It's a BlackBerry!

First of all...

Before I start this review I'd like to thank the great people at CellularOne for the amazing service I have had from them. I'd strongly recommend them to anyone needing normal voice and text phone service. Right now, unlimited voice and text is just under $40 for new customers ($35 for just voice). No contract, but you need to pay full price for the phone (there are tons of cheap GSM unlocked phones online but I don't know what they charge [if anything] for the SIM card you need if you don't buy a phone from them). I'd HIGHLY recommend it to the vast majority of people. Great price, great coverage, amazing service. You couldn't really go wrong for most use.

But I needed a smart phone

And more specifically, I need to be receiving my e-mail as soon as it's sent. It simply wasn't an option for me to be getting email later... it was costing me money. I had a few choices. CellularOne has BlackBerries and it was a choice. But it wasn't one that made a ton of sense...

CellularOne uses GSM technology (which I regard as far superior in design to the competing CDMA), but unfortunately they're still on classic GSM with EDGE data. This peaks at 144kbps. Alltel and Verizon are using EVDO Rev. A which peaks at 3.1mbps. Alltel is also cheaper. For what I need CellularOne would have cost $20 MORE a month than Alltel (since the 450 minute package wouldn't be good enough - my average use is under that but the base package you add the BlackBerry on to doesn't have rollover like I had in my 450 min ultimate package). Many of my friends are on Alltel - far more than CellularOne; AND Alltel gives me 7pm nights and 15 free non-Alltel calling numbers.

Unlike normal use, it made no sense to stay with CellularOne for data - 20 times the speed for a little LESS money if I went to Alltel - that just makes sense.

The BlackBerry Tour

I wanted an iPhone but couldn't wait for AT&T to be here, so I bought a Research In Motion BlackBerry Tour. It's a nice device. Amazing screen, great product in many ways. The keyboard is NOT as fast as the great predictive touch technology on the iPhone and iPod touch. The app selection is severely lacking. Sometimes the phone gets slow and laggy for no apparent reason (this is why the iPhone uses push notifications instead of allowing apps to run in the background). But overall, I see why they call them "CrackBerries"

Today, while I was working running lighting at an event I was engaged in an interesting debate on Facebook - Facebook comments being as tightly integrated as SMS messages... seriously. All in one inbox too. Then later, while shopping at Wal-Mart I was Google Talking with a friend in Billings who doesn't have a cell phone. And guess what, again - same message inbox and it felt JUST LIKE SMS. Perfect.

With one year contracts, an expected transition to AT&T here in Montana - a GSM carrier that will hopefully be running 3G GSM (UMTS), and a fast CDMA2000 1xEVDO Revision A network today - I just don't think you can go wrong with the BlackBerry on Alltel today. Just like you can't go wrong with CellularOne if you don't need a smart phone!