[jefe533]

Dear all,

I am in dire need of upgrading to a smart phone and I was hoping I could get some advice.

First, I'm on Verizon, and switching carriers is not really an option because my girlfriend and both of our families, our best friends, etc., are all Verizon. Plus I haven't had a dropped call or poor reception in years and I don't plan on starting now. That and I'm 26 and still on my mom's family plan.

I'm a part-time graduate filmmaking student and a freelance video editor. It's important to me to be able to put my short films on my phone and be able to show them to people in meetings, etc., and have them look good.

Right now I mostly work for a Japanese production company, and I'm constantly getting emails that require immediate attention that are in Japanese. Since these don't display on my non-smart phone, I usually have to drop everything and run to the nearest computer. Having a smart phone that can display Japanese -- not just in emails, but full OS integration (documents, document titles, etc.), is paramount. I'd want to be able to enter Japanese with predictive text (standard OS X feature) for email, document editing, and texting. Everyone else in the company claims that Blackberry's can't do this. They all have iPhones.

The iPhone isn't really an option for me because all my good friends who have them (I have many) say they can't type long emails due to the small keyboard. One of the major reasons I want to get a smart phone is so I can catch up on emails while riding the subway. Is writing long emails on Blackberry a comfortable experience?

For work, I am frequently dispatched on shoots. Most recently to London, next month to Japan and China. In theory I'd love to have a phone that worked here (New York), in Europe (particularly Spain), and Japan.

I'd like to have a camera -- even if it isn't the best quality, any picture is better than no picture, which is pretty much how my life goes since I don't tend to carry around a camera in all but the most touristy excursions. And even then I don't feel like packing the charger. That said, it's not a huge priority.

I'm extremely poorly organized -- something I hope to remedy with this purchase. I've got an iCal at home that has little to do with my Google Calendar, a work email and an all-purpose Gmail, both of which I check sometimes online and sometimes through Mail on my Mac, the latter of which has a system of folders I sometimes put stuff in, sometimes don't, and hardly ever look in, frankly. I'm trying to consolidate everything to my Gmail and Google Calendar and take it from there. Could a Blackberry synch with Gmail, which in turn is checking my work email and dumping it all in the same inbox? Can I update the calendar on my blackberry and have the change reflected in my google calendar, and vice versa?

I don't really care about Wi-Fi. I don't see the point. If you are in range of a wi-fi signal you are likely in range of a physical computer that is the intended recipient of that signal, and you should just use that. I can't remember the last time I was out of range of Verizon's network and yet somehow within range of an airport base station or something like that.

Lastly, I am mostly a Mac guy, though at work I use PCs. Will the blackberry play nice with my Mac?

Phew. If you're still reading, you are a saint, and probably think I'm crazy for wanting all these features.

Any buying advice would be greatly appreciated. I want to get a blackberry, though I don't know which.

I'm also not sure if I should wait. The Bold looks awesome but I can't wait for that to come out for Verizon. I also don't know how it's actually diffrenet from the Curve, and if any of the differences would affect the things I need. The Storm also looks great, but I don't want to wait two months, nor do I really want to buy a first generation device, much less in its first shipment, nor do I want to wait two months to find out it doesn't do Japanese and I should have gotten a Curve in the first place (not that I know you can do Japanese on a curve). Is there any other miracle device on the horizon that is worth waiting for? I don't know what a Javelin is.

Again -- any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you so much.

[Duvi]

Well... Push email is definitely with the BB.

Right now I mostly work for a Japanese production company, and I'm constantly getting emails that require immediate attention that are in Japanese. Since these don't display on my non-smart phone, I usually have to drop everything and run to the nearest computer. Having a smart phone that can display Japanese -- not just in emails, but full OS integration (documents, document titles, etc.), is paramount. I'd want to be able to enter Japanese with predictive text (standard OS X feature) for email, document editing, and texting. Everyone else in the company claims that Blackberry's can't do this. They all have iPhones.

I believe those iPhone users are correct in that aspect, but since you don't want to switch carriers for the iPhone or wait 2-3 months for the Storm, there aren't many options that will cover all those demands.

[Solachica]

If you can go to the store and have a feel of each BB then you can make a wise choice.

The 8800 series doesnt have the camera.

With the BB there are quite a few choices now....I am partial to the Curve

[bb_bold]

of the existing blackberrys out now I think the 8830 would be best for you. The only downfall is that it does not have a camera. The phone does however roam globally since it is both CDMA and GSM. I would wait for the storm and other new devices so you could compare to see which you like best.

[ScandaLeX]

In terms of which phone to get, I dont think the Curve or any one BB is going to meet 1/2 of your needs. You need something thats going to meet your home & international needs. As BBB said, the 8830.

As far as camera, I understand what you mean when you say any picture is better than none at all. But it seems as though you are definitely going to require a separate decent camera; even if its no more than a point & click.

I wish you the best on your search, but I just think all your needs cannot be met in just a phone.

[bx2md]

with a blackberry you cant...and wont go wrong

[jefe533]

Thank you all so much!

[jetnoise]

yes using gmail sync you can mod your schedule. Check the latest Google tools

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com