Boy, Do I Miss The Touch HD
Yeah, I no longer have the HTC Touch HD with me but that’s a temporary situation right now because I’ve sent it over to the guys at ZAGG to apply an Invisible Shield. It’s a military-grade clear plastic that is wrapped around the device to protect it from scratches. Just how good is the protection? See for yourself:
Nope, I am not going to put the Touch HD through such a test but I will definitely be covering it in greater detail when I get it back (hopefully sometime later next week).
Until then, I have been and currently am using the BlackBerry Pearl (initially the 8100 and currently the 8120) and I really do not understand why it’s such a great platform.
For starters, it’s really bland. There’s no WOW factor that greats you. Granted that I am using the older OS 4.3 but even that’s really not an excuse is it?
Then’s there’s the part about emails. I hear great things about how the Blackberry platform is perfect for emails and IMs (more on the former at least) but my experience does not seem to fit with what I hear. Here’s why:
1. My work email uses Exchange and to get that working on the Blackberry is a real pain because I have to submit a request to the IT department. On Windows Mobile, I could just easily set it up using ActiveSync. 1-0.
2. Setting up personal emails was really quick and painless though. I will give it credit for that. Then, there’s the part about getting your emails as soon as it arrives in your mailbox. Another bonus as well for those who need to be up to speed. From there, it goes downhill.
Email messages read on the device are not marked as read back on the server. Asking some Blackberry users did not solve the problem so right now, when I read emails on the Blackberry, I have to go back onto the server to mark them as read there. Even Pocket Outlook on Windows Mobile can sync message status properly so why not the touted King of Emails?
3. Emails relying on Google’s server require special settings such that when you send an email, be it from the Blackberry or server itself, you do not send yourself a copy of that email. It’s just the way Google works so it’s no fault of Blackberry. Or is it when you consider that such problems don’t exist on Windows Mobile.
4. Using Google Talk was pain free and in fact a very enjoyable experience.
5. I can’t say the same for MSN though. I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why MSN does not connect on the Blackberry, be it on the 8100 or 8120. The only 1 time I got it to connect was when I was awake at 5 in the morning and even then, it gave me server error when I tried to send messages.
6. Figuring it was a client problem, I tried Palringo out but that too did not connect the last couple of days. It finally did earlier this evening but that was after I disable 2 of the 3 services that I use Palringo with. No such problems with Windows Mobile with all 3 services active.
To clear the air, I do have the required Blackberry data plan on my line. I can surf the web and receive my emails from it so I see no reason why chat should be a problem. The HTC Touch HD, and even the 2 year old ETEN Glofiish X500 that I have had no problems connected to multiple chat services and 2 IMAP IDLE servers and staying connected. And they all run on EDGE.
My HTC Touch HD runs Palringo for my MSN and GTalk needs as well as FlexMail 4 with IMAP IDLE to 2 Google servers and an Exchange server (3 in total) and battery life is, dare I say, comparable to that on the Pearl doing the same things. In fact, I would say it could probably be better on the Touch HD when you consider that the Pearl handles 1 less chat service and email server.
So what’s the deal with Blackberry? I thought I might fall in love with the platform for its simplicity but what I’ve encountered has only made me appreciate Windows Mobile a lot more. I felt the same way when I gave the Android platform a go.
To me, the Windows Mobile platform is far superior than what it is given credit for. It may be old and dated but developers have managed and continue to patch whatever holes left by the Windows Mobile development team. Pocket Outlook not up to par? Try FlexMail. Need more than just MSN? Give Palringo or Beejive a shot. Need a more powerful PIM? There’re are several great choices out there.
I just hope I can get the HTC Touch HD from ZAGG real soon. I hope they’ll do expedited shipping because I don’t think I can go on like this for another week.
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I agree 100%. I had blackberry phones FOR EVER until I got my htc fuze and there is no comparison at all. the features, flexibility, customizing, etc – are all far superior with the fuze.
The cool thing about Blackberry is that I can fire off an email really quickly to anyone. Not so straightforward on Windows Mobile I admit, BUT, it can still be done with a few tweaks here and there.
I send emails as fast, or faster, and with as much ease, as I ever did with my blackberry. There is literally no difference in my opinion.
How do you do it? Mind sharing your setup with us?
I used the Pearl for several weeks last month just to try it out. Its laying in a box waiting to be sold. I never did figure out why BB is better for email. WinMo fa life!!!
Maybe I should get a tatoo like the zune guy!
If you do get a tattoo James, do send a picture our way to put on the site.
on my saga if you press and hold the hard email button on the keyboard a new email screen will pop up.
one quirk with blackberry is that we cannot arrange the messages by sender / subject… also cannot add folders.. i generally have folders in my sms inbox for family friends, work etc…
I didn’t realize this. I used to do this on WinMo but after a while, I stopped because it took too much work. But glad to know.
Problem with the HD is the lack of buttons.
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