I have officially moved from Palm manufactured/ Palm OS devices.
Yesterday, I activated a Blackberry 8830 "World Edition" device onto my Sprint account. Although I have been threatening to move away from Palm for over a year, it was finally time to face the inevitable.
Treo, Au Revoir
Why move to RIM, after owning every Palm OS Treo made? A lot of it is my new requirement for a world-phone. I will now be making periodic business trips to Europe; and, that eliminates Palm OS Treos. Although WinMo v6 appears to be a much-improved platform, my experience with WinMo over the years makes me reluctant to trust my business communications to it. Finally, I want to stay with Sprint. I have had terrific luck with their coverage, call reliability, data speed and service over the past several years. All of those factors (and some cracking reviews) seemed to focus right down to the 8830. This RIM device will run on Sprint's fast EvDO in the US and Canada; and, when overseas, its unlocked SIM card will automatically provide me with GSM/EDGE service (the Verizon version has a locked SIM card...but, whaddaya expect from them?).
There were 'softer' issues, to be sure:
Palm's year-long denial of the problems surrounding the Treo 700p was worthy of a White House Press Secretary. This radical shift away from Ed Colligan's traditional culture of open communication and 'customer-first' has greatly soured me on spending any new dollars with Palm, Inc.
That disenchantment has been further compounded by the incredibly lackluster design(?) of their newer products. I call the style "Palm-olive Soap."
Finally, there is zero thrill these days when I pick up my Treo 755p. The device is a bit heavy and thick...but, feels good in the hand, is reliable, fast and easy-to-use. BUT...there is no fun left. Nothing new has been added in years; and, I know every trick the Palm OS can do. Familiarity has, indeed, bred contempt. So for now, I have bid Palm, Inc. au revoir as my personal platform. I still have several Treos owned by family and friends that I will be supporting (my 755 will go to my father-in-law)...and, my son's Treo 700p will become my test-bed for new Palm accessories and applications that I review for Palm Addict's readers.
Quid-Pro-Quo
Let's get something out of the way...anyone who says the Palm OS isn't the easiest to use is just plain nuts.
Every time I test a Blackberry, WinMo...or even a Symbian device, I am simply dazzled by the way that Palm (long, long ago) managed to eliminate multiple steps from every possible aspect of using a personal device. To-date, no one has managed to provide a user experience that is as intuitive, while robust (the iPhone is a really sweet interface; but, I think smearing fingers all over the screen is more fetish then function).
That brings me to my Blackberry 8830. I have had it only a day, and am already torn between damnation and praise. The endless menus are adding white to my rapidly graying pate; and, I really miss my 'apps' button. Blackberries have one, but if you're in the middle of a program, it switches over to become a menu button; and, you have to scroll down to the bottom of the menu to close the app you're in, and get back to the apps launcher screen. Grrrrr. Considering that pressing the trackball also brings up the menu, this is plain silly.
Once you get the hang of it, the navigation isn't too bad, and RIM has included a lot of neat tricks. For instance, if I go to the menu while in the Address Book, I get an option for 'map'. If I select it, a road map comes quickly up, with a pin showing where my contact is located. That's pretty darn neat. The 8830 has built in GPS; and, when you bring up Google Maps, it immediately brings up a map showing your current position. I like that, too. Not everything is that well thought out, though.
When I'm in the Blackberry Address Book, only the names show; and, if I want to dial that contact, I have to click on their name. This opens a 2nd window, with all of their contact information. Then, I have to bring up the menu, and scroll down to "Call Mobile," "Call Home," or "Call Work."
In the Treo's Contacts, phone numbers are shown right below the name. Just use the D-pad to highlight the number you want, and push the D-pad's button. You're making a call!
In short, while the Blackberry OS certainly delivers functionality that I would have loved to see on a Palm device, it also lacks much of the simplicity and easy customization that is Palm's hallmark. You get nothing without giving just as much up...and let no tell you differently. The Palm OS works, but it was designed years ago; and nothing has been added...and who knows when the 'new' OS will be released (if ever). The Blackberry OS is the fastest growing in the world (although Symbian has a huge head start), and has more and more developers coming on board. If I'm willing to admit it, I went through the same growing pains with my Palm devices and the earlier Treos. That was part of what made if fun and exciting. Right now, I hate the way that the Blackberry's calendar and email are laid out; but, I bet it won't be long before new 3rd-party apps are released that will solve this for me (I miss you, Snappermail!). AND. speaking of Blackberry email...
A Major RIM Job
As a community, and as individuals we constantly rail about wireless carriers, and the way they hamstring the native functionality of our devices (hey, Verizon! Can you hear me now?). We also love to castigate Palm for not being customer friendly in the way they do business these days, and dump on Apple for their proprietary arrogance (guilty as charged, your honor).
When I activated my 8830 yesterday, I had a nasty shock: I was no longer going to be paying $15 per month for unlimited data, as I had been doing with my Treos for the past 4+ years. Instead, I had to take the 'Blackberry Plan' at $40 per month for unlimited data. I asked Sprint what the hell I was paying extra for, when my usage was not changing one bit; and, they explained that RIM forces this plan on any carrier who wants to sell their devices. Now, let me explain why this is so wrong...
RIM's big advantage is not their Blackberry devices, per se. Nope, its the Blackberry server. Corporate mail itself is dished out via email server software (MS Exchange, Lotus Notes, etc.); and, the Blackberry server simply adds an extra software layer, which provides the push-mail and all sorts of security that has endeared it to the Legal and Financial verticals.
Now, in the case of almost every individual user, they are using POP or IMAP (the two prevalent email protocols) to access their personal and corporate emails. POP is your generic internet mail from your corporate ISP; while IMAP allows your device (or computer) to synch with the various folders in your email account (Gmail just went with IMAP). When you use your Treo, Sidekick, iPhone, whatever...you are talking directly to that email server.
So, what? So this:
I access my Verizon DSL-mail via POP and my Gmail & work eMail via IMAP. Nothing has changed, EXCEPT that RIM is forcing me to have my email routed through their hosted Blackberry server first; so, they can cost me $40 vs $15 each month. True, I now have push-mail, but I don't need it; nor, do I want it. Not only do they not add any value to my email experience; but, they add a redundant layer with associated complexity and risk of failure. My email remains my email...its still plain old POP and IMAP. The only thing new is that RIM has barged into the equation; much like the Mafia provides 'protection' to small business owners...or, else!
Any developer who comes up with a Blackberry email client that provides unfettered POP & IMAP will get major exposure in my columns. Let me know what you've got!
Look for my full review of the Blackberry 8800 on Palm Addict next weekend.
That's it...I'm off the bloody soapbox (for now).
PJ Arts, Smartphone Editor