Watching a non BlackBerry/smartphone user become a BlackBerry Torch user and becoming a BlackBerry fan

I actually never really considered it happening to be honest, but it did, and I feel I need to share.

My wife, as wonderful and gorgeous as she can only be, is not a techno gadget loving person. Sure she likes a touch screen camera, but would never really consider a camera in a phone. Email is done on a computer and stresses to me, that she doesn't have to be tied to a smartphone.

One day she decided that yes she would like to get the feel of a BlackBerry; but no, no data, just phone. My BlackBerry Tour 9630 was pressed into service. It was a different move to her, as the phone the Tour replaced, was a candybar Nokia.

Then something happened....a girl friend of hers came over to dinner, and brought with her an iPhone 4. Oh the simplicity of the UI; within no time my wife was navigating all through the various apps and functions. Childs play.

Now if you are Australian, you'll know when I am referring to: the Australian dollar made parity with the US greenback....woot! when it comes to purchasing stuff on eBay. And that's just what I was doing on the couch next to the ladies.

My wife is Indian, and Diwali was a few weeks away, and I wanted to get her a gift: a BlackBerry Torch 9800. Three things about the Torch appealed as the BlackBerry for my wife:
1. Touch screen
2. Operating System 6.0
3. Keyboard just in case (she was used to the Tour by now).

So while she played with the iPhone 4, I hunted for the right Torch (price, condition, seller's reputation). Click, and it was purchased. Good price, considering the dollar's parity. And then the girls realised I was rather quiet, and boy did I cop it from both, when I told them what I had done (at this stage neither knew it was bought for ny wife). I took it all rather well.

So off I go that week for yet another fortnightly stint in Melbourne (2 weeks every month for the company I work for as an International Business Manager, Priority Management (http://bit.ly/pmanz)) and waited for the Torch to arrive in Melbourne, which it finally did, on my last day. So on my flight home to Brisbane, I got to play at length with the Torch (no data mind), and even for a keyboard BlackBerry fan as I am, I was impressed.

I arrived home on the night prior to Diwali, via Taxi, as my wife had a prayer session and couldn't leave the house. And so I presented her with the Torch: took her totally and completely by surprise, but the smile grew when she realised which BlackBerry it was (yeah you may of guessed, I just had to tell the girls (on the night I purchased it) all about the Torch and what it could do). She now had the most up to date BlackBerry around.

The weekend arrived and we activated a BlackBerry plan for her (and got 2 months free to boot!); set up her hotmail and facebook and a few other applications. Gave her a preloaded 4gig micro SD card with the type of music she likes and photos I knew she liked.

And it didn't take long for my wife to display some typical crackberry tendencies:
• The wall charger is on her side of the bed
• She is on facebook a lot more
• She hunts through her emails
• She relies less on her laptop (especially with the good rendering of web pages by the Torch's webkit browser)
• The BlackBerry gets checked as soon as she wakes up.

But the most interesting thing was hoiw quickly she became acclimatised to the BlackBerry OS 6.0's UI....much more user friendly to new BlackBerry users.

As for the question regarding keyboard preference, physical or virtual? She has really adapted to, and adopted the virtual one as her default keyboard! And she's quite proficient with it too!

Apart from now each of us having BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), the big advantage for me is now I really don't get a hard time about my BlackBerry usage/tendencies and habits :)

So there you have it....another crackberry added. One by one, they will come to the DarkSide! LOL!

Oh yeah, this was typed on my BlackBerry Torch, which only landed in my hands a mere two days ago (typed on the physical keyboard, thank you).

Why I chose the BlackBerry Torch 9800 over the Bold 9780

If anything is perfectly clear, when it comes to me and my BlackBerry preferences, one thing is abundantly clear... I am not a fan of touch screens. In fact, you could say I dislike touch screens.

So the simple question is, seeing as my Torch arrived today (well at least I believe it has (I am in Melbourne at the moment, and it arrived at the Brisbane office today, and I won't get to confirm this, until Friday evening), is .... why?

