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Does anyone on here own a BlackBerry? Are they any good? How user friendly are they?

I'm due an upgrade and tempted to get one but keep hearing mixed reviews

Hi Carlos,
I wouldn't do it if I were you, unless you genuinely need to be able to check your emails every waking second.

I haven't had a blackberry, but I did get a PDA phone. The novelty wore off and I wished I didn't have a brick in my pocket.

My friend had a blackberry last year (he's a high-flying London type). He raved about it at the time but I don't think he has one now...

Unless you're going to have a poncy little holster (which you then have to mess around transfering from belt to belt etc. when you get home and change into casuals), they're unwieldy. Get a nice slimline phone for calling and texting, a personal organiser of paper or microchips depending on your preference, and a PC or laptop for emails.

...would be my humble advice!

Two people I know who have in the past had BlackBerrys have now moved onto the iPhone. It does many of the same things as well as more.

I bought a Samsung version with pda, email etc. and it was one of the worst things that I bought.

Similar to the Blackberry, you'll end up paying for lots of things that you won't use.

As Farlsborough recommends, stick with a standard phone.

I have a blackberry for work which stays slung in the bottom of my bag and is very very handy for when I'm travelling and don't want to have to lug a laptop to check emails.

I hate to reply on the things though due to the keyboard being so tiny and it takes a while to key things in (worse than predictive text I find) so only use it to read what's come in while I'm not at the base. If I had to pay for it I certainly wouldn't though it's really useful for work as there are many times I'm not in the office.

Of course the thing is completely redundant 90 % of the time so don't get it for personal use.

I'd go for the iPhone if you're not sure. Can do a lot of what a Blackberry can do and - arguably I suppose - looks cooler, is slimmer etc.

I love mine. It's not without its faults, but a very fun thing to have with you.

I had a blackberry in my last job. I loved it but only had it about 2 months before I got made redundant so didn't have time for the novelty to wear off.

If you have one for work you will find yourself answering e mails anytime anywhere which is a drawback. If you value getting access to the internet anytime anywhere they are great

I have never used a blackberry before, nor researched them.
But I own a HTC (the TYTN II to be exact). It is a great phone.
Windows based, you can do alot with it.
I use it as my phone, webviewer (built in wifi), mp3 player, video player, sat nav (built in GPS), ebook reader and game system.
Yes it is a bit bigger and heavier than a 'normal' phone, but I prefer to know my phone is still in my pocket. Nor do I want a phone where I need pins as fingers to be able to press the tiny buttons.

I have a Blackberry which admittedly comes with the job. I am however an addict in that I can feel physically ill if I leave it at work by mistake. It is very easy to use and I can type long messages without problem. As someone said earlier, it is much easier than carting a laptop around.

The family are used to me twiddling with it on holiday etc

I am 55.

You can get perfectly good e-mail access on a normal mobile phone. I've got a Sony Ericsson W880i, and a web n walk tariff from T-Mobile (£7.50 a month for unlimited internet access on your phone), and have it set so it checks my e-mail server every 10 minutes for e-mail. It's perfectly good as long as you're just looking for basic e-mails.

I have a Blackberry. Biggest waste of space known to the human race!

Now that the iPhone supports push mail, contacts, calendars, I am sure it's going to give Blackberry a run for the money.

Plus the data is free... i.e. unlimited web, email etc. access.

It's possibly the most useful business device I own. And yes, I've had Blackberry, and N95 8gb, and Sony phones... none of them come even close to the iPhone.

Did I mention that you can also use it as an iPod with widescreen video on the train?

Plus, for £45 a month you get more than 1000 minutes of call time.

Bostin!

Albino wrote:I have a Blackberry. Biggest waste of space known to the human race!

Yeah, but do you like it?

Replicant wrote:

Albino wrote:I have a Blackberry. Biggest waste of space known to the human race!

Yeah, but do you like it?

No, I did at first, but now I cant stand it. They break so easily. In the year that Ive had a blackberry on contract Ive had to have it replaced 3 times!

On a related note, the word BlackBerry is quite a famous application of a psychological concept known as phonesthesia - the idea that the mere sound of words carry meaning aboutthe object they describe. Whether it's a good use of phonesthesia is anyone's guess. I'd say not.

Marketing executives from Lexicon Branding Inc. saw the device for the first time and were struck by how the buttons seemed to resemble seeds on the outside of a fruit or berry. “Strawberry” was the inevitable first suggestion for a name. “Straw”, however, with it’s drawn out “aw” sound, is a long, slow syllable. The branders wanted shorter, punchier sounds, implying efficiency, speed, and ease of use. According to the story, after a few minutes, “Blackberry” as a name was born, the short “ack” of “black” provided the necessary punch over the slower, more laid-back “straw”.

I can't see it myself. Personally, I still use an ancient Nokia 3410, which is fast becoming a thing of fascination for people.