blackberries are ideal for business use. in fact, those people i know using them hate them b/c anyone from your office or client list can reach you at any hour and e-mail or call you.
Yeah, I know the i-bankers and everyone else in the finance industry has them. I used to think they were pretty great; they say it's horrible and like a dog leash. Basically, it's just one way of keeping you available and always on-call to your employers.
It's no more a leash than you let it be. Don't use the damn thing in a restaurant or indoors like the cell phone morons.
It's no different than a cell phone guys, just don't answer it when you want to be left alone after hours. Tell the boss/client/employee you were obviously in a bad coverage area if you're that afraid to take a stand on your working hours.
It should be for YOUR convenience, not others. Then it's cool. We use them and have NO issues like you guys state. If YOU let it be a leash, you deserve it and the misery it will bring.
we have treo's (my partner and i) and form64 is exactly right. if you let everyone think that you will instantly respond, no matter the time or day, then you're screwed. we actually let our clients see us turn the damn things off when we go into a meeting with them. that way, they'll understand when we can't reply to them immediately when they email or call later on. it's a matter of showing people that you intend to attend to their inquiries, but at your pace.
I know IT people that use them and love them. Personally I'd never want one and think my cell phone is more than adequate. Then again, I love being able to get in touch so easily with those who have them.
What I find absolutely annoying is that stupid Nextel walkie-talkie thing. Fine, use it on a job site but not in a restaurant or the lobby of the office or other public places.
i'm debating getting a blackberry also since i'm always in the shop and the computer is at home.... so it might be easier to check emails for me..... but then again, i would need a heavy duty case for it since i'm always around tools/machines and i tend to break the screens when it's in my pocket....... maybe that's another thing i can design up....haha
a blackberry is just like a cell phone: you should never use it when you're in a meeting unless you expect an emergency. it's just rude. i too like to make the point of setting mine on the table and physically turning it off. i've gotten looks of horror from developer clients, but i just say something along the lines of "i'm here to have an effective meeting with you, not with whomever e-mails me". typically works, especially since i'm pretty sure they won't be e-mailing me during the meeting anyway.
but it's very useful for down time. personally, if i can fill in the wasted spaces of time during the day with work, that means i can take home less of it. i turn the thing off at night and on weekends, and i very rarely will answer an e-mail immediately. g-love is so right, don't set the precedent of responding immediately.
the largest problem with blackberries etc is that we can make such snap decisions with them. e-mail is bad enough -- people don't think through things -- but always being able to make bad decisions is the worst.
i just got one - and i really love it....before one starts dissing it in nowadays-typical archinect commie style, one should understand that a Blackberry is not just email, it also has internet browsing, 411 programs and best maps (any my blackberry is GPS-enabled), which saves quite a lot of time and energy.
as someone else mentioned, if you dont want to be 'available' thru email at all times of the day, just dont reply to your email - btw there is also a function by which you can disable notification of emails and just enable call notification - so if its something very important, someone can reach you. you can also set 'exceptions' to your timing rules.
in my opinion ive found out that i spend much less time on my laptop at home ever since ive got this device, which is a good thing....
Actually i've found that such technology is crucial for growth as a professional architect especially when branching off on your own shingle. I had a 'net enabled ipac ages ago and it helped to always be on the ball with things now i use carrier (pigeons)
i had a first generation palm and a second generation palm. they're probably in a drawer now.
now i get my email at my desk, my phone calls at my desk or on my personal (not work) cell, and keep my calendar on outlook which i print out occasionally to 'sync' with my wife's calendar at home.
strangely enough, this is SO MUCH MORE EFFICIENT than use of either of the palms.
to counter architechnophilia's last comment, the time when it became clear to me that a pda wasn't working anymore was when i went on my own.
Blackberry
Anybody's office use them? Seems we are trying them out for a month to see if they are practical enough for buisness use.
blackberries are ideal for business use. in fact, those people i know using them hate them b/c anyone from your office or client list can reach you at any hour and e-mail or call you.
