1. DavidThi808's Avatar
    Hi David. On one hand you're praising Apple; on the other, you're putting them down. I hope you realize that iTunes is Apple's software.
    Yes I realize that. I think the iPhone is a beautifully designed device. That doesn't mean Apple is perfect. The Windows version of iTunes is painful to use. Just goes to show that no one is perfect.
    05-17-09 10:34 AM
  2. branden3112's Avatar
    Yes I realize that. I think the iPhone is a beautifully designed device. That doesn't mean Apple is perfect. The Windows version of iTunes is painful to use. Just goes to show that no one is perfect.
    The Windows version of iTunes a tually isn't that bad IMO, it's just very slow.
    05-17-09 10:51 AM
  3. branden3112's Avatar
    And to be perfectly honest, I am happy that current BlackBerry apps are not
    following the lead of the Iphone. Apple may have a huge catalog, but truth
    to tell most of it is useless dreck.
    I love all the different apps that you have on the iPhone or iPod touch. Especially the awesome games.
    05-17-09 10:53 AM
  4. waldog's Avatar
    I would rather have a BB and spend a little time learning how to set it up than hurry up and jump to an iphone.

    Looking at your device (not a bb user) and seeing you just registered (1 day ago), I would call troll asap. But I don't do that. .
    05-17-09 11:11 AM
  5. cavingjan's Avatar
    Plus there is use I think in pointing out that RIM & Verizon do a terrible job on enterprise level support. It lets others know when they Google search if enough of these posts get made.
    I would not say that unless you were in fact talking to on the Verizon Business/Corprate reps. Companies looking to deploy BB (or any other phone in quantities with Enterprise level support) won't be talking to Consumer Reps at the store but the rep(s) who manage the business accounts and are more knowledgable in that particular mode of operation. (I wouldn't expect the reps at Best Buy to know what is needed to setup and deploy a Windows Server)
    05-17-09 11:17 AM
  6. cdaiscool's Avatar
    That sucks that you had such a hard time with this. Too bad, really, since the BB can do so freaking much.

    Better luck with the iPhone, hope the update doesn't kill it like past updates have!
    05-17-09 11:19 AM
  7. DavidThi808's Avatar
    I would rather have a BB and spend a little time learning how to set it up than hurry up and jump to an iphone.
    Why? If you can spend just 1-1/2 minutes and be up and running, what spend days learning how to install, configure, & maintain additional software on my server?

    Looking at your device (not a bb user) and seeing you just registered (1 day ago), I would call troll asap. But I don't do that. .
    My wife tried to become a BB user. It's not that she didn't want to be one, it's that they put up giant barriers to becoming one.
    05-17-09 11:20 AM
  8. branden3112's Avatar
    I would not consider him a troll. He did try and learn how to set up his BB but he couldn't with out buying the BES sofrware. He didn't "jump to an iPhone," he tried to get it to work but he couldn't
    Last edited by branden3112; 05-17-09 at 11:23 AM.
    05-17-09 11:21 AM
  9. DavidThi808's Avatar
    I would not say that unless you were in fact talking to on the Verizon Business/Corprate reps. Companies looking to deploy BB (or any other phone in quantities with Enterprise level support) won't be talking to Consumer Reps at the store but the rep(s) who manage the business accounts and are more knowledgable in that particular mode of operation. (I wouldn't expect the reps at Best Buy to know what is needed to setup and deploy a Windows Server)
    But if you are purchasing 1 BlackBerry, and your Exchange server is your home email server, then the consumer reps are the only thing available. We were very clear as to the use case and were told the consumer store was it.

    In your example, BestBuy doesn't sell servers. But if you call the Dell consumer line to buy a server, they will transfer you over to a server person.
    05-17-09 11:24 AM
  10. DavidThi808's Avatar
    I would not consider him a troll. He did try and learn how to set up his BB but he couldn't with out buying the BES sofrware. He didn't "jump to an iPhone," he tried to get it to work but he couldn't
    Thank you very much.

    Also, one clarification. I have had an iPhone for about a year and love it (and I say that as someone who is Windows only for my computers). But my wife wanted to get a BlackBerry and I have been trying to get her set up (and failing miserably). So I told her that a BlackBerry is out because of the additional time required.
    05-17-09 11:29 AM
  11. bx2md's Avatar
    My wife decided to get a new Blackberry phone. We have Exchange at home (what can I say, I'm a nerd) and so she told them on purchasing that it must connect to Exchange's ActiveSync so it synchronizes her email, contacts, and calender. And at the Verizon store they said - yes, no problem.

