Hello all.

Still trying to hold onto my i760 for dear life but really getting tired of some of the stupid Microsoft and activestink issues. I find that I rarely sync my phone now which is practically useless as a scheduling tool which is its 2nd biggest feature for me.

So a few quick questions from a total BB noob here.

1. What process do you all use to sync your phones? I currently use Outlook for schedule and email and will continue using it. I am not on an exchange server. Right now I manually sync via BT but b/c of so many issues with the 760/activestink I can't always get a connection so I have to pull out the sync cable periodically.
What program do you use to sync?
Is it as buggy as activestink? I typically have to go in and cancel the wcescomm.exe in my task manager to release some of the programs so I can open them on my computer.
Are any of you doing over the air(not BT) syncing? Can you do this with regular Outlook on a single computer vs. an exchange setup?
How is BT syncing and reliability?

2. Email
I really do NOT want to get my emails pushed to my phone every few minutes. I like my sanity and get over 100 emails a day so I like having the opportunity to go into my online POP3 server and see what emails I want to view via that approach. I know it's old school but I just need that separation from the umbilical cord!
So, how quickly can the Storm connect to the internet and get me to the website where I can check my email? For example, on my 760 I have to wait for IE to connect and it's about a 30-45 second process to be able to do something simple like jump to a website. I notice on some other phones the internet is much more integrated and you don't have that long lag time. (I also get this on MS Live Search - love the program but it takes so long to connect that it's not as convenient). I know there will always be a short connection time but it seems like the 760 is really slow and I'm trying to get an idea if the Storm is any better/quicker.

Thanks in advance!

Jay

Edit: I should have mentioned that the slow speeds are when I am in EVDO with good signal strength. I'm fine if I'm in 1x and it's slow (don't like it but it's expected) I just hate the connection lag if I'm EVDO - seems ridiculous.

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If it ain't broke. . . break it!!

Gadgetnut - just get the Storm already! J/K! LOL!

OK, here is what I do for syncing...
I use thinkpost.net ( ThinkPost Communications - Home ) to handle my Outlook syncing wirelessly. It is $4 per month and well worth it. I never have to hook up my phone to sync. Now, of course, you can use the versatile BB Desktop Manager software to do this via USB or BT and it works well although there are still some Outlook syncing issues (minor) with the Storm. Having thinkpost.net is basically like having BES to handle your syncing but for WAY less per month. I love it and swear by it. I only use the BB DM to do OS updates, load/remove software, and backups.

Now as far as email is concerned...
With the BB, your email will go thru the BIS and your emails hit your BB as soon as it hits the server. If you dont want to be getting bugged everytime you get a message you can set custom profiles to either alert you or not alert you when your messages (any kind) arrive. Once you experience email on a BB you will wonder why you stayed with WinMo for so long! If you use multiple email accounts (you can have up to 10) you can have them show seperately on your BB or you can look at them thru your main messages box. I personally like to see my 4 accounts thru the 1 main folder but I split my SMS/Texts to their own box (you can include them in the main message folder if you like). It is nice not having to schedule your phone to check for email (which kills your battery) when the BB just handles it all perfectly and has killer battery life!

Internet...
I have no issues with the speed, I am happy with the internet experience on the Storm. I you have signal with EVDO you will be surfing quickly and will connect quickly.

I hope that helped... Be like Nike and "Just Do It"! Dump that i760 and start enjoying your smartphone experience!

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Later, Lou
Palm IIIxe>Palm M505>Palm Tungsten>Dell Axim x30i>Siemens SX66>Samsung i730>Moto Q>MotoQ9m>BB 8830>Samsung Omnia>Samsung Saga>Moto A4500/Q9n>BB Storm 9530>BB Storm2 9550

I know, I know. It's driving me crazy too!!!! I've actually been so busy that I've put the phone purchase out of my mind due to necessity. Only when I notice missing appts. on my phone, etc. do I start to get peeved. It also doesn't help that all of the past 1.5 years' video and pix from my memory card have been wiped out from a bug on the 760 and none of the programs I installed on the card are accessible. Just got me primed to replace her soon so I'm thinking about it again.

