I download my security software on my blackberry, which i then use as a USB disk to install that software. the system DOES NOT see ANY network without protection.
Do you mean to ask if I enter my neighbor's house behind a man I witness breaking in, with the intent of getting him the hell out of there, even if it means I might knock over a lamp or break a table in the struggle?
Hellz tha' fuk yeah I do!
Then again, my neighbors and I are of sound mind and understand that small losses are often incurred in order to prevent large losses; I know my neighbor wouldn't sue me over the broken lamp or table, nor would they press charges against me for entering their home to remove the scumbag who broke in.
I must have. I just re-read both and still don't see it.
It might be that the movie DOES leave room for interpretation but, as stated, I've not yet seen it, so wouldn't know this. It's easy to miss sarcasm related to a subject you haven't researched.
Someone tell the entire US population (including government) this! Just because someone points out flaws with this country, and there are many, does not mean they wish to destroy it.
Someone who wants to destroy you will keep the flaws to themselves and exploit them at every opportunity. Someone who points your flaws out to you is giving you the opportunity to improve. If you don't even make the effort to improve at that point, you're inviting the attack and you deserve it when it happens.
Right now, this entire country is inviting massive attacks from everywhere with such capabilities; even from inside. Our flaws are pointed out rather frequently; there are a lot of them. People are too busy accusing those who point them out of wanting to destroy us to realize that we'd already be gone if that were the case. We're all too busy pointing the finger to fix it. Further, we're all too busy trying to take things that work from everyone else, when we should all be trying to make what we already have work, so we can share it with the world, rather than forcing it down their throat.
I haven't seen Avatar yet, so I'll rely on everyone here to tie my comment into the discussion.
It might annoy you, but it scares the shit out of me. We're living in a world that is, more and more, ruled by the majority. If this is the majority, you should be scared, too.
I'm sorry to have offended you. That said, was the "you started it" really necessary?:)
I have zero WinMo experience, mostly because WinCE sucked hard when I used that, partially because people I know who have WinMo phones tell me it sucks equally hard, if not harder, so I was replying based on my experience with my BB.
You do realize that, with a BB and BES, you can configure these things on the BES and the user never has to see them, right? I've, personally, never touched a BES, but I'm told by colleagues who have that you can literally control every aspect of ever BB on your network with it.
That means that, with BES, your users never have to configure whether they want to use WiFi or 3G. Presumably, you can configure certain applications based on which WiFi network you are connected to, as well.
I sure as hell know I don't want most of what I do on my phone on my breaks and during my lunch going out over my work WiFi, so, to me, not havign the ability to select that myself would be a BAD THING (TM). Further, at least on a BB, which connection to use is selected by the application, not the OS, so out of the 3 browsers I have on my BB, one is configured to always use WiFi, one is configured to always use 3G, the other chooses WiFi if available, and falls back on 3G if not. In order, those are used as: Work Browser, Home Browser, Anywhere-but-work Browser.
As for your remark about phone banking; not only can I make a record of my transaction on a scrap and enter it into my ledger later that day, my bank offers an online ledger, or I could simply record a ledges in the BB notes app. Actually, i use one of the many freeware personal finance apps available for the BB.
I'm curious, which banks, in this day and age of "grab as many fees as we can", still alert you when your balance is low? I used to see it everywhere.
9 months ago, last time I looked at that page, they only supported WinMo, BB, and iPhone. In fact, the most recent copy of that page on archive.org is from July 30, 2008, which leads me to believe that it hasn't changed in that long, until the recent addition of other platforms. Since archive.org hasn't picked that up just yet, I'm going to guess that it's very recent. Since you've resorted to name calling, you must not have considered this possibility. That's sad, as I mention that I actually use the service on my BlackBerry; that, itself, should indicate that I've read that page.
You still haven't named which phone(s) you use and have used. Like an idiot (see that? I'm not calling you an idiot), you don't realize that this makes a difference. Just because you had a problem with ONE AT&T phone dies NOT mean all phones have that problem.
