Farewell and Goodbye
The curtains have finally come down on my Creative Zen Vision:m. The Zen suffered a blow to the head and died of interal injuries. The Nokia also suffered similar injuries but was able to recover enough to be sold cheaply.
These two devices have been close companions for a long time- the Zen longer than the Nokia. The phone I have now (The Pearl) is able to replicate the good of both units while adding a minature frame and smooth interface. The two are gone but not soon forgotten.
More Pearl Drama
Things are really working out with the Peal. I can’t get over the novelty of the unit as yet. I probably won’t get over it until I have the case and my 1mb Micro SD card. The case should arrive on Tuesday while the memory card will be some time near the 27th. Maybe then I will stop gushing over the device.
The voice dialer still doesn’t diappoint. It amazes me every time and is a major sell for the Peal. I just did a digit adaptation exercise that should help the Peal be more precise when I ask it to dial numbers. I won’t be inputing numbers with my fingers any more. It already adapts the numbers but doing the voice check increases the accuracy. There is no way to prerecord names in the Pearl though. The voice dialer goes through your address book and spells out the names itself to find a match to your request.
A cool dude from RIM gave an awareness session on the Pearl. I learnt a lot of little things about her. The Pearl allows for tethering- which simply means being used as a modem. I haven’t tried that one as yet but I am sure it will work. He also claimed it can play video- but I haven’t seen that and he wasn’t able to show me.
Blackberrys really win with Enterprise Activation. Wireless Syncronization of my calendar, to-do lists and address book. I also have the regualr Blackberry Internet Solution so that I can mix private. I don’t do any manual sync though- that causes the Blackberry Desktop Manager (4.2) to freeze. I am guessing it won’t freeze if you don’t use the enterprise.
As always, if anything comes up you will be first to know. It is well worth the J$30,000 plus tax but I am glad by company gave it to me free.
The Pearl (Blackberry 8100)
I decided to follow my instincts and get myself a Blackberry Pearl (8100). My Nokia 9300 is still a great device but it is too large and doesn’t support push-email. My job requires that I know what is going on at all times so that I can work more effectively. Now I am on crack with my blackberry.
Out of the Box
The pearl comes with a wall charger and multiple plugs, a usb cable, stereo headphones, manuals, setup cd and the handheld. My nokia gave me a charging stand and other Blackberrys come with a holster but I am guessing CWJ or RIM decided to go light on this model. I still have my screen protector on and will endeavor to keep it on until my Lambskin Holster and my Flexi Skin arrive. A word to the wise: Blackberry tells you to shop at their site for the genuine Blackberry items. They didn’t take my credit card. I decided to run over to Amazon and they took my cash and gave me better prices.
The first thing that grabs you when you take the phone out of the box is the size and then weight. It is so amazing that a Blackberry doesn’t have to be a large brick better suited for building houses. It fits snugly in your hand and causes you to think twice- is this really a Blackberry? After you get over that and feel how responsive the unit is and really get into your applications it fits right into your lifestyle.
Initial Gripes
I bought my Blackberry on Thursday but wasn’t able to use it until Friday. Even now, Sunday, I do not have the full use of the device. I intend to activate the enterprise service and am now awaiting the password to log in and get my emails wirelessly. Prior that that stage my initial SIM card was not registering the device with RIM. Other Blackberry enabled SIMS were placed in my phone and worked okay but mine was hopeless. I had to get a SIM change, once that was done all was well.
My virgin device, henceforth called PB (Peal Berry,) had no contacts on it. I was a bit worried that the transfer from my Office Outlook at work may not be seamless. I had been using the Nokia 9300 all along to update. When I installed the software and connected my device in two-twos all was finished. Now I have a full address book that allows me to email anyone any time. My calendar also synced up- I don’t have as many meetings as I thought I did…
To Wait or to Redirect
Push email is quite a thing. Not everybody needs it. Some who need it run from it. I don’t run though because I strongly believe that if I was able to wirlessly access my emails I may bring down the general number of escalations. I could have let the redirector send all emails to my device starting Friday but I opted not to. I still wanted a quiet weekend to feel out PB and get used to her ways. When the company is ready to approve me I will start working at it.
I currently use Googletalk and my gmail address on my Blackberry as well as a prosumer account. I am still trying new things. The handheld comes with 128mb Micro SD but that should soon change to 1gb by Tuesday. I will report again when I have gained access to the Enterprise.
In Oblivion
RPGs. These represent the loveable alternate realities some of us live each day. Some people have MMORPGs like World of Warcraft that they sink themselves into and join with other people. I have never been that good at RPGs but since I beat Fable: Lost Chapters my self-confidence increased a bit. My brother is a master in RPGs though- even from the Guild Wars days. I have decided to increase my confidence some more by going far in Oblivion then I can cross over into an MMO.
Oblivion. I decided to enter the game without reading any guides- chooing a class, sign and major attributes at default. Then I read a guide. I am so far off target it is stunning. I can’t believe the amount of work I have to do to get to some semblance of order. Thanks to this link for showing me the light.
The game is old but it is still stunning. Playing it at night- at night (meaning night in the game and night in real life) is really fun and can be scary. Those dungeons are horrible. I have had to run away twice because some vampire guy decided to rush me with his big axe- and I am only an apprentice!
So, when I am not working, or hanging with my loved ones I am right over there in Tamriel. I am the Imperial Warrior Johnny Depp.
