[JrrInTN]

Yeah! Two days ago I switched back to my Treo 650 after using a Blackberry 7250 for about 7 weeks. Wow, I sure missed the Treo! I thought I'd post a note of differences I found for those considering switching. (I wasn't able to find a good comparison before I switched.)

Actually the reason I switched to the BB is because I moved to a new job and the company was supplying BBs and only supporting that. In my previous job, I used Verizon Wirelesssync, but that wasn't an option in my new company because Wirelesssync requires an always on desktop connection to send the updates. With my new company I have a notebook PC, so it's not always on and connected so Wirelesssync was no longer an option. I needed my company email, though, so I agreed to switch to the Blackberry.

Finally this week, my new employer completed rolling out Exchange Active-sync support, so they allowed me to switch back to my Treo and I'm now connected using Versamail.

Okay, so here are the biggest issues I had with the BlackBerry:
- No touch-screen. I actually didn't realize this before switching to the BB and it was my biggest surprise. I love the touch-screen on the Treo and REALLY missed this.

- Scroll dial: So this is supposedly one of the biggest things people like about the Blackberry. You HAVE to use it since it doesn't have a touch screen. It's about the only way to move through a page, select links, dial numbers, etc. You push the dial in to "select". Scrolling through webpages and getting just the link I wanted was extremely difficult. Even when trying to dial a phone number, I would often "click" then unknowingly turn the dial slightly before clicking again, and would end up doing something unintended. Oh, and to scroll sideways (even to move the cursor across a line of text) you have to hold down another key while you turn the dial. Not something you can do one-handed! Not to mention the fact that highlighting any text is very difficult.

- Software, software, software: I like Palm software. Okay, so hopefully I'll never have to consider moving to a Windows Treo, but even if I did, you at least still have LOTS of options for software. Blackberry has some, but it's usually expensive. Definitely not as much available. And remember, anything you can install has to be usable with just the dial and dial/clicker. Ugh.

- Multimedia: I use my Treo to listen to audible books during my commute, MP3s sometimes, and movies when traveling. You can't do that on the Blackberry. Period. I actually continued to carry my Treo in the car just for audio books.

- Speakerphone: I know some people have issues with the 650's speakerphone, but I've always considered it extremely useful and use it a LOT. The BB 7250 does not have a speakerphone.

- Size: The bb felt, well, weird holding on a call. It's too wide in my opinion. Some feel this makes it easier to type on, but too me it doesn't seem much easier (if at all) than the Treo keyboard. In fact, I find the Treo much easier to type on than the BB since it's easier to correct. What I mean by that is that on the Treo, if I see something I typed incorrectly, I just need to touch the screen to move the cursor. It's not that easy with the BB as you have to use the scroll key to TRY and get to that point.


- Email: Others have said that the Blackberry is better for reading email. Frankly, I haven't figured out why. Again, at least to me it doesn't seem any easier to type on. I review messages just fine on the 650 and I find it actually easier to reply, send, file, etc., primarily because of the touch screen.

- Calendar: My preference on this is primarily because of Datebook5/6. The calendar on the Blackberry is okay, but I sure missed Datebook5.

So, you may ask, is there anything I liked better on the Blackberry? I've thought a lot about this. There is ONLY one thing I came up with -- the simply USB connection for synching/charging is good. But again, that's the ONLY thing that seemed better to me.

Bottom line -- I'm SOOOO happy I'm back to my Treo! Hail to the Treo!

Jon

[camartin]

Instant mail, no configuration, no resets. I'm on a 7130e now with EVDO. I prefer ipod for the other stuff and I don't have a smudgy screen and I look more professional in meetings whilst not chomping on a stylus.

[Tastypeppers]

I did the same with a BB 7230 and came back to the Treo. No touchscreen mattered for the BB but less so for the Dash. Navigation without it is easier on WM I guess.

[t2gungho]

Instant mail, no configuration, no resets. I'm on a 7130e now with EVDO. I prefer ipod for the other stuff and I don't have a smudgy screen and I look more professional in meetings whilst not chomping on a stylus.

I have no animosity towards the blackberry but the treo pretty much does all that the blackberry does plus tons of other things to help me carry only one device.

[wannatreo]

Full sync with Exchange is coming for PalmOS and will eventually be integrated with Chatter. Check it out:

http://www.moxsi.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=6

[RobM]

I have the Treo and 8700c and although I love the Treo, there are some nice things I love about the BB. First off, the screen is wonderful. The scroll wheel takes some getting use to. The software for the treo is superior. The mail on the BB is far superioir. The phone, speakerphone and bluetooth on the BB, no comparison, BB hands down!

I carry both (2 different companies) but they are definetely 2 different beasts.

rob

[jwhite4304]

Instant mail, no configuration, no resets. I'm on a 7130e now with EVDO. I prefer ipod for the other stuff and I don't have a smudgy screen and I look more professional in meetings whilst not chomping on a stylus.

count me in- the 7130e does what it does well and does not try to be a all in one phone, mp3 player.
Jimbo

[telephonitis]

Noob input: Selling pristine BB 8700G

I have both the 650 and an 8700G Tmob. I beg to differ. The Voice quality on my BB was a deal breaker. I could not hear my callers, and they complained about the sound of my voice as well.
Otherwise I liked the BB's screen, colors and typing was easier for my larger hand.

I enjoy my 650, My BB (barely used well under a month ) is for sale if anyone interested. First I bough the MDA from Tmob, THEN I returned it and switched to the BB 8700G. I did not have the full 4 week trial period as part of the 4 weeks was used up by the MDA.

I liked BB accept for the sound. I am older so maybe that is why.

[Danitaz]

I've actually used a BB twice, and always come back to my Treo. And each time the BB's were free, and even the service was free, so technically I had to "pay" to use the Treo, but it was worth it to me. All of the comments Jon made were exactly the reasons I came back too. I know that many people just love them, but I just can't get used to a BB at all.

Danita

[scotty321]

As far as I am concerned, Blackberries have one of the worst human interfaces ever created in the history of human interfaces. They are absolutely & genuinely HORRIBLE. So unintuitive & cumbersome & unnecessarily complex. And the lack of a touchscreen is just ridiculous.

HOWEVER -- there is only ONE thing I like about the Blackberries, and it's a function of T-Mobile instead of the Blackberry device itself: I love how T-Mobile lets you add an unlimited number of POP email accounts onto their website and they will AUTOMATICALLY check your email for you every 15 minutes and "push" that email to your Blackberry as soon as the email comes in.

Does anybody know of a service that will do that for my Treo 650?

I asked the SnapperMail people about it, and they said that:
(1) I'd have to switch to IMAP instead of POP. (I will not do this.)
(2) I'd have to wait for the next version of SnapperMail.

But there's gotta be some web-based service that will automatically check my email for me and then push it to some email client on my Treo 650, no?

I guess I could setup my web hosting company to automatically forward the email to my text messaging email address (phonenumber@sprintpcs.com) every time I get an incoming email... and then I could manually check my email in SnapperMail after receiving the SMS.

Thanks,
Scott