On my BlackBerry, I just have to configure a WiFi network one time. During that configuration, I tell the phone whether I want it to automatically connect. If I tell it to do so, it will connect automatically every time that network is in range.
Each application does, out of necessity, need to be configured to actually use the WiFi. Let me explain; I'll simplify it for you. You see, some people will use their home WiFi, some will use their work WiFi, some will use Starbuck's WiFi, and some will use WiFi in areas where multiple networks are available.
Maybe you don't care what goes out over your home WiFi; I'll guess that most people fall into this category. Maybe your workplace does care what goes out over their WiFi. You'll want services that aren't allowed on that network to use EDGE of 3G, instead, even though you might want other, allowed services to use the WiFi at the same time; thus, you have to configure them to use the services you want to use. I sure as fuck know I don't want to do my banking over someone else's WiFi, so that always goes over 3G, which itself is encrypted; an extra layer of security on top of SSL.
If everything automatically used WiFi when I connected to an access point, I'd be in want of the ability to configure it. Most people, including myself, prefer the ability to configure the way we want things to work, not the other way around.
Was gonna reply to GP, but replying to you is less likely to get me modded troll... and the moderation on your post as I write this (+1, Funny) kind of proves my point.
It really looks like GP is right, when you only consider his words.
That's the problem. Something like that is said on TV, on the radio, in the paper, in a forum somewhere, and the sheeple hear it. Now, it's gospel; there's no changing anyone's mind about it.
Even comments like the above, which point out two (ok, at least one) good times had by Muslims, which should have been modded informative, in context, are modded funny, because people already have it in their heads that Muslims hate seeing other people having a good time.
If that fails, associate the enemy with Satan and watch the Christian crowd jump up.
Really, people, know your enemy. It's amazing how often you'll find that they're not, in fact, your enemy. Likewise, know your friend. It's equally amazing how often you'll learn who the real enemy is.
Nah, the effed my bill a couple of times. Habib-English is apparently the only language they're allowed to speak in the billing department.
Otherwise, as I thought I had implied at least fairly strongly, I'm quite happy with AT&T. There's no way in hell I'd still be with them going on 10 years if I wasn't.
I always wonder if people who can't get reception worth a damn just have the free phones. I know I thought all the services sucked when I just had free phones. When I came to accept this and decided I should just make the best of it, I forked over some cash for a better phone and all of a sudden everything got better.
That's why you keep seeing me try and get phone models when people complain about a provider -- some phones just suck. On the flipside, you'll notice I've spent a fair bit of this thread tearing down the providers when people are blaming their phones.
To be blunt, it's easier to find a good phone than a good provider, so if you're having a bad experience, try a better phone.
Really quickly, though, I'd like to sum up the reason I'm with AT&T, by listing my options and a quick pro/con rating of each.
Sprint: Pros: Mediocre service, decent phones, at least back in 1999. Cons: Billing. Really, they shut your phone of a week before your due date if it's not paid (they did it to me in 99, the did it to my mom from 02 to 03, they do it to one of my best friends to this very day)
Verizon: Pros: I'm not a VZW customer. Cons: Insane termination fee, lack of world roaming capability (I know, some phones can do it, but you have to buy service with another provider and end up with a second number), crap reception in the places I actually USE my phone. Oh, and dropped calls. I've never had this issue when calling a non-VZW number, so I'm gonna chalk it up to a VZW issue -- when calling a VZW phone fro ma Sprint, T-Mobile, or AT&T phone (probably others, but I haven't tested), about 20% of the time the call will connect but one party won't be able to hear the other. The common factor here is VZW.
T-Mobile: Pros: A few nice phones. Cone: They were great when they were VoiceStream. Now, they have crap coverage, because they haven't kept up their network since the name change.
Revol: Pros: Unlimited calling for one price... Cons:...in most of north-east Ohio. No coverage anywhere else; I travel.
