1. dadof5's Avatar
    I�m a Sprint customer; happy with the phones and service but very disappointed with in-store, phone, and web customer service. I�ve been in sales for about 15 years and use a Palm with Outlook to maintain contacts and communicate with customers/prospects. Obviously I sync my Palm with my PC and use MS Word and Excel daily therefore flawless operation of Documents to Go is essential!

    I�ve been on the sidelines observing GPS and smartphones waiting for the right time to act and decided two weeks ago that time had come. I make some calls to Sprint tele-sales and low and behold got differing answers to the same questions; GPS, no GPS, GPS enabled, Google this, My Location that. The rate plans I was quoted were all across the board with nobody seeming to have knowledge of what each plan included.

    With this array of misinformation scrambling through my brain I decided to venture into the local Sprint PCS store. The same store I had visited last summer to add two lines of service, the store that bungled my billing so badly it took two months to rectify. But, its 3 minutes away, what are you going to do? I�m greeted by a young lady who seems well-informed and with my criteria laid out for her she suggests the Centro. Sounded good, I told her I would be back. Spent some time that evening reviewing the Centro and was pleased with what I learned. The next day I returned to the store and ended up dealing with a different sales person, even more knowledgeable (I thought). After telling him I was in sales, needed to stay organized, wanted email and GPS, he too recommended the Centro. I took the plunge.

    As we completed the transaction he mentions that I need to buy a $40 GPS receiver in order to get turn-by-turn directions accurately from my location. Didn�t see that as a big deal so I paid and left. Tinkered with the phone for a few days and evaluated GPS receiver options. The phone was actually quite nice, remember, it was my first smartphone, I was impressed. Outlook with the use of Beyond Contacts worked well, syncing with Bluetooth was a treat, and the ability to send and receive emails while on the road was incredible. However, the whole My Location/Google Maps was inadequate. I couldn�t get the phone to audibly notify me of emails no matter how many preferences I adjusted and the internet was OK, but at times bogged down to a stand still.

    With that long winded preface out of the way, I currently have a smartphone (Centro) that works well, does a lot of neat things, but leaves me wondering if there is more. Hence, my search for the contemporary ultimate smartpone began. I�ve narrowed it down to the Sprint Curve 8330 and the Sprint Treo 800W. I�ve been researching the web, rifling through blogs and forums. If a review has been written on the Curve or Treo 800, I�ve read it. All this time I�ve invested (wasted) and I still can�t determine which way I should go.

    Meanwhile back at the Sprint stores� I visited all but one Sprint PCS store in my city, now looking for guidance on upgrading my Centro. All but one representative said I should go with the Treo 800 and sited the following reasons: BlackBerry has a less stable operating system, there are more steps with a BB to access programs and features, can�t edit or create Word documents, fewer apps available for BB, no touch screen (dah), and in general the Palm is more user-friendly. All of these Sprint staffers owned a Palm (755 or below). The only rep who said BB Curve was the better choice had little credibility. He was young, cocky, non-phone carrying, and disrespectful. With most of the staffers recommending Palm without giving BB any consideration, I questioned their motivation. Was it fact based, did they get spiffs for selling Palm, or were they able to buy Palm cheaper for themselves? These store visits didn�t clear things up.

    Back to the comparison. Both phones seem to offer similar features with the Treo having WiFi and the ability to text pics & files. My priorities are: reading & writing Word files, contact management with Outlook, turn by turn audible GPS, quality phone conversations, and relatively fast internet. Email on my Centro is more than adequate for my needs so I�m sure both Treo and Curve will be even better.

    Some things I really like about Palm and am concerned I might miss with BB: include: touch screen; really like this feature, document facilitation and contact management, reliability; my Palm Tungston has been perfect for years and two weeks using the Centro has been flawless. Obviously I�m leaning toward Palm with one hesitation; virtually all techno-reviews (cnet, etc.) have rated the BB Curve higher than the Treo, both editor and user ratings are higher with BB.

    If anybody has actually read my entire dissertation and can provide objective insight that will aid in my decision, I sincerely appreciate your input.

    Thanks, Dave
    08-10-08 08:50 PM
  2. Duvi's Avatar
    Welcome to crackberry.com!
    08-10-08 09:55 PM
  3. Duvi's Avatar
    I have to disagree with the stability part. BB is definitely more stable and I've played with both. I currently use an iPhone and Pearl in which I would choose over any treo, any day.

