Customer Reviews

BlackBerry Wireless Handhelds 957 BlackBerry Internet Edition - 386 RAM: 512 KB - ROM: 5 MB

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have had a 957 Blackberry for about 5 months, and it has changed the way that I stay connected. No more dialing in to get e-mails, no more Palm mail synchronization woes. With a Blackberry you are connected 24x7 and if you purchase the optional MS Exchange server software you don't ever have to worry about leaving your computer on to forward messages from your desktop.

The small thumb keyboard took a while to get used to, but after a couple of weeks, I can safely say I was able to type messages and notes faster than on my Palm. The small trackwheel is intuitive and easy to use, and the 5MB of RAM have proven to be more than sufficient for several weeks worth of mail, notes, address book, etc.

I also purchased GoAmerica's web service and although it can sometimes take a few seconds to access, it is well integrated with the rest of the functionality of the Blackberry and offers extensive web coverage.

The screen for the 957 is large enough for email and web browsing, and it's also well lit with a back light for "night" reading.

My only complaint is the lack of coverage on non-large metropolitan areas--RIM has little to do with this, but one gets so used to the full time connectivity and reliability of this device that it is frustrating to travel somewhere and find yourself out of reach.

I strongly recommend this product.

My company ordered one of these after reading an article about BlackBerry in The New York Times (9/21/2000). It's a beautiful piece of technology. Unfortunately, it looks like we'll be returning it, for two reasons. First, we use AOL for business email and we only found out belatedly that AOL does not support BlackBerry at this time. We had called BlackBerry before buying the machine, and a customer service rep assured us that AOL and CompuServe and were supported. AOL confirmed to us that this is not the case. Second, BlackBerry's wireless partner, Aether Systems, has very limited coverage outside of major coastal cities and some cities like Chicago. Large portions of the country, especially the so-called "flyover" states, are not covered.

We're probably going to go with a Palm. Check out the BlackBerry VERY carefully before investing your money.

I like to refer to devices that help people to communicate with each other as 'enabling' devices. The Blackberry is one such device and it does a great job at it. It's worth it's weight in gold and then some!

The RIM 957 just works well, period. It does what it's supposed to and does it well. And it doesn't try to do everything. For instance, it's not really a good subsitute for a PDA. It's address book is more useful to store emails and the calendar does not compare to Palm's. I had previously tried the Palm i705 and had a terrible time with it, despite the fact that it includes other non wireless PDA functionality. The Palm service coverage kept dropping out and it was not reliable. The Blackberry on the other hand is wonderfully reliable and proven. It has a better screen than the i705, and has a built-in small QWERTY keyboard that is a joy to use. It's quick to type on and all functions are very user intuitive-a great design.

It's difficult to put a monetary value on something that enables me to be in email contact all the time wherever I am. The unit is like a pager and stays on all the time and I can read and write emails with ease. I also opted for the web browsing option through my service provider and although it can really only browse WML (WAP) websites, the screen holds a lot of text and it is quite useful for both emailing and browsing.

The way the Blackberry service works, is that you forward your home email to your Blackberry email address. Most ISPs support this, and you can even opt to also have the emails left on your ISPs server so that they are also downloaded to your home computer. When you use the Blackberry to send or respond to an email, it is setup so that emails come from your home email address. In this way, people do not even know that I am using a wireless device to send them email!

Now I don't have to be tied to my home or office computer to be in contact. In fact, I find myself not turning on my home computer as much. It's really cool to be able to do email without a computer.

I got mine through Earthlink, ... Granted, the device is a bit expensive but more so is the service. To me it's totally worth it and is still less then my monthly cable TV bill, yet is so much more useful!

I have owned a dozen pagers, PDAs, Palms, WinCEs, etc. The Blackberry is the revolutionary breakthru. It holds 5000 of my contacts, 1000s of calendar items, 100 memos & notes, and 1000 emails. It is revolutionary because: -it has real-time, synchronized email capabilities -it has a screen big enough to read multiple paragraphs of information -it has a keyboard that allows users to type one page emails -it can be operated with a single hand -it has an effective micro-web browser (Go America) -it has self-recharging batteries that never run down

I carry this device everywhere. It has untethered me from my office, allowing me to work at home, at restaurants, on the beach, etc. It also replaces note pads. I just ask people to email me the notes I need.

A subtle point: now, instead of making notes to myself about things that I need to do "when I get back to the office", I just do them (i.e. email a direction to someone when I first consider the issue). This has placed much more velocity into my life & decision making.

This product is addictive. You will love it.

I have owned a Blackberry 957 since June. This product is awesome. The keyboard is great, it sychronizes well with desktop PIM software and the best thing of all, I get my email everywhere (well, almost everywhere). It is light in weight. I will recommend this product over any Palm or PocketPC. It also has a JVM (at least mine does) for running java programs.

I've used Windows CE, PocketPC, Palm M100, and Palm VII, but I use my Blackberry constantly. I'll keep this review short and to the point. For me, the most important features are address book, calendar, and synching with Outlook. The Blackberry does all that very well.