Yeah, I know the i-bankers and everyone else in the finance industry has them. I used to think they were pretty great; they say it's horrible and like a dog leash. Basically, it's just one way of keeping you available and always on-call to your employers.
It's no more a leash than you let it be. Don't use the damn thing in a restaurant or indoors like the cell phone morons.
It's no different than a cell phone guys, just don't answer it when you want to be left alone after hours. Tell the boss/client/employee you were obviously in a bad coverage area if you're that afraid to take a stand on your working hours.
It should be for YOUR convenience, not others. Then it's cool. We use them and have NO issues like you guys state. If YOU let it be a leash, you deserve it and the misery it will bring.
we have treo's (my partner and i) and form64 is exactly right. if you let everyone think that you will instantly respond, no matter the time or day, then you're screwed. we actually let our clients see us turn the damn things off when we go into a meeting with them. that way, they'll understand when we can't reply to them immediately when they email or call later on. it's a matter of showing people that you intend to attend to their inquiries, but at your pace.
I know IT people that use them and love them. Personally I'd never want one and think my cell phone is more than adequate. Then again, I love being able to get in touch so easily with those who have them.
What I find absolutely annoying is that stupid Nextel walkie-talkie thing. Fine, use it on a job site but not in a restaurant or the lobby of the office or other public places.
I've noticed a lot of urban kids using those walkie-talkie Nextel things.
Does anyone know how to sync a blackberry with Apple's Icalendar? or contacts and calendar from Entourage?
i'm debating getting a blackberry also since i'm always in the shop and the computer is at home.... so it might be easier to check emails for me..... but then again, i would need a heavy duty case for it since i'm always around tools/machines and i tend to break the screens when it's in my pocket....... maybe that's another thing i can design up....haha
modo:
PocketMac for Blackberry
i use this, it rocks.
a blackberry is just like a cell phone: you should never use it when you're in a meeting unless you expect an emergency. it's just rude. i too like to make the point of setting mine on the table and physically turning it off. i've gotten looks of horror from developer clients, but i just say something along the lines of "i'm here to have an effective meeting with you, not with whomever e-mails me". typically works, especially since i'm pretty sure they won't be e-mailing me during the meeting anyway.
but it's very useful for down time. personally, if i can fill in the wasted spaces of time during the day with work, that means i can take home less of it. i turn the thing off at night and on weekends, and i very rarely will answer an e-mail immediately. g-love is so right, don't set the precedent of responding immediately.
the largest problem with blackberries etc is that we can make such snap decisions with them. e-mail is bad enough -- people don't think through things -- but always being able to make bad decisions is the worst.
i rock the palm treo 680 and love it. all of the above points are valid. user error is rampant, as is poor etiquette.
but i do love to check the 'nect while sitting on the train.
i just got one - and i really love it....before one starts dissing it in nowadays-typical archinect commie style, one should understand that a Blackberry is not just email, it also has internet browsing, 411 programs and best maps (any my blackberry is GPS-enabled), which saves quite a lot of time and energy.
as someone else mentioned, if you dont want to be 'available' thru email at all times of the day, just dont reply to your email - btw there is also a function by which you can disable notification of emails and just enable call notification - so if its something very important, someone can reach you. you can also set 'exceptions' to your timing rules.
in my opinion ive found out that i spend much less time on my laptop at home ever since ive got this device, which is a good thing....
Actually i've found that such technology is crucial for growth as a professional architect especially when branching off on your own shingle. I had a 'net enabled ipac ages ago and it helped to always be on the ball with things now i use carrier (pigeons)
i had a first generation palm and a second generation palm. they're probably in a drawer now.
now i get my email at my desk, my phone calls at my desk or on my personal (not work) cell, and keep my calendar on outlook which i print out occasionally to 'sync' with my wife's calendar at home.
strangely enough, this is SO MUCH MORE EFFICIENT than use of either of the palms.
to counter architechnophilia's last comment, the time when it became clear to me that a pda wasn't working anymore was when i went on my own.
Do tell Steveo... what were the plus side of giving the pda a toss?
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