To Boldly go where I swear I wouldn't go before

So about 5 years ago I was eating lunch with my best friend Steve and we got into this heated discussion about the viability of Blackberry devices.

My rant went something like this, Blackberry devices cost us three times the money to support verses a standard email client... it is basically an executive toy, it is easily misused, and complicates peoples lives by extending the reach of work beyond the 8 hour a day job.  At that time, the Blackberry just started to offer phone service, it was black and white (Really just shades of gray), and the features were pretty much limited to text, and a crude cell phone.  Hell even the games sucked on the device.

Flash forward 5 years later, and I just purchased my first Blackberry.  Why you ask?  In my mind it is out of necessity.  5 years ago I purchased a new car as part of my divorce settlement.  I really wanted a navigation system, XM Radio, and bluetooth support.  I wasn't able to get these features in the car, so I opted out of them.  I spend about 2 to 3 hours in the car each day, so I really wanted to the option to listen to better audio programming, have access to a catalog of music and not carry around 100 CDs, and have a navigation system in the event I needed to locate a place.

So last year, I bought a Verizon Envy phone.  For the most part I got all the features I wanted except for the media.  I probably could have uploaded some music to the phone, but it wasn't the IPOD NANO replacement I was looking for.  On top of my personal cell phone needs, I also needed to carry my Blackberry more since I took over as the lead for the CITRIX team.  What I found though is that I pretty much couldn't use the phone & email features for either device inside of work as a result of a lack of cell coverage.

So at the end of the year I am carring three devices, personal phone, work Blackberry, and IPOD NANO and looking to converge.  None of the devices I own have all of the features I am looking for.  I never really considered an Iphone due to the lack of keyboard.  So when the new Blackberry 3G devices came out, I gave a serious look at them.  Long story short I chose the Blackberry Bold, and I am happy.

The reason for choosing the Bold was basically it supported WiFi, and offered the media support I wanted, and I was able to integrate the use within my current car without having to buy a new vehicle or look for a compatible radio.

So in the end, am I a sell out?  Probably, but I think my reasoning for acquiring the device doesn't make me such a hypocrite.

These are the features I weighed in on before making the bold step to acquire a Blackberry.

1.  WiFi & Bluetooth support
2.  SDcard support to expand & store more then the device physical memory.
3.  Good data plan.
4.  Good media support.

My co-worker Brad is weighing in on this topic, but is also keeping an eye on the new device features because he wants to a seamless transfer between our network and other peoples networks and UMA calling.

More to come...

Comments

[Steven Santoni]

WHOO HOO For corporate email, nothing beats the BlackBerry!