Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Greetings all,
 
Thought that I would ask what you all think of the BlackBerry 7250.  I'm  
considering getting one here in the Northern Virginia area.  Wondering how  
their reception rates to tri-mode phones (Sadly they're all digital).  Additionally  
wondering about whether or not I should wait on the Moto-Q that's set to  
come out in January 2006.
 
Thanks,
-gg-

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

I've had a Blackberry 7250 (Verizon) since April and love it.  Reception has  
been great here on the East Coast and in Canada.  For more information you  
might want to check out http://www.blackberryforums.com/.
 
 
"Gray Ghost" <grayghost@binarybrewery.comm> wrote in message  
news:a1545e6915d7f8c769aa6bb50d6a@news.verizon.net...
> Greetings all,
>
> Thought that I would ask what you all think of the BlackBerry 7250.  I'm  
> considering getting one here in the Northern Virginia area.  Wondering how  
> their reception rates to tri-mode phones (Sadly they're all digital).  
> Additionally wondering about whether or not I should wait on the Moto-Q  
> that's set to come out in January 2006.
>
> Thanks,
> -gg-
>
>

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Gray Ghost wrote:
> Thought that I would ask what you all think of the BlackBerry 7250.  I'm  
> considering getting one here in the Northern Virginia area.  Wondering  
> how their reception rates to tri-mode phones (Sadly they're all  
> digital).  Additionally wondering about whether or not I should wait on  
> the Moto-Q that's set to come out in January 2006.
 
I have had the 7250 for about a month.  In the Washington, DC metro  
area, where there is virtually universal digital coverage, it has gotten  
excellent service, both for telephone calls and for email/browsing on  
the EVDO and 1xRTT networks.  Battery life and call quality are MUCH  
better than the tri-mode Kyocera PDA phone it replaced, which only had  
1xRTT capability, not EVDO.  The lack of analog coverage is actually a  
plus for me, because when I'm in an underground garage and there's no  
signal, the Kyocera would try like heck to reach an analog network and  
light up its "no service" indicator, causing excessive battery drain;  
the Blackberry can't waste its battery on analog transmissions and  
doesn't have a lighted "no service" indicator.
 
I went up to Boothbay Harbor, Maine for a week recently.  Verizon's map  
shows the town having "extended" digital coverage (from Saco River  
Cellular, I think) but no broadband -- so I was expecting the Blackberry  
email/browser not to work.  Sure enough, "data connection refused"  
indicator when in town, but the phone connection worked just fine.  
There were a few spots along the lesser roads where I got no signal.  
The weird thing was that the resort I was staying at was on a peninsula  
jutting out into the bay away from the town.  Most of the time I got a  
no signal indicator there, but sporadically I got just enough broadband  
or 1xRTT digital service to update my email.  I suspect I was getting a  
very weak signal over the water from the adjoining VZW Portland network  
and when I was standing in just the right place I got a few data packets  
flowing for just long enough to update the email -- but I was never able  
to place a working voice call from the resort.  Analog wouldn't have  
helped, though.  My wife's tri-mode Nokia couldn't place a call there  
either.
 
For what it's worth, I was vacillating between the Blackberry 7250 and  
the Treo 650.  I really liked the Treo and the Palm OS features, while  
the Blackberry had EVDO and Bluetooth.  The email connectivity for me is  
better on the Blackberry, because my office has an Exchange server with  
a Blackberry setup, so I can get email whether or not my office computer  
is running on the network; for the Treo I'd have to leave the computer  
on the net running a redirector app -- which meant I couldn't bring the  
laptop with me and still get PDA email.  Finally, the balance was tipped  
when my office decided to reimburse people Blackberry data service but  
not for other PDA data service, so I went with the unlimited Blackberry  
data package.
 
--  
Michael D. Sullivan
Bethesda, MD (USA)
(Replace "example.invalid" with "com" in my address.)

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Michael,
 
I don't believe that the Blackberry 7250 uses the EVDO network at this time.  
They say that it probably Will in the future, but that it will take a  
Verizon software upgrade to do it.
 
