Professionals who use a BB

[enzonix]

I have been a BB user since March and I love the thing, it never leaves my side. However, I don't use it for business and I am writing a paper for school on the Blackberry and how it has changed the way that a lot of professionals conduct business.

I am looking for serious feedback on how your BB has changed your professional life. I would appreciate any info the Crackberry Nation can provide. Please feel free to share your likes/dislikes, stories, and anything else that might give me insight into how your BB has changed your career.

Thanks in advance.

[Hi-Definition]

Originally Posted by enzonix

I have been a BB user since March and I love the thing, it never leaves my side. However, I don't use it for business and I am writing a paper for school on the Blackberry and how it has changed the way that a lot of professionals conduct business.

I am looking for serious feedback on how your BB has changed your professional life. I would appreciate any info the Crackberry Nation can provide. Please feel free to share your likes/dislikes, stories, and anything else that might give me insight into how your BB has changed your career.

Thanks in advance.

How the BB changed things? Well for one; there's no excuse to NOT be in the loop/in the know with co-workers and assignments. Can't say: "Oh I didn't receive that, I didn't get the memo, no one told me". And even if someone pulls that stunt (which happens more often than not); the BES administrator has logs with time stamps and delivery reports of every incoming and outgoing message...to prove/disprove otherwise.

I have a work-issued 8830; and a 8330 for personal use...it's good for my sanity and sanctity to keep the two separate .

Likes: Don't have to be strapped to the desk to get work done; am in a constant loop with new information as it becomes available to me. Work can be delegated and completed in a more timely and efficient manner.

Dislikes: The BB can often serve as an electronic leash away from work; it creates undue pressure via adding tasks that weren't on the sheet for the next day. It can often create a presence of Big Brother.

[BuddyL]

The way that ii can check my e-mails, get texts, use BlackBerry maps, make calls and find things on the net. My business productivity has increased incredibly just with the ability to have all my contacts, over 1500, and calendar entries on one device is so helpful to me. And this is still just the tip of how it helps me.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[redeye]

I agree with the posts above, and I'd a couple other points.
1) Redundancy - I'm sitting here with a PC that's crapped out and I can't use. As a mobile worker, I don't have an easy/fast way to get up and running again. With BB I am still in touch and moving things along with email, calendar, instant messages and texts, and information from the web. Instead of losing a day of critical work, some tasks can still be performed. This is a huge benefit. The cost of the BB for a year is almost covered by the billable work that can still be performed, rather than losing a day.

2) Turn around time - the expected turn-around time for email and voicemail has completely changed. As mentioned bove, there is no reason to be 'out of the loop' and to further that, there is no reason to at least acknowlege the receipt of information. The expectations for contact have really become before COB rather than a loose 24 hour thing. Seriously, now it doesn't matter if you're waiting in an airport with delays or on a bus in a foreign country, or sitting at your desk.

I find this device has changed the way I work. Good or bad-- -'m not sure, but it's different.

As far as the tethered to work syndrom goes, I find this to be a load of BS. The expectations need to set with your employer. If you are compelled to respond to email EVERY evening while having dinner with your family, the issue isn't the BB, it's you. Of course, during high pressure situations, it actually the opposite... If I can have dinner with my family, and take a little time out to respond to something instead NOT having dinner with them at all, then it's a benefit.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[canuckinnh]

I have had a BB for work about four years.

7230
The first one was a 7230 and it was very good for e-mail and responding quickly to routine requests.

The phone voice was not that good and would sometimes re-boot in the middle of a call.

I think the expectation of internal staff (corporate)to respond to e-mail within a few minutes has gotten out of hand. Have resisted the instant response habit and will not let the BB interrupt what I am doing.

8800
Our IT department released the 880 a year ago and have seized control of the BB. You cannot load apps of your choice and the nice media features on the 8800 have been shutdown. The GPS is a nice feature and the voice/phone capabilities are as good as any cell phone.

If IT would be reasonable the experience and utlity would be even greater.

Curve
Have recently purchased the curve for personal use and now I can experience the full BB functionality