[Misterb]

I'd like your thoughts. Are you happy you switched? I'm very skeptical at the moment. It seems difficult to actually get any work done with this phone. Sure, looking at stuff is OK... but I'm talking about being productive. What tips/tricks can you offer?

My main reason for trying this phone was for push email. I currently have push email on my Palm Centro, but I had to buy an external program to get it to work, and the program just doesn't seem very stable. I always heard of how good the email on the BlackBerry is, but so far I can't get the display name to change, the outgoing signature to change, and I can't figure out how to enter a response to an email without it being absolutely painful.

Ideas?

[wolfscmb]

I switched from a treo 650 to the BB 8300 and now to the BB 8310 ... I will never go back!!! ....

[chaz_cb]

Treo650 to BB 8100 here. Absolutely a great move. So much more stable and the email is no comparison.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[acolvin1]

I went from a Nextel BB 7520/7100 to a Sprint 700p. I went through two of those before getting a 755p. I was then on my third one of those before saying to heck with it and going back to a Sprint.
My Treo(s) developed a hardware issue for whatever reason - the last 755 was turning the radio off/on by itself.
So I basically got tired of trouble shooting a device to make it work - and I have had a Palm in some form or another for 7 years. It is not like this was new to me.
Yes, the Treo has more flowery looking datebook and so forth and so on. However - when the radio and phone reset on a constant basis it is hard to get anything done. My brother (against my advice) got a Centro. He has installed ZERO 3rd party apps - he doesn't really know how to do so - and has had spontaneous resets. I would call that a bad sign.......
So, the Bberry seems like MSDOS compared to the Palm datebook with DtBk6 installed or any other type of whistle and bell. Then again it.....just....works.
It took forever and a day to get the Treo 755p to sync with the Exchange Server and this was after we had to buy a GoDaddy certificate to make it all happy. I had the Pearl set up and syncing, or at least retrieving mail, in minutes..... We are still working on installing the RIM/BB express software.
What work exactly are you trying to get done? As far as day to day PIM stuff - you should be covered just as well as you were. What all are you trying to do?

[Misterb]

I went from a Nextel BB 7520/7100 to a Sprint 700p. I went through two of those before getting a 755p. I was then on my third one of those before saying to heck with it and going back to a Sprint.
My Treo(s) developed a hardware issue for whatever reason - the last 755 was turning the radio off/on by itself.
So I basically got tired of trouble shooting a device to make it work - and I have had a Palm in some form or another for 7 years. It is not like this was new to me.
Yes, the Treo has more flowery looking datebook and so forth and so on. However - when the radio and phone reset on a constant basis it is hard to get anything done. My brother (against my advice) got a Centro. He has installed ZERO 3rd party apps - he doesn't really know how to do so - and has had spontaneous resets. I would call that a bad sign.......
So, the Bberry seems like MSDOS compared to the Palm datebook with DtBk6 installed or any other type of whistle and bell. Then again it.....just....works.
It took forever and a day to get the Treo 755p to sync with the Exchange Server and this was after we had to buy a GoDaddy certificate to make it all happy. I had the Pearl set up and syncing, or at least retrieving mail, in minutes..... We are still working on installing the RIM/BB express software.
What work exactly are you trying to get done? As far as day to day PIM stuff - you should be covered just as well as you were. What all are you trying to do?

I haven't had those problems with resets and so forth on my Centro. The Chatter email program doesn't seem as stable as it should be, but it does get the job done.

As far as the work I need to get done:

1. Enter tasks quickly. If I have to dink with it, or it is painful to navigate or enter, I'll think twice before entering a task... and then I'll forget to do something. The Blackberry is extremely difficult to enter text with. Painful, actually. Hopefully it'll get better. Also, the lack of a touch screen means that I can't just click on things with my thumb on the screen. I have to move that little ball around and point it where I want to go. So far, it is much slower.

2. Send emails with ease. I found this strange bug where if the email address is longer than the little box in the "to" field, it won't let you see the text you are entering. Come on. This should be easy. Also, the above problems with text entry make replying so painful that simple yes and no answers are likely to be given.

