The Blackberry Curve Fits!

I held it! It's light, and it fits in one hand :) Actually, it's lighter than my iPhone. I don't know where it gets it's name from. There isn't anything curvy about it. Maybe it just sounds good...Curve. Do I like it better than the iPhone? No. Yet, I'll admit it would be my second choice. It has some very nice features. Unfortunately, the AT&T store I visited didn't have it powered on. As a matter of fact, it appeared the only phone on display you could actually play with was the iPhone. (Another example of Apple's dictatorship?...hmmm) So, most of the information I share with you here is from two good reviews. I read NY Times Circuit's David Pogue review from back in May when the first version came out. Yes, I discovered the Curve did beat the iPhone to market, yet like I said last week once I heard about the iPhone, I heard and saw nothing else. The Blackberry Curve commercials you're seeing on TV now are because Research In Motion (R.I.M), the maker of Blackberry, added GPS or Wi-Fi models and released them last month. AT&T opted for the GPS model and T-mobile opted for the Wi-Fi model. I also read CNET's Bonnie Cha review on the new models.

My favorite feature on the Curve is the ability to listen to music and answer calls wirelessly. I have no tolerance for wires. My tolerance is so low I got my first wireless (bluetooth) headset in 2003 (yes, I was another early adopter). For the Curve you can buy a wireless headset (bluetooth) that allows you to listen to music and answer calls while your phone is in your purse, pocket, or in the passenger seat of your car (which is where mine phone usually gets tossed or it's in a cup holder). I suspect there are compatibility issues with these stereo headsets and the iPhone becuase the bluetooth version on the iPhone is older than the one used for the new bluetooth stereo headsets. I'll explore this topic in a future posts, since I'd bet iPhones and iPods will support these headsets in the near future.

Back to the Curve…The next feature that sounds really great is the GPS system. I love my navigation system in my SUV, and I have become very dependent on it (some might say attached). I also use Google Maps all the time on my iPhone when looking for a place I'm walking to or as a back up reference. My SUV's navigation system isn't as up to date. Unfortunately, this feature on the Curve is provided by AT&T at an extra monthly fee and Bonnie reported it took 10 minutes for AT&T's Tel Nav system to determine their present location. Yuck!

There are other great features, like the 2.0MP (mega pixel) camera w/ a flash and 5x zoom. Yet, both Bonnie and Dave reported that the picture quality was just ok. The picture still looked like it came from a phone.


The biggest downside is the storage. The Curve plays music and videos, yet they will have to be stored on a compact flash memory cards (micro-SD) because the phone only has 64MB (mega bytes) internal memory. And you have to remove the battery to install the memory card. So, if you purchase a fairly large memory card, like 4G, you should only have to do this once. The other feature that I am personally not a fan of is the keyboard. At first glance it looks like hieroglyphics. I read it’s an improvement over the other Blackberry models. It is a full traditional keyboard (QWERTY), yet it is the smallest keyboard R.I.M has ever made. So, I'll admit I’ve reached that age where glasses are not an option. And this admission might make me very biased, still, I prefer to be able to read the keyboard at a glance. And I know once you know your keyboard you don’t have to look at it to use it. And I still don’t like it.

Overall, out of the features that I like all three of them will cost you an extra fee. That's a bummer. Other than that the Curve has all the features Blackberry has become known for -- like real-time email from your corporate and personal accounts -- and it even improves on some of them. So, for the price ($199 at AT&T with contract), it seems to be a great option to the iPhone.
Please forgive all the comparisons to the iPhone. I’ll remedy this by reviewing my iPhone experiences next time. I’ve had a lot of them and I have read a lot of really good tips and little known features. So, I’ll sift and sort out the stuff I think is really worth knowing whether you have an iPhone or not.
Until next time, remember, knowledge is the ultimate fashion accessory!

I'm taking a look at the Blackberry Curve

I’m taking a look at the Blackberry Curve out of curiosity. Why? Well, before the iPhone changed my life I was committed to my Motorola Razr V3. I was an early adopter of the original Razr V3 just like I was with the iPhone. Basically, when a co-worker placed the Razr in my hand, I screamed! I was hooked in an instant. I’m that girl that knows what she wants right away. A week and $500 later I owned a Razr. I was loyal to my Razr for the simple reason that it was the first phone I had that fit anywhere I put it. It was sleek and slim. So, when Blackberry became popular and I saw people checking their emails on the train, the airport, and generally anywhere while they were out and about, I wanted to do the same. Fortunately, I discovered I could on my Razr. Unfortunately, it was a slow and frustrating experience. So, I went to AT&T (my service provider since 1997) to check out the Blackberry. Even though it had a keyboard that wouldn’t require me to hunt for “c” behind “a”, and “b”, even though I could check my email on all my accounts, and it even had a screen that would allow me to read more than 3 words at a time (the Razr's screen was big when it first came on the market), I still couldn’t adapt to the Blackberry. Size was everything to me. In this context smaller is better ;). For two years I would go check out Blackberry smart phones at the store, and they were always too bulky and unattractive. I refused to compromise. At on point, in a moment of weakness I even got a cheap used one from a friend that was upgrading and never took it out of the box. So, had Blackberry Curve beaten Apple in the slim PDA race by at least a mile I would have bought a Blackberry first for certain. It would have to have been a mile at least. This metaphor translates to at least a year before the iPhone because when the iPhone was announced six months before it’s release it was all I wanted -- no other device turned my head. So, now that Blackberry has finally come out with their version of a slim smart phone, I thought I should at least take a look at what they came up with.
I have read two reviews, and gone through the official website, yet before I give you all of my two cents I have to go see it. I can’t stop wondering about it’s real size ;) So, I’m off to the store…
Remember, technology should adapt to you, not you to it.