    Pros:

    Stability... BB
    Phone (receptions)... BB
    GPS... Almost a wash in my opinion.
    Email... BB hands down.
    Web Surfing... I rather use BB over the Palm.


    Cons:

    Touch screen... Treo, BB don't currently offer.
    Applications can not be stored on a sd card.
    More applications out for Palm/Treo.
    Creating/Editing word documents. You will have to buy the program for the BB when it's available through 4.5 (Docs2Go).

    Honestly, Although I would pick the BB over the Treo, for your concerns, I would consider the 800.

    Palm is not more user friendly. One of my representatives is retired for the Post Office and is pretty up there in age. I gave her my old 700p from Sprint and she honestly never fully understood it. She then recently got promoted to another department and was given a blackberry. She understand more things about it then the Palm she had for several months within a two week span.


    08-10-08 10:15 PM
  4. SLVR6's Avatar
    I would have to agree with Jayden on everything I think. Your question about an audible email alert, BB with definitely give you that as it is an email machine! Doc2go will be available once the 4.5 OS update is released, but you will likely want the premium version anyway so you could just buy it now. I must say something about the stability comment, you should have known the reps were lost when they said the 800W would have a more stable OS! Anything windows more stable than a BB? I don't think so. I have had my BB running for weeks with nary a power cycle. Wow, I was rambling. Last the, welcome to CrackBerry, I know you will be back!

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    08-10-08 10:29 PM
  5. trev42088's Avatar
    Blackberry, Drink it up. It goes down smooth everytime.

    lol sorry couldnt resist.

    i say BB, but then again, ur in a BB forum.

    welcome to the crack :P
    08-10-08 10:52 PM
  6. sconrad308's Avatar
    While, I do not own a BB yet, I have also read reviews, played with each device in the stores, talked to owners of Palm and BB's.
    I have been waiting for my full discount from Sprint before I bought a new phone, and after months of research, I will be ordering my Curve 8330 this week or next.
    08-11-08 12:00 AM
  7. danieljm94's Avatar
    Having recently owned a Treo 680, I now have a curve for many reasons. The main problem I had with my Treo and which caused me to switch was an unstable operating system. I had the 680 for about 6 or 7 months before I finally had enough. It seemed every other week something would go wrong and I wouldn't be able to retreive emails, could read text messages but couldn't respond or vice versa, and the list goes on. While having Docs2Go was nice, that is something that is coming to BBs very soon and I think you can currently buy the high-end version already.

    I personally will never go back to Palm after replacing my 680 three separate times before I threw in the towel. I have never had any stability issues with my new curve (I have ATT service). I did a lot of research before I bought the 680 too, and thought I was making the right choice... but trust me when I tell you that nothing compares to a blackberry at the end of the day. Some phones have better internet browsing, some have better 3rd party applications, some may look nicer, but none compare in quality and reliability and that's my 2 cents.
    08-11-08 09:51 AM
  8. dadof5's Avatar
    Thanks to those who provided input which allowed me to make a decision today. I nervously walked into the Sprint store with my Centro and and walked out with a BB Curve 8330. My first experiences were positive; great feel, nice keyboard, and I loved the audible turn by turn directions. I was quite sure the track wheel wouldn't meet with my approval but to my surprise I quickly learned to like it. Yes I still kept touching the screen, after all before the Centro I had used a Palm PDA for years. The wheel did seem a bit "sloppy" at times but it's not too bad. Then it came time to set up my Outlook contacts and calendar. Eeeeek! With Palm I just pressed Hotsync and I was done. I guess I'll have to spend this evening determining what program I need on the BB to sync up with my Outlook so I can have my contacts with me.

    Thanks again - your input was great!
    Dave
    08-11-08 04:02 PM
  9. MadCatUSA's Avatar
    Just wanted to weigh in on this one... I work for Sprint and some of the things you may or may not have been made aware of...
    Unless you are on the Simply Everything plan, there is an additional $39.99/mo. fee for having a BlackBerry.
    BlackBerry's are the best! I had a Treo 700WX prior to obtaining my baby, my Pearl.
    Synching contacts is easy, the desktop manager will search your Outlook contacts and pull everything in for you.
    Keep using your Curve, the more you use it, the more you will love it!
    08-11-08 04:11 PM
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