New Phone -- 8125, Blackjack, or Blackberry?

[gai-jin]

I lost my Cingular 2125 over a month ago, and have given up hope on finding it. Honestly, I haven't missed the phone terribly, but i do miss having a calendar with me all the time. And the toy factor.

I'm looking at 3 cheap new or refurb phones available from cingular. Yes, they're not exactly all smartphones, but I figured some of my fellow geeks here were likely to be familiar with them anyway. I'm open to other suggestions, but I'd like to keep it to $100 or less. And yes, I'm upgrade eligible.

Here's what I've got for each:

Blackberry: My employer recently began supporting blackberries, so I think I could get this added to our network easily enough. However, they do use a different (US Cellular) phone carrier, so I'm not sure if that might cause an issue. I wouldn't expect so, but. . . Also, I've seen a couple of the new longer style blackberries in the wild, and they just look so terribly bulky. From what little I saw, they looked quite thick. I've always preferred somethingn small that doesn't bulk up my jeans pockets.

8125: Officially, only Palm OS devices are supported by my employer. However, we do have Intellisync software available that works with Pocket PC devices. It's basically one of those 'if we can't figure it out, you're out of luck.' situations. I don't suspect that would be an issue, since other wm5 devices have been working just fine. (Of course, this isn't exactly the smallest phone on the market either...)

Blackjack: I believe the blackjack runs smartphone os rather than pocketpc, correct? This could be a problem, as the version of intellisync we use does not support WM5 smartphones, only PPC devices. While I could toss something together to sync my work calendar to gmail, gmail to my personal outlook, and outlook to the phone, that was only partially working before, and I'd like an easier solution. OTOH, the blackjack is 3g, and a very slick looking phone.

Oh, we use Groupwise 6.5 at work for mail/calendar, so that's why sync solutions are a bit troublesome.

Is there anything I missed in considering each of these?

Which one would you buy if you were in my shoes? (and on a limited budget)

[gai-jin]

I lost my Cingular 2125 over a month ago, and have given up hope on finding it. Honestly, I haven't missed the phone terribly, but i do miss having a calendar with me all the time. And the toy factor.

I'm looking at 3 cheap new or refurb phones available from cingular. Yes, they're not exactly all smartphones, but I figured some of my fellow geeks here were likely to be familiar with them anyway. I'm open to other suggestions, but I'd like to keep it to $100 or less. And yes, I'm upgrade eligible.

Here's what I've got for each:

Blackberry: My employer recently began supporting blackberries, so I think I could get this added to our network easily enough. However, they do use a different (US Cellular) phone carrier, so I'm not sure if that might cause an issue. I wouldn't expect so, but. . . Also, I've seen a couple of the new longer style blackberries in the wild, and they just look so terribly bulky. From what little I saw, they looked quite thick. I've always preferred somethingn small that doesn't bulk up my jeans pockets.

8125: Officially, only Palm OS devices are supported by my employer. However, we do have Intellisync software available that works with Pocket PC devices. It's basically one of those 'if we can't figure it out, you're out of luck.' situations. I don't suspect that would be an issue, since other wm5 devices have been working just fine. (Of course, this isn't exactly the smallest phone on the market either...)

Blackjack: I believe the blackjack runs smartphone os rather than pocketpc, correct? This could be a problem, as the version of intellisync we use does not support WM5 smartphones, only PPC devices. While I could toss something together to sync my work calendar to gmail, gmail to my personal outlook, and outlook to the phone, that was only partially working before, and I'd like an easier solution. OTOH, the blackjack is 3g, and a very slick looking phone.

Oh, we use Groupwise 6.5 at work for mail/calendar, so that's why sync solutions are a bit troublesome.

Is there anything I missed in considering each of these?

Which one would you buy if you were in my shoes? (and on a limited budget)

[Mike Temporale]

That's a hard question. I really like my BlackJAck, so I think I would go with a BlackJack.

In all seriousness, if your company is heading down a certian path, it's always helpful and eases some pain if you follow along. While I don't like the BB myself, it would be nice to have a supported device. Of course, if they aren't paying for it, then to hell with following their recommendations.

[gai-jin]

It is definitely for personal use as a cell phone first, and an organizer second. I just want the convenience of being able to sync company appointments etc to it.

I think with the BB or the PPC I'd have no trouble at all, but I would miss the small form factor of my 2125.

One reason I got rid of my samsung i700 years back was because it was large, and I was always afraid I'd crack screen or such, so that limited where I'd take it.

(i.e. I like being able to just stick it in my pocket and not worry about it. Too bad the keyboard on the 8125 didn't optionally flip OVER the screen, instad of under.)

[Jerry Raia]

I have owned both. The BlackJack for sure. The 8125 (and 8525 which I currently have), while nice, does not make for a good phone. One handed operation is nearly impossible.

[gracefrabove]

Originally Posted by Jerry Raia

I have owned both. The BlackJack for sure. The 8125 (and 8525 which I currently have), while nice, does not make for a good phone. One handed operation is nearly impossible.

If you're really looking for a Smartphone that closely resembles a voice only phones in terms of that ability to operate it one handed and easily punch it the digits to make a call then you should take a look at the HTC s710. It's a GSM device, and though not formally supported by Cingular, its an unlocked device that you can easily configure to work on Cingular's network seamlessly. Upsides are: small form factor; dual keyboards - separate numeric keyboard on the front, and a slide out landscape QWERTY keyboard; dual screen orientation - portrait & landscape; an awesomely bright and clear color display; Windows Mobile 6; and WiFI + Bluetooth.