Blackberries Part Trois

My cell phone is starting to die. It's not so much the phone itself - it's where you plug the cell phone in to recharge it. That part of the phone is getting worn out and it is becomming almost impossible to recharge.

So what do I do?

Do I buy a new cell phone? Or, do I take the plunge into the abyss and go for a PDA?

Today I want to look at two PDA's and one that is soon to be released.

First-up, the infamous Blackberry. Right now, the Blackberry model 7250 can be had for free (that's right shoppers) through Telus. The only problem with Telus is that you have to talk to a Monkey who thinks his banana is a phone if you want to sign up. The other catch is that you have to sign a three year contract. The lowest monthly data/phone price is $45.00 a month. Of course that's not including GST, a 911 emergency charge and a plethora of other bogus connection charges as well. Telus speak = $45.00. Daryl speak = $52.00 at least a month. What do you get for $45.00?

According to Telus:

Why am I pro-Telus? I'm not! But that's another blog entirely.

I went to the Rogers site. They don't have monkeys with bananas. They also don't list the Blackberry 7250. They list the 7290. Their price is $99.00 (not free) with, you guess it - a three year contract. They also have a 3-year $45 contract. Again, $45.00 is not $45.00. Rogers also believes in add-on charges.

I also went to the Bell site. They also have the 7290 - and it too can be had for $99.00 - but you have to buy a 3-year contract for $45.00 More like $52.00 a month.



I should also tell you that Blackberry also does have a unit that can take pictures -it's called the Pearl. It can take still pictures only. They also messed up the keyboard. You have to share keys - it's pretty confusing. This Blackberry also uses a rollerball instead of the wheel. Look for more new Blackberries with the rollerball. This Pearl isn't free. I only saw it listed on Rogers and they want $249.00 - you guessed it - with a three-year package.






But!

Do you even want a Blackberry?

I have thought about this a lot. Daryl's answer . . . NO!!! and Yes!!!

No!!! If you don't mind spending $250.00

Yes!!! If you're an old fart!



Palm® Treo™ 700wx

no contract price $549.99

$249.99*
on a 3 yr contract

1 yr contract $499.99
2 yr contract $449.99

* Offer limited to new clients activating a combination of voice, e-mail & data plans totaling $45 or more. Offer ends February 28, 2007.


The Palm Treo 700wx is the user-friendly Palm experience on the familiar Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC operating system. The Treo 700wx features the Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 software that includes Word, Excel and PowerPoint Mobile so you view, edit and save documents on the go. In addition, you’ll have the standard applications such as Outlook Email, PDF viewer, Pocket MSN and Modem Link. The Treo 700wx features, combined with TELUS’ Business Inbox, helps you stay organized and connected as if you were on your PC.

The above blurb is from the Telus site.

Bell has the Palm Treo 680 - not as good as the 700. They want $299.99 for the 680 = no deal at all.

Next, and last is the Apple iPhone. Right now the price for this phone is around $500.00. It isn't for sale yet.



So, what do you buy?

Well, if you want something rather cheap - I use that term loosely - go for the Telus Blackberry 7250.

If you want something that can do eveything the Blackberry can do - plus it runs on a windows system - plus it takes both pictures and movies - get the Palm Treo 700wx.

If you want the coolest device that can do everything the Treo can do - plus even more - then wait for the iPhone from Apple.

Conclusion:

I think Blackberry needs to include a a camera system that can take still/movies as well. Blackberry says they won't include one because their customers haven't asked for one. I read that to mean that their customers are all old farts who see the camera as one more thing they have to learn. Well, if Blackberry insists on staying with that business model - I think they are doomed to become the next General Motors. GM used to have a commercial that said, "You aren't driving your father's Oldsmobile now." I say, "Yes you are." GM doesn't like change, and right now they are in a contest to see who can build the ugliest vehicles with Ford & Chysler - that's another Blog again. To do that Blog - I have to go and buy a library card - I'm cheap. Hmmm . . . Maybe my friend has one . . .

I can see another version of commercials with this time Apple going against Blackberry "Oh, your's can't do that?" Blackberry is ignoring younger potential customers who want all the bells & whistles for as cheap as possible - right now Blackberry has chosen to go the road of the Big Three, all of whom are about to be bought out by Toyota . . . There endeth the Blog . . .

Blackberries - Part Deux

Sometimes I wish I was 16 because I knew eveything back then. Now, I'm finding that answers just lead to more questions . . .

Well, my Blackberry blog got me a few emails and even one phone call from a Blackberry owner who likes to hit guys like me real hard. It seems to some degree that I didn't have the full picture on this issue.

Here's what I'm beginning to understand. Blackberries are a great idea. They are also the best, worst idea to come along in a while. Confused? I'm just getting started!

The Blackberry is a device that can do everything except take pictures (more on that in Blackberries - Part Trois). That means that everything, and I mean everything, can be dumped into that little device. Your calendar, your email, the Web, it's a phone too. What's happening is that people who have them are becomming somewhat overwhelmed with all of the information and requests for information coming their way. Most of us have jobs - but the Blackberry is not our job - just part of it. However, managing the information - in and out - is starting to become a job all by itself.