3. Calendar must be easy to navigate, intuitive, and require very few clicks to get something scheduled. The Palm seems much quicker and more intelligent. Again, if I have to dink with it, I'm less likely to enter something, and now I'm suddenly disorganized.

4. I just noticed another problem. I use Gmail's corporate email service. On the Blackberry, it keeps showing every sent email as a new incoming email message. I know Gmail handles mail differently than most servers, but it is one of the most popular web based email providers out there. I shouldn't have to create filters, or other band-aid fixes to get it to work properly with the Blackberry.

I hate paper. I rely on my smartphone heavily, and it has helped me to stay organized and productive. I noticed the guys at the Sprint store all had these Blackberries, but I doubt they do much more than send each other text messages, pictures, and little jokes back and forth. I need a real business tool. One that is a joy to use. So far, this has just been absolutely painful to use. Why should there be a learning curve with something like this? I'm not new to smartphones. I've been using PDA's since they had those green and black displays.

Well, I'm going to keep trying to figure out solutions to the above problems, but I won't be holding my breath anymore at this point...

[strcdan]

treo 755p to a bb 8703e then to a bb8830 and a pearl 8130. THE TREO IS GARBAGE COMPARED TO A BLACKBERRY ALL DAY!!

[Misterb]

treo 755p to a bb 8703e then to a bb8830 and a pearl 8130. THE TREO IS GARBAGE COMPARED TO A BLACKBERRY ALL DAY!!

Do you actually use yours for business, or are you just texting friends, sending pictures and making phone calls?

[SpandexJock]

I used Palm products for years, most recently the 700P. Switching to BB has been absolutely pain free. I love it and I find my day is much more productive. The SureType has a little learning curve and I had to get used to some different navigating with the UI, but that went quickly and I can do whatever I want now. The Pearl is FAR better than the Treo and it is in a form factor that is small and easy to carry. If you want the traditional full QWERTY keyboard, just go with the 8800 series.

[Misterb]

I used Palm products for years, most recently the 700P. Switching to BB has been absolutely pain free. I love it and I find my day is much more productive. The SureType has a little learning curve and I had to get used to some different navigating with the UI, but that went quickly and I can do whatever I want now. The Pearl is FAR better than the Treo and it is in a form factor that is small and easy to carry. If you want the traditional full QWERTY keyboard, just go with the 8800 series.

Yeah, but then the device feels like a paperback novel up against your face. The new Palm Centro is about the size of the Pearl, but it has a full keyboard.

Hopefully I'll get used to the text entry of this thing, or it's going back to the store.

[daver42]

Ex-700p user here. It does take a while to get used to the Blackberry when you've been living in a Palm world for so long. I've had my Pearl for a month now and can definitely tell you that I'm much happier now than with the 700p. I'm now able to enter tasks, calendar events, send emails, and browse the web faster than I did with the Treo. All with a slimmer and easier to pocket device to boot. The only real thing that I miss, is the ability to edit Office documents. I can view them, which is really great, but quick edits are not possible until the next OS upgrade. Speaking of which, this is such a major difference in policy between Palm and RIM. Rim actually allows owners to upgrade the software on their devices. Anyway I'm curious, when I set up my Gmail account in Versamail on the 700p, I still had to set up filters to prevent sent mail from appearing on my Treo. I'm wondering how you didn't have to do that with the Centro.

[Miss.Curve]

this was a good read all I have to say. the one thing I do like about the treo is the ability to save 3rd app on memory card. but when it comes to which one is the best.......

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[jbonnot03]

Treo 680 to Curve 8310. I tried a Pearl off and on since my wife ditched hers. I did NOT like it. I have really enjoyed my curve though. I really like the qwerty keyboard. I have no problem entering tasks and calendar stuff. The other big thing is the battery and form factor. I like that the curve doesn't feel like a paperweight in my pocket. I think I have actually charged my curve maybe twice in the past 12 days. What I mean is an overnight charge. Most of the time my battery keeps plenty of juice by just syncing with the computer. My treo HAD to be charged every day with the same usage.

All in all I think the bb is better for me.

