I have an i700 I am very unhappy with. I am about to go turn in my second one for a software failure and I would like to get something else instead - but what?

When I was with my former firm I had a Blackberry i loved, but it had no phone. Now that BB has a phone, I'm considering it. But, I'd like more info on the phone features. Is there anyway to use it without a headset? If not, how are the headsets? How is the dialing? Can you do it one-handed, voicedial? Anything else I should know?

What are some other options? I need email, calendar, contacts - all reliably.

The thing I didn't like about the i700 was that I had to reload the data more times than I would like. It would call people randomly when in my bag. My headset hurt my ears and got all tangled up. I had to reload the software at least three times. The battery life was so horrible that I could never actually use the device for anything but a phone because I would not have enough battery power between charges. I don't really care about games, but I would like something I can listen to ebooks on.

Thanks!

Alexis

Hi Alexis -

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with the i700.

I have both a G1000 and a Treo 600, and both work well for me - only they both lack the immediate email response of the Blackberry. Each phone does certain things well, but the "perfect" device for me still hasn't been invented! FYI - the G1000 is very similar to the i700, except that it features a keyboard.

The new Blackberries don't require headsets and also have speakerphones. I've doubt it does voice dialing (like the i700 and G1000), and I've also read some complants about steps you need to take to dial. Keep in mind that Blackberries have a tremendously loyal following, and I'm sure dialing becomes second nature no matter the steps you have to take. It's probably as easy as scrolling to the phone icon and then entering in a name or a number.

I'm fairly confident that the Blackberry will satisfy your need for organizer functions and phone capability, however, I don't know if it has the ability to play back ebooks. I'm sure one of the other wise folks on this board can address that for you.

Email? From what I've read Blackberries are unsurpassed in this area.

I read a lot of ebooks, and both the Treo and G1000 allow me to store the books on SD cards. From the information you supplied, you may want to look into the Treo 600 as well as the many Blackberry options you have here.

Verizon is coming out with a new Blackberry - the 7750, that I might be purchasing. I think it's due to be released at the end of the month, and if I end up with one I'll certainly post my views here.

Until then, why not visit www.blackberry.com? They have a lot of information and demos for novices like us, and the site will probably answer a lot of your questions.

Good luck!
Sifu Z.

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No eBook readers for the BlackBerry.
Also, only the Nextel 7510 has a speakerphone; none of the other BlackBerrys has a speakerphone. One touch dialing is new, and as you noted, no voice activated dialing.

When I tell people about the BlackBerry, I rate the functionality like this:

E-Mail - the best; if you need push e-mail, get a BlackBerry
Phone - decent; missing some features (like voice dialing) but works for most people
Browser - OK; as good as any PDA browsing (mostly WAP based, except for Verizon, which has no web browsing built in)

The kicker for the BlackBerry is the integration into a corporate e-mail system; that's a very important factor in most decisions. For a personal BB, there is a bit more latitude and other options. I have a Treo 600, which has tons more applications and a brighter screen (at the expense of the battery), but if you want e-mail, you should get a BlackBerry.

You can get good but not great corp e-mail on an i500 and you cannot beat the size/portability. It is a great phone and I love both the Palm PDA, Web browsing, and grafitti features. While each to his own, I think it is the best out there.

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How are you getting corporate e-mail on the i500?