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Old 01-09-2007, 04:49 PM   #1
Salil
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Default Questions about BlackBerry 8703e from Sprint

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Hello Friends,
I am currently a Palm Treo 600 owner. I wanna buy a BlackBerry 8703e mainly for it's GPS capabilities. I had a few questions:
  1. I believe the 8703e has an inbuilt GPS receiver. But most of the time I see that we have to use TeleNav along with it which cost $10/month. I would like to pay a one time charge. Can I buy TomTom 6 for the blackberry or similar software? How is the GPS capabilities of the device? This is the reason why I am looking to upgrade.
  2. I believe that I can tether my blackberry to my laptop to use it as a broadband modem. Does this mean that I can retire my roadrunner account and rely completely on the data plan from Sprint? What are the speeds that one receives while using the phone in this way?
  3. Blackberry is primarily meant for email. How is it's PIM? Does it synchronize with MS outlook? Will alarms, todo items and calendar dates be synched with outlook? the Treo 600 didn't sync alarms and I had to undergo a lot of trouble to get through this limitation.
  4. I can I add more memory to a blackberry like in the form of a SD Card, flash memory etc.?
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Old 01-09-2007, 04:50 PM   #2
Salil
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I had one more question. How is the Sprint reception in Charlotte, NC. TMobile reception that I have right now really sucks.
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Old 01-09-2007, 05:55 PM   #3
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OK, I few notes (I have a Sprint 8703e, came from the 7100T (T-mobile), and have pocketPC experience in the Dell Axim and HP PPCs):

I do not use the GPS feature, although I think it is cool. I believe I did see some compatible mapping software (and others here know it better) that you can purchase from handango as opposed to Telenav. Spot for BlackBerry claims to be what you want for about $50.

Spot for BlackBerry by Skylab Mobilesystems Ltd. - Handango BlackBerry 8703e Software

I have used my 8703e to tether to a laptop. The two times I have used it other than just for testing, it was great (because I would have been without the internet otherwise). It seemed slow at first. but then did OK. I would never go without home internet in favor of using this, unless times got real tough or you are a very casual user who mostly checks web based email and a few sites that were not heavily graphics intensive. (I would not dump the home internet service).

BlackBerries are great with PIM, Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, and Memos do great with Outlook. at work, I administer a BlackBerry Enterprise Server. It is great for synchronizing everything wirelessly, without anyone needed to connect their BB to their computer at all. There is also an internet service. It works well for email. I believe you would have to connect via the BlackBerry desktop, which is similar to intellisync. it is a smooth interface and would be a smooth transition for you. Everything can be configured to synch up upon connection. It gives you an opportunity to decide what happens if there is a conflict between the device and your desktop.

For the 8703E, there is no option for upgrading the memory as you suggest. i can only add that the BlackBerry is very efficient in handling memory issues. It is less of a media capable device than a WM device or a treo.

It is great at what it does.

Good Luck,
Dave
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Old 01-09-2007, 06:00 PM   #4
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Wow. So you are saying there is no way to install applications or maps greater than the size of the existing blackberry memory. Thats a major limitation.
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Old 01-09-2007, 06:05 PM   #5
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1. Every cell phone must include a GPS transmitter by law now a days (E911 - I guess using cell towers to triangulate your location did not work so well). Sprint/Nextel really pushes TeleNAV on us. If you cruise over to handango, select Blackberry, then 8703e, and search for GPS I am sure you should get some alternative results.

2. The Sprint Connection Manager Software can be trying at times... I spend most of my time in a EV-DO Rev 0 area and I usually get 120-300 kbps down. In Rev A areas it is a lot quicker. Personally, I would not dump my home broadband connection.

3. I personally think that the all Blackberry devices (with the exception of the Pearl) are incredible productivity machines. No wasted resources on cameras or music players. Without a Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) PIM syncing must be done using the cradle/cable combo (at least I think). Maybe the new version of the Blackberry Internet Service (BIS) includes calendering, tasks, alarms, etc. over the air (OTA). But, in my opinion, the Blackberry devices (except the Pearl) are the best mobile PIM device to date!

4. Many governments rely on Blackberry devices. This means a lot of things, but most notably that BlueTooth and expansion cards will not be available. So no SD cards on any Blackberry device except for the Pearl.

I spent a little time in Charlotte and I received very good reception. I spent most of my time in Raleigh (Research Triangle) and I got excellent reception all of the time.

I hope this helps,
Jeff
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Old 01-09-2007, 06:09 PM   #6
Salil
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Since every mobile phone must have the E911 service, are you saying that every mobile phone has the GPS receiver? Is the 8703e not special in any other way from PDAs like Treo 700? Can Spot give turn by turn voice instructions and reroute?
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Old 01-09-2007, 06:17 PM   #7
DKatman
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I think I understand how jcrawfor is talking about GPS in terms of 911 calls.

But the GPS implementation for the 8703e is supposed to be well beyond that.

It is supposed to be much more as you are envisioning a GPS. I will mention that I did get a dedicated TomTom device After already getting the 8703e because I figured it still had to be way better.

Click search in this forum and do a search for "8703e spot". I definitely remember a thread on this topic about 2-3 months ago. I thought there were a few people who were very impressed with its ability.

Dave
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Old 01-09-2007, 06:23 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DKatman
I think I understand how jcrawfor is talking about GPS in terms of 911 calls.

But the GPS implementation for the 8703e is supposed to be well beyond that.

It is supposed to be much more as you are envisioning a GPS. I will mention that I did get a dedicated TomTom device After already getting the 8703e because I figured it still had to be way better.

Click search in this forum and do a search for "8703e spot". I definitely remember a thread on this topic about 2-3 months ago. I thought there were a few people who were very impressed with its ability.

Dave
Hello Dave,
so you think that the GPS functionality on the Blackberry is not good enough for practical use? What features were lacking? I would definitely like to have turn-by-turn navigation, voice prompts and rerouting
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Old 01-09-2007, 06:25 PM   #9
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Default E911 + Gps

Yes, definitely the GPS chip in Sprint/Nextel phones is far more than an E911 thing. It is a full blown GPS transmitter/receiver.

My understanding of wireless E911 is this...

In order to dial 911 on a cell phone and have the call routed to the proper 911 call center requires the cell carriers's network to know where you are. My understanding is that this is still done with triangulation and other exotic techniques, but after some date the feds started requiring all new handsets equipped with a GPS transmitter (that cannot be shut off).

Nextel (the dots have been around for awhile) has long considered GPS their killer app and marketed it towards business, schools, and goverments accordingly. Sprint inherited a lot of this.

The other carriers are all now pushing GPS too (Boost has the crazy friend tracker thing now). Verizon offers turn by turn directions on most (if not all) of their new handsets

Personally, I messed around with TeleNAV and I prefer dedicated GPS units (I use a TomTom in the car and then two different handheld Garmin units).

Jeff

Last edited by jcrawfor; 01-09-2007 at 06:31 PM..
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Old 01-09-2007, 06:29 PM   #10
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as per what is posted in this forums I think most people are not happy with the handheld GPS solution provided by blackberry
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Old 01-09-2007, 06:39 PM   #11
DKatman
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And for the record, I never tried using my 8703e before getting the TomTom. I had a great deal offered through Amex at the time.

I had thought to try out the 8703 for GPS. I feared it would destroy my battery life. But that is just because I have spotty reception at work (great for me everywhere else) and so my phone is constantly searching for service while I am at work. THAT does take a toll on the battery life. And, as a side note, I LOVE this phone.

Dave
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Old 01-10-2007, 09:24 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Salil
as per what is posted in this forums I think most people are not happy with the handheld GPS solution provided by blackberry
I beg to differ my friend.
Keep reading the other areas of this forum and you'll see most of us are pretty happy with our GPS functions, except those with "The Network" Blackberry, that disables it for some obscure reason.

I have the Sprint 8703e, and I am extremely happy with it and with Sprint's coverage. Now, as for the Sprint customer support....that leaves a lot to be disered.
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Old 01-10-2007, 11:15 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Salil
I believe the 8703e has an inbuilt GPS receiver. But most of the time I see that we have to use TeleNav along with it which cost $10/month. I would like to pay a one time charge.
There are other GPS application options out there with different pricing options. However, I'm betting that you'll need to pay something more than a one-time charge considering that maps have to be updated frequently and that you have to download them.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Salil
Wow. So you are saying there is no way to install applications or maps greater than the size of the existing blackberry memory. Thats a major limitation.
You can't exceed whatever storage capacity that you have on any device. The amount of built-in memory on an 8700 series device is a limitation but I'm not sure I'd call it a "major limitation". The Blackberry was never intended to be a storage or GPS device. People using Telenav and other GPS apps that download maps seem to be using it just fine.

Last edited by takeshi; 01-10-2007 at 11:18 AM..
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Old 01-10-2007, 02:48 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by takeshi
You can't exceed whatever storage capacity that you have on any device. The amount of built-in memory on an 8700 series device is a limitation but I'm not sure I'd call it a "major limitation". The Blackberry was never intended to be a storage or GPS device. People using Telenav and other GPS apps that download maps seem to be using it just fine.
Other devices even the Palm Treo 600 which is like a zillion years old have a SD card slot allowing you to install maps and applications on the SD Card. With the 8703e I will need to constantly stream map information to my BB using the data connection and will be forced to use TeleNav paying 10$ a month. With time, it will become more expensive than most GPS devices. I was wondering if there are any applications that will give maps that can be stored on the device and then updated. I am not sure how huge these maps will be and I worried about it taking up all the space on bb.
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Old 01-10-2007, 02:58 PM   #15
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You can always use BBMaps and it is FREE --> www . blackberry . com/devicesoftware/entry.do?code=maps
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Old 01-10-2007, 03:22 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hdcd
You can always use BBMaps and it is FREE --> www . blackberry . com/devicesoftware/entry.do?code=maps
But BBMaps doesn't have voice prompting and does it do rerouting?
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Old 01-11-2007, 09:17 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jcrawfor
2. The Sprint Connection Manager Software can be trying at times... I spend most of my time in a EV-DO Rev 0 area and I usually get 120-300 kbps down. In Rev A areas it is a lot quicker. Personally, I would not dump my home broadband connection.

Where are you seeing Rev A areas?
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Old 01-12-2007, 05:29 PM   #18
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[QUOTE=jcrawfor]

2. The Sprint Connection Manager Software can be trying at times... I spend most of my time in a EV-DO Rev 0 area and I usually get 120-300 kbps down. In Rev A areas it is a lot quicker. Personally, I would not dump my home broadband connection.

/QUOTE]

Are you saying that you getting faster download speeds in Rev A areas even though the 8703e is not a Rev A capable device? If so, I am not sure why that would be the case.
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