[Mthr1]

Hello there.

I am new to this forum...and new to Blackberries. I am on the verge of picking up a 7250 from VZ, but I have questions for you BB veterens.

I am using a Kyocera 7135 now. My wife and I are in professions that require us to sport both a cell and a two way text pager. We use a Motorola P935 for our instant messaging needs. We are looking at the BB to handle the job of both effectively and securely.

Here are my questions.

1. Their push email appears to be the alternative to our text paging needs. Is this feature part of the basic featureset of the BB? Meaning...do I have to pick up a data option for this to work? I know that VZ offers BB Data Solution plans (a 5 meg and an unlimited), but I don't really surf too much nor do I really have the need to access my other POP email accounts, BUT the instant messaging is vital for us. I was hoping to hear that the PUSH EMAIL feature is included in the standard voice plan and that I would not have to fork out an extra $50 a month to obtain this feature. The SMS features are too limited for me. 160 characters per msg is too restrictive.

2. I am interviewing the BB and the Treo 650 (I know the comparison has been argued to no end already here). The PULL email on the Treo doesn't appeal to me. The smaller footprint does, but the feasibility of the tiny keyboard makes me cautious. The rumors that I am hearing is that the BB's phone abilities are mediocre at best. Any substance here? I hear that the volume levels are not loud enough. Clarity is spotty. And no voice dialing?

3. No speakerphone? That's disappointing. No flash card storage? Not a huge biggie, but somewhat reduces it's flexibility...perhaps in trade for stability? My 7135 was useful in that it played MP3s for me during those "appropriate" times. I assume the BB cannot.

4. Bluetooth. Does it work well for the BB? Then again, I hear it's only marginally effective on the Treo too.

5. Battery life. Please advise here...are the rated times on their site inflated?

6. VIBRATE alert. Is it strong enough? The vibrate alert on my P935 is GREAT. On my Kyocera 7135, I miss a lot of calls because of it's weak vibration.

7. Holster design. I like the use of plastic holsters. What are the opinions of the OEM included holster? Construct? Secure? Easy one handed release? Is there a better aftermarket holster?

I know some of these questions may have been addressed already, but after doing a few searches across this forum, I found that some of the responses were inconclusive. I am hoping that I can get some fresh opinions here so that I can make the right choice.

In a nutshell, between the two phones, I am looking for a good performing phone, with robust instant emailing capabilities, base PDA functions (contact list, day planner, and calender), and solid bluetooth performance. I don't mind forking out $600 for a pair of phones, but I would like to fulfill my needs with just a voice plan rate.

Is it possible?

Thanks for the advice.

[Bunker]

First, you are going to have to pay for a data plan. This is not a 'voice plan only' option - it doesn't work that way. One of the reasons is that that data portion is not connection based, but packet based so they really cant appropriately charge you 'per minute' like they can do with a phone call or even an SMS. To do push mail properly, you need the packet data - BlackBerry advertizes as "always on, always connected' and you can only do that on packet data.

BTW, get used to it - the carriers are looking for new revenue streams past voice and data is going to cost you whatever the source. They are also expecting that with new networks you will pay from everything from browsing, tv, DVD, music, tickets, GPS services, email, video calls, IM, etc, etc... In fact they are counting on this.

So in short:

1. No, but you there are plans out there less then $50. Use it for a couple of months and you find this is a HUGE bargain. It might not seem so from where you are today, but then you haven't used a BlackBerry yet. If you can manage your business by email also, it is possible that your voice minutes will drop as well.

2. Personally I don't think the footprint is that much different. In fact I would day the BlackBerry is easier to carry on a day-to-day all day long basis. Especially in the case of Verizon, the phone on the BB is very, very good. I do prefer to use a Bluetooth headset but I find the handset itself is pretty good up against the ear.

3. Right. This is very much a business focused device. Yes, the device is incredibly stable. SpeakerPhone is not available on Verizon yet, but maybe in the future.

