Hi Mike, the best thing you can tell your IT is to install a blackberry server on your exchange server… this is free for first 2 users and after this is 100$/user… and this is really nice for the BB users to have this ! Cause you can sync everything from your blackberry to your server !

Have a great day !

Marco

Do do you still like it after using it for a few months? I’m seriously considering getting an 8830, as I’m up for my new-every-two with Verizon.

Do you sync your contacts and/or calendar with your Macbook via bluetooth? I’m really hoping this will work, as well as bluetooth connection with my Ford Sync.

So, has verizon fixed GPS yet? That’s the big feature I wanted when I upgraded from a 7105 to the 8830.

Hi Guys,
I recently purchased a Blackberry 8830 but my IT dept is telling me that we would need to restructure our backend infrastructure and it would cost over $20K..So they made a decision to only support treo.

Any suggestions? Is there anything I can do to sync up with my work email??

Thanks

J

A quick note, I just upgraded from the 8700 to the Curve on ATT and it is a wonderful, if incremental upgrade. You can hide those unwanted email icons very easily by pressing alt and clicking the item you want to have hidden. You can then show all easily enough as well.

James,

I am so happy you got the blackberry! I’m confident it will work better for you than an iPhone.

I’ve been having a blast showing off my wedding photos on my iPhone, everyone loves the pinch effect, but I’m a newly wed so I’ve got photos to show off.

I’ve watched one TV show on it so far, iTunes auto-syncs my unwatched episodes from my various season tickets into the iPhone so I don’t need to use up bandwidth on the iPhone. I’ve also got several unwatched video podcasts synced as well. After I watch them they get auto-removed from the iPhone. The Blackberry is much more professional, no videos/podcasts, no distractions.

I’ve synced over Dirty Dancing and it does great demo, The iPhones video quality is stunning on the sharp display and the built in speaker really pumps out the sound, at least as loud as my Motorola A1200’s speaker. The Blackberry is again too professional to allow you to carry around movies to distract folks with.

I synced in a couple play lists of music and the cover flow with touch screens is wonderful for selecting music to listen to and the audio quality is top notch. People have asked me “But it has no card slot” I just point out that with 8GB built in why do I need a 2GB card? With all other phones a 2GB card is larger than the built in memory, it is expansion for them.

The Safari browser really does make the web accessible in your pocket and T-Mobile’s HotSpot works seamlessly with it. I’ve stopped into Starbucks for a C Monster and 3G bandwidth a couple times today. On monday my commute to and from work is via a bus with onboard wifi hooked to 3G so I will have 3G with out the 3G battery drain. Your car doesn’t have this so the Blackberry is a much better choice for you.

I don’t need tethering because I have the XU870 for my Macbook Pro. When I need it I have roughly 200KBps of HSDPA. Your Blackberry is non-Rev A EVDO with tethering and the USB should get you 100KBps to 112KBps, the iPhone’s lack of tethering would have driven you nuts.

I never could get all of my far flung email accounts hooked up to my 7125 Verizon BB. I’ve hooked everything up to my iPhone (most accounts hosts were natively supported, took less than 5 minutes to hook up 10 accounts) and the constant stream of email is getting a bit much. Maybe I’ll get accustomed to it in a couple days, not having to poll all of it is certainly a change for me. And the slick touch interface to them is making it feel like I’m on the command deck of the Starship Voyager from Star Trek, especially when I’m zooming and panning around in PDF’s, DOC’s and XLS’s attachments in my email using just my fingers. It even keeps track of the various places in each attachment I left off so I can come right back zoomed/panned and on the correct page as I skip around in my emails. The blackberry’s built in email program won’t compete with your Fuji TPC with Outlook: keeping peace in your gadget bag.

Does anyone know if I could place the sim card from an cingular phone in the 8830. My work phone is from cingular and my personal phone is from Verizon. I would very much like to plug my sim card into the 8830 and use it while traveling on business and switch back to Verizon mode for personal use. Thanks, Greg

James,

I’m glad to see two things on jkontherun, Kevin’s usage of the Macbook Pro and NOW your BLACKBERRY badge! Woot!

I visit BlackBerryforums regularly to check the latest OS upgrades, and BB devices. Currently I use an 8700 at my company, having graduated from the Treo 650 and PP6700. Ok reason why I’m writing…

I’m going to upgrade to the 8830 in August (I think…) but want to research it a little further. WHat do you think of this consumer’s review of his 8830, in particular the ISSUES section about half way down the page? I’m not certain what he’s talking about concerning the GPS??? You didn’t mention the GPS in your review so I was disappointed not to get more insight.

2nd
If you find a way to tether the 8830 via BT, let us know. Right now it’s not doable on the 8700, as you must hardwire directly via tether chord.

3rd
What OS version is on the device 4.1 or 4.2? If it is indeed 4.2 then I believe you can tether via BT.

Congrats!

Nitin, I believe the answer is yes to both Tasks and Notes (memos).

James,

I’m considering a move to this phone from my Treo 700p when the BB becomes available on the Sprint network (international travel being the driving factor). Anyway, on the Exchange sync aspect does the BB software sync over Tasks and memos?

Aaron the Blackberry sync’s well with Outlook. I use to have the Apache 6700 and a couple months got the BB and haven’t looked back. Its very fast when you press the buttons etc. I have Outlook 2007 and Vista Business on my Q1P and sync with my BB using the Blackberry Desktop software to sync and works very well. I have even been able to set it up to sync over bluetooth from blackberry to the Q1P. Also like James said to setup the tethering its very easy which I use every day for my work on the road.

HG

Since I am not getting an iPhone either, I have been thinking about a Blackberry because I really want a PDA phone and currently the AT&T choices are pretty slime. I have the E62 which I really don’t like but I didn’t want to go for the 8525 either since I really do like the front side keyboard (the ONLY thing I like about my E62). So Blackberry looks interesting.

Problem is, I don’t *need* it for work, more for personal stuff but I am so hooked on having PDA functionality since my Palm III days. I have no need for an exchange server at this point but want a phone that is still a real PDA type of device. (I know the E62 is *supposed* to be a PDA like phone but the reasons it falls short are too numerous to list and would be very off topic.)

So how does the Blackberry sync with Outlook? Will it sync my e-mails like a WIndows Mobile device or should I keep waiting until the iPhone hysteria passes and AT&T remembers that not every one of their customers wants an iPhone?

James, thanks for the follow-up on the categories.

I’ll let it swirl around in my head for a while. Fortunately I don’t of necessity have to get a new phone, but have been thinking a good bit about it of late.

I just can’t read these words. I can’t. Seeing a phone with BUTTONS is just too traumatizing to me right now.

Where was your wife to save you from yourself?

How sad!