Why Blackberry Over Other Smartphones?

Looking for a Smartphone? TGR Thinks Blackberry is the Way to Go!

Ok, we're all geeks here. We love our gadgets and we love to stay on top of the latest technology. Many of us have "Smartphones/PDAs" because we love having our email attached to us at all times. We love having the World Wide Web connected to our hips at all times, just a few finger taps away. There are some geeks that haven't ventured into the world of the Mobile Geek yet, and maybe you guys are wondering: "Which Smartphone/PDA is right for me?" Some of you may have one already, and are just not happy with your current device. Well, we at TGR have tried multiple platforms and have made our choice... and we're here to share our findings on why Blackberry wins the contest for best Mobile Geek device! So read on my friend, and be prepared to join the Blackberry Revolution!

So on to the big question then: "Why Blackberry?". In our experience, Blackberries are the most stable, most customizable, and easiest to use devices. There was a day when a Blackberry was a very simple business oriented device, designed for the mobile professional with a need for email. Blackberries lacked any type of mobile entertainment (besides Brickbreaker) and any type of camera functionality. There were just a lot of things in those days that the Mobile Geek wanted, but couldn't get on a Blackberry. So what happened? I personally went looking for some of the other Smartphone choices and tried my hand at several Windows Mobile devices as well as my fare share of Palm OS devices. These devices, at the time offered more in the way of Geek-driven features such as cameras, multimedia options, and if you go far enough back, they had web browsers while the Blackberry did not.

Luckily for us geeks, long gone are the days where Blackberries don't double as highly functional devices as well as highly fun devices! Today's Blackberries are full of multimedia options, high-end cameras, video camcorders, tv, satellite radio, and an absolute cornucopia of third-party applications!

So now you are asking yourself: "Well, that's great... but just because Blackberries have functions that have been present on other devices before, why should I choose a Blackberry?". Well, here comes some reasons for ya!

Sexiness: First and foremost, today's Blackberry Devices are just pure SEXY. They are sleek and modern looking. The days of big and clunky are long behind RIM (Research in Motion) and they've re-tooled the look of the Blackberry over the last few years. Glossy finishes, amazingly beautiful displays, chrome trim, button design, trackballs... come on, this device just screams HOT!

Simplicity: For someone whose never used a Blackberry before, it will take 10-20 minutes to get the device out of the box and setup ready to use. Then, give yourself another 2-3 hours of straight playing around with your new Berry in order to familiarize yourself with its incredibly intuitive user interface! After this amount of time, you should be capable enough to do most basic functions of the phone easily and without question. Two very important things to master out of the box: The Blackberry/Menu Key and The Trackball (or Trackwheel if using an older Berry). Learn these things quickly and you will be just fine. The entire device relies heavily on your understanding of how to use these two tools. You'll find the Blackberry Key to be almost psychic. It seems to know what you want to do, and automatically highlights it when ever you press it. It's as if RIM has developed technology to sync directly to your brain! Don't let the new interface scare you. Some of you will have never used a Smartphone before... and you may be used to things like "Touchscreens" and/or "Styluses". Leave these things behind you. You'll quickly find them inefficient and wonder how you made it without the Trackball and Blackberry QWERTY Keyboard all of your life. No, the Trackball is not antiquated technology. It is incredible easy to use and very versatile. No more worries about clicking on the wrong part of your screen, or calibrating over and over again. You'll actually know when you press a button now, because you'll feel the "click" of the button. You'll no longer have to worry about using your thumb to navigate your device because you can't find your stylus (likely because it fell out of your phone during lunch), and we all know that the tip of your thumb is no where near the size of the tip of a stylus... therefore, no where near as accurate either (we've all tried like crazy to hit that one button on a touchscreen in the corner of the screen with our thumbs... total suck)! All-in-all, we at TGR found the user interface to be much simpler than that of other Smartphones, and will never go back!

Email: Ah... true push email. Other devices have tried, and most have failed. What's that you say? You have a Windows Mobile phone that is connected to your Microsoft Exchange server at work and provides push email to your device? Congratulations... but what about your personal email? That's another advantage to Blackberry. Yes, through a BES (Blackberry Exchange Server) you too can have your corporate emailed pushed directly to your device, as well as contacts and other information. However, only with the Blackberry can you also have the choice of BIS (Blackberry Internet Service). BIS is a RIM server that does all the work for your device... providing you with true push email, even for your personal POP or IMAP email accounts. There is no need for your Berry to check the network every 15 minutes for emails that need to be sent or received. BIS is hard at work doing just that, constantly, 24/7 for you... getting your emails to you the second they arrive to your email provider's web server, and sending emails from your Berry the second you click "send". That's life as a Berry Geek!

Integration: This kind of ties into "Simplicity", but I felt it needed a little extra attention. All of the applications that come preloaded onto your Blackberry (and even some third-party apps as well) are fully integrated with one another. What does this mean? Well, suppose you are reading an email you just received. In that email is a phone number. Hit your Blackberry Key and you can call that number straight from the Email Application. There is no need to switch apps. Don't want to call the number, but want to save it to contacts? Or maybe you need to text that number. Those are all options for you, available in the Email Application options. No need for copy and paste, or quick memorization. And, with third-party applications such as BB Smart Email Viewer or Empower Email Viewer, you can add tasks, memos, and calendar events, straight from an email! Integration, integration, integration. All things work together on a Berry... for the good of geeks!

Third-Party Support: Used to be a title that Palm held close to it's heart for years, but as of the past few years, Blackberry is quickly gaining ground. There are now countless applications available for your Berry, from Business to Finance to Fun! Check sites like Crackberry and BlackberryCool for terrific apps as well as more in depth info on all things Blackberry! Check out BPlay to get Games for your BlackBerry. Developers are constantly pumping out fresh new apps, giving you the most software to choose from for instant Over-The-Air downloads in most cases... which is something other Smartphone owners can't claim!

This Geek's Opinion: Blackberry is the only way to fly if you want to pimp your true Mobile Geekness. Go out and get one today... right now... do it! After you do so, you can use your old phone as a door stop, or a paper weight, or a target for potty training a toddler. Whatever you wish... because once you go Berry, you'll never go back!

Have a Blackberry? Have another phone and are thinking of getting a Blackberry? State your case or question here! We'd love to hear your comments, suggestions, or questions about your Blackberry Addicition, or want to have one!

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