The 81-day experiment

Case Study: BlackBerry 8703e

In this case study, Andrew from Columbia shares his experience with the BlackBerry 8703e (If you would like to contribute your case study, please e-mail it in the same format as shown below to the81dayexperiment@people-onthego.com with Case Study in the subject line). Here is what Andrew has to say about the BlackBerry 8703e.

The Information about the device you are using now:

Manufacturer/Brand?  BlackBerry

Model?  8703e

Carrier?  Verizon

Desktop Operating System?  Windows XP

How do you rank the device and the related services in the following areas (rankings are 1 to 5, where 5 is the best)

Overall satisfaction? 5 

Features? 5

Usability? 5

Compatibility with your desktop? 4

Technical support?  5

Would you recommend this device to others who have similar needs to yours?

Yes - definitely

Your industry, size of your company, and role within your company?   

Banking / 500 employees / Data Architect

What specific things do you like about the device and related services?

Ability to keep all contacts in one place, and be able to sync with desktop.  I no longer need to carry a phone and a palm pilot.  There are great 3rd party apps like berry411 and the google mobile suite that are fantastic. Also, Blackberry distributes their own maps in "Blackberry maps".  The BB interface is intuitive, and makes finding phone numbers, addresses, etc. easy.  The BB can be operated with one hand; until you start to use a smart device you don't realize how much you'll love this feature.  Having access to your email whenever you need it is invaluable. Using gmail you have access to 2.8 gigs worth of your mail anywhere in the country (or world depending on your carrier)!  The push email for the BB is fantastic.

What things don't you like or that can be improved and related services?

Verizon should allow their users to use the GPS function.  I already paid for a GPS in the device, why do I need to buy and carry a 3rd party GPS also?   Wi-fi capability would be nice especially for getting your email internationally (great for a CDMA device).  I think that there should be more medical software written for the device.

 

Which devices have you used in the past?

Device Manufacturer/Model/Carrier? Palm / Tungsten C / wi-fi

How long did you use the device? 3-4 years

Why did you switch? I needed an "all in one" PDA with the phone built in.  The Treo was the logical choice since I was used to, and like the Palm OS.   I was a little worried when I decided to "take the plunge" on the BB OS.   I am happy I made the switch from Palm to Blackberry.  The Blackberry is a much more robust device.  I never have to reboot it (as others have complained about the Palm powered devices). 

In this case study, Andrew from Columbia shares his experience with the BlackBerry 8703e (If you would like to contribute your case study, please e-mail it in the same format as shown below to the81dayexperiment@people-onthego.com with Case Study in the subject line). Here is what Andrew has to say about the BlackBerry 8703e.

The Information about the device you are using now:

Manufacturer/Brand?  BlackBerry

Model?  8703e

Carrier?  Verizon

Desktop Operating System?  Windows XP

How do you rank the device and the related services in the following areas (rankings are 1 to 5, where 5 is the best)

Overall satisfaction? 5 

Features? 5

Usability? 5

Compatibility with your desktop? 4

Technical support?  5

Would you recommend this device to others who have similar needs to yours?

Yes - definitely

Your industry, size of your company, and role within your company?   

Banking / 500 employees / Data Architect

What specific things do you like about the device and related services?

Ability to keep all contacts in one place, and be able to sync with desktop.  I no longer need to carry a phone and a palm pilot.  There are great 3rd party apps like berry411 and the google mobile suite that are fantastic. Also, Blackberry distributes their own maps in "Blackberry maps".  The BB interface is intuitive, and makes finding phone numbers, addresses, etc. easy.  The BB can be operated with one hand; until you start to use a smart device you don't realize how much you'll love this feature.  Having access to your email whenever you need it is invaluable. Using gmail you have access to 2.8 gigs worth of your mail anywhere in the country (or world depending on your carrier)!  The push email for the BB is fantastic.

What things don't you like or that can be improved and related services?

Verizon should allow their users to use the GPS function.  I already paid for a GPS in the device, why do I need to buy and carry a 3rd party GPS also?   Wi-fi capability would be nice especially for getting your email internationally (great for a CDMA device).  I think that there should be more medical software written for the device.

