[scubaguyjohn]

I must be missing something regarding this blackberry craze...I'm finding this thing to be one of the most frustrating devices I've ever purchased. I'm not a corporate user so I'm limited to the things I can do: no BES here but I did install the desktop software with the option to sync email available.

Feel free to shoot holes and/or educate me but I've spent 8 hours trying to get it to do basic things and am about to give up...it seems that getting email is easy, organizing it and doing anything else is beyond painful.

My issues:

1. No ability to transfer existing emails - what?! I'm really supposed to forward hundreds of emails? For personal use, there should be an override.

2. Can't open attachments...I hit the options button but viewing attachments isn't an option.

3. I move emails from my desktop inbox to a folder, while the folders exist on the BB, the emails are never moved. Why? So, my inbox just becomes one big linear view of messages...this is like going back to DOS.

4. Why do I have to go through a menu system to get to view folders ("View Folder" is well hidden) and why aren't folders graphical in representation?

5. No html email...truly unbelievable...BB's have been out for how long????

6. All the hype about "push" email really is just that for non corporate users...in fact, I could get my email faster if I was able to program the BB to check for new messages every minute...right now it takes 10 minutes for new messages to show up.

Did I just buy the wrong device for my needs? I want to sync contacts, email, etc but I want it in a friendly, easy to use format...everybody says: "just buy it" and I did...but I really think that BB users are sacrificing a lot of ease of use vs other solutions...am I wrong?

thanks, John.

[oakie]

My issues:

1. No ability to transfer existing emails - what?! I'm really supposed to forward hundreds of emails? For personal use, there should be an override.

2. Can't open attachments...I hit the options button but viewing attachments isn't an option.

3. I move emails from my desktop inbox to a folder, while the folders exist on the BB, the emails are never moved. Why? So, my inbox just becomes one big linear view of messages...this is like going back to DOS.

4. Why do I have to go through a menu system to get to view folders ("View Folder" is well hidden) and why aren't folders graphical in representation?

5. No html email...truly unbelievable...BB's have been out for how long????

6. All the hype about "push" email really is just that for non corporate users...in fact, I could get my email faster if I was able to program the BB to check for new messages every minute...right now it takes 10 minutes for new messages to show up.

Did I just buy the wrong device for my needs? I want to sync contacts, email, etc but I want it in a friendly, easy to use format...everybody says: "just buy it" and I did...but I really think that BB users are sacrificing a lot of ease of use vs other solutions...am I wrong?

thanks, John.

1. your device is for viewing and responding to email... not storing them. there is a finite amount of memory on your device; use it wisely. so there should be no need to have to migrate all your mail from your PC to your device.

2. it depends on the attachment. pdf files, mp3 files, most video files, word documents. they're all viewable, but you'll need to wait for the next OS release or get a third party app to save/edit documents.

3. again, you're trying to archive files on a device that's not deigned to be used as an archive. that's why it downloads from a mail SERVER. mail stays on the server if you need to archive your mail. here's the way it's used: receive important email > respond > resolve issue the email addressed > save email until issue is past > delete email > refer to copy archived on your server/outlook/webmail if you need to revisit a done and gone issue.

4. there are shortcuts for this. refer to your tips and tricks manual that came with it... it's just as easy to read as print on a monitor.

5. HTML looks pretty but serves little real function as far as necessary communication. it was about staying slim and trim to minimize data transfer for, at the time, very slow data networks and minimizing transfer costs.

6. that's your mail server's problem, not BIS. i get my mail instantly. i've had winmo devices, and yes, i could set it to poll my inbox every minute... but the battery would be dead in 4 hours.


yes, you bought the wrong device. wrap it up and return it, then go buy a laptop. you want to replace your copy of outlook on your home PC, and that's not what it's for. again, no archiving. this device is about instant communication, not saving old email.