AT&T: Pros: Great phones, reliable service, 3G speeds, about as competitively priced as I'd expect to find in this market. Cons: Some support is outsourced and poorly trained, 3G latency.
Well, you can see that AT&T's the only one that fits the bill for me. Mind you, my experiences with each company cover several states, not just the northeast Ohio area, and AT&T consistently comes out ahead.
I don't know why I have the urge to type this right now, but I'm going to because i laughed a bit when I thought it... Assume AT&T and VZW's networks both suck. Ok, now, assume they're vacuum cleaners, rather than cellular networks. Which one sucks more, the bigger, or the smaller? That's right, VZW, you could have every square inch of the globe covered, but if you can't manage it properly, there's not much point!
Mind naming the phones here? A bad phone is a bad phone, and if it can't decide which network to use and WiFi is crap (can't blame the provider, there -- it's not their WiFi) then it sounds like a phone issue.
Also...
You'll notice that I said both BlackBerries I've owned can play Pandora in the background. You'll also notice that they only make mobile apps for WinMo, BlackBerry, and iPhone, which is how I noticed that you're lying about your cheapo slider.
Well, I don't think it's that Apple demanded that AT&T didn't cripple the phone, so much as Apple didn't give AT&T the opportunity to customize the firmware. Further, AT&T didn't cripple the BB media player in the same way Sprint apparently did. I listen to my MP3s and AACs in the background (while browsing) all the time on my Bold; I did so on my ST&T curve, as well.
Ever consider that Apple only sells the iPhone through AT&T in the US because they're the only carrier that would accept not having the ability to fuck up the firmware beforehand?
Why does Verizon insist on disabling every useful feature on their phones?
Better question: If you bought a car, and the dealer had disconnected the brake lines, would you blame the car when you rammed into a wall? Don't blame the phone for the carrier's modifications.
And in the last 5 years, they've been outsourcing to India for support. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get someone without a heavy accent.
Yes, they help when you can understand them. Yes, they do go out of their way to do so. My issue is that, really, as much as I'd rather not work the phones, it would be nice to have that job right now.
I'm always polite with support staff; after all, it's not their fault AT&T shipped those jobs to their country.
It's actually very rude and quite presumptuous of you to assume that, because I complained about AT&T's outsourcing to India that I must automatically be an asshole.
I'd like you to meet my friend. His name is Kettle.
1. Network limitation -- 3G technologies allow voice and data to be used simultaneously. This is a SPRINT issue (and a Curve issue, as even GSM Curves aren't 3G). The first two iPhones couldn't do this, either, as they were 2G phones. The iPhone 3G, much like my BlackBerry Bold, being a 3G phone, is capable of this.
2. Carrier-imposed restriction. This worked fine on my AT&T Curve, and works fine on my AT&T Bold.
3A. The iPhone browser does? Oh, wait, it can't run in the background AT ALL. This works on the Bold, however (though still not in the background). Try Pandora, which works on the Curve, Bold, many other BB models, all iPhones, and most WinMo devices. On all but the iPhone, it streams just fine in the background. On the iPhone, you simply can't put it in the background.
3B. This would be a software limitation of Sprint's application, not the device -- see Pandora, above. Don't you know how terrible Sprint is?
4B. Another Sprint-imposed restriction. I had not problem doing this with my Curve on AT&T, and it works fine on my Bold. Probably works on the iPhone, as well, never tried it.
Don't bash the phone when the technology the carrier's network uses doesn't support a feature, or when the carrier disables a feature, or when 3rd party software the carrier includes on the phone doesn't do what you want. All of those fall squarely on the shoulders of the carrier. I've known Sprint sucked since '99. You still haven't figured it out. I almost pity you.
- Phone + Google + Evolution + Mac OS calendar, all synced, automatically, all the time - GTD system task manager that syncs automatically to a web-based GTD system (Toodledo)
Ability to develop my own apps and not need RIM's blessing before use. Oh, and... thousands of applications and games available to me.
