Mumsnet Talk

MAscaraOHara and I.

Blackberry question

Because we need better gadgets to organise our lives, and are wondering what works best.

I have been interested in testing the Joggler, to work out what handheld device, other than my current Palm PDA, has a calendar that can be adapted for shared use as well as stored on the thingummyjig.

I'm sure MoH has her own questions...

Oooh nice work LL

and a shameless bump t'boot!

Nobody with an iPhone has a lunchbreak to MN obviously...

Ok I'm on my iPhone right now!

I've had various PDAs over the years - palm pilot, compaq one, loads basically, also had a Sony ericsson P910 then a P1i. The iPhone beats them all hands down.

I sync mine via ITunes with Microsoft outlook on our home laptop, so does DH, so I can see what we're all doing. DH also syncs his at work - he has a separate work calendar I think, but I can look at that too if I want to (quite useful, you know how crap men are at remembering appointments etc)

I also sync all my contacts with outlook, and my notes.

I can pick up all my ntlworld emails easily (also easy to set up) as well as work emails.

Web access is fantastic and user interface is excellent. MN access is great, as is online ordering from eg John Lewis sites.

I didn't think I'd be bothered about iTunes but it's great to be able to plug it into an iTrip in the car to listen to music, including some of the kids' music. Saves having CDs rattling around the car!

What else? The only downside is I've developed a sudoku addiction . There are some useful applications like currency/weight etc conversions, notes, weather forecasts, loads! The google map feature is great, essentially a sat nav (a basic one)

Oh, it's a good phone too.

I couldn't be without it, and I'd never go back to a separate mobile and PDA. I think the 8gb iPhone costs around £95, with a monthly charge of £35 for about 600 minutes and 400 texts

You could print out a week's/month's view from outlook to use as eg a kitchen calendar?

Wifi access is also very useful, I don't think blackberries have wifi?

I have one, but think Amazonianwoman has said it all. Mine is the 8gb but it was free and £35 per month.

We were in London at the weekend and downloaded the underground map from Itunes for 59p. It was so impressive instead of having to fiddle about with the map.

Would recommend it.

I set reminders for all birthdays, meetings etc. You can programme 2 alerts for each, so maybe 2 days in advance, then 2 hours in advance, depending on appointment. You can also easily repeat recurring appointments/birthdays.

Get one!

And the iPhone just feels so nice!

I love the IPhone and definitely wouldn't buy anything else.
It's extremely easy to use (a plus point for a technophobe like me!) and it looks better than any of the other devices around. The only downside (or upside depending on which way you look at it) is that I'm CONSTANTLY on MN on it- train journeys, in the park, you name it....

Lupus, the joggler is not a handheld device so you can cross that off your list - it needs a plug or it doesn't work!

Yes I agree about it being simple to use. I am addicted to a free game from Itunes on it - bubblewrap. Yip does exactly what you think it does!

I love being able to pick up my email whilst on it.

MoM - you loon, I'm testing the Joggler too

And mine does work, but am not wholly convinced it is solving the problems I want it to solve. See I could just do what Amazonian said and have a mini-PC in the kitchen if I wanted, couldn't I?

I knew i knew your name form a big long thread somewhere

oh dear

<slinks off>

(btw it has bee at least 3 days since someone called me a loon - i was doing so well!!)

<<<sob>>>

mine was murdered last night.

death by glass of orange squash

i have not recovered yet

no insurance

too much too bear

i must leave this thread now

too painful

Not sure which thread to post on! I have an iPhone and a blackberry bold (not the storm). For me the iPhone wins hands down.

If you need it to be an organiser then they both do that - the iPhone has a very good calendar that syncs with outlook when you connect it to your computer (assuming you use outlook - I don't know if it syncs with other software). The blackberry I have is my work phone and it syncs with my work outlook without being connected. I'm not sure how this works it just does!

Obviously both have address books, I find the iPhone easier to use for that.

You can type notes on both but again it is much more accessible on the iPhone - on the blackberry I have to in to the menu, then choose applications then choose memopad. Both now have voice recorder so you can record memos to yourself.

What other sort of features were you looking for? I have no idea how the joggler works so can't compare I'm afraid.

What I mean is, to be clear - I have a Palm PDA, as does DH, separate phone, on a PC all day and all night. Palm now very old and not mobile/interactive enough. Prefer to upgrade to smart phone etc.

But I like the IDEA of the centralised calendar, with a hub in kitchen instead of paper calendar. so I can then issue my many DSs with something too as they get older and they can synch their own appointments for me etc...

Palm only works with its own software so that is out.

Smart phone like iPhone or Blackberry seems the only way to go, but just wanted to know about synch-ability/share-ability...

Ahh

You need a complex techy system thing then?

So go for an iphone with a link to the O2 calendar to connect to ur Joggler ..?

For me it's all about the organiser.. I rarely have to commute so not too fussed about mobile internet.

I use outlook at home & at work if I could sync everything into one piece of hardward I can carry round it would mean I wouldn't miss birthdays etc

Is the iPhone really that much better than the storm, I can get the Storm for free lol

I've answered on the other thread but my blackberry does have wifi

Yes, it states on blackberry site that the storm syncs with outlook wirelessly.

So much praise for the iPhone though.. I'm so torn

I can't add much to what has been said already but I've had an iPhone since they were launched in 2007 and am on my third model now as it is so addictive I have to have the latest one. I will never have another make of phone, this one does everything I could possibly need and if this model was the last ever one, I would use it till I died. I have wifi at home and it connects to that. I do use it at home a lot - DD won't go to sleep unless I have my arm pinned underneath her so I use it for the internet at such times, and at work to access sites that the bsatards bosses have blocked

I use the calendar, clocks, voice memo, camera, iPod and have many nice little apps for it.

I love my iPhone

another thing that swayed me to the blackberry was that when I went into various phone shops to check out what was on the market now nearly all the sales reps said they had blackberries

But blackberry is such a 'worky' thing iPhone is fun and practical.

Eyeballs have you got the new iPhone? I have ages left on my contract (I Got it in Jan).

I gawd I love love love my iPhone

It is truly the best piece of gadgetery that I and DH have ever owned - and trust me when I tell you that DH loves gadgetery of all kinds

Blackberries suck - iPhones rule