[icurschwartz]

I have been a Treo user for a long time now (> 6 years) but recently I've been considering a change. The main impetus for the change is that my company has recently stuck me with a Moto Q (which I hate) but they said that I have the option of using my own phone as long as it is compatible with our Exchange server and they will reimburse me. Right now I'm forced to carry two smartphones during the day which pretty much sucks.

Another reason is that I'm tired of the slow internet speed.

So I'm thinking of going with a Bold because it seems like it's the best thing going out there based on my preferences and needs. However, I have a couple of questions that I was hoping you could answer:

1. For ex-Treo owners, how much do you miss the touchscreen? Even on my Q, I'm constantly trying to touch the option I want. I suppose that would go away with time.

2. I would have two email accounts: work and Gmail. Right now with my Treo I have a program called Chattermail that essentially gives me "push" functionality with my Gmail account. Most of the time I get emails to my phone faster than they even show up on my Gmail Notifier. So, is there a way to set up your Gmail account on a Bold that is similar? In the past I used POP or IMAP but I just don't like the syncing lag.

Those are the two biggest obstacles that have kept me from switching away from Palm. However, Palm has become extremely slow in updating their technology and it has become frustrating. Now that my company is telling me they will reimburse me for my cellphone bill, it's given me another reason to start looking around.

[rsnadel]

GMail pushes instantly on the Blackberry, even with the personal account (which is called BIS...or Blackberry Internet Service). You can have multiple accounts that all push to your device. I had a Treo 680 and there are a couple of nice features vs. the Blackberry...touch screen being one of them. But I don't ever miss the Treo at all. And the Blackberry now provides Documents To Go from DataViz, so you don't have to sacrifice that feature either.

[kriswilliams03]

I had the Treo 750 (see my sig). I'm on my 3rd blackberry and there is simply no comparison to me. When I used the Treo, it was work-related in that we had to use WM or Palm OS with a touch screen. The Treo that I used in that position is long dead, but the 8700c has been passed from my hubby to my stepson and is going strong. I don't miss the touch screen at all, and the berry OS is simply rock solid compared to WM.

[bigbda1]

Email is instant on BB. When I had my Treo's (3), that was not the case. I started with Pearl, and now have a Bold. You will not, for one nano second regret going to a BB. They are great!!!

[JaguarXJ7]

Wirelessly posted

It will take a little time to get used to not having a touch screen, but I speak from experience when I say that you will not regret the change. BlackBerry hardware and firmware is far superior to that of Palm. I can honestly say that there really is not a thing about my Treo's (x3) that I miss.



BB's were built for email < nuf said!

[icurschwartz]

Thanks all. Just trying to do my research here to make sure I'm not disappointed. I figured there was some kind of solution for the email thing but I wanted to be sure. I do like the look of the Bold and from what I have read it sounds like it has some excellent features.

[CanuckBB]

Make sure that youe work will allow BIS access to your Exchange server. Work email will not be push. It is polled by the BIS every 15 minutes and then pushed to your device.

[kriswilliams03]

I used gmail for personal stuff and had the redirector installed with desktop manager to forward work email. I was the only one at my other job that used blackberry. They didn't mind my having redirector installed locally. Don't know if redirector is still packaged with bb software or not.

[sgaard]

I have been a Palm user since they first came out. I moved to the Bold in September from a Treo 680. Overall I am happy with the Bold. What I find not as good on the Bold are the calendar and address applications. Palm was much simpler and had the ability to be customized by excellent 3rd party programs.
I do not miss the touch screen much. Make sure you learn the Bold's keyboard shortcuts.
I did not have mail on my Palm. E-mail is excellent on the Bold. You will not be disappointed.
I find the Bold to be much more complex. The Bold gives you the ability to customize much more.
You will love the Bold's keyboard, screen and external speaker. It is much better than the Treo.

[icurschwartz]

I went ahead and got the Bold a couple of days ago and so far I am loving it. The touchscreen thing isn't bothering me as much as I thought it might. I'm still learning all of the shortcuts but I'm getting around OK. A few more weeks and I'll be close to as fast as I was with my Treo.

I actually like the Bold's contact list just as much, if not more than the Treo's. The addressbook isn't quite as nice (I used Agendus on the Treo, might look at it for the Blackberry) but it is still more than manageable.

I'm very happy with my purchase so far.

[JaguarXJ7]

Originally Posted by icurschwartz

I went ahead and got the Bold a couple of days ago and so far I am loving it. The touchscreen thing isn't bothering me as much as I thought it might. I'm still learning all of the shortcuts but I'm getting around OK. A few more weeks and I'll be close to as fast as I was with my Treo.

I actually like the Bold's contact list just as much, if not more than the Treo's. The addressbook isn't quite as nice (I used Agendus on the Treo, might look at it for the Blackberry) but it is still more than manageable.

I'm very happy with my purchase so far.

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the wonderfully addictive world of BlackBerry ......... it wont take long and you too will understand this phenomenon.

I used to use the add-on apps with my Treo's as well, but having used BB's for a while before they became available; I am not actually interested in them anymore.

You should really check out Stinsondogg's tips on his site here; once at the site scroll down and you will see "BOLD Tips Final Version".

[dc/dc]

I am now on my 20th BlackBerry. I tried a Treo 680 for 2 weeks when they first came out, and I hated every minute of it.

[icurschwartz]

Originally Posted by JaguarXJ7

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the wonderfully addictive world of BlackBerry ......... it wont take long and you too will understand this phenomenon.

I used to use the add-on apps with my Treo's as well, but having used BB's for a while before they became available; I am not actually interested in them anymore.

You should really check out Stinsondogg's tips on his site (I can't post links yet as I don't have enough posts...)

I have that PDF downloaded onto my desktop. It's been extremely helpful.