I also got along with it:
- A kindle (with Kindle app)
Blackberry kindle app is in dev... I can't imagine doing any serious reading on that screen (or the iPhone screen), though.
- YouTube anywhere
Built in. Visit http://www.youtube.com/ from the BB browser and yes, you can watch the videos.
- Great GPS integration for nearly every app both for consumption (shopping, dining, directions) and production (contextualizing input data)
Built in. No, really, it's there, and it works.
iPhone gave me all of this. I tried Palm and Blackberry and they never came close to what I wanted. The iPhone is actually the first technology device in a very long time that I'm absolutely fully satisfied with. No complaints, no qualms, no niggles. That never happens, but it happened with the iPhone. You'd have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands.
I don't know about Palm, but you must not have owned a BlackBerry for more than an hour, or you'd already know it can do all of this. In fact, it can do all of it AT THE SAME TIME.
Can you do that on the iPhone? Sorry, there's no "app for that".
My primary device is a BlackBerry Bold. I also have a 2nd gen iPhone that I use primarily for testing layouts and web features in Safari mobile.
I seriously don't know why the hell people bow down to the iPhone. It's just a damned phone, and a fair bit less capable than my primary device, which is why it's my secondary.
It's pretty easy to use a device that can only run one app at a time to its potential. That said, I've been with AT&T for 9 years now and...
Well, if you ever have to call them for anything, be prepared to translate Habib-English. Other than support consistently getting WORSE (it's rare that I have to call, so this is minor), AT&T has been improving steadily the entire time I've been with them.
It's different because users of paid merchandise or services can seek legal remediation if something goes terribly wrong. Unless, of course, the license agreement specifically states that there is no guarantee of the program's fitness for any specific purpose.
That's funny, I'm hard on my phones and my blackberry curve lasted just find until I was ready to upgrade... my Bold has been just as good. No Nokia, Motorola, LG, Kyocera, or Samsung phone I've ever owned has lasted until I was READY to upgrade (excepting my Nokia 6820, which I babied, so it wasn't put to the same tests as my other phones).
Are you buying refurbished units? My Curve survived the following: A fall from a 16' ladder A drop in a puddle Being run over TWICE (I thought I left it inside, so I pulled back into the garage to go get it... I had dropped it and run it over twice) Being dropped while walking and, subsequently, kicked across the room Being sat on Being stepped on
the list goes on...
I have a friend whose dog ATE his Curve 9 months ago. He still uses it; everything works fine, though half of the left side of the casing is missing.
Just because I OWN and USE a BlackBerry doesn't automatically mean I do those douchebaggy things. There are rude, ignorant people who own phones other than the BB or iPhone, or who don't own a phone at all. If someone can't put their phone away during a movie, don't blame the phone, blame the rude idiot user; and don't automatically assume that, because someone owns a certain phone they must be a douche. That's just a douche move, friend.
I mean, seriously, grow the fuck up.
That said, I would have thrown something at the guy, too... probably not my $10 drink, though. Dumbass.
Slashdot Mirror
I download my security software on my blackberry, which i then use as a USB disk to install that software. the system DOES NOT see ANY network without protection.
Do you mean to ask if I enter my neighbor's house behind a man I witness breaking in, with the intent of getting him the hell out of there, even if it means I might knock over a lamp or break a table in the struggle?
Hellz tha' fuk yeah I do!
Then again, my neighbors and I are of sound mind and understand that small losses are often incurred in order to prevent large losses; I know my neighbor wouldn't sue me over the broken lamp or table, nor would they press charges against me for entering their home to remove the scumbag who broke in.
I must have. I just re-read both and still don't see it.
It might be that the movie DOES leave room for interpretation but, as stated, I've not yet seen it, so wouldn't know this. It's easy to miss sarcasm related to a subject you haven't researched.