So, the questions are: Is it all worth it? When you get home - when do you shut the thing off? Do we need to be always on?

The soul-less Curmugeon-bounder-like Capitalist in me says:

"Yes it's worth it."
"Never, ever, shut it off"
"Yes, we must always be `on'."

I have to admit that I'm a bit of a hypocrite about this. I have a phone. Sometimes, thanks to call display, I don't answer some calls that come in.

However, I sure the heck expect people who have phones to answer them when I call them.

I think I have been that way with people with Blackberries too. I am going to have to tell myself, remind myself, that while Blackberries can be always on, people aren't. At least until Scrooge-like Capitalists like me are allowed to insert "implants" into employees so that I can access their brains while they sleep.

I can dream - can't I???

Wild About Wikis . . .

Well, not really . . .

So, I'm working on a research paper right now. I think I need to apply for a government grant and spend the next 16 years finishing it. It seems that with this paper - you start going down one avenue and then another two streets appear - each one valid. Fascinating, huh!!!

Anyway, while I was doing some work on the paper today, I had an epiphany! After that I had a nap - because I'm getting old and epiphanies take a lot out of me.

Well, I thought, as I complete a page of research - I will try to condense it (ya right) and post it up on my wiki. Then, people can edit, add, dispute, etc. my findings. The disputers better not be too mean because I'll report them to CSIS and they will have them sent to Syria to learn more about new uses for car batteries . . . or not . . .

HD-DVD vs Blu Ray . . .

I was reading an article by a guy named Michael Grebb. I don't know why he was named Michael Grebb - he didn't say. Anyway, the article was about a guy named Alan Parsons. Alan Parsons used to have a band called The Alan Parsons Project. I used to have a band too - except mine wasn't called The Alan Parsons Project. At any rate, Alan nowadays is promoting the new Blu Ray format for High Definition DVD's. Alan doesn't like fighting with the HD-DVD guys, but then again he mentions that the Girly-Man HD-DVD guys have less storage capacity - in fact, 40 percent less storage capacity than the Blu-Ray format. I thought they said size doesn't matter . . .

So what does Daryl think?

Well, Daryl likes 40 percent more storage. More is gooder (gooder is a techno-bloggo term meaning "way better than"). Hopefully the Blu-Ray will be the Death-Ray and smote the evil, wimpy HD-DVD. In the olden days, my Viking forefathers would have hacked, hewn, blugeoned, bit, and really hurt the HD-DVD guys. They might have even killed a few - sometimes Vikings did that. Back then they didn't have anger manangement guys like they do for me. Thank goodness they are able to suppress my latent Viking tendancies. You can probably get into trouble these days if you hack and hew HD-DVD guys . . .

So when the time comes and you need a new DVD player or recorder - go for the Blu-Ray.
Besides, HD-DVD is hard to say.

Why The CRTC Still Sucks . . .

Yet another year goes by and Canadians (even Canadiens) are treated as second class citizens. Thanks to Global TV, (thanks Global) they took it upon themselves to secure the Canadian rights to the Superbowl. What this means to us is that it also gives them the right to hijack the American channels carrying the Superbowl. That means instead of us getting to watch funny and entertaining commercials - we get to watch the same Tim Horton and Canadian Tire (or whatever companies advertised) commercial 3000 times.

We have asked the CRTC to do one thing for us - they're still working on it - they've been working on for at least five years - the "No-Call Registry." It only took the Americans one year to set theirs up and it works great. Here, it is another story. Why can't we get rid of those annoying unsolicited calls? If the CRTC can't get their heads around the concept - why don't they contract the whole thing out to the FCC?

If and when they do pull off the Do Not Call registry - I think they (The CRTC)should be disbanded and the whole TV industry should be deregulated - let the chips fall where they may. It would be nice to watch the "real" HBO, ESPN, etc. - not the Canadian version thereof.

I think that eventually with increases to bandwidth, people will be able to circumnavigate the CRTC via the web, and subscribe to whatever channel, programming they wish. I, personally, can't wait for that day . . .

In the meantime - boycott the companies that advertised with Global during the Superbowl. If we can punish these companies - they won't advertise with the station. This year, AOL Canada, broadcast the American commercials almost in real time - so people like me could bypass people at Global altogether. Like I said - thanks to the Internet - we're getting closer folks!

To Blog or Not to Blog . . .

I've been fighting this for months - but alas, I too, have finally given in and am now "on the air" so to speak. I can't help but think of the intro to the old Second City SCTV show where tv sets are thrown out of windows when the announcement is made.

I will try keep this thing as current as possible - that seems to be a bit of a chore or problem for some blogs out there. I know, I know, time - or lack thereof is the problem.

Originally, I was going to keep this as a technology blog - but my mind never seems to be able to stay on any one topic for more than a nano-second - so I will probably be all over the map so to speak on all kinds of issues.