[tim.harman]

Well put. I concur.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[scorpiodsu]

1. your device is for viewing and responding to email... not storing them. there is a finite amount of memory on your device; use it wisely. so there should be no need to have to migrate all your mail from your PC to your device.

2. it depends on the attachment. pdf files, mp3 files, most video files, word documents. they're all viewable, but you'll need to wait for the next OS release or get a third party app to save/edit documents.

3. again, you're trying to archive files on a device that's not deigned to be used as an archive. that's why it downloads from a mail SERVER. mail stays on the server if you need to archive your mail. here's the way it's used: receive important email > respond > resolve issue the email addressed > save email until issue is past > delete email > refer to copy archived on your server/outlook/webmail if you need to revisit a done and gone issue.

4. there are shortcuts for this. refer to your tips and tricks manual that came with it... it's just as easy to read as print on a monitor.

5. HTML looks pretty but serves little real function as far as necessary communication. it was about staying slim and trim to minimize data transfer for, at the time, very slow data networks and minimizing transfer costs.

6. that's your mail server's problem, not BIS. i get my mail instantly. i've had winmo devices, and yes, i could set it to poll my inbox every minute... but the battery would be dead in 4 hours.


yes, you bought the wrong device. wrap it up and return it, then go buy a laptop. you want to replace your copy of outlook on your home PC, and that's not what it's for. again, no archiving. this device is about instant communication, not saving old email.

Well said! I don't know why people expect a smartphone to be a laptop computer. If you just got your BIS account setup and your blackberry retrieves the messages from the server, how could it retrieve 2 month old email that wasn't sent to the blackberry server!!!??? Sometimes, I think people just don't use their noggin and ask the right questions before you buy a device. Maybe he could have saved himself some frustrations if he would have asked before he bought it. Go buy something else.

[scubaguyjohn]

yes, you bought the wrong device. wrap it up and return it, then go buy a laptop. you want to replace your copy of outlook on your home PC, and that's not what it's for. again, no archiving. this device is about instant communication, not saving old email.

I happen to have important information in previously sent and/or received emails...contracts, etc. I think this information should be accessible on the go...isn't it with Palm and/or windows mobile solutions? And with memory so cheap, an 8gb card could easily hold all of my old emails...so if this device is only designed for instant communication with no regard for what's come before, fair enough...but that seems to be very limiting in my view.

[scubaguyjohn]

If you just got your BIS account setup and your blackberry retrieves the messages from the server, how could it retrieve 2 month old email that wasn't sent to the blackberry server!!!??? .

...isn't that what the sync function is for??? if I'm syncing with my desktop, it should sync, period...and it doesn't....it won't move emails out of my bb inbox and into other folders and it won't sync existing emails into folders!

[amazinglygraceless]

scubaguy, there is no need to get in a battle over
this. You bought a device that does not suit your needs
or meet your expectations. Exchange for something that
does.

[scubaguyjohn]

scubaguy, there is no need to get in a battle over
this. You bought a device that does not suit your needs
or meet your expectations. Exchange for something that
does.

no battle here...I'm wondering if I'm missing something because many swear by this device yet I find it to be very limiting...nothing more, nothing less.

[jidx]

BB's arent for everyone. I agree that you sould return it. Get something thats easier for you to figure out.

[scubaguyjohn]

Get something thats easier for you to figure out.

the issue isn't with me "figuring it out" - the questions I have are "does it do what I want it to do?"...no need to be condescending...

[oakie]

no battle here...I'm wondering if I'm missing something because many swear by this device yet I find it to be very limiting...nothing more, nothing less.

it's limiting for the expectations you have... but in a corporate world, it's exactly what we need; instant communication of all forms while away from the desk TEMPORARILY.

[SLVR6]

Well put oakie, saved me some typing!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[oakie]

Well put okaie, saced me some typing!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

thank you.

i found in the blackberry exactly what i needed for the times i'm away from my computer so as to allow me more free time. i would think that it would be all of our responsibility to do the same thing for someone who didnt find the same solution with their blackberry.

tis better to go get a hammer than to turn use the handle on your screwdriver.