If you follow me on twitter, you know my perfect BlackBerry device is one with the qwerty keyboard; the type RIM has spent so much time (and no doubt money) perfecting. And that is not a term taken lightly. But I simply haven't come across a better mobile device keyboard, that I can thumb out emails, tweets, etc more efficiently.

I recently purchased a Torch, but that was for my wife (she served out her apprenticeship on a 9630 Tour), and what I can say, is she took to the Torch, like a duck to water, and it is quite impressive to watch her put the Torch through its paces. But she mainly prefers the touch screen.... almost always ignoring the keyboard.

Now my day to day job is an International Business Manager for a global training company, which specialises in time management, workload management, project management and productivity training. One of our signature programs is Working Smart with BlackBerry (http://www.prioritymanagement.com.au/training/time-management/blackberry), and one that fellow BlackBerry Alliance Members have started taking notice of. The reason? Well, there are phones out there which are more personal devices but have some business tendencies...... and most are touch screens. And there are decision makers out there who prefer the touch screen devices. Our training provides the BlackBerry user with a solid grounding in not only the functionality of the BlackBerry device, but more importantly, how they can save significant time, and plan their days more effectively, by using the BlackBerry as their productivity tool. And a happy BlackBerry user will not have to look elsewhere at other devices. So now, I have fellow BlackBerry Alliance Members starting to refer their clients to myself and Priority Management.

Invariably, during meetings, there will be, as a general rule, BlackBerry users and other devices (touch screens) are normally present.... how to bridge the gap with both? Quite simply, the BlackBerry Torch covers the ground beautifully.

For the touch screen device user, the Torch touch screen walks the walk (and remember, the Torch was specifically designed to operate as 1. a touch screen device only, 2. a keyboard device only. and 3. a combination of both) so we have that type of user covered. For the traditional BlackBerry user (or other lesser keyboard devices) slide out the Torch's keyboard, and let your thumbs do the talking (of interest, apart from the raised lips around the keyboard, the Torch's keyboard is a dead ringer for the Bold 9700's keyboard, and that, my friends, is a good, no, great thing).

So for business, networking and to support our position as a BlackBerry Alliance Member, the BlackBerry Torch 9800 was the most appropriate BlackBerry device, and the Bold 9780 became an also ran.

And that is why a new BlackBerry Torch 9800 arrived for me today (not that I can get my hands on it until Friday evening).

TferThomas

Paying it forward in real life

As you know, I am huge fan of paying it forward; in fact, I try to live my life with paying it forward.



A couple of weeks ago, an opportunity presented itself to actually pay it forward in person.



Quite often, when I stay in Melbourne, I walk between the apartment and the office (roughly a 20-25 minute walk), and the walk is the perfect time to mentally prepare myself for the new day. So, yes it can be said, I am in a world of my own, but seeing something jolted me out of my own pre-occupiedness... an iPhone sitting in the gutter.



Now we all know I am not a fan of the iPhone but the sight intrigued me...it was clear someone must have lost it.



I remembered that there most likely would be some sort of screen lock & that proved simple. I noted it said it was Sim card locked, so the owner must have reported it lost.



Now to find the owner (yes, why would I even consider keeping the iPhone (I have no need for one) or giving it to any number of friends/family who wanted one...never even considered it; it was always going to be handed back to the rightful owner). I know how much an inconvenience it is setting up a BlackBerry from scratch, so only can imagine the same would be said of an iPhone.



Eventually I found the contacts folder, and yes, as you would expect, found Mum (doesn't everyone have Mum/Dad listed in their phone?). So I rang "Mum" and yes she had a son who owned an iPhone (seems he has a history of losing devices).



So Mum came to our office that afternoon and collected the iPhone. She was most appreciative, and she presented me with a home grown bottle of peach chutney to say thanks.



The son rang that afternoon, to express his gratitude. "There should be more people like you in the world" he said. I simply said that it was the only thing to do, but also that I much prefer BlackBerry to iPhone, so I was always going to give it back (hey, what else would you expect me to say?)...he took it very well.