Wow. +100 insightful.
Someone tell the entire US population (including government) this! Just because someone points out flaws with this country, and there are many, does not mean they wish to destroy it.
Someone who wants to destroy you will keep the flaws to themselves and exploit them at every opportunity. Someone who points your flaws out to you is giving you the opportunity to improve. If you don't even make the effort to improve at that point, you're inviting the attack and you deserve it when it happens.
Right now, this entire country is inviting massive attacks from everywhere with such capabilities; even from inside. Our flaws are pointed out rather frequently; there are a lot of them. People are too busy accusing those who point them out of wanting to destroy us to realize that we'd already be gone if that were the case. We're all too busy pointing the finger to fix it. Further, we're all too busy trying to take things that work from everyone else, when we should all be trying to make what we already have work, so we can share it with the world, rather than forcing it down their throat.
I haven't seen Avatar yet, so I'll rely on everyone here to tie my comment into the discussion.
How do plants produce power?
How do plants produce automobiles?
How do plants...
There's more than one kind of plant, you know.
Sadly, I can't mod you insightful, as I've already posted in this thread.
It might annoy you, but it scares the shit out of me. We're living in a world that is, more and more, ruled by the majority. If this is the majority, you should be scared, too.
I'm sorry to have offended you. That said, was the "you started it" really necessary? :)
I have zero WinMo experience, mostly because WinCE sucked hard when I used that, partially because people I know who have WinMo phones tell me it sucks equally hard, if not harder, so I was replying based on my experience with my BB.
You do realize that, with a BB and BES, you can configure these things on the BES and the user never has to see them, right? I've, personally, never touched a BES, but I'm told by colleagues who have that you can literally control every aspect of ever BB on your network with it.
That means that, with BES, your users never have to configure whether they want to use WiFi or 3G. Presumably, you can configure certain applications based on which WiFi network you are connected to, as well.
I sure as hell know I don't want most of what I do on my phone on my breaks and during my lunch going out over my work WiFi, so, to me, not havign the ability to select that myself would be a BAD THING (TM). Further, at least on a BB, which connection to use is selected by the application, not the OS, so out of the 3 browsers I have on my BB, one is configured to always use WiFi, one is configured to always use 3G, the other chooses WiFi if available, and falls back on 3G if not. In order, those are used as: Work Browser, Home Browser, Anywhere-but-work Browser.
As for your remark about phone banking; not only can I make a record of my transaction on a scrap and enter it into my ledger later that day, my bank offers an online ledger, or I could simply record a ledges in the BB notes app. Actually, i use one of the many freeware personal finance apps available for the BB.
I'm curious, which banks, in this day and age of "grab as many fees as we can", still alert you when your balance is low? I used to see it everywhere.
9 months ago, last time I looked at that page, they only supported WinMo, BB, and iPhone. In fact, the most recent copy of that page on archive.org is from July 30, 2008, which leads me to believe that it hasn't changed in that long, until the recent addition of other platforms. Since archive.org hasn't picked that up just yet, I'm going to guess that it's very recent. Since you've resorted to name calling, you must not have considered this possibility. That's sad, as I mention that I actually use the service on my BlackBerry; that, itself, should indicate that I've read that page.
You still haven't named which phone(s) you use and have used. Like an idiot (see that? I'm not calling you an idiot), you don't realize that this makes a difference. Just because you had a problem with ONE AT&T phone dies NOT mean all phones have that problem.
On my BlackBerry, I just have to configure a WiFi network one time. During that configuration, I tell the phone whether I want it to automatically connect. If I tell it to do so, it will connect automatically every time that network is in range.
Each application does, out of necessity, need to be configured to actually use the WiFi. Let me explain; I'll simplify it for you. You see, some people will use their home WiFi, some will use their work WiFi, some will use Starbuck's WiFi, and some will use WiFi in areas where multiple networks are available.
