The Blackberry: I Didn’t Know What I Was Missing

Tuesday, 09. 29. 2009  –  Category: Dial611

It seems a new cell phone is coming out every two weeks these days, and I’ve never been one to keep up with the latest and greatest in mobile technology.  Any basic phone would do because I just needed to make calls while I was on the go.  The biggest reasons that I hadn’t been in the market for a new phone are because of time and expense.  I didn’t want to take the time to learn how to use a new phone with all kinds of fancy features.  I was sure that it would just take up more of my time when I’m already pretty busy.  Plus, my old phone was in good condition.  It worked, so why spend money on a new one?

My mobile phone, the Motorola i860 (yes, it’s archaic) lasted me over five wonderful years.  It was simple and it worked.  Flip it open and dial, done.  Basic phone, Internet, and text capabilities got me through and I was okay with it; but “basic” is relative when talking to those who know what’s out there for mobile devices now.  “Your phone is so old!”, “You need an upgrade!”, and “Just get a Blackberry!” are a few of the exclamations my friends and family would say to me when they saw me use my little black phone.  I would reply with, “I don’t need all that fancy stuff.”  It was the truth.  I just needed to call people, the rest could wait.  I now know that sometimes you just don’t know what you’re missing.

This week I bought my very first Blackberry.  I happened to be in the mall by a kiosk and inquired about a new phone the other day.  After receiving some basic information and training on the Blackberry, the representative made me an inexpensive offer that I couldn’t refuse.  I’ve had it for only a few days, but what a wonderful little device!  I truly didn’t know what I was missing all this time.  Why didn’t I switch before?  The answer: Fear.  I was afraid of what I didn’t know.  I thought it would just take up all of my time and money, when really it is just the opposite.  I can do so many things that make my life easier now, and I could have saved myself the hassle if I had only looked into this earlier.

To give a few examples of why upgrading to a new phone is a good idea, here are a few very basic observations that I’ve had in the first few days.  First, the difference in weight is amazing.  It’s compact, flat, and practically weightless compared to the bulky dinosaur of a mobile phone I had been using for most of the new millennium.  I put the Blackberry to my ear and didn’t feel like I was doing a bicep curl each time I lifted and lowered.  I knew that new phones would be lighter, but I didn’t’ think it was that big of a deal.  I think my shoulder will thank me from now on when I slide that Blackberry into its sleeve and drop it in my purse.

Second, texting is very simple.  I’ve never been one to think that I needed to send or receive text messages.  “Just call me!” I’d say to friends and family when they’d send me little text notes here and there.  My i860 didn’t have full texting capabilities, so not only did it cost me dearly to read each little message, but I didn’t even know who it was from if the sender didn’t include their name or number at the end.  “What a hassle!” I’d say when someone would text me, “I don’t even know who sent this!”  On the Blackberry, texting is so easy to send and receive because the large screen shows me everything.  I have a full keyboard, with numbers, letters, and symbols literally at the tips of my thumbs.  I’m still an advocate for calling and having a verbal conversation if the back and forth lasts longer than one message each way.  But those one sentence conversations are undoubtedly more convenient in text form.

Finally, my email is with me all the time.  It has been my convenient form of communication for the last five years.  I’d just send a quick email to all the friends and family that I needed to update or invite to an event and sit back and wait for the RSVP’s to arrive in their own good time.  The kicker was, however, when I was impatiently awaiting a response to a particular email, it wasn’t that convenient to check my email account too often on the PC, especially if I was on the go.  The value of a phone that allows you to check your email messages never occurred to me as a valid need.  I’d see other business professionals checking their Blackberries for emails while in transit, but I just didn’t think it was necessary for the common person.  It is!  The first day I had my Blackberry in my purse, I heard, “Buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz.”  To my delight it was notifying me each time a new email message was in my inbox.  What a fantastic realization.  Life is much easier for anyone when they don’t have to wait by the computer for an email response.

There have been many mobile phones invented and released since the arrival of the Blackberry, but it remains to be a very popular choice.  There are variations of it, too, flip, no flip, etc.  I love my new Blackberry, and I’m glad I made the switch and recommend the same for others out there like me who think they don’t need all that fancy stuff.  Trust me–you don’t know what you’re missing!

Katie Petre works for CornerWorld Corporation, parent company of Dial611.

Tags: Blackberry, cell phone, e-mail, internet, Katie Petre, texting