Despite being somewhat of a technophile, I’ve never been one to obsess over the cutting edge of mobile electronics. I’ve had one PDA, which I didn’t use for more than six months, and I’ve never owned an mp3 player. I’m not part of the crackberry masses so why did I end up with one? I’m glad you asked.
Perhaps first and foremost, I was beginning to need a new phone. My old phone had served me well but it was starting to develop the nasty habit of temporarily muting my voice. I was actually six months past my upgrade date so it’s not like I abused it or I just wanted the latest and greatest as soon as possible. The phone had aged gracefully but it was nearing time to put it to sleep.
If I was going to get a new phone, I wanted something other than a normal keypad because I simply suck at texting on one. Text messaging is becoming increasingly more popular and while I don’t have full blown conversations via it, I do see the value. A full QWERTY was an option with various non-PDA models but let’s face it, they’re ugly.
If I was going to get something with more than a phone keypad, I should be looking at making full use of it. My last PDA failed because I had no real reason to carry it all the time. If I had something that also served as a phone, I’d have no choice but to carry it. I’m one of those people who think phone clips are extremely stupid so it would also have to fit in my pocket comfortably.
The Treo software sucks so that really meant I was stuck with the Curve or the Pearl. Both actually felt better in my pocket than my old Motorola clamshell but the Pearl won out because it actually looks like a normal phone. I could have all the same features without the stigma of whipping out an iphone or a fullsize blackberry. Those who have iphones know what I’m talking about and those who have blackberries are too addicted to care.
I’ve had the Pearl for about two weeks now and I’ve been very pleased. Most importantly, the call quality is great. Conversations are clear, there are no issues with volume or with dropped calls yet. Some people said I always sounded sick on my old phone but I haven’t heard that with the Pearl. As a phone, which should remain its primary role, it succeeds.
So what about all the other goodies? I could, and just might, go on and on about how the phone has made my life easier. I’ll try to touch on the major ones without boring you too much. Feel free to stop reading at any time.
I use Gcal for my personal calendar and Google’s sync does an amazing job at mirroring it on my blackberry. If I add an item to my calendar on either the phone or directly in Gcal, the other will reflect the change before I even think to use it again. As someone who is seemingly traveling out of town every other weekend, I really can’t say how nice it is to always have my schedule with me.
I enjoy having constant access to my email but this is where the addiction blossoms. I originally had a notification of new email but quickly realized I was becoming one of “those people.” I’ve since turned off all new mail alerts and am much happier becusse of it. It’s nice to be able to email myself a note or drop a quick mesage to someone before I forget, but I see little chance of it growing to desktop/crackberry proportions.
There are a nice set of secondary features that I didn’t realize I was buying into when I got the phone. I knew there was a camera, which serves well in a pinch, but being able to use it as a media player and GPS was news to me. I bought a 2gb MicroSD card and can now put mp3s, videos and pictures on it. While I don’t intended it as an ipod competitor, I think being able to put a few hours of Japanese lessons on it to prepare for our upcoming trip is pretty cool. I also put a bunch of family pictures on it to serve as a mini photo album. I don’t carry a wallet, so having pictures always on me was never really possible before. I can also make my own ringtones and caller ID pictures to transfer via USB (for free!), which is pretty cool. As far as GPS is concerned, I’ve already used it to get directions to a new doctor’s office via Google maps… so that’s effective as well. I probably shouldn’t even have to mention the ability to look up stuff like travel itineraries, movie showtimes or the weather on the fly.
If you’ve made it this far (thank you!), you’re probably wondering why I haven’t said anything about txt or IM and the ergos of the abbreviated keyboard. Well, I already used IM via Jivetalk to tell my boss that my doctor was running an hour late so I would be too… win. I also managed to type out this entire post and send via MMS on my Pearl… so I guess it can’t be all that bad. 🙂 I’m not going to win any speed contests but it’s far superior to a normal phone and the predictive input is very smart. Typing is comfortable and constant without being aggravating.
I seriously love this thing. To hell with you iphone!
wow, you typed that whole post on your pearl? Glutton for punishment I see.
I love my Pearl too, and yes, you can add it to the very short list of things that I copy/steal from you!
I agree with you about the quality of the “phone”. Both the speaker phone and the handset sound quality are excellent.
Well.
‘We’ purchased an IPhone, yeah, yeah I know what I said about them but hey, it was tense time and I needed some bling for Mags to lift the mood. When we arrived home relieved of some $500 for the privilege of looking like a pair of techno tossers my first thought was eBay. The people’s republic of Appledumb has always been a mystery to me when the same tech is available for less money, albeit in an under badged box of dullness without a half eaten piece of fruit for sympathy, I digress.
It gives you; a phone with great SMS. I can’t type with SMS half as fast as the touch screen.
1-0
I can connect to the web. My cell phone does that as well and has edge but having a screen about the size of George Bush’s brain it is frustrating to use. The IPhone is nearly as quick and has the ability to zoom dynamically through pinching and dragging. Web and email is useable on the move.
2-0
The IPhone has google earth and decent SATNAV. SO does the cell again the screen menu on the Apple serves it better.
3-0
I can view all my media through WI-FI and listen to 8Gb of music through the ever interesting communist Itunes (I am really trying to dislike this device). If someone calls me whilst I am listening to music it fades it and brings the call in. Movies aren’t an issue but really who is bothered with a small screen meh.
4-0
There you go. I will stop at 4-0, don’t want to be called an Applehead! Suffice to say I am watching your Caterham video on the pup right now.
As a piece of bling it is vulgar. I am sure people will look down on it as a non event but as an Engineer honestly I find it fascinating and well worthy of the price.
The future is fruit, half eaten and baked with berries.
I read a lot about blackberries and, you know, I think I saw this post before we went to the store. So really, it’s your fault that I had to go out and buy one. 🙂 Anyways, I love, love, love my new Pearl. I can read email and watch television shows!! I had a Katana before – huge upgrade.