Cat's Blog
I'll blog here and if you have anything to say to any of what I blog about, go ahead! I'll get back to you :)
Tuesday 14 November 2006, 10:32 PM
Blackberrys...one email a day keeps the doctor at bay
It's a bit of a funny question, but I'm interested to know the differences in functionality between the Blackberry and the Treo...is there really anything significant? From what I gather, Blackberrys are just a way of receiving and sending your emails, in addition to your regular phone abilities.
It seems Blackberry definitely has the upper hand in terms of branding, but are the handsets as great as every commuter makes out? Less stressful to be contactable while mobile? Speaking of which, does the mobile version "Pearl" outdo it's elder sister?
I fear the Spanish inquisition :-s .....Your thoughts appreciated :)
PreviousComments on this post
is it because clive wont give you a Blackberry?
Treos are similar, it is much the same as the age old Microsoft vs Apple debate.
I think that unless you are travelling they are a really intrusive piece of technology. A friend was given one by his boss and told that he has to answer all emails as soon as he recieves them, laughingly reminding him that she now owns him... Many a Saturday afternoon has been interrupted by his blackberry chirping away.
I think that Blackberries/Treos are great, as long as you remember to use the off button.
With blackberry's and developmets in mobile access and working, what is the point of waking up and going to work. instead of working from home, how about working from bed. that way you will always be on time cat!
Paul! The cheek! I think Petah has an excellent point. Where is the line between work and your own time when now you are contactable almost anywhere?
How do you feel it's going change, when they decide to put receivers on the underground? Recently, in Paris, where they already have receivers on the Metro, I felt that it was quite a useful way of letting the colleagues, I was meeting, know how long I was going to be. However, the culture over there is different. I'm worried it would become more of a nuisance than a convenience.
I resisted succumbing to mobile-email-device-slavery for a good six months before finally getting gadget envy and falling in line with the rest of my colleagues. Some things I've learned:
1. They have a tendency (as does all email) to make you incredibly reactive - you have to learn to manage it, not the other way around
2. That said, with a long commute they are an invaluable productivity tool. I get over 350 emails a day on average. My handheld means:
* I can get into the office knowing that i have cleared all the yes/no email that came in overnight or that i didn't get to during the day
* I can delete junk so I'm up and running as soon as i get there
* I can read all the fyi's and file them accordingly
* I have mentally prioritised the urgents vs important action points for the day so i can hit the ground running on arrival
3. Positives aside, they can have a negative effect on Thumb Flexibility - thumb ache is now quite common in my household - there are only so many words you should be allowed to type on your handheld before it has an automatic RSI cut-off. Speaking of automatic cut-offs...
4. There should be breathaliser functionality on all handhelds - doing email on your way to work is one thing; replying to your boss after a night out, bored on the commute home, thinking you are being clever, with a tendency to ranting is quite another!
5. People who use "sent from my Treo/Blackberry" as an excuse for being abrupt or rude are just being exactly that - abrupt or rude. Frankly, it makes no difference and being polite or sensitive on email, even if it's mobile email, costs nothing. Rant over.
6. If you think email is addictive, or bad for your health, try this neat little app - then you'll be able to IM on the move too! And finally...
7. Never, ever, ever take it on holiday.
Shouldn't there be a breathaliser on all communication devices???
That would have saved me so much self-humiliation during the summer....
I reckon this is the future, just like losing a mobile phone on a night out and not being able to fully live your life without it. Being able to send an email on the underground or anywhere will soon become a norm and when Clive gets you one, you will become enslaved and get mad when you cant get a connection. Humanity thrives on communication. Norwich is the UK's most wireless savvy cities with the ability to remotely log on anywhere in the city centres on its free w.network. the meshed network means that the city is like a giant hot spot and its FREE. And other cities are thinking do doing the same.
Soon there will be no escape from the next generation of 4G+ personal devices.
There is no escape, but it's worth pointing out that if anywhere needs it, it's Norwich - with no through roads, the only reason you'd be in Norwich is if you intended to drive in (luckily it has exit routes too :) ) It's no coincidence that it geographically looks like the arse of England :P
hahah its where your from..its like your back garden!
Norwich isn't that bad.
Ipswich, now...
Like the iPod, Blackberry has marketed itself so well many think it's the only device to get if you want email on the go. This has been around since Nokia started using Symbian OS6 back on the old 3650 phone.
The Push-To-Inbox feature that Blackberry are so proud of wasn't available on those phones but they are on most Windows Mobile 5 powered phones which I am a big fan of. I love my XDA exec. I've had it over a year now and it's still the best thing out there. It can do all the things a blackberry can (email including push to inbox) but so much more to. It can open or create a host of attachments such as word docs, excel spreadsheets, pdfs, powerpoint presentations, even pictures, music, and video. The killer features that are missing on the blackberrys is the 3G video calling and broadband speed web browsing which I now do daily.
I do most of my blogging from it because I waste 3hrs a day communting - which can now be time well spent.
Great response! It definitely seems that Blackberry have the greatest market share, despite not necessarily offering the best functionality. However, do you actually use the attachments provided? It's great to have Excel etc available but if you spend your commuting time blogging, do you really get an opportunity to use it fully. Surely by carrying a lightweight laptop you could work, or watch a movie after a hard day at the office :) ?
