do you use a blackberry to keep track of your email and schedule? Are there other 'phones' that you would recommend?
thanks, Sue

I do not, mainly because cell coverage is very spotty here, and I would be paying a lot of money for a service that doesn't work half the time. Otherwise, I'd love one. sniff

Giving advice on Smart phones is dangerous. We all use them differently and they are so personal. Think about it, we are talking about a device that is with you every minute of every day.
That being said I can not imagine doing real estate without my Tilt2. The Tilt has the Windows Mobile operating system.
Basically, you have four choices when it comes to operating systems: Blackberry,IPhone, Android and Windows. Palm is also an option but I would hold off to see if they get traction in the marketplace.
Any of the others are good.
IPhone is simple, but doesn't have a physical keyboard. Play with the onscreen keyboard before you buy it.

Droid I think is going to be good, but may not be alot of programs for it yet.

Blackberry is the the industry standard for a business class phone. rock solid, great for email. Possibly falling behind the technology curve just a bit when it comes to some of the gee wiz factor that the others have. Nobody has a better keyboard.

Window Mobile gets a bad rap because it is from Microsoft. I think it is still one of the better mobile os. However, it is showing its age and a all new os is coming from Microsoft within a year.

Just my opinions. Your mileage may vary.

The devices, phones, PDAs and so forth that you use are all user specific. Think for yourself which one with most effectively meet your needs and act as a useful tool in your life. I myself currently use a blackberry and it works great for what I desire and need from it. Keeps my email and calendar appointments etc all up to date in my pocket. I have so many resources at my disposal in my pocket I don't really know what I would do without it now. It is a great tool for the real estate market due to the constant schedule changes I have and my traveling and client interaction.

JR Mcgee

www.jrmcgee.com

I'm thinking about a Droid or a iPhone instead of a blackberry.
Not sure which one yet.
Any input about those?

I currently use the black berry tour and find it to be an excellent phone for business and personal use. I can recieve all of my email to my phone and even update things such as documents, spreadsheets, and pictures. The internet capability makes it extremely helpful if a client has a question or I need information quickly. I'm sure it isn't the only phone out there that can do all of those things and I'm sure some can do more but the Tour works fine for me.

Tommy Lorden

www.coloradocommissionrebate.com

iPhone...hands down.

The only excuse anyone has against it is "I don't wanna switch to ATT". ATT is not a bad service, it's fine.

The iPhone is the best business phone by far, and has great personal uses too.

Speak to your broker or other agents in the office on their recommendation in your market place. I have Blackberry know for 5 years and cannot think about doing business without it. As mentioned by others its a personal decision if your business is growing go ahead and get yourself a pda phone.

in answer to Steve. Yes AT & T is a bad service when there is no service at my house.

I have nothing against the Iphone as I've never tried it. I have a Blackberry Storm. Lots of people say they don't like it. I like it alot. But then it's my first Blackberry.

Get the DROID...It does everything.

I currently use the Droid and it literally does do anything. I am a Realtor in Miami, FL and I can say my phone has save my life more than one time. Whether it was using it to show clients information and pictures on sales to just using the phone as a GPS device. I would recommend you get at least some type of smart phone with the up and coming technologies in our field.

Bill Hernandez

www.bryandbill.com

I'm still an aspiring agent so I can't speak for the benefits of Blackberry in terms of real estate. But I've been using BB for over five years now for work and personal, and I can't imagine doing business without it. I bought my wife an iPhone and, although it's fun and functional, it just doesn't have the streamlined communication and enterprising capabilities of BB. Of course if you want a phone that does everything and can handle 10,000 different apps, go Apple, it's sort of the jack of all trades but master of none. But if you want the easiest and fastest way to stay in touch with business partners, clients, and friends, Blackberry is the way to go.

I currently have the Bold 9000 with AT&T. My buddies have the Bold 9700 which is also great with a few upgrades on the 9000. I would easily recommend either one, and wouldn't think of using anything else in my future RE career.

I had the Motorola Droid.... But I just ordered the BlackBerry Tour....

The Droid was a nice phone but it took twice as long to type messages and browse the internet and may other features...

I think the BlackBerry streamlines the process of everything

[quote=bsareo]Get the DROID...It does everything. [/quote]

x2, it does everything I need and more and is just getting started. Plus you can actually use it everywhere vs droped calls and coverage like AT&T

I have a Blackberry Curve 8330. After years of liking my Motorola Q I researched the Blackberry. It took me about one year to decide. IPhones are nice but to me it seems more like a toy.

With my Blackberry it is all business but then I don't like too many apps. I like to do business.

If I were you I would try out a few. Find out how they feel. That's what I did. I love my Blackberry.