 

Which devices have you used in the past?

Device Manufacturer/Model/Carrier? Palm / Tungsten C / wi-fi

How long did you use the device? 3-4 years

Why did you switch? I needed an "all in one" PDA with the phone built in.  The Treo was the logical choice since I was used to, and like the Palm OS.   I was a little worried when I decided to "take the plunge" on the BB OS.   I am happy I made the switch from Palm to Blackberry.  The Blackberry is a much more robust device.  I never have to reboot it (as others have complained about the Palm powered devices). 

My Speed Typing Contest with Claire (15) using my BlackBerry 8700, BlackBerry Pearl, versus her cell phone keypad

Claire happens to be a text messaging power user. Text messaging seems to be one of the primary means of communication with her school friends. I mentioned Claire a while ago when I referred to her approach to multi-tasking which included chatting on IM with one hand while text messaging with the other. Even though I was warned about her typing speed using her cell phone keypad, I still took the risk of getting into a speed typing contest with her using my smartphones full QWERTY keyboard while she used her cell phone numeric keypad.

I thought I would be “clever” and use my favorite smartphone keyboard which is the BlackBerry 8700. So I dusted off my BlackBerry 8700, got it fully charged and ready for the contest.

Jack helped us conduct the contest by reading to us a paragraph from the newspaper while Claire and I typed as quickly as we could. Here were the results:

- Pierre took 57 seconds to complete the paragraph, with 3 mistakes

- While Claire took 45 seconds, also with 3 mistakes

As if the above defeat wasn’t enough, I decided to repeat the contest but this time using the BlackBerry Pearl and the SureType while Claire still using her cell phone keypad. The fact that my SureType skills were very rusty didn’t help at all. I actually had to stop this part of the contest to save face and avoid any further humiliation.

Is there a moral to this story? One is to never get into a typing contest with Claire. But second is that different users can be comfortable with different types of smartphone keyboards. For instance, if/when Claire gets her smartphone, she may be quite happy with the Cingular 3125 or the BlackBerry Pearl. For me however, I shyed away from the Cingular 3125 and the BlackBerry Pearl because of the lack of full QWERTY keyboard. Another relevant thought here relates to the future of smartphones. The future generations of smartphones are likely to be smaller, thinner, and slicker, without the need for the full keyboards, knowing that Claire’s generation will be the target market. Thank you Claire, and Jack, and happy smartphoning everyone!

Day #56 of the 81-day experiment, the BlackBerry 8700, back in San Francisco, more battery life, more providers

It was a dream for a while, and now it's reality. I am sitting in the Lufthansa plane, on an 11 or so hours flight back to San Francisco, and connected wirelessly to the Interent through the Boeing wirless service (see picture on the left). When you're on a flight that lasts more than a few hours, something happens to time after the 5th hour. It slows down considerably. For those who haven't mastered a meditational practice (or sleeping on the plane, or watching entertainment programs), the wireless Internet came to the rescue. Not only I got to read and answer e-mail, but access several useful web services, and enter today's observations in the 81-day-experiment blog you're looking at right now!

So how did the devices do during my trip?

I am almost back in San Francisco about two weeks of travel. The T-Mobile MDA and the BlackBerry 8700 kept me well connected during this trip. The T-Mobile network was reliable, the EDGE speed made browsing the internet reasonable, and the T-Mobile technical support was easily available even in remote places. If you want to read the summary of my experience with the T-Mobile MDA smartphone, you can refer to Day #45 of the experiment, and to learn more about my experience with the BlackBerry 8700, you can refer to Day #54 of the experience.

Tomorrow I will be using a new device

I have used and reported on 6 devices so far and there are 3 more devices to go before the 81-day-experiment is over, and before I publish my findings and observations.

Do you want to take a guess at what will the next device be? Do you want to put your vote for which device(s) should be considered? Feel free to e-mail me your input (the81dayexperiment@people-onthego.com).

For now, here are some final thoughts on the BlackBerry 8700.

