Which Blackberry Is Right For Me?

[aa45955]

Hey. I skimmed through the FAQs and didn't see this topic covered anywhere, sorry if I missed it.

I'm with AT&T and I'm set on buying a Blackberry, but I'm not sure which to get. I need the following features:

1. Phone
2. E-mail
3. Web browsing
4. Full keyboard
5. No touch screen please
6. Calendar
7. Extensive scheduling and alerts system

Number 7 is the big one and I'm very particular about it. I need to be able to set up a system that works like this:

Up to 20 tasks set to every day's schedule with an automatic audio alert both 5 minutes before the start of every task, and at the start of every task. I want to be able to set it up so that it'll go through the same tasks every Monday - Thursday, and a different set of tasks for each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. And I don't want to have to keep updating it, I just want every day to be set the same way automatically for me.

That's for alerts that I want to be activated every single day. I'd also like to be able to add single-day alerts to specific dates up to 3 years in advance for appointments and the like.

I'd also like it to alert me to certain holidays and birthdays. An alert the day before the birthdate of everyone in my contact list would be good, without my having to manually enter each birthday on the calendar.

Some other optional features that I wouldn't mind having:

8. Photocapture
9. Videocapture
10. Non-iTunes MP3 play (have it play any MP3 I load onto it from my PC with no restrictions)
11. High quality sound and high quality ringtone
12. High quality image screen

I'd like to keep it under $1,000 non-commitment pricing and I'd like to buy new. Options below $600 would be nice to hear as well.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated, thanks :)

[roderrusso]

Have used blackberries for years...Get a curve, no brainier

[aa45955]

Will a Curve 8310 be able to do all the scheduling I need? How labor-intensive would it be to set that system up?

I'd like to set the schedule and alerts up for one day and just have it automatically copied to every other day.

Will I be able to do all that with the software included with the Curve 8310 or will I have to buy third-party stuff?

What am I missing out on by getting an 8310 instead of a 9000?

[aa45955]

I'm talking about pretty rigorous scheduling here. Alert to wake me up, alert 5 minutes before shower, alert at shower, alert 5 minutes before breakfast, alert at breakfast, etc. Every detail with an alert 5 minutes ahead, for every day.

Most people don't have this much detail in their schedules which is why I'm asking if Blackberry has this capability.

[titetanium]

As far as having the bb alert you daily, just create an event in your calendar and have it repeat daily with no end. Birthdays can be done the same way except you want it to be yearly, ditto for holidays. Pretty much any bb can do this.

As for the rest of the features you're asking for, you'd do well with the bold or the new upcoming curve 8900. The current curve would work too, but it's nearly about to be obsolete. That said, I'm not going to cough up my curve anytime soon.

[audit]

As it was said earlier, any blackberry will do what your asking. The Bold has the best screen on AT&T as well as all your device requirements. Setting up all your alerts can easily be done in your calender. I have 12 alerts a day that go off between taking meds, changing backup tapes, starting backups, etc. I've never had the Blackberry fail me in all the years I've used one. Many times it's saved me from forgetting something that was vital due to a timeline restriction.

I've never seen someone that wants a alert to go off quite as much as you do though, but there's a first for everything.

[coldconfession13]

Might as well get the Bold its up to date and has 3g

[aa45955]

So you've got the 9000 with AT&T, audit?

Do you have any gripes with it?

I've heard the web browsing is really lackluster.

[david9962000]

at&t sells the 8320 online only, that's a great device.

[Arcangel]

the web browser on the curve is even more lackluster so if your getting an AT&T BB get the bold!

[audit]

So you've got the 9000 with AT&T, audit?

Yes sir.

Do you have any gripes with it?

Other the fact that I never put it down and I've seen a completely new level of anger that a wife can have with her husband No. ;-)8-)

I've heard the web browsing is really lackluster.

Web browsing is great on it. It's one reason that I've sold 4 people on it during lunch yesterday. They couldn't believe how much better the browsing was on it compared to their curves. We made a stop at the AT&T store on the way back from lunch and they all upgraded since they were able to at that time and then back to the office to get them hooked up to the BES. I spent 2 hr's after work was over running through a training session with them and this morning they all told me they were up most of the night playing with it and seeing what it's limits are. So far all of them have been very happy.

All 4 people are VERY power users, live in a area that has great 3G and were thrilled they could be on the conference call and still get their emails during that time instead of waiting a couple minutes after the call for the BB to catch up and download all of them.

To me, that's one big thing, with the amount of emails that I get daily, it's great to be able to read them while on conference calls on the way into the office while sitting in traffic instead of putting things on hold until I got into the office. It's increased my productivity at work for sure.

[313]

anybody knows when 8900 will be coming to australia?

[alb123]

Wirelessly posted

I agree that the Curve is a rock-solid choice for a BlackBerry (I'm posting from mine now). The Bold does have quite a few "things" that make it a better alternative than the Curve. Much faster processor, more memory, better screen, easier access to microSD card to name a few. As was mentioned, the standard Calendar could easily handle your scheduling/tasks requirements. Web-browsing to me seems okay on my Curve and the Bold has a much better built in browser from what I've read. Plus, there are other FREE alternatives to the built-in browser: Bolt and OperaMini (which I'm using now) come to mind.

Last, but not least, keep in mind that although the BB you choose will be kick-a$$ out of the box, there are too many 3rd party applications out there to mention here that will make your experience even better! And you'd be surprised how many are FREE! Yet, the apps that do cost money are usually ridiculously low in price, with most ranging from $4.00 to $20.00.. It blows my mind. But honestly, your list of requirements can ALL be easily handled by the standard BB phone(s).

As far as setup costs go, I can't speak for AT&T but, on VZW you can buy a Curve for less than $400 w/out a contract or $99 with a contract. I'm sure AT&T has something similar with their Curve and probably a little bit more for the Bold.

Good luck...
Chris

[aa45955]

My final choice was the Blackberry 9000. Thanks audit.

I'm about to get it out of the box and start charging it up now.

I've got a long night ahead of me. :razz: