[slinky]

Hi guys - I was just forced to leave my Palm at home and carry a Blackberry. So the 8830 and 8300 series (great marketing) look cool on the outside but I'm finding out how much I cannot get on the inside. There may be some learning curve issues but at first glance I'm noticing:

(1) Blackberry applications cost anywhere from 2-4 times the amount of Palm or PocketPC applications and might not even be as good. These are even for the same suite or individual applications.

(2) Basic applications are not available for the Blackberry like... a universal document viewer? I can't seem to find anything capable of simply reading my doc, xls, txt, lit, pdb, pdf, ppt files.

(3) If I CAN find applications to simply read any of the above files, the developers are treating the numerous of us individual users as if we were an enterprise (a) looking to buy something in bulk, and (b) as a SERVICE, the root of all that is bad with the BB (so it seems to me at the moment.) So I can't just get a damn doc viewer, I need to buy a viewing SERVICE for 3 month periods or a year.

(4) There is a host of applications not available for BB that make life wonderful on general PDAs. I'm not sure of the reason for this, e.g. mapping applications that don't require a connection, local maps such as train/subway/bus, etc. No built in voice recorder/note taker, etc.

(5) Navigation can leave something to be desired. For example, Email is pretty good although I find that snappermail for Palm (just hit "d" and your messages are deleted!) is a superior application for easy navigation. This might be a matter of figuring out all the hidden keystrokes but I didn't find it so simple.

So that's why I'm hating it right now. The Blackberry does push email and a few other things. Great. Still can't read my docs. I'm wondering if other PDA phone owners have felt the same about what a letdown the Blackberry has been.

[JSanders]

Wirelessly posted (8700g: BlackBerry8800/4.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

Lol, you are showing your ignorance about the subject. Since you didn't ask for help or answers, what do you expect?
I only add that every complaint you made is invalid and actually not true (such as, you can delete email on the BlackBerry with a simple one tap of the delete key.)
Good luck.

[Dubdub]

Go back to your Palm and all of its issues and stop complaining to us.

We love our BBs, so you won't find much sympathy here.

[BigPlaya]

I would recommend that you go to this page and download the BB 8830 user guide. I have no problems viewing documents and images attached to emails. I also find UI navigation on the BB to be quite intuitive. Then again I did read the manual.

[slinky]

Originally Posted by JSanders

Wirelessly posted (8700g: BlackBerry8800/4.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

Lol, you are showing your ignorance about the subject. Since you didn't ask for help or answers, what do you expect?
I only add that every complaint you made is invalid and actually not true (such as, you can delete email on the BlackBerry with a simple one tap of the delete key.)
Good luck.

Ahhh... a friendly group and consistently they don't read the content!

(a) I admitted my ignorance on the subject and was obviously seeking enlightenment.
"There may be some learning curve issues but at first glance..."

(b) For someone "in the know" telling me I'm wrong it seems you haven't provided many answers, bar one. And the rest?

[slinky]

Originally Posted by BigPlaya

I would recommend that you go to this page and download the BB 8830 user guide. I have no problems viewing documents and images attached to emails. I also find UI navigation on the BB to be quite intuitive. Then again I did read the manual.

I did read the manual - unfortunately I'm looking to open docs on an SD card. I don't understand why I'd need to have them only accessible as an attachment. There isn't any easy way out of the box to just sync an folder on your desktop with an SD card and read your docs in a reader. Let's say you have a 7MB PDF manual... email it? There should be a good answer.

Regarding the navigation - it is very good for a non-touch screen. It is everything that the Smartphone platform wishes it would be and doesn't come close. I do wish they might put the key shortcuts in the menus at times since it would be easier to figure out.

Regarding the apps... so, where are they? I can't find any document editing tools either. The only one is the Office suite that sells for $150 for the standard edition and apparently does not work for the 8830 series.

Regarding the ASP - Repligo is a phenomenal piece of software. Converts all your docs into viewable ones on your little PDA screen. Unfortunately them and others have made this into a service for the BB. Instead of paying $30-40 and converting your docs they have to do it for you and charge you per quarter for this "service." Then you have to have them sent outside your organization to a third party to download onto your BB. It's a security issue as well.

I'm waiting for intelligent discussion here from others. I'm a new 8800 series BB owner who has used both the Palm and Pocket PC to make mobile phones a very useful business tool. Other than email and a few apps, I've just read a few angry messages from BB fanboys who have provided little to the discussion. Name some apps. Tell me the "essentials" that make the BB more than just an email tool (e.g. I found PocketDay Pro to be similar to my front screen and is very good, especially with the scrolling.)

[juwaack68]

Originally Posted by slinky

Hi guys - I was just forced to leave my Palm at home and carry a Blackberry. So the 8830 and 8300 series (great marketing) look cool on the outside but I'm finding out how much I cannot get on the inside. There may be some learning curve issues but at first glance I'm noticing:

(1) Blackberry applications cost anywhere from 2-4 times the amount of Palm or PocketPC applications and might not even be as good. These are even for the same suite or individual applications.

(2) Basic applications are not available for the Blackberry like... a universal document viewer? I can't seem to find anything capable of simply reading my doc, xls, txt, lit, pdb, pdf, ppt files.

(3) If I CAN find applications to simply read any of the above files, the developers are treating the numerous of us individual users as if we were an enterprise (a) looking to buy something in bulk, and (b) as a SERVICE, the root of all that is bad with the BB (so it seems to me at the moment.) So I can't just get a damn doc viewer, I need to buy a viewing SERVICE for 3 month periods or a year.

(4) There is a host of applications not available for BB that make life wonderful on general PDAs. I'm not sure of the reason for this, e.g. mapping applications that don't require a connection, local maps such as train/subway/bus, etc. No built in voice recorder/note taker, etc.

(5) Navigation can leave something to be desired. For example, Email is pretty good although I find that snappermail for Palm (just hit "d" and your messages are deleted!) is a superior application for easy navigation. This might be a matter of figuring out all the hidden keystrokes but I didn't find it so simple.

So that's why I'm hating it right now. The Blackberry does push email and a few other things. Great. Still can't read my docs. I'm wondering if other PDA phone owners have felt the same about what a letdown the Blackberry has been.

Welcome to the forums.

You said you were forced to start using a BB, so I'm assuming this is for work? If your work BES is at 4.0, you should be able to open quite a few attachments - .doc, .txt, .xls, .pdf, .jpg. Granted they won't look exactly like what you'd see on a PC, but it can be done.

There are also many free applications for other things (Beyond411, BBWeather, Google Maps), that may be of value to you - I know I can't live without them on my BB.

For navigation, you can turn off the dial from home screen (click on phone/call log icon, then go into Options, then General options, then turn off dial from home screen) and use several keyboard shortcuts to go directly into applications - 'm' for messages, 'a' or 'c' for address book, etc.

I'd recommend searching thru this forum, or go to Blackberryfaq.com, and see what your device can do.

[JSanders]

Wirelessly posted (8700g: BlackBerry8800/4.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

Originally Posted by slinky

Ahhh... a friendly group and consistently they don't read the content!



(a) I admitted my ignorance on the subject and was obviously seeking enlightenment.

"There may be some learning curve issues but at first glance..."



(b) For someone "in the know" telling me I'm wrong it seems you haven't provided many answers, bar one. And the rest?

Your post never asked any questions--bar one to other PDA users--so the one answer I gave you was purely as an example. You came to complain, Your thread title and your less than intelligent foul language does not exactly encourage anything intelligent.

[junior1790]

Slinky- I think after a few days you'll see why people become so addicted to bb's. The main reason is stability, which im sure you can understand coming from the palm and pocket pc world. Those platforms may view attachments better but the resetting and down time make it ot worth the effort. You van try dochawk for attachments (office attachments anyway) thats what i use, little pricey but worth it imho. I would also add battery life is far beyond that of any palm or windows device, i also saw you mention security and bb is the leader in that dept as well. Obviously e-mail is the main reason to go to bb, rim is king in that dept. Blackberry is a staple in most peoples lives on this forum so sympathy is at a minimum but your questions will more then likely be answered accurately... welcome to the berry world...

[sean76]

Originally Posted by slinky

Hi guys - I was just forced to leave my Palm at home and carry a Blackberry. So the 8830 and 8300 series (great marketing) look cool on the outside but I'm finding out how much I cannot get on the inside. There may be some learning curve issues but at first glance I'm noticing:

(1) Blackberry applications cost anywhere from 2-4 times the amount of Palm or PocketPC applications and might not even be as good. These are even for the same suite or individual applications.

(2) Basic applications are not available for the Blackberry like... a universal document viewer? I can't seem to find anything capable of simply reading my doc, xls, txt, lit, pdb, pdf, ppt files.

(3) If I CAN find applications to simply read any of the above files, the developers are treating the numerous of us individual users as if we were an enterprise (a) looking to buy something in bulk, and (b) as a SERVICE, the root of all that is bad with the BB (so it seems to me at the moment.) So I can't just get a damn doc viewer, I need to buy a viewing SERVICE for 3 month periods or a year.

(4) There is a host of applications not available for BB that make life wonderful on general PDAs. I'm not sure of the reason for this, e.g. mapping applications that don't require a connection, local maps such as train/subway/bus, etc. No built in voice recorder/note taker, etc.

(5) Navigation can leave something to be desired. For example, Email is pretty good although I find that snappermail for Palm (just hit "d" and your messages are deleted!) is a superior application for easy navigation. This might be a matter of figuring out all the hidden keystrokes but I didn't find it so simple.

So that's why I'm hating it right now. The Blackberry does push email and a few other things. Great. Still can't read my docs. I'm wondering if other PDA phone owners have felt the same about what a letdown the Blackberry has been.

Just a little advice!
Your on a site that's called Blackberry Forums, and your knocking the lead character!
I'm not going to get too technical, but not a wise move when everyone on here loves the Berry! Palm, ha ha- like a couple of years late I'd say! My palm would have to be reset if I sneezed to loud! Slowly but surely most PDA users are making there way over to our side of the fence, and jumping on the BlackBerry bandwagon! And if your not, then you should do a web search on Forums for Palm, or other PDA devices! Everyone is entitled to there own opinion, but your in our house now, and BlackBerry rules this house!

[slinky]

Thanks guys juwaack68, junior1970, who have shown me there are intelligent signs of life. To the rest, instead of telling me the obvious why don't you answer why my points aren't right on target? Are you finding the limitations of your own tool a bit... of a shortcoming? That might explain the outrage.

Regarding the doc reader, that's something almost any phone on the market can do, e.g. Symbian, etc. There is no Microsoft Office/Adobe document reader for Blackberry devices? Now I understand you can download them on the ground. What if you're flying? On the subway (which I spend a lot of time on the underground and away from access)? How about editing a simple spreadsheet? What if you want to read a 200 page white paper that is 3MB - are you going to download it from email every time and then search to find the page you were viewing? I can drag and drop a movie but I can't drag and drop my office documents? Am I missing something in this being a great work-related device? That's my point.

In a way I think the BB is cool but I'm finding out that it's really challenging to do much other than email. It has a great built in MP3 and video player but I also want to get some work done too! :D

Case in point -- Thanks for the dochawk recommendation but it's NOT an application that is a doc reader. It appears to be another bloody ASP service where I have to pay someone $20 every three months to allow me to read my documents. As I mentioned, take a look at Documents to Go for the Palm or PPD. Take a look at Repligo. You can take your whole office with you and view your documents on your mobile phone. All I'm asking is for someone to tell me how to do the same thing. I need to use it when the phone is NOT connected to the system and it shouldn't need to. I also need to use it without paying monthly fees. I shouldn't have to. You don't have to but ONLY with Blackberry versions of these applications. OK JSanders, if you have something bright to say now is your chance instead of telling us what a loyal Blackberry fanboy you are and I'm just complaining. It's a perfectly valid gripe with what is supposed to be a great mobile office device.

[penguin3107]

Originally Posted by slinky

Thanks guys juwaack68, junior1970, who have shown me there are intelligent signs of life. To the rest, instead of telling me the obvious why don't you answer why my points aren't right on target? Are you finding the limitations of your own tool a bit... of a shortcoming? That might explain the outrage.

Regarding the doc reader, that's something almost any phone on the market can do, e.g. Symbian, etc. There is no Microsoft Office/Adobe document reader for Blackberry devices? Now I understand you can download them on the ground. What if you're flying? On the subway (which I spend a lot of time on the underground and away from access)? How about editing a simple spreadsheet? What if you want to read a 200 page white paper that is 3MB - are you going to download it from email every time and then search to find the page you were viewing? I can drag and drop a movie but I can't drag and drop my office documents? Am I missing something in this being a great work-related device? That's my point.

In a way I think the BB is cool but I'm finding out that it's really challenging to do much other than email. It has a great built in MP3 and video player but I also want to get some work done too! :D

Case in point -- Thanks for the dochawk recommendation but it's NOT an application that is a doc reader. It appears to be another bloody ASP service where I have to pay someone $20 every three months to allow me to read my documents. As I mentioned, take a look at Documents to Go for the Palm or PPD. Take a look at Repligo. You can take your whole office with you and view your documents on your mobile phone. All I'm asking is for someone to tell me how to do the same thing. I need to use it when the phone is NOT connected to the system and it shouldn't need to. I also need to use it without paying monthly fees. I shouldn't have to. You don't have to but ONLY with Blackberry versions of these applications. OK JSanders, if you have something bright to say now is your chance instead of telling us what a loyal Blackberry fanboy you are and I'm just complaining. It's a perfectly valid gripe with what is supposed to be a great mobile office device.

It sounds to me like you expected the BlackBerry to be a PDA.
It's not.
The BlackBerry is a mobile e-mail device, which happens to have a phone and some simple PIM functions. Until recently BlackBerry devices had no multimedia capabilities at all.

Third-party applications which enhance the BlackBerry's functionality are going to be nothing more than expensive bandages for you.

If you need a PDA with the ability to open/edit/store Microsoft Office docs, PDFs, etc... then the BlackBerry is not for you. That's not what it's intended to do. If your job assigned this to you, then it's their shortcoming for not understanding your needs.

Coming here and bashing a device because it falls short when plan to use it in a way in which it wasn't intended is simply ludicrous.

In forums like these, you often get out of them the same thing that you put in. You came in to a BlackBerry-centric forum ranting and raving about the BlackBerry and expected polite and intelligent replies in return? Doesn't make much sense to me.

Sometimes the old cliches hold true. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

[slinky]

As I type this back I find out just now that my inability to receive email for the past 3 hours was due to a Blackberry issue networkwide. If I was able to view my docs with me this would NEVER be an issue and not a point of failure. Many of us have a "mobile office" and just having a good email system is a big limitation. I have never had major issues with a PocketPC or Palm device where I couldn't either reboot or, at the very worst, clean reset and get my email. That happened extremely rarely and if you know your device and don't fill it with crap, it works rather well.

I want to like this Blackberry, don't get me wrong. It's sleeker, a bit cooler looking, and has its advantages for sure. But the disadvantages I list are huge if I can't find a workaround. I understand some issues of reliability - my calculator does what it does well and it is reliable for that purpose but it's not flexible.

For those of you who are just out to complain about my first impressions and hopeful attitude of something on the horizon, here are some links that should leave you in serious envy if you do some real work. And I'm not even talking about the cool factor of having your slingbox play on your Treo - PPC or Palm OS. The below are mini- Microsoft Office Suites on your device -- READ AND WRITE. Another is a universal doc reader - read from almost any e-book format or edoc. There is a WEALTH of stuff to choose from instead of paying ridiculous sums for BB versions:

http://www.palmgear.com/index.cfm?fu...1276&ATID=3622

Documents To Go Premium Edition - PalmGear.com: Download Palm Software for your Treo 650/600, Tungsten, LifeDrive or other Palm OS Device

http://www.palmgear.com/index.cfm?fu...1&prodID=50910

iSilo - PalmGear.com: Download Palm Software for your Treo 650/600, Tungsten, LifeDrive or other Palm OS Device

I can't find even one equivalent that works for the 8830 and the one that works for older models costs FIVE times the price of the Palm / PPC version.

