[ubizmo]

I'm not quite new to the forum, since I already started a thread in the "Handheld" section comparing the BB Curve and Sidekick LX. But today I ordered a Curve from T-mobile, which I should get in a few days, so I'm beyond the "considering a BB" point. I've read a lot on this forum, done a lot of searching, and learned a lot. And I'll have two weeks to decide whether I want to stick with the Curve. I still have a lot of questions, but I guess I'll need to put them into the right forums, instead of dumping them all into one post.

At any rate, I guess I'll be around here for at least two weeks!

[ezrunner]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8800/4.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

Well welcome to the forums

[JSanders]

Wirelessly posted (8800: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0) BlackBerry8310/4.2.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

Greetings, and welcome. Ask away, and read Stinsonddog's Tips as well as the FAQ site, saving you dozens of questions.

[dres79]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8310/4.2.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

Welcome. And you have made a great decision.

[ubizmo]

Thanks for the welcoming words. I'll ask a couple of simple questions, just to get warmed up.

1. Every screen shot I've ever seen shows the BB screen font as somewhat squarish, almost teletype-looking. I understand that the screen fonts (for dialogs, menus, etc) on the Curve are customizable. Is there someplace online where I can see what the options are? I haven't found anything yet.

2. I understand the BB has both auto-text and predictive text. Auto-text is a big deal for me. I've devised hundreds of abbreviations for common words that I use on my Sidekick, and I plan to do the same on the Curve. This speeds up text entry hugely. But how do auto-text and predictive text coexist? For example "afn" is my abbreviation that expands to "afternoon". When I type it, is the BB always going to try to guess whether I'm trying to type "apnea" or something? And will the auto-text work on downloaded apps such as Jivetalk?

Okay, that's just two questions. Not too bad. Thanks again for the welcome.

[li2327]

Wirelessly posted (7130e: BlackBerry8320/4.2.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

You will be able to change the fonts on your curve through the options icon. There are different fonts and sizes to choose from. Yes it does have autotext and it allows you to add new words as well. Trust me. You won't be returning you're curve. You're going to love it.

[aiharkness]

Wirelessly posted (8700g: BlackBerry8700/4.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

Good choice, ubizmo!

[JaguarXJ7]

First off Welcome to the Forum!!

2nd - congrats on an excellent decision in picking the Curve ............. It is Awsome!!!

3rd - Stinsonddog's Tips (as mentioned by JSanders) are great. I have actually downloaded and printed them off (PDF File) so I can sit on the couch and absorb.

4th - Predictive type does not exist on the BB Curve so this will not be an issue.

Enjoy .......... your gonna Love It!

[ubizmo]

My Curve still hasn't shipped, thanks to holiday delays I guess. Meanwhile I've been reading as much as possible, so I can hit the ground running when it arrives. I'm trying to get used to the whole BIS/BES thing, and the fact that different carriers offer different options. I still have only a hazy idea of what "service books" are, but I'm hoping that will become clear when I actually get the thing. The Sidekick was simpler just because in the US it's T-mobile and the Sidekick data plan, and that's it. No other possibilities. But of course the simplicity of the Sidekick also limits it, and I'm interested in doing more, so that's a fair trade-off.

I've learned that alerts either make a sound or vibrate, but not both. That seems less than ideal, to put it mildly. Sometimes, in noisy conditions, ringtones can't be heard.

There's discussion in another thread about needing to use a separate application (gmail) to email photos without having them resized. I don't know what's up with that, but I'm assuming that this may be for people who are using the BB as a wifi device without a data plan. That's another thing that occasionally confuses me as I read the forums here.

I'm wondering if I'll encounter a lot of memory problems. The Curve and the Sidekick both have 64 MB of RAM, but the SK LX has an additional 64 MB of internal flash for swapping (plus SD storage, of course); as far as I know, the Curve doesn't have that extra dedicated flash memory. We'll see how that works out.

The Curve's camera looks like it takes very nice pictures. I can't wait to try it out.

[BroadSword]

Sounds like we're in the exact same boat. I just ordered my curve the other day and waiting on it. I too am coming over from a sidekick. Should be an interesting ride by the looks of the forum. What is it with gadgets, they are just so fascinating.