What really convinced me to make this my primary device was the fact that I can easily wear it in the belt holder so the Blackberry is always right there. And the screen is still big enough to glance at your weekly calendar and read anentire contact record at once. For me, the Blackberry is the perfect balance between small size and big screen.

The wireless features are useful as well. I use the wireless email as a pager and the wireless web browser to check things like movie times when I am out. You wouldn't want to surf the web, but there are useful tasks that you can do like check your stocks, etc.

I've been using the RIM 957 for several months now and have finally found a way to increase my productivity and efficiency by staying connected to my desktop PC while out of my office. It used to be that I missed important emails while on the road, now I respond to my clients immediately rather than at the end of the day or even a day or two later. No more cutting the day short to run back to my office or hotel room to process my day's activities and respond to a long list of client emails. I now see more clients and can provide them instant response from me via my BlackBerry by Aether wireless email service.

One slight drawback is the coverage. The RIM 957 transmits my email from my desktop to my unit using the Bell South Wireless Data network that does not have nationwide coverage. But as a friend that works for a competing carrier explained to me, no wireless data network in the U.S. has nationwide coverage at this time. But I've also discovered that my RIM 957 works in a lot more places than it does not, just like my cell phone. I understand the Motient network also has it's RIM product, but its network also has its limitations.

My wireless service provider is Aether Systems and I couldn't be happier with their service. When I first purchased my RIM 957 I called their customer support number and was helped immediately in a professional manner. I learned that I can call them 24/7 if I have any questions. I wish Amazon.com had more information listed explaining the service provider, coverage, etc. I found out more about the service from Aether than I knew before I bought the unit. Which, with this amount of money being spent, took a leap of faith on my part.

During this call I learned of some of the intricacies of wireless email. The Bell South Wireless Data network transmits my email to a unit made by RIM with an wireless email forwarding service provided by Aether. It's somewhat mind boggling how this technology works. So if the data is not transmitted I was told it could be Bell South is experiencing network difficulties, or RIM may be experiencing server problems, or Aether is having connection problems with Bell South and/or RIM. Seems to me there can be a variety of points for failure. On the two instances I experienced technical difficulties, both were resolved in a timely manner. And one of those instances was when our company server was down. All wireless service providers that offer the BlackBerry wireless email service use the same carrier networks (Bell South Wireless Data or Motient). So it seems to me network transmission problems would be experienced by all wireless service providers not just Aether.

The Aether representative also informed me that they will offering additional applications like an Internet browser, the ability to open attachments (not being able to open attachments is a drawback) and access to real-time stock quotes and news. Pretty cool.

In my research before making my purchase I read that wireless data is in its early development. If that's the case, given my wireless experience do date with BlackBerry by Aether, I'm looking forward to its future. I've already gained a competitive advantage by just being able to respond immediately via email, anytime, just about anywhere, to the needs of my clients. I'm just glad my competition hasn't taken advantage of this technology...yet.

One of the nuances of the Blackberry that is a huge advantage over Palm's wireless products is the device uses a "push" delivery model to allow emails and other alerts to instantly arrive to your Blackberry.

I have a Palm V and Palm VII and both use a "pull" delivery model where I have to proactively connect to the wireless world, to get email.

The other big factor why Blackberry is great, is the battery life on the 957 is tremendous. One of my employees didn't charge his for 6 weeks with relative use. This is thanks to a lithium battery.

My Omnisky had a separate battery from the Palm V battery, and it lasted only 4 hours!

4 hours v. 6 weeks - I think you know which one to buy!

Mark

I have the Blackberry RIM 957 model. I use it to check email. Simple enough. It's been invaluable to me.

But there's another side to this product that you need to know before making a purchase. A product is only as good as its technical support. And this product fails miserably in that category. You have to pay for common technical support either on a pay-per-incident basis or by purchasing a support plan. I had one simple problem with my Blackberry that turned out to be a problem with the existing software (not an end-user issue) and it cost me a small fortune to have the problem fixed.

They not only charge you for support, they also charge you for upgrades. Sounds like Microsoft has a hand in their support functions, doesn't it?

That being said, I don't know what I'd do without this product. I take it everywhere with me and it's alot better than a laptop. Just keep the technical support issue in mind when making a purchase because once you leave the store, you're on your own.

I purchased my Blackberry 957 about a month ago. Having a tool for mobile email plus the usual "Palm-type" functions has been wonderful. Unlike the Palm VII, the email comes via push, not pull (you don't have to check in to see if you have email - it arrives automatically and signals you either by beep, by vibration, or by combination of the two, as you choose.)

I found it easy to set up, easy to use. Don't be put off by the very small keyboard. If you're writing emails of a couple of hundred words or less, you shouldn't find it to be a problem.

The basic functions of scheduling, to do lists, memos, etc.. work well and easily. Ergonomic factors are GREAT. Synchronization with Microsoft Outlook has been seamless.

Great tool for the road warrior.

Bill Parr