[penguin3107]

slinky... the BlackBerry doesn't suit your needs. That's perfectly clear from your posts. Why do you persist on fighting it each step of the way.
Return it, and get a device that works for you.
The BlackBerry is not for everyone, and I don't think anyone here is trying to convince you to keep it and continue to workaround your issues.

No one here cares about your Palm software, or your Slingbox, or your MS Office suite. These things don't matter to most BlackBerry users.

The things you are looking to accomplish can be easily done with other devices such as Palm and Micrososft Windows Mobile handhelds.
I strongly suggest you consider switching from the BlackBerry to something else.
At the very least... please stop trolling here.

[Dubdub]

I use the BB because it works for me and does what I need it to do.

What applications do you think you need? I assume that you have searched the RIM software site, this forum and Handango.com for additional software?

I find the calendar, contact list, email and browsers are quite adequate for what I need. PocketDay is a nice front end/home page. LexSpell is my spell check of choice. GoogleMaps and BlackberryMaps are the mapping applications I use. Work great with the 8800's GPS.

I don't have the need to open documents, PDFs, etc. I carry a laptop for that. Besides the screen is way too small to be very productive.

If you ask for assistance, we will gladly help you. But when you come on and complain about everything and not even ask for help, what do you expect?

BTW, I was a longtime Palm and Treo user. Also used a Smartphone (Blackjack), but I kept coming back to the BB because it worked and it was reliable.

[sean76]

Originally Posted by penguin3107

slinky... the BlackBerry doesn't suit your needs. That's perfectly clear from your posts. Why do you persist on fighting it each step of the way.
Return it, and get a device that works for you.
The BlackBerry is not for everyone, and I don't think anyone here is trying to convince you to keep it and continue to workaround your issues.

No one here cares about your Palm software, or your Slingbox, or your MS Office suite. These things don't
matter to most BlackBerry users.

The things you are looking to accomplish can be easily done with other devices such as Palm and Micrososft Windows Mobile handhelds.
I strongly suggest you consider switching from the BlackBerry to something else.
At the very least... please stop trolling here.

Lol, well said!
Trolling around!

[kjaslow]

Dude - you bought the wrong device. Blackberry's are not PDAs. They are not built to be a mobile office, with document editors and such. They are the best e-mail phone around, in my opinion. You can VIEW documents that are attachments to e-mails. But if your intention is to carry your documents around with you and work on them standalone...you got the wrong device.

Frankly, if your primary purpose is to work on Office docs, then I would think that a Microsoft device would be ideal for you. But if you're of the "evil empire" mindset, then Palm is a great alternative.

Now, if your primary objective is e-mail, and you want a phone/Internet browser in the same device, then you've come to the right place.

There are solutions that can help the BB become closer to what you're looking for. And again, if your main priority is e-mail, and editing Office docs is going to be considered a bonus, then you're in business. But if your main purpose is to edit office docs, and viewing e-mails is icing on the cake...you got the wrong device...

[juwaack68]

How about we try being nice and helping Slinky? Attacking a new person, even if they *appear* to show preference to a non-Blackberry device, certainly doesn't make a very nice impression.

[penguin3107]

juwaack68, I'm not attacking slinky in the least bit.
I'm trying to spare this user from further headaches due to using a device that I personally do not feel is the right tool for the job.

This user also didn't come here asking for any help, and I believe the responses that have been given, are pretty fair. Some may be more abrasive than others, but I'm sure slinky can choose to ignore what he/she wants to.

I understand that you're just trying to be diplomatic as your moderator duties may dictate... but let's be fair... slinky isnt exactly making it easy for people to lend an overly helpful hand.

[Dr. Jerry]

I have both the 8100c and the 8800c. They are great devices for their intended purpose: send and receive email. THAT IS ALL!! When it comes to a mobile office platform...don't believe the hype. They are completely useless! If you have a position that requires alot of MS Office reads and editing...this is definitely not the device for you. I have a Nokia E90 Communicator for practically anything else but email. The Nokia kicks the piss out of the BB for everything except email. If you plan on doing more that email...get a different device. Coming on this forum is like preaching to the choir. You are simply wasting your time. Case closed.