Tikkabik

Two years ago I switched from then-AT&T Wireless to Verizon Wireless because I'd had so much trouble with calls dropping on my then-ancient TDMA phone. GSM really hadn't hit critical mass in that part of Massachusetts yet, and while the AT&T Wireless reps promised that coverage would be really, really good -- eventually -- I wasn't willing to wait.

I don't regret the decision. Verizon Wireless has provided decent CDMA coverage over the last couple of years, and I've been happy with my phone -- an LG VX600, which, while lacking true "smartphone" capabilities, came close enough to work well for me for quite a while (and was, in a pinch, good for the occasional low-res photo.

But that time has passed. Now AT&T and Cingular are one, and Cingular has a good nationwide network. I've gotten sick and tired of Verizon Wireless -- they're fond of crippling their Bluetooth hardware, and seem intent on sticking their hand in the cookie jar for everything, from sending photos to downloading ringtones. David Nanian and I were joking the other night that if Verizon could put a coin slot or a mag strip reader on their phones and get away with it, they would. So it came time to switch carriers, and Cingular made sense for reasons not worth discussing here. The decision became, which phone do I get?

Some of the folks in the office prefer Palm Treos, and I understand why -- Palm OS is familiar, the devices are expandable with a host of third party software, they're convenient to use and, with the addition of Mark/Space's Missing Sync software, they're quite Mac-friendly. But, as Andy put it quite succinctly the other night, there's something unshakeably 1998 about the Palm OS experience. It's a bit like using Mac OS 9 when you're really craving Mac OS X, or Windows 3.1 when it's XP that you need.

So then it came down to two basic choices: A smartphone running Windows Mobile 5 or a smartphone made by RIM -- a Blackberry.

I opted for the Blackberry, getting what is (right now, anyway), their top model -- a color display with 320 x 240 resolution, EDGE network support, Bluetooth and just about every other amenity you can imagine. I didn't do this capriciously, or because of any inherent bias against Windows Mobile devices -- I've used them and I certainly considered it as a possibility.

Pluses: Thanks to an agreement with Information Appliance Associates, you can download Mac syncing software for free. You can charge the phone from a Mac or laptop using a USB cable. I've set it up to ping four different e-mail accounts, which it does flawlessly. I've even downloaded an AIM client (Ramble) which works well enough for me, so I can chat mobile. The device provides a clear and coherent signal for voice calls, even when the bar is low. The QWERTY keyboard is comfortable to use and, though I'm suffering some speed and accuracy issues, I'm getting used to it damn fast. It can figure out when it's been "holstered" and will automatically switch profiles -- going from an audible ring to vibrate, for example, or setting an away message in the AIM client. Very clever.

Minuses: The 8700c is bulky and wide -- wider than Treo. You feel a bit silly talking on it -- it's like holding a taco to your head (though not as taco-like as Nokia's game-centric flop, the N-Gage). This is where a Bluetooth headset comes in handy. There isn't nearly as much software for it as there is for the Treo, near as I can tell. And as far as the Mac sync software is concerned, well, you get what you pay for. Also, I haven't been able to figure out if it's even possible to use it as a Bluetooth modem, but it doesn't seem very easy, that's for sure.