Maybe you don't care what goes out over your home WiFi; I'll guess that most people fall into this category. Maybe your workplace does care what goes out over their WiFi. You'll want services that aren't allowed on that network to use EDGE of 3G, instead, even though you might want other, allowed services to use the WiFi at the same time; thus, you have to configure them to use the services you want to use. I sure as fuck know I don't want to do my banking over someone else's WiFi, so that always goes over 3G, which itself is encrypted; an extra layer of security on top of SSL.
If everything automatically used WiFi when I connected to an access point, I'd be in want of the ability to configure it. Most people, including myself, prefer the ability to configure the way we want things to work, not the other way around.
Was gonna reply to GP, but replying to you is less likely to get me modded troll... and the moderation on your post as I write this (+1, Funny) kind of proves my point.
It really looks like GP is right, when you only consider his words.
That's the problem. Something like that is said on TV, on the radio, in the paper, in a forum somewhere, and the sheeple hear it. Now, it's gospel; there's no changing anyone's mind about it.
Even comments like the above, which point out two (ok, at least one) good times had by Muslims, which should have been modded informative, in context, are modded funny, because people already have it in their heads that Muslims hate seeing other people having a good time.
If that fails, associate the enemy with Satan and watch the Christian crowd jump up.
Really, people, know your enemy. It's amazing how often you'll find that they're not, in fact, your enemy. Likewise, know your friend. It's equally amazing how often you'll learn who the real enemy is.
Nah, the effed my bill a couple of times. Habib-English is apparently the only language they're allowed to speak in the billing department.
Otherwise, as I thought I had implied at least fairly strongly, I'm quite happy with AT&T. There's no way in hell I'd still be with them going on 10 years if I wasn't.
I always wonder if people who can't get reception worth a damn just have the free phones. I know I thought all the services sucked when I just had free phones. When I came to accept this and decided I should just make the best of it, I forked over some cash for a better phone and all of a sudden everything got better.
That's why you keep seeing me try and get phone models when people complain about a provider -- some phones just suck. On the flipside, you'll notice I've spent a fair bit of this thread tearing down the providers when people are blaming their phones.
To be blunt, it's easier to find a good phone than a good provider, so if you're having a bad experience, try a better phone.
Really quickly, though, I'd like to sum up the reason I'm with AT&T, by listing my options and a quick pro/con rating of each.
Sprint:
Pros: Mediocre service, decent phones, at least back in 1999.
Cons: Billing. Really, they shut your phone of a week before your due date if it's not paid (they did it to me in 99, the did it to my mom from 02 to 03, they do it to one of my best friends to this very day)
Verizon:
Pros: I'm not a VZW customer.
Cons: Insane termination fee, lack of world roaming capability (I know, some phones can do it, but you have to buy service with another provider and end up with a second number), crap reception in the places I actually USE my phone. Oh, and dropped calls. I've never had this issue when calling a non-VZW number, so I'm gonna chalk it up to a VZW issue -- when calling a VZW phone fro ma Sprint, T-Mobile, or AT&T phone (probably others, but I haven't tested), about 20% of the time the call will connect but one party won't be able to hear the other. The common factor here is VZW.
T-Mobile:
Pros: A few nice phones.
Cone: They were great when they were VoiceStream. Now, they have crap coverage, because they haven't kept up their network since the name change.
Revol: ...in most of north-east Ohio. No coverage anywhere else; I travel.
Pros: Unlimited calling for one price...
Cons:
AT&T:
Pros: Great phones, reliable service, 3G speeds, about as competitively priced as I'd expect to find in this market.
Cons: Some support is outsourced and poorly trained, 3G latency.
Well, you can see that AT&T's the only one that fits the bill for me. Mind you, my experiences with each company cover several states, not just the northeast Ohio area, and AT&T consistently comes out ahead.