I'm waiting to see what they new iPhone looks like and then I'll make my move. Of course now I'm hearing rumblings about a Storm 2 due out as early as September.

Thank you for the info - it answered a lot of my questions and bunch more. I appreciate you taking the time to help me out!

Jay

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If it ain't broke. . . break it!!

Gadgetnut ... Take a look at the samsung Omnia ...

I quickly left my i760 as soon as I saw that ... I am grudgingly on a Storm right now ... giving it a solid go so I can answer the inevitable "How do I" from the fellow executives at our company as we renew our addiction to the BES server ... I have to admit I'm fairly happy so far .. I'm just looking for some version of timed profiles and things like PhoneAlarm did for our WINMO PDA's

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Favorite DNRC's inDUHvidual's quotes

"I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous"
"Never pet a burning dog"

Thanks for the input! I think I'm going to try to stay away from Winmobile for right now. I like the availability of all of the hacks but I think the Storm and iPhone have caught up with all of the things I use anyway. It's interesting that most of the things I've purchased to hack my phone are already integrated into the OS on these phones.

Man, I really get ticked when I think about it. WinMo is so buggy for me with slowdowns, resets, etc and just not doing some of the basics like telling me how many messages I have i.e. # emails, # txt msgs, # vmails. Grrr, now I'm getting worked up again. I can't believe how ridiculous it is that a PHONE OS isn't set up to tell you the most basic PHONE information. Ok, rant off - except for the awful Activestink garbling up my phone and computer! What a bunch of junk.

So, nope, not for me. If I make the switch this time I'm going to try a different OS than WinMo. It's not just the phone either. If Activestink starts on my computer I have to go in and stop it's processes in Task Manager on my computer b/c it screws up my system. My phone only connects on occassion and it's just a foolish setup to have to put so much effort into syncing everything. I can't even believe I'm typing something like this when everything is supposed to be integrated - it really is unbelievable but whatever. So, yes, I'm trying something different.

I'm still trying to figure out the BOGO Storm offer on Verizon. I have to give them a call and see about whether the free phone needs a new 2 year contract or if I can split the cost of a phone with a friend and each take a phone. I would jump at this point for $50. But for $200 I think I'd rather wait to see the iPhone.

Thanks again for the thoughts guys! Keep em coming.

Jay

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If it ain't broke. . . break it!!

I'm getting tired of my i760 too and looking at the Storm. I was doing some comparing though and noticed the Storm doesn't have Wifi. One of the features I love most on the i760 is the WMWifiRouter I purchased. I can wireless tether to my laptop and it comes in VERY handy. I can live with a wired tether but is this possible with the Storm? I also noticed the Storm doesn't have the best screen resolution out there. How do those of you with one like the screen? Do you watch movies and video with it?

I travel internationally on occasion to just about anywhere you can think of. Having the multiple modes and bands is a real plus. I went to Phone Scoop and they recommended the HTC Touch phones. Any thoughts on those?

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i760>BB Storm

screen is great on the storm... also, i am 99% positive there is a program like wmwifirouter out there for BB. i personally think WinMo is pretty lousy at the touchscreen game.

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Later, Lou
Palm IIIxe>Palm M505>Palm Tungsten>Dell Axim x30i>Siemens SX66>Samsung i730>Moto Q>MotoQ9m>BB 8830>Samsung Omnia>Samsung Saga>Moto A4500/Q9n>BB Storm 9530>BB Storm2 9550

Is there any verified way to turn a Blackberry Storms data into a "hotspot" for an iPod Touch?

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Ascii stupid question, get a stupid Ansi.

i beleive there is... i will do some searching on that and post it up.

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Later, Lou
Palm IIIxe>Palm M505>Palm Tungsten>Dell Axim x30i>Siemens SX66>Samsung i730>Moto Q>MotoQ9m>BB 8830>Samsung Omnia>Samsung Saga>Moto A4500/Q9n>BB Storm 9530>BB Storm2 9550

Thanks. I really appreciate it.

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Ascii stupid question, get a stupid Ansi.