[PhoenixAG]

Hi all,

I have been a Windows Mobile user since many years and have also used phones with Symbian OS, Palm OS, etc.

Now, I feel the need to move to a stable and reliable platform.

While Windows Mobile has been good to me and has been stable, I am finding that the phone hardware leaves a lot to be desired.

So, in short, I want to ask you a few specific questions:

1. I use an exchange hosting service from Sherweb. This is my primary account. If I add on their blackberry BES plan, then more or less am I good to go? So I would just need a BIS plan from my provider and then just enter the BES details from Sherweb myself? Or will my provider charge me more if they detect a BES plan being used?

2. I also check 5 Google Apps accounts through IMAP using Windows Mobile. The sync is flawless, the read/unread status syncs 2 way and so do the deletes. Every half hour. As I understand it, this I can setup on my BIS account. The syncing, is it truly reliable and worthwhile? I hear of a lot of delays between sync/etc.

3. I also want Contacts and Calendar sync. This will be taken care of by my Exchange server. However, if I have to pay $10/month extra there for Blackberry and it turns out I need to give something more to the provider as well, I might just switch my main account to a Google Apps account.

In this scenario, does the Google Mobile Sync app sync reliable, both Calendar and Contacts?

4. I have been a relatively happy user of the OS Windows Mobile, disappointed only with the hardware. Being a power user, I tweak my phones so that they rarely crash. I have heard a lot about the Blackberry white screen of death, with only an hourglass showing. Is this a regular occurence?

5. Lastly, 8900 or 9000? I have held both of them in my hand and both feel amazing. I would go for the 8900 only because its cheaper and there is no 3G where I live. Would you agree with this? Or should I get the Bold?

Overall, I am a bit unclear on all this BES/BIS stuff and how my exchange hosting account, as well as 5 google apps accounts and calendar and contacts are going to sync.

It will be a major platform shift for me an an investment as well so I don't want to regret it.

Please do help me and thanks in advance!


P.S. I would assume that the email syncing stuff is top notch and works excellently. Can I also reply from my different Google Apps accounts, using those email addresses? Lot of times I see people replying from a blackberry email address. Can I reply to emails so they show as coming from any one of my google apps accounts?

[tsac]

My head hurts after reading your list of questions but on the Google Apps, I would be very sure they will continue to exist. Google has announced it will be dropping some of the various app's they now offer. The BES you mention should offer all your needs, just check the details.

Welcome to the forums and I'm sure all your questions will be asked.

[PhoenixAG]

Thank you for the response and sorry for the long list. After posting it, I do indeed think it looks a bit daunting, but hopefully, I should get some good responses

I didn't mean to ask whether Google Apps would exist, but how well they would sync with the blackberry.

The reason I am also asking is if I do get a hosted BES solution from Sherweb and pay extra, will I also have to pay my cellphone network provider extra, for using BES? Or if I take their unlimited BIS offer, I can just input my BES details and use the two side by side? I really am unclear on how all this works.

I ask this because if I have to pay extra to Sherweb, then pay extra to my provider, I would rather just switch to a Google Apps hosted account.

Also, on the MS Exchange front, does the blackberry support categories for contacts/calendar/etc which sync to the Exchange server?

And if I do have my Exchange account syncing as well as my 5 google apps accounts syncing, will they all have their own private space where the emails come in? That's how I have it with Windows Mobile. Is it the same with blackberry? Or do they all go in one consolidated Messaging folder? That would be a mess.

[Dubdub]

I suggest you read the FAQ and do a search concerning each of your questions.

1. If your hosting company provides hosted BES, then that would be all you need, other than your carrier's BES data plan. BIS for personal email is accessed that way and shoudl be included in the BES package. It is here in the US.

2. Google Calendar and Google Contacts will sync for sure. You can also get Gmail on the BB. What Google Apps do you have that need to sync? All email comes into one single messages folder and then to a folder for each separate BIS account. Delete from one, gone from all.

3. For the hosted BES and wireless email, calendar and contact sync that it provides requires a BES data plan on top of the hosted BES solution. See answer to #1.

4. A BB is pretty secure so there isn't much tweaking to do. What did you have in mind? The so called "white screen of death" is not a regular occurrence and only happens if something is done that the BB doesn't like, such as an error in upgrading the OS or some similar task. Don't be too concerned and the forum is here to help you get through it should anything like that occur. Generally the solution is to keep a good and current backup and to reload the OS.

5. The choice of devices is really a personal one. Personally, I would opt for the 9000 (Bold) over the 8900. The difference in speed would only be really noticed if you surf the web a lot or used it to tether. Since where you use it is only EDGE, there would be no difference. Plus speed is the result of a number of factors, not just the device. But when is 3G coming to you?

[PhoenixAG]

Thank you for the response. I actually have read the FAQ and have been lurking around here for a few days now, trying to gather as much info as I can. I was still unclear on a few things, that's why I just wanted to confirm them.

1. Ok, so basically, to sync with my Exchange server, I would require BES from my hosting provider and a BES data plan from my carrier, instead of a BIS plan. I hope what I have written is correct.

2. Actually, by Google Apps, I meant Google Apps for your domain, the service where you can host your domain on gmail. So basically, it will be checking gmail for domain email accounts.
Again, I am a bit unclear on the single Message folder thing. Are you saying that it just consolidates every email coming in from my 6 different accounts into 1 folder? Or does it have separate folders I can go to where email coming in from ABC account is stored in ABC folder and from XYZ account is stored in XYZ folder?

3. Thank you for this clarification. I might just switch my main Exchange account to a Gmail for domain one, as this will become quite costly. And use Google Mobile Sync to keep my contacts and calendar in sync.

