I need a new phone! My BB Pearl has seen better days and my contact is due to expire soon.

hmmmm Blackberry Bold or a Droid?

I love the push email, but the Droid seems like fun and has apps.

I'm sticking with Verizon so an Iphone is out of the question, unfortunately.

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Joy Wilder
Wilder Office Approach

I made the switch to a blackberry in October when my husband (a technical gadget geek) thought we "needed" new phones. We got a deal on getting two blackberries and at first I thought it was overkill. I kept telling him I wasn't going to use all the features. This was at the time before I even started my virtual business venture and even within a month of having it I have NO idea how I lived without it before.

One nice feature is the fact that you can sync up your calender and contacts to a service like Yahoo. This just happens to be the service that I use, I'm sure you can use many other similar services. So, this can also serve as an additional back up for information you have on your phone/yahoo accounts. This really helped me in keeping things organized in the family and business life and this was all before I started on this virtual assistant journey.

The blackberry has some nice apps available (some are free, some for a fee). However, it does seem as though a lot of apps are geared towards the iphone. So, in 18 months or so I may look at the iphone option.

I'm not necessarily plugging the blackberry, though I do think that smart phones in general are the way to go. If you decide to go this route do your research to see which phone would be the best fit for you.

Good luck!!

OK, judging by all the responses already, this is a truly OUT THERE opinion--one that perhaps hails from last century!

Which way to go totally depends on your preferences and your business model. If you feel you'll work better being "on" no matter where you go and what else you're doing, or if you offer call-center type services to your clients, maybe the upgrade is a good bet. Neither is the case for me. I work almost exclusively through email, and I don't offer services that require constant phone availability. I tend to be compulsive. If I had a does-it-all phone, I'd feel obligated to work 24/7. I don't want to live like that.

So--hang on, here goes--I don't have a cell phone at all, let alone a complicated and expensive "smart phone." I have ONE land line and forward my business toll-free number to it only during the work days and times I can be there to answer. At all other times, business calls go to VM to be answered later.

I like simple...simple is good. I know that wouldn't be enough for every business, but it's worked for me for four years.

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AnnaLisa Michalski, Sunny Words Writing Services

AnnaLisa, you are not really alone! I do not want to be available 24/7 and all of my work is by e-mail, FedEx, and a few clients that I have to go their office to pick up tapes. About four months ago I had to get a new cell phone because my eight-year-old phone finally died. The old one didn't take pictures and I couldn't text with it, but it was a great cell phone, which is what I wanted even though I don't use my cell all that much. (I originally only bought a cell phone so when I was out picking up work, my son could call me if he needed something or if my car broke down and I needed to call someone.)

My new cell is one of the free ones that came with the plan. It does take pictures and I can text with it, but I still basically use it only as a phone, and not that often (never use all our minutes).

I do have a separate business land line, but it's the bare bones of service and I have an answering machine instead of VM.

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Pam Deyerle - Transcriptionist in the Richmond, Virginia area
The Perfect Word Transcription Services

Originally Posted by joywilder

I need a new phone! My BB Pearl has seen better days and my contact is due to expire soon. hmmmm Blackberry Bold or a Droid? I love the push email, but the Droid seems like fun and has apps. I'm sticking with Verizon so an Iphone is out of the question, unfortunately.

I just logged on to see if anybody had reviews of the Blackberry Bold. I have had the Droid since November and while the internet browser is great, I don't love the phone. The touch screen is very sensitive and I will often bump my face on it while in the middle of the call. That makes it essentially go mute so I loose a lot of calls that way. I previously had a Blackberry Pearl that I loved with the exception of the internet browser which is why I switched to the Droid. I'm seriously considering switching to the Bold now and am in the process of doing my due diligence on it.

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Kimberly DeJesus Support Services
www.kdsshawaii.com

I have a smart phone and use it when I am travelling between customer meetings to check emails, etc. I couldn't do my business without it!

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Kathy Altman
www.offsiteofficesolutions.com

I wound up getting another Blackberry...my third, so I guess I'm hooked

Bought a bold and LOVE it so far. Switched my service provider, too. From verizon to sprint. Nothing was wrong with Verizon, except that their family plans were getting waaaay to expensive and Sprint was a heck of a lot cheaper for the same plans (possibly better, can't remember) and upgraded phones.

This is all a matter of opinion, of course. About 10 years ago, I carried a Covey planner everywhere, then upgraded to a Palm pilot (b/w with no phone LOL). Since that Palm, I've never gone back to pen and paper for my address book and calendar.

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Joy Wilder
Wilder Office Approach

My husband uses an I -touch and I am thinking it might be the way to go - just a regular phone and then you can update your I- touch when you have wireless. Has some good apps. Of course, I am still dreaming and waiting for an Ipad.

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Classic Exec
Your Virtual Administrative Consultantwww.classicexec.com

Originally Posted by joywilder

I wound up getting another Blackberry...my third, so I guess I'm hooked Bought a bold and LOVE it so far. Switched my service provider, too. From verizon to sprint. Nothing was wrong with Verizon, except that their family plans were getting waaaay to expensive and Sprint was a heck of a lot cheaper for the same plans (possibly better, can't remember) and upgraded phones. This is all a matter of opinion, of course. About 10 years ago, I carried a Covey planner everywhere, then upgraded to a Palm pilot (b/w with no phone LOL). Since that Palm, I've never gone back to pen and paper for my address book and calendar.

Joy, how is the internet browser on the Bold? I'm really considering switching to the Bold but wanted to get real feedback before buying. TIA.

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Kimberly DeJesus Support Services
www.kdsshawaii.com

Hi Kimberly,

The browser is fine...haven't had any problems with it so far. I had a pearl prior to this one, so the Bold's larger screen is a blessing! I haven't had to do a memory dump yet, either.

What kind of phone do you carry now?

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Joy Wilder
Wilder Office Approach