I had a MotoQ for a couple of years and switched over to the Blackberry Tour a couple of months ago...night and day differece between the 2 phones and the Tour does everything and more than I need. I got my 3 sons Blackberry Tours for Christmas and initially they were a little reserved because they weren't the "cool" phones that the other kids have but they now love them for all of the features.

The phone I currently use is the blackberry tour and it has worked great for me so far. The ability to have all of the information I need in the palm of my hand along with pictures of properties to show clients is amazing. These devices have grown to the point of they now can provide you with all the technology and communication you need right from your pocket. I would recommend any current smart phone on the market for you to look into. I am sure they are all fairly comparable in the end.

Bill Hernandez

Doesnt open Supra lockboxes..I have one. Blackberry does, Droid doesnt.

Just sayin, it doesnt do everything. Camera is not as good as Blackberrys either. For BPOs, you could just use a Blackberry, hits the addresses from the street, opens your lockboxes...better call quality too.

That said, I have a Droid but second guess tht decision.

Oh yeah, Droid battery life is miserable as well.

There is an app already in the works for supra boxes on android OS ( Droid ) so it will.

Camera not as good as which blackberry? 6 megapixel cam, that has zoom and many more options, the stock camera software isnt very good buy many apps that make it an awesome camera, including shooting video.

Battery life was originally REAL bad, the 2.01 update fixed some of it, and the upcoming monster 2.1 should fix alot more, also depends how much stuff you leaving running, wifi, gps etc always on, due tend to eat it up fast.

All phones have pro's and cons, its up to the end user what they really need and want.

Dave- Supra app is "coming"...battery "should" get better.
Dont get me wrong, I have a G1 right now. But, the message was that the Droid "does everything"...it doesnt. As you mention, it will and it should, but with a Blackberry 9700 you can do everything now...you cant with the Droid.

For those with the blackberry, what apps are running? I got a 9700 a couple of months ago but still haven't gotten to play around with it to find all the nice apps.

I use a Blackberry Storm and I love it. I love knowing I'm getting my emails when I'm not on the pc. Another thing is that you can use your data pack from Verizon ( about $30/mo) and Tether (was Tetherberry) software ( about $39 once) as a modem for your laptop. So it cuts internet fees down since normally it's about $60/month or another $30/mo for a second data pack from Verizon. So if I'm not home or in the office, for example a vacant house, I still have internet access to look something up on the MLS. Might not be for everybody but I love it.

I use the GPS on my BB storm with Verizon Navigator. The only problem is in rural areas, since it's using cell towers instead of satellite GPS.

i'd recommend an iphone or a droid. iphone simply has so many apps and the droid is an open-source o.s., which means the apps will be coming. plus, i just think the touch screens are better when you have to navigate in and out of different screens.

I haven't been thrilled with my BB. Applications are limited, when compared to the competitors (android, iphone). Sure, having a dedicated keyboard is nice, but not the only thing I was hoping to get in a phone. It seems the other phones have more entertainment value rather than just a business purpose.

There was just a news story recently about how many BB users are jumping ship for the "smart" phones and feel left out of the "fun" lol.

Droid does have a physical slider keyboard along with the onscreen, I never use it though because the onscreen works really well. One of my favorite app/features for it is the built in Google Maps navigator, not only gets to your destination but pops up Google street view when you get there showing you the real picture of your intended destination.

Android is open source which creates innovation and great apps.

Apple tries to control everything and see how they can squeeze a buck.The Iphone is nice to look at but expensive.

I have the Gphone got it long ago and only pay 50 bucks a month.

Blackberry is so far behind the curve investors are concerned.Droid is catching up to the Iphone fast with apps.

Don't buy the IPAD yet for web as many Mls's state it is a media browser and is not compatible with their systems.

I had a Blackberry World and I loved it, but the trackball kept jamming up. I got a Droid a couple of days ago and I absolutely love it. Emails and website load just like on a desktop. On my Blackberry many going to a website it was like I got the text version. Droid also lets you make the text bigger and the screen is much larger.


The ONLY thing I don't like is there seems to be a lag in the email delivery. If anyone else is using a Droid and can tell me how to overcome that I'd appriciate it. Plus I have not figured out how to receive my corporate email on the Droid. Prudential wants us to pay to get it on our cell. I figured out how to get it anyone, on my Blackberry. Took me about a month but I did it! Haven't figured it out on the Droid yet.

My Blackberry world (great phone)is in the bottom of a green pool!!! I went and picked up a droid within minutes and it is the best phone ever.

GMAIL is instant. All others have to be routed

I actually figured this out after I posted my question. I downloaded an app called K-9 mail and from what I can see the delivery is instaneous. I also figured out I can get my corporate email by going on the corporate website, which isn't preferabe to me, but OK.