4. Thank you again. I was worried about this, but I guess, it is not a big issue.

5. Hmm, it does seem that generally, people would opt for the Bold over the 8900, which is surprising, as they are more or less similar. I guess I might opt for the Bold now. Is the battery life around the same?
They say they should have 3G on the networks by April-May, however, seeing as how things are moving, I would say by the end of the year. That, coupled with the fact that 3G's going to be really expensive when first launched, and EDGE works fine for me, I don't think I'll be moving to it anytime soon.

Have you heard about Astrasync? Apparently, you don't need a BES data plan to sync with Exchange and you can do so over a BIS connection. Does anyone have any experience with this and how well it works?

[PhoenixAG]

I am sorry for posting again, but I just had a few questions which I would like to differentiate from above.

I've been reading the comparison of BIS and BES in the FAQ and it says that BIS can handle OWA Exchange accounts. Can anyone tell me how this works? That would save me the trouble of getting a BES server only for my Exchange account.

Also, as has been asked earlier, can I send from different email addresses configured on my blackberry? And does mail of the different email addresses go to different locations/folders?

These are the most important questions to me, at this point.

Thanks again for all your help and sorry again for the double post.

[Dubdub]

1. Not necessarily. For wireless sync of email, calendar and contacts, yes. But if the Exchange account allows IMAP or POP access, you could use BIS for email, and then sync calendar and contacts using Desktop Manager and/or Google Sync.

2. All mail comes into the main messages folder and into a separate folder for each account. Can't help with your question on Google Apps.

Suggest you do a search on Astrasync. I cannot comment on it.

[VIOLATOR]

Originally Posted by PhoenixAG

...Also, as has been asked earlier, can I send from different email addresses configured on my blackberry? And does mail of the different email addresses go to different locations/folders?

As for your e-mail accounts utilizing BIS, when you create the accounts on your BB, an e-mail folder will be created on your desktop for each account. All e-mail will be directed to your messages folder and will also be available in the e-mail account folder.

I have about 8 different e-mail accounts on my BB. I have put all of the individual e-mail folders into one custom folder and pretty much just use the Messages Folder. However, IF I NEED to I can navigate to each individual account and use all of the e-mail functions from there.

However that is really not necessary. With all e-mails coming to the messages folder it is much easier. I know which account the message was sent to and any e-mail I respond to automatically responds using that account.

Additionally - if I am the one initiating the e-mail, I just choose which account I want to "send" from by clicking on "send using" and choose which account I want. I have the Blackberry account set as the default but can change that in a matter of seconds.

Although you may receive e-mails from people indicating it was sent from their Blackberry it could have been sent from any one of their accounts and the "sent from blackberry" tag is there simply because they did not log into their BIS account and change it. You can delete that tag or modify it to say what you want.

Hope that helps some


David

[PhoenixAG]

Thank you!! I think I finally get what you guys are saying. Sorry for being dense, but it just works so differently than any phone I have used so I was having trouble comprehending.

So what you are saying is, all email from my 6 different email accounts comes into the Messages folder. BUT, there is a folder link created for every email account as well, so if I wanted to see email from only one email address, I can do so.
I hope this is correct

I think using BIS to access my exchange account and using Google to sync calendar and contacts is the way to go.

I am now confident enough to go and purchase the blackberry. Which one, I am not sure yet. However, I saw a comparison pic of the Bold and the 8900 and the 8900 is tiny in comparison!

I am sure I will have more questions once I actually have the device. ;)

Thank you everyone for being patient with a newbie asking dumb questions.

[VIOLATOR]

Originally Posted by PhoenixAG

Thank you!! I think I finally get what you guys are saying. Sorry for being dense, but it just works so differently than any phone I have used so I was having trouble comprehending.

So what you are saying is, all email from my 6 different email accounts comes into the Messages folder. BUT, there is a folder link created for every email account as well, so if I wanted to see email from only one email address, I can do so.
I hope this is correct

Exactly!

As for asking all the questions...I can only speak for myself but I think many people appreciate someone who does their research, studies and assesses BEFORE they buy.

So do not be worried about asking questions - especially when they are all great questions.

I can also guarantee that, based on the questions you have asked and what you are looking for, that you will love the Blackberry.


David

[PhoenixAG]

Thank you

I am sure this thread will help people like me who are fed up of the slow development of windows mobile and are looking for a more solid platform to move to, rather than a completely consumer oriented one like the iPhone.

I am now actually evaluating the pros and cons of shifting entirely to a gmail for domain solution or sticking with the exchange solution and syncing only contacts/calendar. It seems that without seamless contacts/calendar sync, the exchange solution isn't so attractive to me.

EDIT: Btw, all over this forum and the internet, people are complaining about the read/unread status not being synced between blackberry and gmail. Can anyone clarify this? It seems that even if gmail imap is used, the read/unread status from blackberry to gmail gets updated, but not the other way round. Is this a problem only for some users or is this a standard problem?
That would be a problem for me, as I have like 5 gmail for domain accounts.

[PhoenixAG]

Hi, one more question:

Does the blackberry support HTML email? I understand that it would not have been supported in earlier models, but do the Bold and the Curve 8900 support it?

Thanks!

[Stijn]

HTML support depends on the BB's OS, not on the BB model. All new OS's support HTML and allow you to select whether you want HTML or plain text and whether you want pictures to be downloaded automatically.

[PhoenixAG]

Thank you. I understand that both the Bold and 8900 have OS 4.6, which I think is the latest version. Therefore, I am assuming that they will support HTML email, correct?

[VIOLATOR]

As I understand it - 4.5 and above supports HTML.


David