I've had the Bold for just 24 hours, long enough to collect my thoughts and first impressions. Here's my 24-hour report card:
| Setup/Operation | EXCELLENT |
| Device Design | EXCELLENT |
| Screen/Keyboard | EXCELLENT |
| Use of standard connectors | EXCELLENT |
| Voice Call/Quality/Volume | VERY GOOD |
| Size/Weight | EXCELLENT |
| Navigation/Ease of Use | EXCELLENT |
| AT&T Coverage & Network (so far) | VERY GOOD |
| WiFi Integration | EXCELLENT |
| BlackBerry as Modem | POOR |
| BlackBerry Desktop Software | VERY GOOD |
| Task Management | POOR |
| Overall Satisfaction | VERY GOOD |
Some of you may disagree with my POOR ratings. I wanted to capture my first impressions. I will continue to test and evaluate these and other features of the Bold offering. I simply wanted to capture my first impressions.
With respect to BlackBerry as Modem, I am basing my comparison today on my experience using PDANet for the Treo 755p which has been outstanding (and fast). I gave the BlackBerry tethering a poor first-impression rating given the installation, changes to the system, reliability and speed. I will continue to test this feature and will report back.
As far as task management, this was a real disappointment. The Palm OS Task manager, while simple, is logically thought out and supports the GTD methodology well. Over the years of design and usability testing of eProductivity I have developed a specific feature set for internal-use that I use evaluate list management software as it relates to how I get things done. For me, the native BlackBerry task management support is a disappointment. Note that I was under no illusion that the BlackBerry Tasks would be that great - people frequently lament the BlackBerry tasks in the GTD forums and blogs. I should point out that there are a variety of third-party applications that claim to address these deficiencies. I plan to review some of these in future posts.
I have yet to integrate the BlackBerry with Lotus Notes or eProductivity - I plan to tackle this project over the weekend.
A few things to keep in mind:
1. I have never owned, used or even used a BlackBerry.
2. I have been a productive Treo user for many years use
(Currently a Sprint 755p with EVDO Rev A.)
3. I sync my Treo with Lotus Note using CommonTime mNotes
4. To-Date, I use the built-in Palm task application
5. I use my Treo as my internet connection using PDANet by JuneFabrics
I plan to expand on my experience with the BlackBerry as a part of my Productivity Toolkit series on the Notes on Productivity blog.
Discussion/Comments (1):
I just bought BB bold and i am a regular BB user, this is prob the 5th device going up the chain.
I used the device switching application on BB desktop S/W and I transferred all the info from old to new device and everything went extremely smooth except one thing, the task application on the new device doesnt appear at all (i.e. I have no tasks application).