Blackberry as PDA replacement

Hi. Somebody suggested I try this question on CrackBerry's legendary community. My ancient Palm PDA is getting creaky, so I'm thinking about combining phone/PDA functionality with a modest, wifi-capable smartphone like a Pearl or the upcoming Kickstart. I'm wondering how feasible this idea is for my needs. I'm not yet a BB user: I only have a conventional phone right now, but can get a discounted upgrade from T-Mobile.

My favorite part about a PalmOS device is that I can back up, manage and sync everything -- calendar, contacts, to-dos, notes -- between the PDA and my PC. But in the BB and Winmob world, the desktop software seems to assume everybody has Outlook. Will I have to spend an extra $100 or so on Outlook just so I can manage my contacts on my desktop? I read there is a Google Calendar sync app for Blackberries, but apparently nothing for contacts.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Chris

Welcome to CB, back ups are directly to the pc. I don't sync much so I'm not to sure about what all it will sync with. Outlook is free on any windows pc is it not?

There is away you can sync cause I sync my entroge contacts-which is apples form of outlook- I am not sure what the process would be on a PC. Hope that helps some!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

No I think you have to pay for outlook because I couldn't find it when I was tring to transfer my treo 755 phone numbers over, but its nothing like the palm they don't or I haven't seen a desktop manager where I can delete pics or add phone numbers on the computer you have to do everything on the phone and then save it.

if outlook is all thats stopping you I'll shoot ya a copy!

Outlook express is default on any windows machine 95 and up. But for full on outlook, it will have to be purchased, but it also comes with office.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I was in the same boat way back in the day when I got my first "old blue"(for those crack(berry)heads who remember). Syncing my contacts was never a need for me but for you it might be in that case these kids will hook you up. :) Although the google calendar doesn't have contact sync it still works wonders. I would seriously suggest test driving one of these devices.
Oh and welcome glad to have you aboard!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Outlook has been replaced on new machines with Windows Mail. It is basically the same program. I believe BB will sync with it just as they did with outlook.

The BlackBerry is totally different than a winmo device. You'll just have to jump in and use it. I have a TMobile 8320 Curve -- it is a WiFi device and I spend about 60% of my time connected via wifi and I think it is a super connection. I also have UMA calling -- the time spent calling via WiFi does not count against my minutes. I suggest you try out the curve.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I came from being a palm PDA user to getting a BB as my 1st smartphone. You don't have to sync the BB if you don't need to. I enter everything directly into the BB and just perform backups using the desktop manager just in case something ever happens and I need to restore the BB. I'm not at home but I'm certain syncing with outlook is not the only option. But since I have never used it I will need to consult the desktop manager and possibly online resourses to find out details on syncing options.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Thanks for the responses and welcome, everybody. A couple of clarifications for those not from the Palm world. No, Outlook does not come for free: it's part of MS Office but can be purchased separately. Palm's desktop software is not just a sync/backup tool. It comes with a complete Windows PIM app that works directly on your Palm data, so you can edit your calendar, contacts, memos and task lists on both the PDA and your PC. I could carry my contacts with me while somebody at home can look up those same contacts on the PC. I realize that nothing else out there does the same thing.

Is there a way to get a list of apps that the Blackberry desktop software will sync with? I can't find it so far. I know it syncs with Outlook and the Lotus equivalent -- neither of which I have -- but that's about all I know. For example, Windows Vista comes with its own contacts manager: will the software sync with that? I realize that Blackberry's traditional strength is in meeting business users' needs, so I am making no assumptions on its support for (potential) casual users like myself.

I thought I'd post an update to this thread. I have since acquired a Curve 8320. For desktop PDA functionality, I have simply decided to have the Desktop Manager sync to "Yahoo PIM". This syncs my calendar, contacts, tasks and memos to my Yahoo account. I now have a "desktop" PDA solution at no extra cost.