[my_handle]

please refer to my other page.....http://forums.crackberry.com/f2/all-...-t-like-45201/

[scubaguyjohn]

please refer to my other page.....

guess I mistook these forums for a serious information source - save your sarcasm for somebody else....

I've owned it for 2 days...so it can go back...

... now back to our topic...

[Arninetyes]

Yeah, I have to agree with most responses. You have an expectation that is not being met. Check out the capabilities of Palm, WinMo, Apple, and any others available in your market.

However, knowing some of the limitations of these and the functionality you desire, I suspect your best bet would be a laptop or UMPC with a broadand connection.

BTW, I also have an 8330 with BIS. My mail is pushed to my BB immediately - no waiting. It must be a function of the email server you use, because BlackBerry's BIS works quite well - better than I expected before I bought one.

Best of luck to you. I hope you find a solution suitable to your needs

[waterfrontmgmt]

I'm asking serious questions - I tried to research this stuff before buying it and obviously didn't come up with threads like this... like I said, I thought I was missing something so I put it out there for feedback....
By the way, I'll bet you in 5 years, that the BB will do many of these things ... I can't be the only person needing features such as these.

actually most of the things you mentioned can be done now. you just have to take the time to learn how to do them. this phone has sooo many ways to personalize it...so many shortcuts that are not published.

push email depends on what email you use. yahoo, gmail, etc are real time push. you get them instantly. i get mine on my phone before my computer. it doesn't get any faster. aol comes every 3 to 12 minuted for me...but the new os will make aol push.

the new os will also have html...and that is coming in the new few months.

i suggest you return the curve and try the treo. it should take you about 24 hours to test it and see how you like it...take advantage of all the carriers 30 day return and odds are, you will come back to the curve.

[scubaguyjohn]

actually most of the things you mentioned can be done now. you just have to take the time to learn how to do them. this phone has sooo many ways to personalize it...so many shortcuts that are not published.

.

thanks for the reply...if what you say is true, then is everyone else wrong?

Please see my original list especially the need to organize emails, to view attachments (greater than 300k), and to load old emails without forwarding all of them to myself. As I originally asked, what am I missing? If these things can be done, I'd appreciate somebody telling me how.

thanks.

[waterfrontmgmt]

new software just came out for attachments...it's part of the new os changes. do some searching on the new 4.5 os and you will see all the upgrades coming.

as to transfering old e-mails from your computer to your phone...that is counter productive to bb's intent. you can always start from scratch and not delete any new e-mails on your phone...but eventually space will become an issue for you.

[wbailey]

The Blackberry is meant for on-the-go email access -- as new emails come into your inbox (not other folders), they are pushed to your device so you can respond to them. It does not give you full access to all folders or emails stored on your home or work computer -- but there are workarounds depending on whether you use POP or IMAP.

If you use POP then you can't get your emails at all on ANY phone because they are downloaded onto your machine's hard drive and nowhere else. There is no way to retrieve them other than forwarding each one to yourself, and as other posters have noted that takes up plenty of memory. That isn't the Blackberry's fault, just a limitation of POP. You also will lose all of your emails if you hard drive ever fails, and you can't access them if you are not on that particular machine where the emails are stored.

If you use IMAP, however, then the emails are stored on your email provider's server. I use a program called LogicMail that gives me access to all my emails stored on my IMAP server, including those not in the root inbox folder. I have a lot of email folders and emails stored in these, so if on occasion I need to refer to one I can use LogicMail to do so. Emails are displayed in plain text, but that's okay -- this is just for on the go reference if needed.

If you are looking for a laptop replacement, the Blackberry isn't it, but it does a pretty good job of keeping me up to date while traveling. If I need to do more extensive work, referencing of past emails or attachments, etc. then I'll fire up my laptop and use that instead. It took me a while to figure out how to configure to work best for me, but it does what I need it to do.