    1. So I go to options to set email and... no option for Exchange. I call Verizon and get passed to two different people where I'm told to use IMAP. When I explain that no, we want ActiveSync we get passed over to BlackBerry where after a longer wait I am told that you don't set up ActiveSync connections in email btu instead in advanced options. Ok, so 25 minutes and 4 people to find that out.
    2. So I try that and this is where I start to learn that BlackBerry essentially has no error messages. It tries to connect and if it fails, after 25 minutes, pops up a message saying there was a problem and see your system administrator. I am my system administrator - what earthly use is a message like that?
    3. So call Verizon again where we are passed through to BlackBerry where they then dive in and discover... that my wife's account did not include enterprise access. So the ***** at the Verizon store (is "*****" redundant?), told that she wanted enterprise access, did not include it in her plan. And the ***** at BlackBerry (redundant again?) the first time did not notice that she did not have enterprise access on her account.
    4. So we get all that set and now we're going to... Get the same stupid error again. Ok, this time I get forwarded to BlackBerry tier 2 support (which means an additional 38 minute wait) because tier 1 support has no idea what to do. And tier 2 support, after 10 minutes of asking me a bunch of questions and checking some stuff then tells me that... We have to install BlackBerry software on our server.
    Yep, that's right, BlackBerry requires software on our mail server. Which I then have to learn how to configure & administer. And assuming that it is as poorly written as their setup code on the BlackBerry, that could end up being a full-time job.

    So I figured that instead we will go with a company that understands how to write usable software. I connected my iPhone and my daughter's iPod to Exchange in under 2 minutes each. My wife will return the BlackBerry to Verizon on Monday and switch to an iPhone & AT&T.

    And to the CEO at Verizon who has that nice message at the start of the customer service call - no I did not get what I needed. Not once in any of the 4 calls. If you want to get enterprise level customers, get an enterprise quality product. And that is not BlackBerry.
    man i'm sorry that you have that issue
    I had trouble with syncing my work blackberry to outlook I have to link it up via usb to be able to get everything on there
    05-17-09 11:39 AM
  12. armedtank's Avatar
    Honestly, I just don't understand why RIM cannot or will not wirelessly sync Calendars and subfolders from Outlook with BIS. To me, it seems like nickeling and diming their customers. Sell BES based on its enterprise management features not because it does the basics that BIS does not.
    05-17-09 11:48 AM
  13. waldog's Avatar
    Why? If you can spend just 1-1/2 minutes and be up and running, what spend days learning how to install, configure, & maintain additional software on my server?

    You're spending days talking about how you just left BB for iphone. You could've spent this thread time learning the exchange for BB.

    Then next time you had to set it up, it would've only takin a few minutes. Idk.
    05-17-09 11:53 AM
  14. DavidThi808's Avatar
    You're spending days talking about how you just left BB for iphone. You could've spent this thread time learning the exchange for BB.
    Based on how poorly the RIM software I have used so far has worked, I don't think it would have been minutes (the time I've spent here), or hours, but rather days to get this set up. Keep in mind companies have people who's full-time job is managing the BB server software.

    Also, the main reason I posted and am replying is to warn others who do a google search before buying, see this thread, and realize that BlackBerry is for large corporate use only.

