I am new to the forum and I am looking for advice. They are pushing me to get a blackberry for work. It would be used to check work email, phone calls, checking emailed doc ect.
I only have a choice of three different IS approved blackberrys they are the tour 9630, 8830 world edition and the storm 2. Our company provider is verizon.
One question is also how rugged the phone is. I work on the shop floor and sometimes i am a bit rough on my current cells.
I have done some research and i am leaning towards the storm 2 because it has a bigger screen and hopefully a bigger keys on the keyboard. I am not sure about the touch screen . I was hoping that i could get some input from some veteran Blackberry users.
First off, I would discount the 8830 from the get go. Slower device, lacks the speed and memory of the other two.
If you work in a really dirty environment, I would stay away from the 9630, mainly because of the trackball. I work at a packaged concrete plant, and I wouldn't dare consider taking my Tour in the plant (if I still worked inside the plant) because of all the dirt. If it's a dirty, dusty environment, I'd go with the Storm2...
But, if it's not a dusty, dirty environment, I would reccomend the Tour. The physical keyboard is a huge plus IMO, and even with an Otterbox (which I would reccomend you getting 100%) I worry about the Storm2's screen if it takes a few big drops, especially from any considerable height. I'm just not sure how durable it is for that kind of use. The Tour's screen is really nice, offers great resoloution plus the classic BlackBerry form factor.
I've had both 9630 and 9550, I stuck with the s2 it was my first touchscreen and I must say I am extremely satisified with it. It comes down to personal choice, go to store and try them both. It takes a little bit to get used to the touchscreen but I am just as fast typing on it as the physical keyboard.
I love my Storm2 (personal device)...I would recommend a Tour for the line of work you're in. The Storm2 has a huge screen, but it is glass...if dropped it can crack. Get the Tour and an Otterbox defender case or Communter case. I think you'll find it less frustrating and a little tougher.
I have had my Storm 2 for a couple months and have dropped it a few times with no problems. Everything still works fine. Had my curve dropped it once and broke the screen. I had the curve for 9 months and had to replace the screen 5 times. I say go with storm2.
First, of all, go to the Verizon store and lay your hands on all of them. Definitely type a few sentences and see how things feel. While it does take awhile to adjust to ANY of these keyboards (trust me, you'll make lots of frustrating typos at first--don't give up) it will at least give you a sense of how they work. For the Storm2, remember it works in two different directions, so play with both. I find myself flip flopping back and forth between SureType and full keyboard depending on my clumsiness of the day.
I love my Storm 2 and haven't looked back. The screen is large and beautiful. It's a huge help when looking at web sites. If you're not going to be doing that much web for your work, then that may not be as big a benefit for you. I love having a touch screen. I HATED the trackball of my old Curve 8330.
In terms of abuse, I dropped my Storm 2 on the FIRST DAY on to a tile floor. I almost fainted right there. The result? Not a scratch or dent (not that I ever want to do that again). If you do get the Storm 2 and you think it will be handled rough, ask work to pay for the insurance to put your mind at ease. Otherwise I can see the Tour being more durable and possibly more practical for your email messaging. There are quite a few skins and cases available that can protect your berry with industrial strength.
As your colleagues to show you their phones too and compare. Pick the one that works for you ultimately. Good luck!
Throw the idea of the 8830 out the window. They keypad is exactly the same on the Tour. The Tour is much faster and the overall quality of the device as far as the OS platform is much better.
I agree with joe though. Go play with each device. You may find that the S2 actually works for you. As far as durability I would lean more towards the Tour... simply bc there isn't as much screen to break/crack/scratch. And learn the phones with an Otterbox from day 1!
I own a S2 and I kind of like it. The problem I could see is that sometimes my thumbs get tired having to click into the screen. (I'm not starting another argument about SurePress...). If you plan on using it for more than 3 hours a day, I would say throw that idea out the window. the big screen is very nice but I wouldn't type on my S2 for more than 3 hours...(I average something like 3 hours a day on it according to the I Love Blackberry app). I could easily type 6 hours on my 8900 without a problem so you might want a physical keyboard. (Yes, I know that also requires you to push in the keys but it seems like they require less work.)
First off, I would discount the 8830 from the get go. Slower device, lacks the speed and memory of the other two.
If you work in a really dirty environment, I would stay away from the 9630, mainly because of the trackball. I work at a packaged concrete plant, and I wouldn't dare consider taking my Tour in the plant (if I still worked inside the plant) because of all the dirt. If it's a dirty, dusty environment, I'd go with the Storm2...
But, if it's not a dusty, dirty environment, I would reccomend the Tour. The physical keyboard is a huge plus IMO, and even with an Otterbox (which I would reccomend you getting 100%) I worry about the Storm2's screen if it takes a few big drops, especially from any considerable height. I'm just not sure how durable it is for that kind of use. The Tour's screen is really nice, offers great resoloution plus the classic BlackBerry form factor.
If anything, I would think the Storm's screen would be more durable than any other BB's because it is meant to be pushed whereas the other's screens are not meant to be pushed.
That being said, while the Storm's QWERTY keyboard is a little harder to accurately type on - you may think you're typing A but the S shows up - it is larger than any other BB. Also, the Storm screen is larger than any of the others.
