BlackBerry Update (No, Not The Lawsuit)

Everywhere you turn, nearly all forms of media are reporting on the legal showdown between NTP and RIM over patent infringement. If it weren’t so worrisome to me, I’d be hard pressed to find a better high stakes drama. The date for the hearing has been set: 24 Feb.

So in the midst of all this, I went out and picked up a new BlackBerry 8700c from Buy.com (service with Cingular). Yes, I like to live dangerously. In all seriousness, I really wanted a mobile e-mail device, and I just can’t stomach the Treo. Granted, I haven’t tried the Treo 700w (Windows Mobile 5.0), but I’ve had a lot of experience on the Palm-based 600s and 650s, and I’ve not been impressed. And let’s face it, the BlackBerry is a much more robust and mature device for handheld e-mail.

So after I unboxed my 8700c, I set to work on getting it configured. Buy.com had made one serious flub with provisioning it and had me set up with a data access plan that was meant for a wireless PDA like a Treo. After calling Cingular, I got that corrected right away. I went to the Cingular BlackBerry Web site and set up my e-mail. It was all very easy. Within moments, I was enjoying the benefits (and addictiveness) that comes with “Push” Wireless e-mail.

My other initial impressions of the 8700c are pretty positive so far. The screen is just awesome. Since I had a BlackBerry 7210 before, I was already familiar with some of the keyboard and device shortcuts. The keyboard has a sensor to know whether it needs to be backlit and there are some new keys on the keyboard, such as dedicated call start and call end keys. I haven’t had a conversation using the built-in speakerphone yet, but have listed to my voicemail over it. OK quality there. Perhaps the nicest thing was getting my entire phonebook and calendar re-populated on the phone so quickly. I just installed the new BlackBerry Desktop v4.1 software, configured some of the sync settings, and my handheld was once again full of my most important contacts and calendar info. And speaking of software, I downloaded the BBerry version of I’m In Touch, which lets me access my Outlook and files on my desktop PC at home in real time. I also installed Google Local for BBerry… very, very cool. Not as slick as most GPS devices, but when you just need to look up a quick address, it is amazing.

I have a Jabra BT800 Bluetooth headset on order, which I should have next week. Speaking of headsets, my wife got her new Moto RAZR v3, and it was only after I unboxed it that I realized that it didn’t have a jack for a corded headset… it was meant to use Bluetooth exclusively. Since Chicago has a mandatory hands-free law, we ran out to Best Buy to pick one up right away. We got a Moto brand headset, I forgot which model, but it was one that runs off of a single AAA battery. I thought it would be better than the rechargeable kind, mostly because she tends not to remember to recharge things often enough. I even bought an extra pack of AAAs to keep in the glove box of the car. We paired the headset up with her phone easily enough, but she told me she had trouble with it today, so I’ll have to look at it again tonight.

So I’m crossing my fingers on the RIM v NTP front… come on NTP, let me enjoy my newfound addiction!

[tags]i’m in touch,best buy,blackberry 8700c,rim v ntp,blackberry desktop v4.1,jabra bt800 bluetooth,aaa battery[/tags]