 
"Michael D. Sullivan" <userid@camsul.example.invalid> wrote in message  
news:VNWJe.2410$7d.799@trnddc08...
> Gray Ghost wrote:
>> Thought that I would ask what you all think of the BlackBerry 7250.  I'm  
>> considering getting one here in the Northern Virginia area.  Wondering  
>> how their reception rates to tri-mode phones (Sadly they're all digital).  
>> Additionally wondering about whether or not I should wait on the Moto-Q  
>> that's set to come out in January 2006.
>
> I have had the 7250 for about a month.  In the Washington, DC metro area,  
> where there is virtually universal digital coverage, it has gotten  
> excellent service, both for telephone calls and for email/browsing on the  
> EVDO and 1xRTT networks.  Battery life and call quality are MUCH better  
> than the tri-mode Kyocera PDA phone it replaced, which only had 1xRTT  
> capability, not EVDO.  The lack of analog coverage is actually a plus for  
> me, because when I'm in an underground garage and there's no signal, the  
> Kyocera would try like heck to reach an analog network and light up its  
> "no service" indicator, causing excessive battery drain; the Blackberry  
> can't waste its battery on analog transmissions and doesn't have a lighted  
> "no service" indicator.
>
> I went up to Boothbay Harbor, Maine for a week recently.  Verizon's map  
> shows the town having "extended" digital coverage (from Saco River  
> Cellular, I think) but no broadband -- so I was expecting the Blackberry  
> email/browser not to work.  Sure enough, "data connection refused"  
> indicator when in town, but the phone connection worked just fine. There  
> were a few spots along the lesser roads where I got no signal. The weird  
> thing was that the resort I was staying at was on a peninsula jutting out  
> into the bay away from the town.  Most of the time I got a no signal  
> indicator there, but sporadically I got just enough broadband or 1xRTT  
> digital service to update my email.  I suspect I was getting a very weak  
> signal over the water from the adjoining VZW Portland network and when I  
> was standing in just the right place I got a few data packets flowing for  
> just long enough to update the email -- but I was never able to place a  
> working voice call from the resort.  Analog wouldn't have helped, though.  
> My wife's tri-mode Nokia couldn't place a call there either.
>
> For what it's worth, I was vacillating between the Blackberry 7250 and the  
> Treo 650.  I really liked the Treo and the Palm OS features, while the  
> Blackberry had EVDO and Bluetooth.  The email connectivity for me is  
> better on the Blackberry, because my office has an Exchange server with a  
> Blackberry setup, so I can get email whether or not my office computer is  
> running on the network; for the Treo I'd have to leave the computer on the  
> net running a redirector app -- which meant I couldn't bring the laptop  
> with me and still get PDA email.  Finally, the balance was tipped when my  
> office decided to reimburse people Blackberry data service but not for  
> other PDA data service, so I went with the unlimited Blackberry data  
> package.
>
> --  
> Michael D. Sullivan
> Bethesda, MD (USA)
> (Replace "example.invalid" with "com" in my address.)

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Dustin,
Thanks for the note.  I guess I was slightly surprised to see the information  
the Black Berry Forum that is referenced in an e-mail a few messages up.  
 My question I guess is this:
 
1 -- Is it possible to browse the web using the Verizon data services on  
the Black Berry?
2 -- Does it support IMAP?
3 -- Is it possible to use the phone as a modem on the 1x network (speeds  
up to 144kbps right?)
 
Thanks,
-gg-
 
> Michael,
>  
> I don't believe that the Blackberry 7250 uses the EVDO network at this
> time. They say that it probably Will in the future, but that it will
> take a Verizon software upgrade to do it.
>  
> "Michael D. Sullivan" <userid@camsul.example.invalid> wrote in message
> news:VNWJe.2410$7d.799@trnddc08...
>  
>> Gray Ghost wrote:
>>  
>>> Thought that I would ask what you all think of the BlackBerry 7250.
>>> I'm considering getting one here in the Northern Virginia area.
>>> Wondering how their reception rates to tri-mode phones (Sadly
>>> they're all digital). Additionally wondering about whether or not I
>>> should wait on the Moto-Q that's set to come out in January 2006.
>>>  
>> I have had the 7250 for about a month.  In the Washington, DC metro
>> area, where there is virtually universal digital coverage, it has
>> gotten excellent service, both for telephone calls and for
>> email/browsing on the EVDO and 1xRTT networks.  Battery life and call
>> quality are MUCH better than the tri-mode Kyocera PDA phone it
>> replaced, which only had 1xRTT capability, not EVDO.  The lack of
>> analog coverage is actually a plus for me, because when I'm in an
>> underground garage and there's no signal, the Kyocera would try like
>> heck to reach an analog network and light up its "no service"
>> indicator, causing excessive battery drain; the Blackberry can't
>> waste its battery on analog transmissions and doesn't have a lighted
>> "no service" indicator.
>>  
>> I went up to Boothbay Harbor, Maine for a week recently.  Verizon's
>> map shows the town having "extended" digital coverage (from Saco
>> River Cellular, I think) but no broadband -- so I was expecting the
>> Blackberry email/browser not to work.  Sure enough, "data connection
>> refused" indicator when in town, but the phone connection worked just
>> fine. There were a few spots along the lesser roads where I got no
>> signal. The weird thing was that the resort I was staying at was on a
>> peninsula jutting out into the bay away from the town.  Most of the
>> time I got a no signal indicator there, but sporadically I got just
>> enough broadband or 1xRTT digital service to update my email.  I
>> suspect I was getting a very weak signal over the water from the
>> adjoining VZW Portland network and when I was standing in just the
>> right place I got a few data packets flowing for just long enough to
>> update the email -- but I was never able to place a working voice
>> call from the resort.  Analog wouldn't have helped, though. My wife's
>> tri-mode Nokia couldn't place a call there either.
>>  
>> For what it's worth, I was vacillating between the Blackberry 7250
>> and the Treo 650.  I really liked the Treo and the Palm OS features,
>> while the Blackberry had EVDO and Bluetooth.  The email connectivity
>> for me is better on the Blackberry, because my office has an Exchange
>> server with a Blackberry setup, so I can get email whether or not my
>> office computer is running on the network; for the Treo I'd have to
>> leave the computer on the net running a redirector app -- which meant
>> I couldn't bring the laptop with me and still get PDA email.
>> Finally, the balance was tipped when my office decided to reimburse
>> people Blackberry data service but not for other PDA data service, so
>> I went with the unlimited Blackberry data package.
>>  
>> --
>> Michael D. Sullivan
>> Bethesda, MD (USA)
>> (Replace "example.invalid" with "com" in my address.)