[chaz_cb]

"so far I can't get the display name to change, the outgoing signature to change"
Log into your BIS site BlackBerry Internet Service you can edit signatures, and change "Your Name"

"and I can't figure out how to enter a response to an email without it being absolutely painful."

While in the message, hit menu, then reply. Really not that painful.

[strcdan]

Do you actually use yours for business, or are you just texting friends, sending pictures and making phone calls?

mostly emails,calls.and web browsing (realtime stocks)

[Misterb]

Ex-700p user here. It does take a while to get used to the Blackberry when you've been living in a Palm world for so long. I've had my Pearl for a month now and can definitely tell you that I'm much happier now than with the 700p. I'm now able to enter tasks, calendar events, send emails, and browse the web faster than I did with the Treo. All with a slimmer and easier to pocket device to boot. The only real thing that I miss, is the ability to edit Office documents. I can view them, which is really great, but quick edits are not possible until the next OS upgrade. Speaking of which, this is such a major difference in policy between Palm and RIM. Rim actually allows owners to upgrade the software on their devices. Anyway I'm curious, when I set up my Gmail account in Versamail on the 700p, I still had to set up filters to prevent sent mail from appearing on my Treo. I'm wondering how you didn't have to do that with the Centro.

That's good to hear.

As far as Gmail, it requires you use a program called Chatter for email, instead of Versamail.

[Misterb]

"so far I can't get the display name to change, the outgoing signature to change"
Log into your BIS site BlackBerry Internet Service you can edit signatures, and change "Your Name"

"and I can't figure out how to enter a response to an email without it being absolutely painful."

While in the message, hit menu, then reply. Really not that painful.

Thanks for the info, but when I enter the exact same username and password that I use on the Blackberry, it won't let me in. Says my information is incorrect. I tried signing up again, but it says that somebody (me) with that phone has already registered. Ideas?

[acolvin1]

In regards to getting the sent mail from your Gmail account - this is covered in another sticky in the FAQ section. It is somewhat of a known issue, but once you make the proper changes it is nonexistent.
I have no problem making task entries. I'm not sure why that is an issue - I'm not trying to be nasty there.
Yes, it was easier to see a month view or other things with a Palm - but usually with a 3rd party datebook replacement. Are you talking stock Palm to stock Bberry?

[daver42]

First, be sure you're going to https://www.sprint.blackberry.com on your desktop computer. I had this happen to me, but the password you're typing into your blackberry could actually be different than what you think you're typing. On the blackberry, when you are typing in a password field, it switches away from SureType to T9-like input (one tap for the first letter, two taps for the second).

Another tip that helped me quickly reply to emails was to click on the trackball when viewing a message to get the short menu (instead of the BB menu key which gets the ridiculously long menu). The short menu allows you to reply, forward, reply to all. Nice and handy. The short menu is available in other apps too.

Thanks for the info, but when I enter the exact same username and password that I use on the Blackberry, it won't let me in. Says my information is incorrect. I tried signing up again, but it says that somebody (me) with that phone has already registered. Ideas?

[tomvb2000]

See sig for my history. I use my 700p/Curve for both work and personal until the Curve comes to Sprint and then I'm going Curve only.

Like everyone else has said, the BB just plain works reliably. It does take a little time to get familiar with it, but going through all the options is a good place to start. I thought going through touchscreen withdrawal was going to be a problem, but the menu and shortcuts made it easier. Not every device is perfect but for me, the Curve is better overall - both features and reliability.

[Rkatz21]

New Pearl user. 2 weeks. My first Blackberry. I was a dedicated Palm user. Treo 300 - 600 - 650 - 700 - 755

I just switched. The lack of innovation from Palm just forced me to look elsewhere. Being a 6 - 7 year palm guy...the pearl was a bit of change. But within 24 hrs I got the typing down, understood how to sync properly with outlook, dowloaded new themes and games, figured out how to change the signature of emails, etc etc.