I don't know why I have the urge to type this right now, but I'm going to because i laughed a bit when I thought it... Assume AT&T and VZW's networks both suck. Ok, now, assume they're vacuum cleaners, rather than cellular networks. Which one sucks more, the bigger, or the smaller? That's right, VZW, you could have every square inch of the globe covered, but if you can't manage it properly, there's not much point!
Mind naming the phones here? A bad phone is a bad phone, and if it can't decide which network to use and WiFi is crap (can't blame the provider, there -- it's not their WiFi) then it sounds like a phone issue.
Also...
You'll notice that I said both BlackBerries I've owned can play Pandora in the background. You'll also notice that they only make mobile apps for WinMo, BlackBerry, and iPhone, which is how I noticed that you're lying about your cheapo slider.
Well, I don't think it's that Apple demanded that AT&T didn't cripple the phone, so much as Apple didn't give AT&T the opportunity to customize the firmware. Further, AT&T didn't cripple the BB media player in the same way Sprint apparently did. I listen to my MP3s and AACs in the background (while browsing) all the time on my Bold; I did so on my ST&T curve, as well.
Ever consider that Apple only sells the iPhone through AT&T in the US because they're the only carrier that would accept not having the ability to fuck up the firmware beforehand?
Why does Verizon insist on disabling every useful feature on their phones?
Better question: If you bought a car, and the dealer had disconnected the brake lines, would you blame the car when you rammed into a wall? Don't blame the phone for the carrier's modifications.
And in the last 5 years, they've been outsourcing to India for support. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get someone without a heavy accent.
Yes, they help when you can understand them. Yes, they do go out of their way to do so. My issue is that, really, as much as I'd rather not work the phones, it would be nice to have that job right now.
That said, what part of my comment was anti-AT&T?
When did I say I screamed at them?
I'm always polite with support staff; after all, it's not their fault AT&T shipped those jobs to their country.
It's actually very rude and quite presumptuous of you to assume that, because I complained about AT&T's outsourcing to India that I must automatically be an asshole.
I'd like you to meet my friend. His name is Kettle.
Kettle, this is Pot.
1. Network limitation -- 3G technologies allow voice and data to be used simultaneously. This is a SPRINT issue (and a Curve issue, as even GSM Curves aren't 3G). The first two iPhones couldn't do this, either, as they were 2G phones. The iPhone 3G, much like my BlackBerry Bold, being a 3G phone, is capable of this.
2. Carrier-imposed restriction. This worked fine on my AT&T Curve, and works fine on my AT&T Bold.
3A. The iPhone browser does? Oh, wait, it can't run in the background AT ALL. This works on the Bold, however (though still not in the background). Try Pandora, which works on the Curve, Bold, many other BB models, all iPhones, and most WinMo devices. On all but the iPhone, it streams just fine in the background. On the iPhone, you simply can't put it in the background.
3B. This would be a software limitation of Sprint's application, not the device -- see Pandora, above. Don't you know how terrible Sprint is?
4B. Another Sprint-imposed restriction. I had not problem doing this with my Curve on AT&T, and it works fine on my Bold. Probably works on the iPhone, as well, never tried it.
Don't bash the phone when the technology the carrier's network uses doesn't support a feature, or when the carrier disables a feature, or when 3rd party software the carrier includes on the phone doesn't do what you want. All of those fall squarely on the shoulders of the carrier. I've known Sprint sucked since '99. You still haven't figured it out. I almost pity you.
Oops, I missed the first point...
That's ok tho, Google Sync, mentioned in the 4th point, has it covered :)
on a phone. Here are the things I did want:
- Phone + Google + Evolution + Mac OS calendar, all synced, automatically, all the time
- GTD system task manager that syncs automatically to a web-based GTD system (Toodledo)
I Googled GTD Blackberry
First result: http://www.isaacbowman.com/gtd-blackberry-productivity but it doesn't sync... so
I Googled toodledo blackberry and, low and behold, the first result:
http://www.taskjot.com/
- A rapidly accessible text + voice + photo notes system with tagging that syncs automatically to a web-based interface
http://www.brighthub.com/mobile/blackberry-platform/reviews/35220.aspx
Another first result
- No more "event" syncs (i.e. put in dock/plug into USB, have to remember to sync), all syncs immediate and transparent
http://www.google.com/mobile/products/sync.html#p=default
First result, again
- The REAL web of non-"mobile" pages, including AJAX capability
http://www.opera.com/mini/
fi.... oh fuck it, you know...