4. BT works very, very well for the BlackBerry as long as you are looking for just the headset and handsfree profiles. RIM is very security conscious and is not enabling other profiles until they feel there is a reasonable way to secure BT for other profiles. I find the Jabra headsets (I use the Jabra GT250) and the Plantronics ones work best - there is a rumour the Motorola ones have some 'noise' on the 7250 but I don't know if this is true or not.

5. Battery life is good and the info on the site is accurate, or as least as accurate as you can be considering everyone's differing usage patterns. There are some standard tests for battery life and I am sure the results you see on the website are from the one Verizon supports.

6. Yes, the Vibrate function does seem to me to be very good.

7. Personally I like the holster that comes with the device. Easy usage on a belt - one hand in and out. You will find you take the BlackBerry out a lot, so that is very important.

In your summmary the BlackBerry is going to give you what you need over the Treo however you are going to have to fork out for some kind of data plan whatever decision you make.

Bunker

[yahtzee]

Originally Posted by Mthr1

Hello there.

I am new to this forum...and new to Blackberries. I am on the verge of picking up a 7250 from VZ, but I have questions for you BB veterens.

I am using a Kyocera 7135 now. My wife and I are in professions that require us to sport both a cell and a two way text pager. We use a Motorola P935 for our instant messaging needs. We are looking at the BB to handle the job of both effectively and securely.

Here are my questions.

1. Their push email appears to be the alternative to our text paging needs. Is this feature part of the basic featureset of the BB? Meaning...do I have to pick up a data option for this to work? I know that VZ offers BB Data Solution plans (a 5 meg and an unlimited), but I don't really surf too much nor do I really have the need to access my other POP email accounts, BUT the instant messaging is vital for us. I was hoping to hear that the PUSH EMAIL feature is included in the standard voice plan and that I would not have to fork out an extra $50 a month to obtain this feature. The SMS features are too limited for me. 160 characters per msg is too restrictive.

2. I am interviewing the BB and the Treo 650 (I know the comparison has been argued to no end already here). The PULL email on the Treo doesn't appeal to me. The smaller footprint does, but the feasibility of the tiny keyboard makes me cautious. The rumors that I am hearing is that the BB's phone abilities are mediocre at best. Any substance here? I hear that the volume levels are not loud enough. Clarity is spotty. And no voice dialing?

3. No speakerphone? That's disappointing. No flash card storage? Not a huge biggie, but somewhat reduces it's flexibility...perhaps in trade for stability? My 7135 was useful in that it played MP3s for me during those "appropriate" times. I assume the BB cannot.

4. Bluetooth. Does it work well for the BB? Then again, I hear it's only marginally effective on the Treo too.

5. Battery life. Please advise here...are the rated times on their site inflated?

6. VIBRATE alert. Is it strong enough? The vibrate alert on my P935 is GREAT. On my Kyocera 7135, I miss a lot of calls because of it's weak vibration.

7. Holster design. I like the use of plastic holsters. What are the opinions of the OEM included holster? Construct? Secure? Easy one handed release? Is there a better aftermarket holster?

I know some of these questions may have been addressed already, but after doing a few searches across this forum, I found that some of the responses were inconclusive. I am hoping that I can get some fresh opinions here so that I can make the right choice.

In a nutshell, between the two phones, I am looking for a good performing phone, with robust instant emailing capabilities, base PDA functions (contact list, day planner, and calender), and solid bluetooth performance. I don't mind forking out $600 for a pair of phones, but I would like to fulfill my needs with just a voice plan rate.

Is it possible?

Thanks for the advice.

Check out the 7520 from Nextel. A very good device WITH speakerphone and Bluetooth (and GPS)....

[Mthr1]

Nextel coverage in the Cleveland area is very spotty.

Verizon coverage is very good.

So, a supplemental data plan is needed for any of the push emailing to work. Thank you for all your information. This will help.

Paul

[finch]

Batter life is also rather poor on the 7520 without an additional purchase of the high capacity battery.

[yahtzee]

Originally Posted by finch

Batter life is also rather poor on the 7520 without an additional purchase of the high capacity battery.

I live on the BB each and every day and have no issue with charging it each night. I manage roughly 150 email per day and talk 1-2 hours in total with no issue.