Update on the BlackBerry 8700 battery life

This is the 4th day that I did NOT charge the BlackBerry 8700, and it is still going. The battery indicator is at 25% now, which could be yet another day of having power without recharging. In my experience with handheld devices, and specifically the ones I used so far in the 81-day-experiment (Treo 700p, Treo 700w, Motorola Q, BlackBerry Pearl, T-Mobile MDA), this is a record in battery life and something to write home about (or in this case “blog” about).

BlackBerry 8700 service providers

Even though I have used the BlackBerry 8700g which is T-Mobile’s version, the same device is offered by a number of service providers including Cingular (8700c) and Verizon (8703e) and many others.

The BlackBerry 8700 models offered by these service providers are very similar in form and in functionality. The main differences relate to the network and the plans. I will be commenting more about the various networks later in the experiment.

Day #55 of the 81-day experiment, the BlackBerry 8700, battery life, enterprise server

This is the third day in a row that I have NOT charged the BlackBerry 8700. However, the battery is still going strong and the battery indicator shows that the battery is still about half full. Even though I haven’t done this battery “test” with the previous devices in the 81-day-experiment, most of the devices I used before (except for the BlackBerry Pearl) were getting low on power by the end of the day or early next day. This is obviously not a scientific comparison, but just an indication that the battery life in the BlackBerry 8700 is favorable which makes the device suitable for those who are “super” concerned about battery life.

The BlackBerry Enterprise Server and wireless synchronization

While we are on the topic of the BlackBerry 8700, it is good to mention the BlackBerry Enterprise Server. For enterprise users, in addition to the “push” technology, the BlackBerry Enterprise Server offers some unique capabilities. The BlackBerry Enterprise Server, which works with the popular e-mail servers such as Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes, provides wireless synchronization between the handheld and the server. This means that when you manage e-mail, schedule meetings, modify tasks, your changes are reflected on the server within minutes and without any additional steps on your part.

This has several advantages. First, when you are using your handheld, you have access to other users’ information (such as the global address list). Second, when you go back to your desktop, the e-mails you sent from your handheld, the e-mailed you filed in folders, the meetings you initiated, are all visible on your desktop. Third, other enterprise users can see your most up-to-date information at all times such as your availability.

The BlackBerry platform is no longer the only option for enterprise users?

While the BlackBerry platform was the only platform offering wireless synchronization for some time, other providers are starting to offer similar capabilities. For instance the Treo 700p and the Treo 700w I used earlier in the 81-day-experiment do provide this capability.

Providers such as Verizon, Cingular, and Sprint, are using the backend technology from Good Technology to enable Palm and Windows Mobile devices to deliver wireless synchronization similar to what the BlackBerry delivers. Microsoft is also starting to offer wireless synchronization between Microsoft Exchange 2003 to Windows Mobile devices.

Day #54 of the 81-day experiment, the BlackBerry 8700 in summary

Today is the last day of the BlackBerry 8700. However knowing that I won’t be able to get the next device until Monday October 9 (after I arrive to San Francisco), I will be using the BlackBerry 8700 for the remainder of my trip.

The BlackBerry 8700 in summary

When we compared the handheld devices (in our current handheld device selection workshop that we have available online and which will be updated after the 81-day-experiment), we gave the BlackBerry 7200-7700 series the “Best Business Device” award.

These earlier BlackBerry models performed the key business functions that you would expect in a business smartphone extremely well (ranging from e-mail, to contacts, calendar, tasks, and memos). With the e-mail “push” technology, the overall streamlined navigation, and ease of use of the Trackwheel and Escape key, the QWERTY keyboard which was for a while unique to the BlackBerry devices, these BlackBerry devices excelled at what they do.

The BlackBerry 8700 lives up to that tradition (being a robust business device that excels at what it does), and brings several improvements to the table including the following:

- A much brighter screen and colorful icons, which means improved visibility and usability.

- The battery life seems to be as good as ever. So even with the brighter screen and other improvements, power management is still at its best.

- The device is more stylish than earlier BlackBerry 7200-7700 models (even though this is not its strengths and a matter of personal taste).

- A host of usability improvements were introduced including a) having a phone button (green button on the front of the device) to quickly get to the phone application, b) having the red button to disconnect, c) having a mute button to quickly mute instead of having to navigate to the profiles, d) having the power button better positioned on top of the device, and c) having a convenience button on the left side of the device which by default brings up the profiles.