Was unhappy with the lack of editing of word and excel files. I am big user of that functionality on the treo and now seem a bit lost. Hopefully the docs to go thing comes out soon for BB as has been rumored and is on their site. I used to use the music function on the Treo and realize it is avail here on the BB but I don't really need it any more. Switched over to using the ipod full time.

bottom line...i am delighted with the move to BB and specifically the pearl. The browser is solid. plays youtube items which I could not do with my treo for some reason. It is a stable operating system and no major complaints at all.

Love the size and love the simplicity of the design.

[amba727]

I just noticed another problem. I use Gmail's corporate email service. On the Blackberry, it keeps showing every sent email as a new incoming email message. I know Gmail handles mail differently than most servers, but it is one of the most popular web based email providers out there. I shouldn't have to create filters, or other band-aid fixes to get it to work properly with the Blackberry.


I was having this same issue and I found a thread on here that told you how to turn that off. You have to go into the BIS or BES server and filter it out. I did so and my world is so much nicer!

Also before this I had the treo 680 and I have to say battery life on the Pearl compared to that is amazing! I could barely make it through the day without my phone dying and I dont have that problem with the pearl! I like the pearl much better now that I have it. I got it right after the first of the year. it took me a few weeks but now that i have gotten the hang of it love it

[soychai]

Hi. I'm a former Treo 650/10 years Palm User. BBPearl user since Nov '07.

If your main reason for the switch was EMAIL then you gotta admit BB rocks for email! It's so much easier than VersaMail or other mail apps with Palm.

Am I happy I switched? I'm moderately happy.

I'd be happiest with a full QWERTY keyboard and application buttons .. as in the Curve.

The learning curve for SureType was brutal without a full QWERTY keyboard! Entry is still painful and I avoid it.

New Appt? Give me an appt card, I'll type it in at the PC later, same day. No biggee.
Memo? I write it down. Type it in at home PC. You must hate that.
The only data entry I will suffer through on the fly is contacts entry.

Yes, the intuitiveness of SureType is helpful but pales in comparision to having a full size keyboard. That may be what you're really missing ... typing with confidence!

I really like the sleekness of BB as contrasted to Palm. I don't miss holding that warm brick to my face or trying to shove it in a pocket or small purse.

I really really really miss the QWERTY keyboard! I miss long battery life (Curve's larger battery = longer life) and I miss OliveTree Bibles, DocsToGo, Application Buttons, HandyShopper and oh how I miss Bejeweled, BookWorm and Cubis!!!!

I sacrifice because I love the size of the Pearl, Profiles and e-mail reading is a breeze.

I rarely enter appts, tasks, addresses, memos "on the fly" in the device since I don't have a full keyboard. Getting to the app and then hoping SureType understands me is just ... not fast enough. I do my entries by PC and then am satsified to have everything in my device.

With the Curve, I think I'd have the best of everything. You, too. I think the Curve would be ideal ... full QWERTY keyboard -- rather than a Pearl.

I imagine Verizon will get the Curve soon. I can cope with the Pearl until then.

What did you decide to do?

[Mrs. Curvy]

Hello All

I switched from treo 700wx to curve 8310 and I don't miss the treo at all.
The treos are great pda phones but the freezing and resetting was just too much for me. I am glad I made the switch and will not be going back.

[satchel911]

Treo 680 to curve 8310. I was hesitant at first simply because I fear change and was comfotable with the Treo. What i was not enjoying was the constant resetting and inability to sync with the desktop. BB is FAR superior for emailing, viewing PDA's, word docs, etc. Browser could be a little better but it does the job just fine. Never going back to daily resettings, docking failures, heavy large phones, BB Forever!!

[tomvb2000]

I just noticed another problem. I use Gmail's corporate email service. On the Blackberry, it keeps showing every sent email as a new incoming email message. I know Gmail handles mail differently than most servers, but it is one of the most popular web based email providers out there. I shouldn't have to create filters, or other band-aid fixes to get it to work properly with the Blackberry.

You can do this on the device via Messages->Options->General Options->Hide Sent Messages:Yes

If you have Outlook filters moving mail to subfolders on the server, you might want to also set Messages->Options->General Options->Hide Filed Messages:Yes . You'll still see them in the list but as soon as you have read them on the device, they disappear from the default list. You can see them again with View Folder. The result is closer to the way Good does things.