Looking at converting over

Hiya everyone,

I'm currently debating on moving to a Blackberry from my Treo 755p. I was thinking either a Curve or a Bold (I'm not planning on moving over until November/December), but I'm still not too sure. The biggest reason I want to move over is because both Sprint and Verizon have end-of-life'd the Treo 755p, which usually means no more software updates. I'm also trying to find a device that would fit my needs better.

The main features that I'm looking for is push email (I'm currently using Chatteremail on my Treo, but it makes my battery life aweful), voice dialing (with Bluetooth) and possibly A2DP. So, if anyone here has converted, here's what I'm interested to know:

1. How does the form factor of the Curve compare to the 755p?
2. How's the reliability of Blackberry OS vs Palm OS?
3. If I go and buy a Curve, will RIM stop supporting it once The Next Big Thing(TM) comes out?

I'm mainly worried about the last two. I need a phone that works reliably and will still be supported (and updated) once it's not the "Next Big Thing".

If anyone has any other information or tips, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks!

EDIT: I forgot to ask, does the push email work with IMAP accounts? I have my own IMAP server, and I'd still like to use that. It supports IMAP IDLE, by the way.

1. the curve is smaller in all dimensions. you should go check one out.

2. it's just as reliable.

3. of course. all manufacturers do that. supporting a legacy device is not cost effective, and contrary to popular dreams, companies are in the business of making money. it may be a year, it may be 3 years... eventually it gets phased out. 7xxx series blackberrys are no longer widely supported, for instance.

4. yes, BIS/BES are both compatible with IMAP. BIS accounts do have some limitations, though.

I have Sprint as well and I switched from Treo as well and I am SOOOO glad I did. Don't get too excited about the voice dialing though. Mine does not work AT ALL. See my other thread "love or hate the voice dialing" You'll see that many other people have the same experience as me. On some phones it works and others it just doesn't. Don't know what the deal is on that one.

I think Sprint is pushing everyone to the BB so I seriously doubt they will stop anytime in the near future. After your contract period is up, you can upgrade to the newer model anyway w/ a good rebate.

I miss my touchscreen SOMETIMES but it really isn't a big deal since you get out of the habit after about 2 days. The push email is awesome and I no longer worry that my battery will be drained by 11am.

I am thrilled with my BB and was disappointed with my Treo when I got it, the BB does everything I was hoping the Treo would do PLUS a million more things I never thought possible.

Originally Posted by oakie

1. the curve is smaller in all dimensions. you should go check one out.

2. it's just as reliable.

3. of course. all manufacturers do that. supporting a legacy device is not cost effective, and contrary to popular dreams, companies are in the business of making money. it may be a year, it may be 3 years... eventually it gets phased out. 7xxx series blackberrys are no longer widely supported, for instance.

4. yes, BIS/BES are both compatible with IMAP. BIS accounts do have some limitations, though.

The main reason I'm worried about is having something that happened with my 755p. The device has only been released for 6 months on Verizon and it's already end-of-life and probably won't receive any more fixes. I don't expect them to support it for 3-4 years, of course.

What kind of limitations are you talking about for BIS? I assume that BES requires me to run a BES server, which I probably can't afford the licenses for.

Thanks again!

That's the good part about BIS -- it is included with your BB servie plan. BES requires someone (like you employer) to have a BES server, and there is an additional charge for the BES service.

But, the BIS service allows up to 10 email addresses. The serviceprovider.blackberry.net address has instant email delivery. You will find that gmail is almost as fast as instant.

There aren't any particular limitations, per se, with BIS, beyond the 10 mailbox limit. The limitations may come with the data plan you select in terms of how many MB per month and the charge for overage. If you're active at all with email and a little browsing here and there you will in all probability go over the 4mb plan, and the overage costs will far exceed the incremental cost to get the unlimited plan in the first place.

Battery life is 3x better than the Treo between charges.

Hope that helps.

Originally Posted by Go Blue

That's the good part about BIS -- it is included with your BB servie plan. BES requires someone (like you employer) to have a BES server, and there is an additional charge for the BES service.

But, the BIS service allows up to 10 email addresses. The serviceprovider.blackberry.net address has instant email delivery. You will find that gmail is almost as fast as instant.

There aren't any particular limitations, per se, with BIS, beyond the 10 mailbox limit. The limitations may come with the data plan you select in terms of how many MB per month and the charge for overage. If you're active at all with email and a little browsing here and there you will in all probability go over the 4mb plan, and the overage costs will far exceed the incremental cost to get the unlimited plan in the first place.

Battery life is 3x better than the Treo between charges.

Hope that helps.

I'm not exactly sure what I'd do with 10 email addresses :eek: Three is more than enough for me!

I'm planning on remaining with Verizon and probably remain on the $60 BBA Connect plan that I have with my Treo. I'm really glad to hear that the battery life is much better. There's one more thing that I'm worrying about while I'm on the subject of tethering, how would that work on a Blackberry? I'm a Linux user, and with my Treo, I establish a normal PPP connection and it works with no real hassles. Anyone here able to give any input on that?

I'm about sold on getting a Blackberry! :D

Thanks again!