So there you go...paying it forward in real life; it's not that hard.

LoveBlackBerry: going retro with a 7100g

I was over at a mate's place the other night (@scooterwrecker on twitter) and as our conversations quite often go, we digressed back to times gone by. Whether, its music, movies, cars or tech, back the conversation goes, and to be honest, I enjoy it, considering most of my life is focussed forward.

Not too long ago I helped him and his lovely wife into BlackBerry devices and they each got a Bold 9000. And they have been quick learners too, I've since gone to the Bold 9700 but the discussions around apps, OS upgrades and settings continue at a rapid rate.

So whilst watching Terminator Salvation on his Blue Ray player, we naturally discussed the bits out of the movie that hinted at previous movies long gone by, but which we remembered, and then it dawned... How far has Research in Motion come with their BlackBerry devices? And for me, where better to start than the first one I used; the BlackBerry 7100g.

Towards the end of 2004, while working for a financial institution I became the first non-executive to be given a BlackBerry, and into my hands came a 7100g.

It stayed with me until midway through 2006 when I left that organisation. For the next 6 or so months I dabbled with a Nokia E61 on a BlackBerry Connect plan, until the BlackBerry Pearl 8100 was released.

As soon as the BlackBerry Curve 8300 was released, I had to have it and the Pearl was relegated to the top drawer, beside the bed.

I was one of the first in Australia to get my hands on the Bold 9000, and the second one is now sitting in the top drawer (with the Pearl and Curve, after the first one's track ball failed).

So, what am I using now? Well the Bold 9700 of course. It's common knowledge that I am not a touch screen fan (although I recently upgraded a colleague's Storm 9500's OS & I was quite taken to the massive improvement in responsiveness and tactileness) so a Storm has never really been considered. Perhaps one for my gorgeous wife?

So after a quick search on eBay, the 7100g options were found and dissected and two sprung to the top of the list (one purchased straight away, and one to bid on). Now, I am a novice with eBay, so I chose the former. Prior to buying, I emailed the seller to confirm all was in good working order (that was on the Saturday night, and he/she replied in the affirmative the next morning). The order was placed.

Sunday evening I received an email update to confirm the BlackBerry 7100g has been dispatched.

Now the interesting things are still to come:
• Will use the 7100g for a working week
• Will need to remember how to use a track wheel and not a trackpad again
• Go back from OS 5.0.0.545 to OS 4.1.0.454 (if I remember rightly)
• Seeing actually what apps I can get to work (I know OpenBeak does work so I will still be on twitter)

Applications will be the tough one. For instance the following apps I regularly use won't work on the 7100g (a lot of apps require minimum OS to be 4.2.1):
• SocialScope
• Viigo
• Vlingo
• Xing
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Seesmic
• Wicked
• Duly Noted
• My Listy
• Google Maps
• Kindle
• GymTechnik
• Role Call Tasks
• WorldMate
• Xobni
• Copy to Contact
• MemoryBooster
• FourSquare
• Tumblr
• Forward, Reply & Edit
• Tungle
• Chasm
• Compass
• LaterDudePro
• Zen Minder
• Tether
• Impatica
• SugarSync
• BeeJive I'm
• Chalk
• Time Mobile
• Voxofon
• BlaCaDa
• Amazon
• Airplane Mode
• Message Peek
• Show me the images
• Contacts cleaner
• BerryJoose
• BerryBuzz
• BerryWeather
• QuickLaunch
• Fancy Tran
• World Clock
• MindBerry
• Photonote

And I can't remember if the BBM exists or whether it is just PIN messaging?? I guess time will tell.

So I may need to resort loading my RSS Feeds onto tweetminer (a desktop app for twitter that I use for the @PriorityMgt account) and using OpenBeak, but again, time will tell when I finally get my hands on the little beasty.

So, am I just a little crazy? Perhaps, as it is simply not a time efficient thing to do, but will it be fun? I am thinking in part it will be fun, but frustrating as well.

