as usual. But on this one day you really have to be at work on time. The important new database program you and you team have been working on for six months goes live this morning. No problem, you find a safe spot to pull off the freeway and draw your BlackBerry from its holster. You exchange a few e-mails with the team, already assembled at the office. There are a few glitches in the application that only you can fix. This could be bad news, but with your BlackBerry you can access the site’s HTML interface remotely, make note of the changes that need to be made and walk your team through them by phone… even though you’re still thirty minutes from the office. How cool is that?
Scenario Two: You’re stuck in a meeting… as usual. Your status report only takes two minutes, but your boss expects you to sit and listen to seven other reports. It’ll be the end of the day before you see the outside of this conference room. The problem is you’ve promised to overnight a contract to an important new client. As the minutes tick down to the shipping department cut-off, you pull out your BlackBerry and e-mail a coworker who picks up the contract from your desk. You then e-mail the address and instructions to the shipping department. Your coworker delivers the contract just as the shipping label comes out of the printer. Alternatively, if your office is one of the many who uses Instant Messenger services to communicate about phone calls and "ASAP" tasks, you can use your BlackBerry to send those, as well. Could you look any more on the ball?
Scenario Three: You’re on a date… as usu–wait, this time you’re on a first date with a beautiful woman, whom you want to impress. Over dinner she says she’d love to see that new movie everyone’s raving about. But she didn’t think to check times and theaters. No problem. You access the movie ticket site on your BlackBerry. Not only do you find the next show time, but you also access a map site and find directions to the theater. That’s right, this little baby can deliver directions even a guy won’t mind asking about. Meeting another couple who is already at the theatre? Neither of them have a BlackBerry? Send an SMS to their regular mobile phone letting them know you’re running late — without interrupting the show.
Your newfound success at both work and with dating can all be credited to you… and your BlackBerry.
This incredible combination of modern caveman tools may not deliver you into the CEO position, but it can certainly make a huge difference in your productivity. Use the BlackBerry to get a jump-start on your day while stuck in morning traffic. Use it to stay in touch with your work while in a meeting or away from your computer. As with any mobile phone, the BlackBerry can be set to discreetly vibrate each time you receive an e-mail, SMS or call — important when you’re waiting for answers to questions. You can take care of problems in and out of the office and check stock quotes whenever you want. Most importantly, with Outlook and a mobile phone integrated into the device, you don’t have to carry a tool belt full of telecommunication devices. One BlackBerry equals phone, PDA, pager, wireless e-mail device and relatively functional laptop.
Function
Designed and manufactured by Canada’s Research In Motion (RIM), this all-in-one-device additionally offers the following features:
E-mail: The BlackBerry allows you to send, receive, forward and reply to messages, just as you would from your computer. It can be used with a PC or with a MAC.
SharpNote: MAC functionality requires PocketMac® third-party software.
Worried about losing the ability to keep e-mail records of your communications? Unlike an e-mail-enabled PDA, you can set your BlackBerry to deliver all messages received to both your remote unit and your computer. To retain a copy of the messages you send from your BlackBerry, just set your unit to copy (or "cc") your e-mail account — which will deliver a copy of your outgoing message to your computer.
The BlackBerry can be used with an enterprise e-mail account (the one from your office), a personal e-mail account (from your home ISP or personal URL) or with a new address through BlackBerry.com.
Receiving e-mail on the BlackBerry is a snap. The device uses "push" technology, which means your e-mails find you. There’s no dialing into the server or initiating a connection in order to retrieve your e-mails. The BlackBerry device will keep you connected as long as are within wireless network range — the same service area used by your mobile phone.
SharpNote: Push technology is not currently available while on a mobile phone call.
Attachments: The BlackBerry also allows you to open and view e-mail attachments while you're away from your computer. The following formats and programs can be viewed without losing their original formatting.
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft PowerPoint®
- Corel® WordPerfect®
- Adobe® PDF
- ASCII documents
- HTML attachments
- Images: JPG, BMP, GIF, PNG and TIFF
- File types listed above archived in .zip format
SharpNote: Editing functions are not available for Microsoft products, unlike Documents-To-Go in the Palm operating systems.
Phone Service: The BlackBerry also works as a mobile phone and supports many of the optional services you would expect: voicemail, call waiting, call answer, conference calling (can facilitate a conference call between more than three parties, with uninterrupted call waiting while on the call) and call forwarding. Some BlackBerry devices also support speakerphone, walkie-talkie service and Bluetooth headsets, car kits and syncing.