[ubizmo]

I called T-Mobile to ask for a tracking number and was told it hadn't been shipped yet. Two hours later it was at my door.

So now I have a Curve. I've activated it, and managed to get it to talk to my home wifi.

I don't know how to set up email accounts. The CD asks me whether to install the desktop software or check for updates. It has version 3.6. I checked for updates and got a long list of possibilities. I have no clue what to do next.

[BroadSword]

I guess that answers a question I've been on the forum looking for an answer to. What OS come in the BB out of the box?


*Watches thread intently*

[ubizmo]

Originally Posted by BroadSword

I guess that answers a question I've been on the forum looking for an answer to. What OS come in the BB out of the box?


*Watches thread intently*

I have no idea. This is the Desktop Software version number I'm dealing with, not the OS version.

To make things more annoying, the Quick Start guide says I should select the "Set Up Internet Mail" option from the Home menu. But there is no such option. The User Guide says I should use the Setup Wizard to do it, but the Setup Wizard only has an option for BES mail, which I don't have. So I've had this thing for several hours now, and I have no idea how to set up email. The FAQ on this site says to do it from the Desktop Manager, but since I don't know what version to install, I don't know how to proceed. I don't know if downloading the wrong version of the Desktop Software will create problems further along in the process.

Edit: Ah, it looks like it's OS 4.2.2.180...from the "About" screen.

[ubizmo]

Update: I have email. I had to call T-mobile CC to do it. Something about service books and the Host Routing Table....in short, I wasn't fully connected to the network. When that was done, I got the email setup icon and things went fairly smoothly. Now that I have basic functionality, I can work on getting things the way I want them. I'm still not sold on this thing, but I intend to give it the full two weeks.

[ubizmo]

Yet another update:

Things are working pretty well now. My impressions, after two days, are mixed, but generally positive. Coming from the Sidekick, there are certain oversights that annoy me. For example, putting the two-letter state code into a Contact field, the OS should take care of capitalizing it for me; it doesn't. In general, the BB interface seems more "retro" to me. I think the screen fonts could use updating, for example.

I also don't care for the way sent and received messages are commingled. Maybe it's meant to be more efficient, but I'm accustomed to the use of an Inbox and Sent folder.

On the plus side, the email performance is superb. The camera is quite good. The ability to view tinytube videos is fun, and I'm already making steady use of Viigo. The sound, both for calls and music, is better than what my Sidekick LX was doing.

The keyboard....I have to give it a chance. I can't seem to figure out whether to use one thumb or two, and I switch back and forth. When I use two, the device feels a bit skittish in my hands. I'm thinking one of those skins might help with that.

I'm undecided about the Opera Mini browser, but I find that I'm not tempted to use it that much. But I'll give it more time. On the whole, the BB browser performs well, although again I find the teletype-ish screen fonts distracting. I like the ability to switch between Modile and Desktop view. The Sidekick does a pretty good job of formatting web pages for its screen, but there are no options available when you hit a page that won't display.

I've also started replacing the built-in auto-texts with my own. I have hundreds of abbreviated common words that cut my keystrokes by about a third. When I get that done (it's time-consuming) the keyboard will be tamed a bit. I miss dedicated punctuation keys!

But I don't miss unpredictably late emails.

[BroadSword]

Have you tried the voice activated dialing? I'm pretty curious about that. Mine arrives Monday according to UPS.

[ubizmo]

Originally Posted by BroadSword

Have you tried the voice activated dialing? I'm pretty curious about that. Mine arrives Monday according to UPS.

I played with it a bit and found it a little erratic, but I didn't spend much time with it.

[ubizmo]

Day 4: I'm doing pretty well with this thing. Still no clear sense of whether I'll keep it, but I'm enjoying it so far.

[jsntrenkler]

Welcome to the Forums!

[ubizmo]

Originally Posted by jsntrenkler

Welcome to the Forums!

Thanks. As I learn more, I discover things I like, and things I don't like. The people on this forum have been very helpful, and that's something I like.