I am certain a lot of people won't notice the BlackBerry 7100g, but for the BlackBerry users who most likely will notice, I wonder if they will look at me with perhaps, pity (poor person can't afford to get a newer BlackBerry), or perhaps with a touch of nostalgia?

One week should do it. She (yes all of my BlackBerry devices are ladies) arrives this week, and the week using the 7100g starts the following week.

Stay tuned...

BlackBerry Users: how do you connect with others? Paying It Forward

I love it when I can connect with other BlackBerry users, regardless of where they geographically are, what level of usage they use their BlackBerry, or their level of experience.

I connect with BlackBerry users via the following sites (of course non BlackBerry users can also connect with me):
• Twitter (http://twitter.com/TferThomas)
• Facebook (http://facebook.com/TferThomas)
• BlackBerry Messenger (255B9281)
• FriendFeed (http://friendfeed.com/TferThomas)
• LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasskennerton)
• Xing (http://xing.com/TferThomas)
• Tumblr (http://tumblr.com/TferThomas)
• Blip.fm (http://blip.fm/TferThomas)

The good thing is most of these sites are available right from your BlackBerry, which is what I am all about...sharing the love about the BlackBerry way of getting things done, and paying it forward to anyone who needs assistance/advice/or even an ear or shoulder.

I enjoy the real satisfaction, a warm glow, when someone asks for BlackBerry advice, or if one of my friends introduces me to another BlackBerry user.

But I am not alone on this. No, my findings are crystal clear and validated, and the verdict has been reached; BlackBerry users, generally speaking, are a helpful bunch, and love nothing more than to be able share their BlackBerry knowledge, jump in and help out one of their own, or give their opinions to all and sundry regarding BlackBerry experiences.

I love it, and so glad to be part of this intriguing bunch!

So if I can help you, if you would like to share something with me, or even connect with me on multiple sites, please do, and together we can pay it forward.

Love the BlackBerry.

Marriage and my best friend

Here I am, on yet another flight (I do on average at least 4 a month, and have done so for the past 13 months), and take this golden opportunity to write another post (or pen to paper, as I like to refer to writing blog posts).

This weekend marks one of the rarer moments in my normal home surroundings... my wife was away for the weekend. She has taken a well deserved short break back home in Fiji, and this is a break I know she sorely needed.

My normal calendar month at work consists of two consecutive weeks in our Melbourne office and the balance in our Brisbane office (Priority Management http://prioritymanagement.com.au). Apart from a fair bit of travel, I spend two working weeks away from my wife. Luckily, Priority Management is forward thinking and caring enough to send me home for the middle weekend, to be with her.

I came home last Thursday night, in order to spend a night with my wife, prior to driving her to the airport Friday morning for her flight to Fiji. That night, I came home to an empty house, and this is the rare moment: I would spend the weekend in the house alone.

I refer to our home as the "house" simply because one of the main reasons it is my home is because of my wife.

My wife is Fiji-Indian and I believe true to her heritage, beliefs and upbringing. Apart from being breath takingly gorgeous, she carries herself in almost a regal sense, and for me, she lights up my world.

That said, she has strong opinions and is always totally upfront with me, no matter what. And this can be a little confronting at times, but for me, providing I keep this in mind, ensures the strong conversations can take place, solutions or negotiations can be worked through, without fear of retrospective actions, and never a grudge to be held. Certainly, I am thankful that emotional blackmail is not a part of our relationship or marriage.

She is a self made woman, who has made her mark on this world, without a man by her side (apart from her father, who left this world around 3 years ago, prior to my coming onto the scene), and really, owes no one, anything. Words can't really do justice to my respect for what she has achieved, and for me, she is my daily inspiration.

As a woman who is herself, she didn't enter our relationship as someone who was needy, or dependent; rather, first and foremost, we were able to develop a friendship and love based on two individuals who chose to come together in a relationship, but also, neither of us losing our sense of self.

Not only is she my wife, but also very clearly, my best friend. And that makes me one very lucky and blessed guy.