- Another minor but important usability improvement is the ability to pull the device out of the holster more easily and without accidentally pressing the Escape key or the Trackwheel (and therefore disconnecting a call or making a selection inadvertently).

- Speakerphone and Bluetooth capabilities are now standard (they used to be available on certain 7200-7700 models but not all).

- Last but not least is the high-speed internet connection using the EDGE network (for providers such as T-Mobile and Cingular) and using the EVDO network (for providers such as Verizon). This makes browsing the Internet actually usable.

- And actually one more added benefit is the ability to use the BlackBerry 8700 as a high-speed modem to the laptop.

Will the BlackBerry 8700 win the “Best Business Device” award again?

While it is likely to win this award again, I will wait until the end of the 81-day-experiment before making this conclusion. First of all, we have more devices coming up in the next few weeks, and second, it still remains to be seen if the criteria for this award need to be updated based on the findings from the 81-day-experiment and the conversations with users.

One thing that is for sure however is that the BlackBerry 8700 has proven to be a robust business device that performed its functions extremely well, both locally and internationally. Coupled with the T-Mobile international network coverage and support, this made the BlackBerry 8700 an ideal device for my trip, and a device for international business travelers to consider.

And a few pictures from the places where the BlackBerry 8700 has been

Day #53 of the 81-day experiment, the BlackBerry 8700, connectivity overseas, attachments

Yet another day on the go, but this is not a problem, knowing that the BlackBerry 8700 is keeping me connected with the world from anywhere and at anytime. Another important factor that is worth mentioning here is that the wireless network availability (T-Mobile GSM/GPRS/EDGE) has been outstanding. I pretty much have had a strong signal everywhere except for the few tunnels that I went through when riding the “tube” from London Heathrew to Olympia.

In addition, T-Mobile’s technical support services have been available (even in the mountains of south Germany and Austria. Furthermore, the 611 technical support calls from the BlackBerry 8700 which connect me directly to the T-Mobile US technical support are free of charge. These are all factors to consider if your work includes international travel that requires you to stay connected.

Retrieving Excel attachments with the BlackBerry 8700

I opened an e-mail today which had an attachment (an Excel workbook in this case). Then I clicked the Trackwheel and selected Open Attachment. I was presented with two options, one being the table of contents, and the other being the full content. I select the table of contents, clicked the Trackwheel again, and selected Retrieve. The table of contents was displayed, which in this case consisted of the list of sheets in the attached Excel workbook (see picture on the left).

I selected the desired sheet, pressed the Trackwheel again, and selected Retrieve. The worksheet data was then displayed. I was able to easily zoom in and out, and navigate through the data.

As described above, the BlackBerry 8700 retrieves the attachment data in small chunks and on-demand instead of retrieving all attachments and all the time. In other words, you get what you ask for. This optimizes both the use of the handheld memory, the network traffic, and the response time.

Viewing attachments but not editing attachments

The BlackBerry 8700 is able to display the popular attachment formats but it does not allow you to edit attachments. As I mentioned on day #35 when using the BlackBerry Pearl, with previous BlackBerry devices, we used a third party add-on application called eOffice to edit attachments such as Word documents and Excel workbooks. I haven’t checked if this application is already available for the BlackBerry Pearl or BlackBerry 8700, but it is something worth exploring if this is an important need for you.

Day #52 of the 81-day experiment, the BlackBerry 8700, text messaging, attachments, Web forms

Text messaging was the highlight for today, in addition to calling T-Mobile’s technical support and addressing the attachments problem and the Web form issues that I described on day #48 and day #51.

Text messaging with the BlackBerry 8700, instant and economical

From the Austrian mountains, where the temperature is dropping quickly and the snow is already covering the side of the mountains, the BlackBerry 8700 text messaging capability helped me connect instantly and economically with several people across the world.

Unlike e-mail which requires that the recipient be on e-mail to get your message right away (which may not be the case especially in different time zones), and unlike a phone call which requires the recipient to take the phone (which may not be possible or convenient for them), text messaging delivers the message instantly to the recipient’s mobile phone but leaves them with the option of replying right away or deferring their reply. Just as importantly, text messaging is far less expensive than making a phone call especially when you consider the roaming charges overseas which can be $1/minute or more.

