So after doing an 'Internet confession' in my previous post I thought I would write a post on the benefits and downsides to owning this bastard of a phone.
PROS:
1) Everyone has a BB. It's true. And BlackBerry should really change their marketing motto to it. At any social event it really does amaze me that after doing a quick visual survey of a venue almost 80% (this number has been arbitrarily chosen for the uses of this statistic) of people have a BlackBerry. It really is like belonging to some sort of global fraternity. To the point where people gasp when you tell them, like I used to, you don't own one. It just makes it easier for a line of communication to be created between two or more people.
2) No excuse to not keep in contact. If you're like me and tend to forget whole swathes of people from time to time then you are always promising to catch up with them but rarely do. But once a friend has been added to your BlackBerry messenger contact list there really shouldn't be any excuse. Even geographical distance is no barrier. All those friends you made on holiday or family overseas are literally a button press away. But again, if you're like me you still manage to not keep in contact. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
3) Easy to make plans quickly with various people at the same time. As evidenced by the catch up meal with a few friends that was organised quickly with 5 people all at the same time over BBM, it proved invaluable. It was at this time I looked down at my BB and credited it with making a possible difficult task very streamlined and simple.
4) The keypad. I think it was Drake that said he felt his fingers were made for the BB. After my thumbs did some "evolving" I did get used to the keypad and I have to say I agree. The keypad is just so comfortable to use and just as effective. So much so, it becomes a problem every time I try to use a full size keyboard. This is definitely an underrated selling point of the BB. Especially with the advent of touch screen phones and their simply pitiful touch-keypads.
CONS:
1) Everyone has BB. Yeah it is a blessing and a curse in itself. You just can't seem to escape the mass appeal of these little devices. It's popularity is global. And because so many people have one it falls straight into the category of a "fad". Even though this current one has been going strong for a while now, eventually it will die out.
2) Broadcasts. Depending on how many people you have on your contact list will establish the percentage of idiotic people who just have to re-broadcast every stupid broadcast they receive. The spam I receive on my email is bad enough but receiving the same dead joke, piece of news, rave update etc. over and over again is enough for me to want to smash my screen. Especially when I' told I will die or something bad will happen if I don't pass it on.
3) "Phantom Red Light Syndrome". This isn't the official medical name for the random hallucination BB owners have when they think they see a red light emanating from the corner of their eye. They believe it is coming from their BB but after a tense staring match no red light appears. There have even been reported cases where owners believe the flashing red light is emanating from phones that are not BB's i.e. iPhones. It is worrying that such a little thing could bring on such brief episodes of neurosis - someone should do a study.
4) Becoming an addict. I think you actually have to have an addictive personality to become a fiendish crackberry addict but it happens. This little device just becomes the centre of some people's universes. They can't operate their daily life without it. Some would go as far to say that they cannot survive without one. Just one of the downfalls of this new age of inter-connectedness. People start displaying withdrawal symptoms when they have to go without their BB for any amount of time. Luckily I am not one of these people.
5) Eventually it will die and there's nothing you can do about it. No seriously. This is probably the worst thing about having a BB. No matter what you do, even if you take care of it like it was an actual child. Whether you make sure you never drop it or get it wet. It makes no difference. Eventually and out of nowhere your BB will just stop working. Whether it be the trackball (for older models), the screen or the "a" key something will stop working. It is almost like torture because you know it will happen and are powerless to do anything about it. It just makes you wonder what the hell RIM are doing in their tech meetings. And this is by far the biggest drawback of owning a BB. It has the equivalent build quality of a Fiat Punto and I do not mean the new shape ones. But luckily I have a lifetime warranty and free insurance on mine.
Anyway, that's all for now.
However I do feel sorry for people that have a Torch and have to deal with that mind numbingly slow OS. And to all BB users - when you break it down you are just paying for the messenger services - that is it.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Or just add them on pin. Whatever is easier for you.
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