[srplummer]

There are applications that you can add to help with htlm and almost anything else you want, just try some out.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[jenaywins]

I agree with the point that these devices are meant for instant communication on the go, not archiving your emails. You need the memoury on your phone - trust ne, its rather limited. And the 8g media card to which you referred is for just that. Media. You cannot store your old emails on it.

You say there is important information in your old emails - contact info, perhaps dates/appointments... This is exactly why we have an address book, calendar, tasks, memo pad.. Need I go on? Why can you not pull the info you need from these old emails and simply store it in the phone the way it is meant to be stored? Perhaps this device isn't for you, but it sounds to me that you haven't even given it a chance. This is NOT a laptop, and is not a windows phone. It is a blackberry. A completely different animal. Try utilizing the features it actually has to offer instead of comparing it to other devices. If you still aren't sold, bring it back.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[scubaguyjohn]

And the 8g media card to which you referred is for just that. Media. You cannot store your old emails on it.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

if true, then I can understand why you want to frequently purge information...is this also true of say a treo, that it can't use the 8gb to increase database storage?

You say there is important information in your old emails - contact info, perhaps dates/appointments... This is exactly why we have an address book, calendar, tasks, memo pad.. Need I go on? Why can you not pull the info you need from these old emails and simply store it in the phone the way it is meant to be stored?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

good question...and I may have to reorganize to do just that...however, my contracts are sent as PDF's ... I need to refer to them from time to time...or... say a customer emails me a reply that I need to reference later...I want to easily pull it from their customer folder or put in their customer folder (and not keeping looking at a large linear inbox list)...I then want that action (of moving the email) to then be synced with my desktop when back in the office...I can't figure out how to make that happen...everything just stays in my bb inbox despite having moved it on my desktop...is that how it's supposed to work?

Also, is there a way to modify the outlook form fields that get synced besides the standard address, phone numbers, etc? Since some of my contract data is stored in outlook forms, then perhaps I could get some of the info onto the bb by modifying the fields which are synced.

Here's a new issue: I synced the bb and now every appointment appears twice...strange because I'd synced it several times before without that issue.

John.

[scubaguyjohn]

If you use POP then you can't get your emails at all on ANY phone because they are downloaded onto your machine's hard drive and nowhere else. There is no way to retrieve them other than forwarding each one to yourself, and as other posters have noted that takes up plenty of memory. That isn't the Blackberry's fault, just a limitation of POP. You also will lose all of your emails if you hard drive ever fails, and you can't access them if you are not on that particular machine where the emails are stored.

If you use IMAP, however, then the emails are stored on your email provider's server. I use a program called LogicMail that gives me access to all my emails stored on my IMAP server, including those not in the root inbox folder. I have a lot of email folders and emails stored in these, so if on occasion I need to refer to one I can use LogicMail to do so. Emails are displayed in plain text, but that's okay -- this is just for on the go reference if needed.

If you are looking for a laptop replacement, the Blackberry isn't it, but it does a pretty good job of keeping me up to date while traveling. If I need to do more extensive work, referencing of past emails or attachments, etc. then I'll fire up my laptop and use that instead. It took me a while to figure out how to configure to work best for me, but it does what I need it to do.

thanks...I use POP but I don't lose all my emails if my hard drive dies as I leave copies on the server...it's a large file now but all the data is there!

I'll take a look at logic mail...

[jenaywins]

I am unfamiliar with other pda's, like the treo, having never owned one. That being said, I am not sure whether they can use the space on media cards more efficiently than a blackberry. My guess would be that they cannot.

You mention you want access to flagged reply emails. Is there a way you can simply forward important replies you want to reference in the future to your device, and keep all others on your pc? This will eliminate the use of precious memoury on your phone, but you will still have what you need at your fingertips.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com