More on attachments

When I was trying to retrieve e-mail attachments earlier (day #48), I was getting an error message indicating that the request cannot be completed because of some missing service book information.

Today I called the T-Mobile technical support (by dialing 611) and I got this problem handled. To do so, I had to delete the existing service books first by connecting the BlackBerry 8700 to the laptop, starting the Desktop Manager, and then selecting the Backup/Restore advanced options, and clearing the service book entries. Then the technical support rep resent the service book entries directly to the BlackBerry 8700 handheld. There were two service books required, one for each of the e-mail accounts that I am managing through the BlackBerry 8700. We will see how the attachments will behave in the next few days, now that the service books are updated.

More on Web forms

When I tried to fill out the survey Web form using the BlackBerry 8700 browser yesterday (day #51), I encountered some issues relating to radio buttons and checkboxes. I wasn’t able to check the desired options. I tried the Trackwheel, the Space key, and the Enter key, but nothing seems to work with these controls.

Today I discussed these issues with the technical support rep, and we made sure that the browser configuration on the BlackBerry 8700 had Javascript enabled. and then tried to fill out the Web form again but without much success.  The technical support rep indicated that some Web forms don’t work well with the handheld devices browsers, and that this problem is not specific to the BlackBerry 8700 browser. I did actually encounter the same problem when using the Motorola Q earlier in the 81-day-experiment. However, I didn’t encounter this problem with the Treo 700p, the Treo 700w, and the T-Mobile MDA (notice that these devices have a stylus and a touch screen, so I was able to use the stylus to check the checkboxes and the radio buttons).

In light of the above, and if you think that filling out Web forms on your handheld device is one of your important needs when you’re on the go, you probably want to explore this issue further. I think that you will find the devices that offer the stylus and touch screen interface to be more favorable in this case.

The BlackBerry 8700 battery life

What I noticed today is that the BlackBerry 8700 seems to NOT consume that much battery power. Even after a whole day of handheld activities (checking e-mail periodically, sending e-mail and text messages, and having had a long session with the technical support rep), the battery indicator has not moved much.

Day #51 of the 81-day experiment, the BlackBerry 8700, mountains, synchronization, Web forms

When you are far in the middle of the mountains, the Austrian Alps in this case, and you’re depending on your smartphone to stay connected, it is reassuring to know that technical support is only three digits away (611 in this case). I called the T-Mobile technical support today by dialing 611 on the BlackBerry 8700. I was able to talk to a technical support rep fairly quickly, get some questions answered, and verify that when I use my smartphone as a modem for my laptop I am only being charged for the data download ($15/MB) and not for the air time (which if you consider the roaming charges of $1/minute or more, could add up considerably).

Synchronization works well, but some Outlook contacts need clean-up

While the synchronization seems to be fast and straight forward, I have been getting an error towards the end of the synchronization. It seems that the BlackBerry 8700 synchronization process (the Desktop Manager) does not deal well with Outlook contacts that don’t have a “full name” (according to the T-Mobile technical support rep). Knowing that my Outlook contacts have gone through several iterations of import/export operations in the last 5 to 10 years, it seems that some clean-up is necessary.

Filling out a Web form using the BlackBerry 8700

When I tried to fill out the usual Web form that I have been using throughout the 81-day-experiment, I was able to easily login and navigate through the various data entry fields. Filling out the text fields was also straight forward.

However when I got to the radio buttons and checkboxes, I wasn’t able to check the desired options. I tried the Trackwheel, the Space key, and the Enter key, but nothing seems to work with these controls.

I had this problem earlier in the 81-day-experiment with some of the other devices, so I will soon explore it further to determine if this is a problem with the Web form itself or the browser, and if there is a workaround. Aside form the radio buttons and checkboxes, the rest of Web form worked well, and I was able to save it.

Day #49 of the 81-day experiment, the BlackBerry 8700, more usability

The BlackBerry 8700 is keeping me well connected in the mountains near Munich. Even though I happen to have my laptop with me, I am able to rely on the BlackBerry 8700 to catch up on e-mail, to browse the Web, and to take notes using the MemoPad application.

