OperaMini's out of beta now, has had a couple more enhancements.

What are the ways that BB still beats this combination out?

The blackberry was built from the ground up to be an EMAIL communication device. Phone, internet, multimedia was an after thought, much like it has been for all smartphones. This gets better with each new OS, but it takes a big revamping for a device to be good at it all. This is what I'm hoping for with WM7 and the Linux POS.

Highlighting test is shift-directional pad on BBs. Opera Mini is the same on all platoforms, however the underlying Java engine makes the browser different on Treos versus BBs. The Java implementation on Treos is quite poor, and therefore Opera Mini and several other Java-based programs just are not as good in terms of overall user experience compared to BBs.

BBs do NOT run Symbian (of any iteration). They use a heavily modified java-based OS (probably the best made one to date). All 3rd party apps for BBs are Java apps.

Not quite sure how it gets so dirty, but she doesn't baby the phone like I do my Treo...

But if they ran Windoze they wouldn't be rock solid. :rolleyes: Seriously.

I have been in the middle of testing Nokia's Intellisync and using the N61 and the feel of Symbian is very similar to RIM. I was not thinking

Going forward with WM6.1 and particularly WM7, I hope MS REALLY focuses on two things - speed of the OS and user interface. The reason the iPhone is so popular is probably due to those two things and of course, brand name recognition.

Indeed.... And I feel that with the ActiveSync push technology and the new server software Microsoft is getting ready to push out, RIM is going to be losing ground in the business arena if they don't start working on features similar to those available on WM devices...

I think the curve is definitely a hit for the target market that RIM was focusing on, and that's the consumer or prosumer demographic. Great design, very good size, and pretty good features. Of course, it's still really a business first device with some consumer stuff added in on the side.

If it's like the Pearl (which my wife uses) then yes, you can cut/copy/paste. You select the text somehow using the trackball. Personally, I'm not going to switch to a BB because of the trackball. I'm tired of popping off that little retaining ring (which seems flimsy) to remove it for cleaning every couple of weeks for my wife. I feel like I went back to the 80's and am using a 512K "Fat Mac"

I didn't realize that BB was running Symbian. In fact, I'm pretty sure it runs its own, Java-based OS, yes? And I know for a fact that you can develop 3rd party apps for the BB because of their Java capabilities...

Also, Opera Mini on the Treo doesn't seem as good as your description on the Curve. Is there a significant difference?

search for 8810 toucscreens problem

If BB ran Winblows...errr I mean Windows it's would no longer be rock solid.

On the IT side, the idea of a server sitting on top of Exchange is just a completely unnecessary level of complexity, and RIM parsing everything themselves, an unacceptable single point of failure (as witnessed in the past).

Lastly, as a Canadian, our obscene data rates make even excellent email handling also expensive email handling.

Until the announcment of SMS Mobile 2008 and the release of Exchange 2007 there was no real "non 3rd party" way for Enterprises to get the same level of functionality that a Good Messaging or RIM would bring.

And you are right. The beauty of an "Active Sync" enviornment (speaking enterprise) is the lack of what you say, an unacceptable single point of failure. But with beauty often times comes the lack of brains if you will.

We used blueberry devices for several years in my corporation but with the lack of proper support from RIM concerning the server, we made a move to another cell carrier and to Good Messaging. If I could, I would have kept each BB device and put Good Messaging on them. The devices are great, but to use it in an enterprise is not when the BES in the picture.

On the IT side, the idea of a server sitting on top of Exchange is just a completely unnecessary level of complexity, and RIM parsing everything themselves, an unacceptable single point of failure (as witnessed in the past).

Lastly, as a Canadian, our obscene data rates make even excellent email handling also expensive email handling.

You can't argue with the devices. Maybe the earlier versions (72xx etc..) but not with the new 8830, 8310 etc. I was surprised at the trackball most of all. How smooth it moved and how accurate it could be.

I don't like Symbian OS. I guess it's because I've always been a WM guy and that is what I know, so the idea of getting to know a new OS is very unappealing. Not to mention the lack of 3rd party support. I can do anything with my 700wx/Mogul. I have even written some small apps for my phones that you can't do (maybe can, I just don't know how) with the Symbian OS.

I had better close this before I go off on a tangent.

That, jrinehart, is a fascinating statement. If we did a Windows Mobile podcast, I would want to talk about that.

Guilty as charged. Powering through email on the BlackBerry is faster than on the Desktop. I still use the Desktop for sorting everything into folders, but my email setup might be weird.

If all they want is e-mail/PIM, you probably made the right suggestion... probably.

Too bad they use some goofy OS If they ran WM that's all I would own.

If you are interested, Mike praised the 8310 a bit in our TreoCentral podcast, it's towards the beginning.