- Flexibility to grow in capabilities
Ability to develop my own apps and not need RIM's blessing before use. Oh, and... thousands of applications and games available to me.
I also got along with it:
- A kindle (with Kindle app)
Blackberry kindle app is in dev... I can't imagine doing any serious reading on that screen (or the iPhone screen), though.
- YouTube anywhere
Built in. Visit http://www.youtube.com/ from the BB browser and yes, you can watch the videos.
- Great GPS integration for nearly every app both for consumption (shopping, dining, directions) and production (contextualizing input data)
Built in. No, really, it's there, and it works.
iPhone gave me all of this. I tried Palm and Blackberry and they never came close to what I wanted. The iPhone is actually the first technology device in a very long time that I'm absolutely fully satisfied with. No complaints, no qualms, no niggles. That never happens, but it happened with the iPhone. You'd have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands.
I don't know about Palm, but you must not have owned a BlackBerry for more than an hour, or you'd already know it can do all of this. In fact, it can do all of it AT THE SAME TIME.
Can you do that on the iPhone? Sorry, there's no "app for that".
My primary device is a BlackBerry Bold. I also have a 2nd gen iPhone that I use primarily for testing layouts and web features in Safari mobile.
I seriously don't know why the hell people bow down to the iPhone. It's just a damned phone, and a fair bit less capable than my primary device, which is why it's my secondary.
Amen. Mod parent up.
It's pretty easy to use a device that can only run one app at a time to its potential. That said, I've been with AT&T for 9 years now and...
Well, if you ever have to call them for anything, be prepared to translate Habib-English. Other than support consistently getting WORSE (it's rare that I have to call, so this is minor), AT&T has been improving steadily the entire time I've been with them.
It's different because users of paid merchandise or services can seek legal remediation if something goes terribly wrong. Unless, of course, the license agreement specifically states that there is no guarantee of the program's fitness for any specific purpose.
There, fixed that for ya.
That's funny, I'm hard on my phones and my blackberry curve lasted just find until I was ready to upgrade... my Bold has been just as good. No Nokia, Motorola, LG, Kyocera, or Samsung phone I've ever owned has lasted until I was READY to upgrade (excepting my Nokia 6820, which I babied, so it wasn't put to the same tests as my other phones).
Are you buying refurbished units? My Curve survived the following:
A fall from a 16' ladder
A drop in a puddle
Being run over TWICE (I thought I left it inside, so I pulled back into the garage to go get it... I had dropped it and run it over twice)
Being dropped while walking and, subsequently, kicked across the room
Being sat on
Being stepped on
the list goes on...
I have a friend whose dog ATE his Curve 9 months ago. He still uses it; everything works fine, though half of the left side of the casing is missing.
WTF ARE YOU DOING TO YOUR PHONE?!
Just because I OWN and USE a BlackBerry doesn't automatically mean I do those douchebaggy things. There are rude, ignorant people who own phones other than the BB or iPhone, or who don't own a phone at all. If someone can't put their phone away during a movie, don't blame the phone, blame the rude idiot user; and don't automatically assume that, because someone owns a certain phone they must be a douche. That's just a douche move, friend.
I mean, seriously, grow the fuck up.
That said, I would have thrown something at the guy, too... probably not my $10 drink, though. Dumbass.
This troll is oddly on-topic. I actually did point this out earlier, but without the use of the "N" word.
Which is why they call it the Africa... it's jury-rigged to begin with.