The Reminiscence
BlackBerry Curve 8520
I still remember the evening when I walked out of the Kamla Nagar showroom, Delhi on 27 August 2009 carrying the “latest” BlackBerry. It was launched only a week back. For a sum of Rs.15200 ($310 approx.) it was a steal. A “great deal” indeed! I spent the next 48 hours trying to figure what made RIM’s BlackBerry so sought after among email fanatics.
It did not take me long to find a convincing and equally satisfying answer. So what if the answer had cost me another $30 for getting it unlocked to work on my Vodafone? I had spent the whole night surfing the net in search of my unlocking quest. My BlackBerry Curve 8520 was soon free from the shackles of a network lock and the PUSH-MAIL was nothing less than a magic on the BB.
Why I [still] love BlackBerry
Blackberry Curve 8520
Nokia E75
With a BlackBerry, the popular MAC saying – “It just works!” holds true. Once you are on a data plan the ride is so smooth that you won’t even notice the difference between an Email and a SMS. The integration is so beautifuly done that the HUNT for emails and SMS in the so-called Inbox is suddenly nonexistent. Everything is just there!
It might sound complicated but only after using a BlackBerry, you’ll be able to appreciate the simplicity with which the email services have been implemented. BlackBerry just grows on you slowly. Very simple, quick and effortless.
A smart-phone that’s not only smart but very efficient. And yeah, how can I forget, its very secure too.
My great loss
I all of a sudden parted ways with my Curve 8520 for a Nokia E75. Although, Nokia E75 is a very good phone that I had got for my dad few months ago, dad now wanted my BlackBerry. According to him , Nokia had a lot many features but they confused him with the never ending submenus.
So, I gave away my precious BlackBerry in exchange for an more expensive, more feature rich E75. I thought I’ll be happy after installing many Symbian applications, a couple of games. Though, tweeting through Gravity on the Symbian felt great it felt a little short of the cosy feeling of the BlackBerry.
Nokia E75
The first thing I did was to upgrade the firmware of E75 and do a hard reset. Then I installed lots of applications and tried the Email Messaging application by Nokia. I was able to setup the Push mail with Nokia for my 3 accounts in under 10 mins. All was good still there was something missing. It was this feeling that made me write this post.
I long for my BlackBerry and no matter how good Nokia might be at its phones. I dislike the fact that the HUNT for options, files, menus, features never ends. The constant need to fiddle with your phone persists. This was something I was happy without while I used the BlackBerry.
I’m eying the BlackBerry Curve 8900 next. 2011 is not too far away I guess.
In your opinion, which is a better phone? Although, there is no comparison as the Nokia E75 runs on ARM11 while BlackBerry Curve 8520 runs on ARM9, still which one among you is a better phone?
Ben
AnnNonymus
Arun Basil Lal
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Jatinder
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I have used a BlackBerry for over 3 years now. Upgraded to Curve 8900 a few weeks ago. And yes, this is what I tell people, if you want to use your phone for email, never look beyond a blackberry, else never look beyond an iPhone (which comes after using my wife’s iPhone).
I think, Nokia has lost touch with the needs of the consumer. They are making All-in-One devices that are jack-all-of-trades but master-of-one. That’s whay I am not comfortable with E75 inspite of the fact that its Better in every aspect.
I want Email and BB does it way better. Period.
Nice post Vaibhav. After reading it, I feel like giving BB a try too.
Hehehe! Get yourself one dude. It’ll be worth it.
Gotta Admit. That’s always been a Problem with Nokia and the Symbian OS. Too many menu’s to get simple things done. They’re improving though, but not fast enough imho.
Thanks for the comment Clinton and welcome to the community
I have my hopes pinned on Maemo platform. Maybe Nokia bounces back up
I suppose it depends on what you want to get done on your phone. While I have never used a Blackberry, I suppose it is quite good for it’s data plans for reading emails. I am currently using Nokia E52 and it’s email client is quite good and easy to set up. And your SMS and email are in the same messaging folder. The web browser is also OK but trivial and better to install Opera. The GPS with Google Maps rocks!!! And there are loads of Symbian applications such as for twitter, facebook, orkut. And one of the best features is provision for using VoIP on it. There is also noise reduction technology for crystal clear calls. So I can’t say much about Blackberry but I can say that Nokia still is pretty good as an all round phone.
It does depend on what you are doing with your phone but I think Nokia does lot many things. It focuses on many things in one device. Probably, that’s why its also called an allrounder. Its quite good nevertheless, after using Apple iPhone or BlackBerry you’ll be in a better position to appreciate at how Nokia is loosing out in terms of efficiency and how good it can do those things.
Blackberry – Awesome email and communication support
iPhone – Looks great with entertaining feature set
Nokia – Little of both
I’m sorry for your loss! Hmmm, I should definitely get rid off my pda and get one of these allrounders.
A PDA is so yesterday’s @fink. I think it would be a good idea if could try out the newer smartphones. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. Just stay away from Windows Mobiles
I considered getting a BB 8520 Curve and its in my price range too. But what is holding me back (and pushing me towards Nokia E71) is the horrible data plans that exist in India. And specifically Vodafone, Delhi. For the benefit of you and the users, I will list them down.
1. Rs 299 monthly rental – E-mail support and Messenger usage (No browser access, third party applications such as Facebook, Twitter etc. can be used)
2. Rs 499 monthly rental – 500KB data free and Rs0.15/KB beyond that.
3. Rs 899 monthly rental – Plan for corporate users.
4. Rs 1099 monthly rental – Plan for individual users.
With such horrible data plans and no 3G services in sight, it seems a rather expensive option to get a BlackBerry. I don’t know how much the other networks charge but I’ve heard Airtel charges Rs140/week for unlimited data usage.
I do agree the BlackBerry plans are expensive but BlackBerry is mostly used not by an average college goer but a professional or businessman who needs to have access to his emails. Frankly, the Rs299 plan for unlimited email and IM rocks! I myself do not surf the web on my mobile. So, getting my mails and doing IM that too unlimited without worrying about large email attachments is awesome.
I think if you reply to some 10+ mails a day and receive some 30, then a BB with that plan is value for money. Yes, other plans are expensive but you should not forget that the BB Push mail is the best and demands a premium. The Nokia E-Series Push mail application seriously sucks. Its slow and lags a lot, you must try out the BB Push mail.
I would suggest you to opt for the Prosumer Light 299 Plan for Blackberry.
I know its not for a college goer but how about at least keeping the plans a tad sensible? 500KB free data limit is highly stupid. 15kb/sec is ridiculous. I wonder if they understand the difference between KB and MB! If these network companies sticked to their age old ideas and tariff structures then there won’t be any progress in the telecom sector (not that there is any now!)
Don’t forget the call prices in India are among the lowest in the world! LOL, while the value added services like these are highest! Pitty
Yeah only the call charges are astoundingly low while messages are a rip off along with other value added services. Baffling really!