Talk to Me

Blackberry 9900

By: Carlissa Robinson

Have you noticed that every major celebrity has a Blackberry? From Chris Brown to Jake Gyllenhall and yes even Beyoncé, the ever popular Blackberry Curve has swept the celebrity scene. Being a former owner I would have to say that the reason why the Blackberry franchise is the number one phone for business oriented people is due to its simplicity.

Due to issues all too common with Blackberry devices, the coined term “crackberry” arose from crackberry.com. Despite technical difficulties, Blackberries continue to sell like any other phone. Issues that I had with my Blackberry Curve 8520 are as follows: random phone resets, phone freezes, ear jack outlet shortage, issues connecting to email after factory reset, and no Words with Friends app (the ultimate deal breaker). The limit of downloadable apps I what really catapulted my move to Android. In addition, with Android you can customize your own ringtones versus starting from the beginning of the song.

Unlike Androids, Blackberries give the owner the option to update applications, has a user friendly interface, and you can assign personal ringtones for every contact so you know what calls to ignore (something I miss about Crackberries.)There is no Android market and few free applications to download from Blackberry App World, yet somehow its popularity has skyrocketed over recent years.

The standard structure for a Blackberry is the touch sensitive button centered beneath the 640 x 480 screen, with two call and menu keys on the opposing sides. The newest to the Blackberry family is 2.6 inches too thick and weighs nearly 4.6 ounces. While the newest twist introduces a stainless steel plate on the sidings of the Blackberry 9900, it seems as though RIM (trademark name for Blackberry) is imitating an Iphone 4s. One thing I would like to see on a Blackberry is of course compatibility with the Android market and I would be a happy camper. Face time would be a great feature as well for business calls.

Previously, scrolling on web pages was once a headache, but now the mouse icon is easier to use with the new touch screen feature. Call quality, the overall price, and phone improvements get an extreme of reviews from great to horrible but that’s with every phone. Android is not for everyone, but Blackberry is a start if you’re just a bit technologically inept or prefer to keep it simple. If it’s good enough for Queen B it should suffice for anyone, unless you’re a Droid addict.