Go Gadget Gurl!

Black Friday Bargains!!

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm sitting amongst all the newspaper ads. I only have Internet access via my iPhone at my mom's home. So this will be a short post. My mom has webtv dial-up which is really only good for her email. The best web-only and in-store deals are going to be found by checking out retail websites like http://bestbuy.com and http://wal-mart.com.

The Apple Store starts its special deals at 12AM PST at http://store.apple.com and all retail stores have special hours tomorrow. Among the newspaper ads Best Buy is the only retailer offering all instant savings deals. Other retailers' best deals are based on mail-in rebates. I have only had "sometimes I get it" success with rebates. So, I skipped those deals. Finally, there are websites that track the best deals like http://bfads.net, http://blackfriday.com, and http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com. Below are a few of the best deals I found. Happy Thanks-taking!

• Best Buy Panasonic 42" Plasma $899.99 (small print 15 per store)
• Best Buy Sony laptop 1GB/120GB/DVD+RW $399.99 (small print 15 per store)
• Radio Shack Magellan Maestro 3100 $129.99

Sent from my iPhone

Finally!

It feels good to be back :) I have been on a long hiatus doing personal development, yet my Gadget Gurl persona was always in effect. I absolutely love my iPhone. I have read reviews that call it "elegant". I agree. I spoke to an iPhone user yesterday and she said it soothed her. Scrolling through her contacts list slowed her down during the day. I agree again. When I'm frantic and I attempt to scroll, my iPhone doesn't respond elegantly to my taps. It jumps from K to Z and back to A, that visual cue of my energy snaps me out of my mind frick and I focus on the task of looking up a number or appt. I slow down, lightly tap the screen, and my iPhone responds to me like a gentle breeze. My new iPhone user friend and I shared experiences for a half hour. This spontaneous conversation confirmed it was time to slow down and hang out with Go Go Gadget Gurl again. So, this isn't a random, one off post. I plan to follow-up with a review of the Blackberry Curve, the lastest in the new thin trend (actually it's hardly a trend since we want our technology smaller and smaller...implants are already on the fringe), take reader polls on your favorite mobile phone, favorite and worst mobile phone feature, and of course support my iPhone friends with the latest Apple news, hacks, and rumors on what's next...speaking of what's next I'll report on Thanksgiving the best gadget bargains I find in the newspaper inserts for all you Black Friday shopaholics ;)

iPhone Coming June 29!!

Well it’s official! The iPhone is to be released June 29th. I am relieved! Apple officially announced it in their new iPhone commercials. I don’t know about you, but it’s easier for me to wait when I have an end date. Hence the countdown clock to the left (courtesy of www.hashemian.com). Woohoo! It’s less than a month away! ☺ I have also added a subscription form, so I don’t spam everyone every time I add an new entry to this blog. Sign up and you’ll be sent update notices automatically via email. And if you don’t sign up I won’t spam you. So, sign up! The subscription form is under the iPhone image to the left. Finally, I want to thank everyone that received my initial announcement. Your feedback was great! ☺ I want to especially thank C Dotson ;) for submitting the first comment and inquiry. I did some research and the rumor is the Chinese character version of the iPhone will be released in 2008. I’ll keep you posted.
Well now it’s time to get ready for our iPhones. If you’re like me I don’t use the Contacts and Calendar on my iPod. Since iTunes will be used to sync the Calendar and Contacts, I think it’s time to do some testing. I have an iPod Nano, an iPod Photo, and an iPod Video (I know, way too many, maybe I’ll post one or two on craigslist). So, my next post will be on the migration of my contacts and calendar from my Moto Razr V3 and my Palm Tungsten E (I told you I held out) to my iPods. This will be done on my PowerBook G4 and my iMac. If I’m feeling especially generous I might test iTunes on a PC. It all depends on my patience quotient, and if anyone really wants me too ;)
Have a miraculous week!
Go Go Gadget Gurl!