More shortcuts with AutoText

Do you remember when I was using the Treo 700p earlier in the “81-day experiment” and I installed an add-on application called Textras? As a result, I was able to create text abbreviations for the most frequently used words and phrases.

The BlackBerry 8700 comes with this capability already built-in. It is called AutoText (but it is similar to AutoCorrect in Microsoft Word). Basically AutoText allows you to add your own abbreviations and it will expand them as you type. The example we use in the BlackBerry class is entering “RP” and have it expanded to “Regards, Pierre”. Another example is entering “ADV” and having it replaced by “Thanks in advance”, or entering “DRV” and having it replaced by “I am driving right now, and I will get back to you when I am arrive to my destination. Thanks, Pierre”.

The BlackBerry 8700 screen

One thing I keep noticing is that the BlackBerry screen is bright and the brightness adjusts automatically (supposedly based on the lighting conditions. When compared to the earlier BlackBerry models such as the 7230 which we used in our classes, the 8700 screen is much easier to read and the new colorful icons and backgrounds are more aesthetically appealing.

The BlackBerry 8700 is a robust device

The BlackBerry 8700 does what it does, and it does it well. It is not meant to be a comprehensive computing device such as the Treo or some of the Windows Mobile devices I used earlier. These devices offer almost everything that a computer offers, including the multi-media capabilities, and can server as laptop replacements. The BlackBerry 8700 is focused on the key ”business” functions (phone, e-mail, internet, calendar, contacts, and memos) and it does these functions extremely well.

Day #48 of the 81-day experiment, the BlackBerry 8700 finding info, attachments, shortcuts

What happens when you travel? You catch up on reading--between planes and airports and cab rides. So I learned recently that Tim Draper from Draper Fisher Jurvetson is willing to invest $3M in a new database venture (simple yet capable), and Amanda Reed from Palomar Ventures is willing to invest $5M in a new spreadsheet venture (“that truly excels”), and Danny Rimer from Index Ventures is willing to invest $2M in new types of Web searches to mobile phones. If you’re interested in more details, you can refer to the article in Business 2.0 September 2006 issue.

Finding information on the BlackBerry 8700

When I needed to find one of the messages in my inbox today, I was able to do that with just a few clicks and just a few seconds. I selected the Search icon from the home screen of the BlackBerry 8700, and entered the first name of the sender, and then indicated that I would only like to search the messages, and then started the search (I could have also selected other items such as calendar appointments, contacts, tasks, and memos). Almost instantly, the search results showed up, grouped by date, and I found the message I was looking for. In this age of information overload, searching and finding information is key, and the BlackBerry 8700 seems to do this job well.

Attachments with the BlackBerry 8700

Today, I opened a message that had an Excel attachment, and then pressed the Trackwheel, selected “Open Attachment”, and then selected “Retrieve”. A request was sent to retrieve the attachment data and the clock icon appeared next to the attachment. However I got an error about the request not being completed because of some missing service book information. This sounds like a technical support call to determine what the missing information is and how fix it.

Keyboard shortcuts

One of the strength of the BlackBerry 8700 is the abundance of keyboard shortcuts that make the common functions easily accessible. For instance, you can easily select an application from the home screen by pressing one key (such as the “M” for the Messages application, “L” for Calendar, and “F” for Profiles).

Within an application, you are likely to find shortcut keys to perform the common actions. In the Messages application for instance, you can press “T” to get to the top of the list, and “B” to get to the bottom. The shortcuts are implemented consistently across applications. For instance when you open a message, you can also use the “T” and “B” to quickly jump to the top or bottom of the message.

In the Calendar application, you can use the “W” to get to the week view, and the “M” to get to the month view, and when you are in a view you can use the “N” and “P” to go to the next or previous entry.

By the way, in order to use the above keyboard shortcuts in the BlackBerry 8700, you want to disable the “Dial from home screen” and “Enable quick entry” options from the phone and calendar applications respectively. Otherwise, the shortcut keys mentioned above are interpreted as being phone entries or calendar appointments.