Blackberry Discussion Page

Caution: Google Maps is not free. You must pay data charges whenever you use it, and it is hard to know when it is on and running up those charges. (How do you think I learned this?)

I have a Centro, and I downloaded it and now I can't seem to get rid of it. The "delete" system has not worked. And, it inserts itself into the first part of my search system thereby slowing the search process down considerably.

Hello all

Just upgraded from a Treo to a BB Curve 8330 (two of them actually, with Verizon's buy one get one free promotion).

I like the phone so far, and I am adjusting from Windows Mobile to a Blackberry mindset. One shortcoming is Desktop Manager and synchronization.

I am used to a continuous sync when I am tethered to my PC. That is to say that any changes I make in Outlook are immediately applied to my smartphone. This was the case with Active Sync or Windows Mobile Device Center. Neither seems to work with the BB.

Now, with Desktop Manager, it will auto-sync once when first connected, and unless you manually cause a sync, it won't do it again. Plus, it doesn't seem to auto-sync if you disconnect the BB for a phone call and then re-connect it.

If you somehow forget to sync before leaving the PC, your BB is not up to date.

Anyone come across a solution without using BES?

Chris Parks - ABR, e-Pro, GRI - Accelerated

Broker

CParksGo@Gmail.com

Has anyone used the Blackberry Storm from Verizon? I am wondering how the fob attachment works as an eKey. I've had the Palm 650, 755p, and now the Centro. I had so many problems with the 755p that they gave me the Centro, but this is turning out to be even worse! I feel that my only hope is with a Blackberry, and I don't like the little roller ball on most of them. Since I am so used to the touch screen of the Palms, I was thinking the BB Storm is the way to go.

Would appreciate any comments from users of the BB Storm.

Thanks.

Jan

Jan,

Before you scrap the Centro please go to my website www.DickBetts.com and look in "Tips and Tricks". Click on Palm OS and look for hash codes. Do the test on your Centro to see why it's crashing. Most times it's a software issue that can be fixed. Most centro's are very stable. Any problems let me know.

Dick

Thanks for the info; I did check out the various tips to see where the problems may be, and it said that my last crash was due to my Contacts. I know that every time I sync, some of my contacts get duplicated and I have to go through and delete some again. The main reason I'm so frustrated with my Centro is that when I did a hot sync on Saturday, all of the appointments on my calendar that I had added over the past month (121) disappeared from both my handheld and my computer! Imagine my panic attack while on hold with Verizon for 18 minutes just to get tech support, and then be put on hold while he looked something up and disconnected me! I was on the phone for over an hour and a half between Verizon who couldn't help me, and then Palm who couldn't help me. There was no way to "un-sync" and get my appointments back. I'm still dreading the forgotten appointments that are yet to come! Every time I sync, there's another problem, and no one can explain it. And then there are times when my Centro just makes a static-type noise and then shuts down and starts up again. Then there's the issue of when I take a call while I'm on another call, and the phone just keeps swapping back and forth between calls! And there was the time it deleted all my contact categories and everyone was "unfiled," or that may have been with my Treo actually. And of course there's all the times it just freezes, etc., etc., etc. My frustration level with this Centro is beyond my threshold of frustration!

Do you still think I shouldn't scrap it?

Jan

Hi Jan, scrap it! What a book we treo users could write... I upgraded to the bb storm a few months ago and I do not have any issues with it like I did the Treo, amen! I am getting used to the learning curve. I love having my contacts sync with outlook and the only thing I have to remember to do is the actual sync so my calendar and all updates so it is a "training myself" issue. The touch screen is great although I still seem to text and email slower than I did on the Treo, but I don't think I would like the little ball on the other bb's so I have to give somewhere, right? Also for those of you looking for the fob to use as your mls key, I just called and they are out and cost $49.99. My local board may not have them but you can get them directly from supra. The only bad thing about that is that you have to have your phone close to you in order for the fob to work... again, you have to pick your poison. Do I want to carry an active key or my phone and a fob? Decisions, decisions. Good luck to you whichever way you go. Diane

I was a die hard Treo 700WX user until I recently got a Blackberry Curve. In my opinion, the Curve is a terrific phone, and well worth the effort to switch from the Treo 700WX.

I ran the living whee out of my Treo. If you are into researching and finding all of the tips and tricks to address it's isues you can make it more reliable. If you tend to live with any cell phone "as is from Day One as long as it works" then something like the Treo will be difficult to live with.

In my opinion, the Treo 700WX is now obsolete. It once was near the top of the list, and now it doesn't even make the list compared to the phones available today. I know it's only a few years old, but that is an eternity when it comes to technology.

My Curve is quicker, smoother, and much easier to use. I used to have to do "software acrobatics" with the Treo to make it do things the Curve does effortlessly. My only software addition to my Curve, so far, is "BBLight" which allows me to control how long the screen stays on beyond the built in Blackberry spec. (I use a bracket for the phone in my car and a handsfree headset and like the screen to stay on while on the charger so I can glance at appointments, etc.)

I deliberately did not get the Storm even though most of it's issues since introduction have been addressed. I didn't care for the touch screen method of input when I tried out the Storm and thought that the screen could become marked up and fogged over time with useage. I would imagine that ladies' nails could accelerate the process ;-)

I believe the Curve is second only to the Storm for internal memory. When I was deciding, I felt that this is an important issue for performance.

Curve 8330 (Verizon) 96 MB Flash Memory/32 MB RAM

Storm 9530 (Verizon) 128MB Flash Memory, 192MB RAM, 1GB On-board memory

World Edition 8830 (Verizon) 64 MB Flash Memory/32 MB RAM

Pearl 8130 (Verizon) 64 MB Flash Memory/32 MB RAM

I understand that the Curve 8330 can support up to a 16GB MicroSD removable memory card, and 32GB after an update released this year.

Having a memory card is important because internal storage on a cell phone is usually limited.

Upgrade! Be happy!

Chris Parks - ABR, e-Pro, GRI - Accelerated

Broker

CParksGo@Gmail.com

Have you tried the BB app store?

Check out the apps store, If you like music, Slacker radio, iHeart radio of Pandora are good bets.

I tried iHeartRadio which is OK but has a limited selection.

Slacker Radio has many more useful features and more radio stations.

In my convertible I have a stereo that has an "AUX" input on the front. I run my BlackBerry Curve to that via the headphone jack and a "male to male" connector wire from Radio Shack. I then use the BlackBerry and Slacker Radio as a tuner for the stereo.

Slacker displays album art, song and station data on the BlackBerry. If you subscribe to the premium version it will display lyrics and give you unlimited song skipping. This is a really nice feature where you can skip songs and go to the next one just like you can while playing a CD. The free version limits the number of skips in a row you can do on a given station. A work-around is to change the station thereby getting a new set of allowed skips on any other station, then return to your original station after a while giving you a new set of allowed skips.

You can also create a custom "radio station" that features your kind of music or a particular artist or band.

If I remember correctly, I believe that when you change channels whatever song is up, plays from the beginning rather than "in progress" like ordinary radio stations.

I also have XM radio in the convertible and I must say that Slacker causes me to consider cancelling my subscription.

The quality of the sound is excellent and has full bass and treble, all controllable via the car's stereo. To my ear the quality is at least the same as XM.

Chris Parks - ABR, e-Pro, GRI - Accelerated

Broker

CParksGo@Gmail.com