Text Messaging or SMS (Short Messaging Service): SMS is a standard feature on most mobile phones and on the BlackBerry. The advantage of texting from a BlackBerry is the PC-style QWERTY keyboard — you’ll shoot smses back at the speed of, well, a keyboard, as opposed to the numerical pad your mobile phone buddies have to use. Proficient BlackBerry users reach typing speeds of 35 words per minute. (Some BlackBerry models use a phone-like keyboard with SureType™ technology, which finishes words for you, much like the Predictive Texting feature found on Nokia phones).
SharpMan Tip: Texting is a great way to send non-voice messages to friends with mobile phones, but without a BlackBerry — it’s perfect for communicating to those in a meeting or at the movies.
Organizer: Just like on your computer, the BlackBerry provides access to your Outlook Calendar, Address Book, Task List, Memo Pad and Calculator. And the BlackBerry synchronizes those contacts, appointments, tasks, as well as e-mails to your desktop. You can also use other organizing programs such as Lotus Note® or ACT!™.
Browser: The BlackBerry browser can connect to the Internet anytime (but see SharpNote below), anywhere. It’s certainly not as fast as high-speed broadband, but you can browse Web sites, get stock quotes, check movie listings and times, and get the latest news while you’re on the go. Some BlackBerry devices now offer full HTML Web browsing.
SharpNote: Internet access is not currently available while on a mobile phone call.
Instant Messaging (IM): Addicted to IM-ing your AOL buddies or friends using other IM services? A number of BlackBerry models support this service, now regularly used in place of intercoms by assistants and other support staff.
Picture Viewing: Some BlackBerry models allow you to upload .jpg and other photo files for photo album-style show and tell.
International Service: One of the advantages of the BlackBerry is that you can get on a plane, fly to location in North America and arrive to enjoy seamless phone, e-mail and Internet service. In other words, you needn’t change your settings in order to be fully connected in your new location. With service providers that offer international service, like T-Mobile, most BlackBerry models can provide the same no-hassle connectivity in Europe, Asia and North Africa!
SharpMan Tip: Be sure to confirm that your service provider has enabled your international service before heading abroad. Another help: make note of your voicemail password and access number for remotely accessing your voice messages from your home provider’s system.
FORM-FACTORS
In the beginning, BlackBerry devices came in one flavor, much like the first Model -T car — large and black. Now RIM offers a number of styles, available through various mobile service providers:
Large and Black: The standard sized BlackBerry is approximately half-inch thick, 5-inches by 3-inches in a black case. The large screen is what keeps people satisfied. It’s also equipped with a PC-like QWERTY keyboard. As models are upgraded the screen quality increases, too. Once only offered in a monochrome display, today’s BlackBerry device offers a large, 240x240 resolution display supporting over 65,000 colors. Check out the Model 7750 offered by Verizon.
Small and Lightweight: Smaller is always better, even in the BlackBerry world. The small form-factor of this device is barely 4.5 inches tall by 3-inches wide and weights a mere 4.9 ounces. But doesn’t scrimp on punch with 32 MG of memory. The screen is a little smaller, 240 x160 resolution display, supporting 65,000 colors. This Model 7290, from Cingular is a good example.
Phone Style: The newest BlackBerry incarnations offer a smaller phone-like handset. The QWERTY keyboard is gone, but the new SureType™ keyboard technology offers quick, intuitive typing. The high resolution backlit LCD display makes up for its smaller size with high quality, easier to read screen. T-Mobile offers the BlackBerry 7100t.
Each carrier — Cingular, Verizon, T-Mobile, Nextel, Sprint — offers their own BlackBerry models. In the 7100 series, each carrier has their own model identified by a letter… t, d, g, x. Like cell phones, BlackBerry is generally not interchangeable within carriers unless "unlocked." Two plans are needed to fully utilize the BlackBerry’s capabilities — a phone plan for voice service and a data plan for e-mails and Internet.
If you’ve looked at phone plans lately you’ll notice lots of choices — blocks of minutes, free mobile-to-mobile, family share plans, national and local access. What works for the cell phone, works for a BlackBerry voice plan as well.
Data plans come in two variations: a reasonable 4 to 5 MB for $39 or an unlimited data package for approximately $45 to $50 per month. Some carriers, like T-Mobile, offer a bundled BlackBerry Package. Their BlackBerry Minutes and Mail plan offers 1,000 voice minutes with unlimited data.
Oh, It’s Also Fun
All work and no play may make a BlackBerry useful, but certainly not as exciting as it could be. Enter the many third-party applications and services for BlackBerry devices — both for functionality and fun. Consider card games like Texas Hold-Em King from Magmic Games or get your basketball fix with College Basketball from Microfourm International.
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This article last updated on Wednesday 1st February 2012