This weekend (that I just spent alone), made it perfectly clear just what value she adds to our home life, and how the sum of all she does and I do, and all of our interactions, turn the "house" into our "home".  And yes we have been texting, calling and skyping, but the spontaneity of the simple happenings and interactions are missing.

I am very lucky and fortunate to be a part of a deep friendship and a truly positive relationship with my partner; to be married to my wife is a place second to nothing else here on this earth.

The weekend has served me well; it has reminded me of just how lucky I am, and what a great life I live. And my wife's singular importance won't be forgotten.

Some time saving small applications on my BlackBerry Bold

My last blog post was all about my Social and Business Networking from my BlackBerry, and all this used fairly big memory hogging applications installed...both a necessity and a blessing.
Now, I would like to cover off a few much smaller applications that increases the BlackBerry Bold's efficiencies.
Theses applications aren't flashy, but are extremely effective in what they do, and they all do their thing, really well. It should also be noted, quite a few of these applications don't even have an icon to speak of (their application resides in the menu), and certainly none of these appear in my home screen. Without them though, I would be a little bit frustrated and nowhere near as productive.
So, in alphabetical order:

•Anagram:
A simple free application (it competitor is the pay for "Gwabbit") that captures the data contained within an email signature and assembles it into either a new contact or updates an existing contact, in your address book. Perhaps it does need a few more steps than Gwabbit, but it is free and for me, works quite well.

•AppInfoRevealed:
This application advises you of the version you are running of a particular application you are currently in (does not work with all applications mind)

•BatteryBooster:
This one is considered to be a bit controversial, as some BlackBerry users think it works, and others firmly do not. I think it does work, and approximately adds one hour to the life of my battery, which for me, is brilliant.

•BerryAddon:
A simple application that enables a whole range of things to "work" such as call blocking, vibrate and ring at the same time, logging calls to your calendar, prompting to save phone numbers not in your address book etc. I use BerryAddon to log my calls.

•CaptureIt:
Basically it does what the name implies; captures a screen shot of your BlackBerry onto your SD Card (that's where I got the included screen shots from)

•ForwardWithEdit
Ever had an email that you wanted to forward to someone else, but perhaps remove some details first? Well, this is what ForwardWithEdit does, just remember it won't forward attachments.

•LaterDudePro:
From my good friend @FabianMH comes a really neat application that gives you a prompt after missing a call to remind you by a number of different methods, to action it at a later time/date.

•LedReset:
Occasionally you will have a random LED flash, for no apparent reason, and this application simply sorts that annoyance out.

•MagicMail:
Do you send regular "similar" emails from your BlackBerry? Would a template or number of templates make things easier? If so, look no further. Although you have to set up the templates yourself, once done, it is amazing how many emails in very little time, you can thumb out.

•MemoryUp:
Again, similar to BatteryBooster, another controversial application. With applications like the new BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 weighing in at 2.4mb, SocialScope, Facebook, Viigo, SugarSync and BlackBerry Application World each over 1mb, your BlackBerry memory can be a thing of the past. This attempts to continually free up memory. I don't have any hard evidence either way, of it effectiveness, but from a comfort level, I am happy for it to be installed.

•MessageSchedule:
Similar to LaterDudePro is what it tries to do. I am trialing it comparing the two, and then deciding.

•QuickLaunch:
When you start getting quite a few applications, your home screen starts overflowing with icons, and thus slow down finding an application you need. QuickLaunch alleviates this by creating a list of applications (you decide what is/isn't included in the list) accessible anywhere by the use of one of convenience keys. And...the list is key letter sensitive and organisable. It also contains a very handy device info screen (showing version of Operating System, memory, battery life, etc).

•SaveNumberAs:
My original prior to BerryAddon, but haven't had the heart to remove. Simply instead of using the native "save number" which always saves a number as business, this one, like BerryAddon, allows you select the type of number (work, home, mobile).

•TimelySMS:
Ever forgotten a friend's birthday? No more...load up a customised SMS and date and time activate it.

So there you go. A few applications that make my mobilised life on my BlackBerry Bold that much more efficient and time effective.

Hope this helps some of you.