vB Easy Archive - It's the little things....

Pages: 1

It's the little things....
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: Brigadier

I am looking to get a Pearl in a month or two when I am eligilbe for my Cingular upgrade.

I currently have an unbranded, unlocked Nokia N73 and love it, but if I can get a Pearl for cheap thru Cingular, having two phones is the way to go. It's nice to have a backup.

So how is the Pearl and RIM in particular at taking care of the little things? For example, I came from a Moto v551 to the N73, and using the Moto software was a pain! The Nokia PC suite is a joy to use. I walk within 30 feet of my computer and it connects automatically via bluetooth. Yet, the Pop Port connector on the N73 is terrible. It hardly stays connected.

My wife's SE W710i is a nice phone, but the SE software absolutely sucks! I had to use a 3rd party software to sync it. But their USB cable is very secure, and even charges the phone while syncing!

THAT'S the kind of "little thing" I am talking about. The details.

So, if I get the Pearl, will RIM remind me more of Nokia, or Moto? How is their software? Bluetooth performance. etc?

TIA

Posted by: martin_j001

In my opinion, its more like the Nokia, but maybe a little bit more limited than Nokia's PC Suite (I just switched back to blackberry from a Nokia 6682 a couple weeks ago)....

Posted by: bbriand

As long as you have Outlook (or a compatible application with RIMs syncing software) you should be pleased.

I bought a USB Bluetooth Key adapter and it detects my phone no problem when I'm within range and have bluetooth enabled on my phone - I tend to disable it on the phones end at home.

So if you're asking yourself "Why does he disable it?" then this leads to my biggest gripe. I use Windows XP Professional x64 bit edition. RIM does NOT offer 64 bit drivers for Blackberry devices. I can rant and rant about it but I won't.

Although limited syncing is available through Bluetooth (which is one of the main reasons why I bought the adapter). Although syncing and uploading files through bluetooth is very slow.

With the phone Rogers offered a microSD card. So I bought a SD --> USB key adapter. Works great to transfer files too and from the microSD card. In fact I'm going to use it as a USB drive that I can swap SD cards into and out of on the road.

So as long as you are not running a 64 bit Operating System then I think you will really find everything a cinch with the Pearl. Otherwise some additional steps and purchases will be required for complete satisfaction until RIM gets their act together and supports the next gen in computer architecture (thats been around for almost 2 years now).

Overall, lack of 64 bit drivers aside, I love the damned thing

Bill

Posted by: archer6

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brigadier

I currently have an unbranded, unlocked Nokia N73 and love it, but if I can get a Pearl for cheap thru Cingular, having two phones is the way to go. It's nice to have a backup.

So, if I get the Pearl, will RIM remind me more of Nokia, or Moto? How is their software? Bluetooth performance. etc?

I have had several Nokia's Moto's & other brands of both regular cell phones & smartphones. I've enjoyed them all for what they are despite the shortcomings unique to each. Some of course, were better than others.

Therefore I'm not going to compare their user interface with the BlackBerry, as they are just too different. What I will say is that the BlackBerry is the best, most useful, intuitive software interface of them all. While it's not the flashiest, it's the one I enjoy the most.

I'm sure you will enjoy it. And I'm with you, there's nothing like having a backup, or two or three ....

Cheers.

Posted by: asaunders_iotum

Hey Brigadier,

I actually own both a Pearl (and an 8700, and now defunct 7290) and an N73 (and N70, N80i, 6680, N90, N91, and N93). I know a little about RIM vs Nokia LOL! My favorite RIM and Nokia phones are the Pearl and the N73. Hands down! Personally, I wish they were one device. I'd like something with the finish and polish of the N73, and the email capabilities of Blackberry.

- If you use the photo and music software on the N73, you will notice that the Pearl is quite a bit more primitive. Lower resolution camera, and less sophisticated software. And, no shutter cover, which means that the lens needs cleaning periodically.
- I have not set my Pearl up to synch via Bluetooth because I have a BES. I have used the cable synch software on a couple of occasions and it is very good. It's much better at handling timezone changes than anything that Nokia has produced. It's much faster (i have over 3000 contacts).
- Pearl has built in mapping software, which you can use with a GPS puck, if you like. I use the Nokia LD-1W, and I've also got a Pharos unit around. Both pretty good.
- Compared to the N-series phones, Blackberry smokes Nokia on email, calendar and address book management.

As I said, what I really want is the form factor, design, music and photo capabilities of the N73, with the email capabilities of Pearl. Failing that... well, I have both.

I write a blog, and reviewed both these devices a while ago. Here are some more in-depth thoughts.

http://saunderslog.com/2006/12/04/b...rk-in-progress/
http://saunderslog.com/2006/11/26/n...el-in-the-hand/

Alec.

Posted by: Brigadier

Thanks for the reply. My choices have come down to the Pearl or the Blackjack. A guy @ the office just got a Blackjack yesterday, and I'll see how he likes it. One strike against the Blackjack is it is Windows based.

Posted by: asaunders_iotum

The Windows phones are great if you are a heavy user of Microsoft Exchange. Failing that, however, I don't see a major benefit versus other devices.

Posted by: briareus

So what exactly do you mean by "heavy Exchange user" and what are the benefits that you're referring to?

Posted by: Mr Pink57

I think what he means is the email on the Blackjack really will only benefit from using an hosted exchange server a company called www.mail2web.com offers them for free (I now use this service). While a Blackberry will always push your email to your device without a hosted solution. However the big benefit you will see with a Blackjack is 3G this is faster download and upload speed all around a lot of media basically. If you wanna pass off these features a Pearl will suit you fine. Also between the two in thickness I dont see much of a difference. Oh and if you want a hosted BES mail2web has that for $10.

pink