    Then next time you had to set it up, it would've only takin a few minutes. Idk.
    What next time? This was for my wife. My daughters and I use an iPhone.
    05-17-09 01:35 PM
  15. tech_head's Avatar
    To get email on a BB from Exchange requires one simple thing.
    Turn on either POP or IMAP on the server.
    Exchange supports other mail protocols. Very few things except outlook and Express talk to exchange servers natively. Turn on IMAP or POP.
    05-17-09 02:21 PM
  16. DavidThi808's Avatar
    To get email on a BB from Exchange requires one simple thing.
    Turn on either POP or IMAP on the server.
    Exchange supports other mail protocols. Very few things except outlook and Express talk to exchange servers natively. Turn on IMAP or POP.
    Yuck, no. Using ActiveSync means you have live synchronization with email, calendar, & address book. That is worlds better than just IMAP which gives you pull capability on email only.
    05-17-09 02:29 PM
  17. jburris020's Avatar
    Here is the issue that I have with this thread, yes I understand the frustration of having to use conversion software to make a BB compatible with an Exchange server. But David seeing as you own the Exchange server you know that it is a MICROSOFT exchange server, and as we know Microsoft does not make Blackberry, RIM does. So it isn't compatible out of the box. I totally understand the software may be difficult to use, but if you have an Exchange server set up in your own house surely you could have taken the time to figure it out, as you stated your a tech person. Blackberry is actually the leading phone provider for upper executive positions. I mean even the Pres has a blackberry, there is a huge difference in security between the blackberry's and the I Phone. As a matter of fact last I heard even though the I Phone does now work with exchange servers (yes the first I Phone didn't work with them at all) there are major sercurity drops that they are still working out. This is a by product due to MICROSOFT making the server. So for you just dropping the BB and moving to the IPhone for ease of use is purely your choice, but answer me this, why is the Blackberry Curve still the #1 selling product across all wireless carriers? And yes it even outsold the IPhone, and I know the first answer is that the Curve is sold by all carriers where as the IPhone is sold by only ATT but in the latest consumer reports mag it stated that ATT's curve sales are still tops due to their EXECUTIVE needs..

    /end rant
    05-17-09 03:05 PM
  18. DavidThi808's Avatar
    But David seeing as you own the Exchange server you know that it is a MICROSOFT exchange server, and as we know Microsoft does not make Blackberry, RIM does. So it isn't compatible out of the box. I totally understand the software may be difficult to use, but if you have an Exchange server set up in your own house surely you could have taken the time to figure it out, as you stated your a tech person.
    Fair point. I do understand that RIM has to talk to Exchange, but Apple manages to do it without requiring any server software being installed. And if Microsoft and Apple can work together...

    As to installing the BB s/w, my experience to date with BB software is the support is wrong or non-existent and the error codes returned are worthless. Based on this I figured this would suck up hours to days of my time. And that time suck would be of zero value since my wife could get an iPhone and have the same results.

    Yes BB sells a lot of devices but I would guess most are sold to people connecting to existing BB servers. Established base is powerful. But ongoing, for those of us with security needs that are a bit less than the President's, I think BB is going to see their market position erode.

    And for SMB, I don't see why any company with less than 1,000 people needing this would go with BB. I'm CEO of a small company and it's been pure happenstance that no one has wanted a BBB yet but on Monday I will make it policy - no BB support. The last thing I need is one more piece of software my tech team needs to support.
    05-17-09 04:59 PM
  19. DavidThi808's Avatar
    Kudos to Verizon. My wife took it back and they said no problem and apologized for the difficulties we had. Apparently this is pretty common.
    05-17-09 05:00 PM
  20. jburris020's Avatar
    Kudos to Verizon. My wife took it back and they said no problem and apologized for the difficulties we had. Apparently this is pretty common.
    It isn't common, but Verizon has a practice that within 30 days if you want to return the device you can without any issues
    05-17-09 05:09 PM
  21. cavingjan's Avatar
    There is a lot more to BES than just a data conduit for Exchange. BES is also about remote handheld management.
    05-17-09 05:47 PM
  22. branden3112's Avatar
    RIM used to make BB Unite for your exact purpose.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    05-17-09 05:59 PM
  23. ScandaLeX's Avatar
    RIM used to make BB Unite for your exact purpose.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    & BB Unite also installed, withOUT your knowledge, it's own IT policy on your BB that took a LOT of work to remove.
    05-17-09 11:36 PM
  24. Hoosier's Avatar
    David,

    Have you checked into Astrasync???? astrasync.com it is software that will allow a BB work with exchange. It is $50 a year, and that includes any updates to the software. I use it for my work because they went to an exchange server and will not buy the BB software. Works excellent.
    05-18-09 12:09 AM
  25. bdos's Avatar
    lol.

    a computer guru with exchange at home doesnt think to research the requirements for BES vs BIS before purchasing?

    took me 2 mins to pick up on that when i bought first BB 2 months ago.

    i sense the old "stuff reading the instructions i can work it out myself" mentality... and this time it backfired but its everyone elses fault..

    *sigh*....
    05-18-09 01:22 AM
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