May is Cell Phone Month

In today's world, nearly everyone, even kids, have their own cell phone. Since the invention of hand-held cell phones back in the early 70s, the mobile phone has come along way. So for the next two weeks, we will explore the world of smartphones and "not-so-smart" phones. As a result, we anticipate discussing the following topics here on the Digital Lovers Blog:

• The Smartphone vs. the Not-So-Smart Phone (Charlie)
• My Move from a Feature Phone to a Smartphone: Was it Worth it? (Charlie)
• My Move from a Blackberry to an Android: Was it Worth it? (Jaketha)
• The War of the iPhones - Verizon vs. AT&T: Which is Better? (Charlie)
• The Evolution of the Cell Phone (Jaketha)

As always we will continue with our regular episode of Tech Tuesdays podcast, which is been rescheduling from Tuesday, May 17th to Tuesday, May 24th. Be sure to check back between 6:00 and 6:30 PM to listen to the show!

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DID YOU MISS LAST MONTH'S DISCUSSION ON TABLETS?

Throughout the month of March, we covered Computers & Printers from desktop, laptop and netbooks, along with tips and techniques for inkjet printers. In case you missed it, check out these links!

1. Tech Tuesdays Podcast #2A - Listen here
2. Tech Tuesdays Podcast #2B (41 mins) - Listen here
3. The History of the Tablet Computer by Jaketha - Read now
4. Are They Tablet Computers or Tablet PCs? by Charlie - Read now
5. Tablet Computers: Overgrown MP3 Players or What? by Charlie - Read now
6. Buyer Research: Apple iPad 2 by Charlie - Read now
7. Buyer Research: Android by Charlie - Read now

BlackBerry Review

Take a look at how the BlackBerry Bold compares to other popular smart phones.

*Click to enlarge the table*

BlackBerry Interview w/ Delbert Terry, Director of BPL

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Do BlackBerrys make good personal phones?

A BlackBerry is a line of smart phones developed by Research in Motion, (RIM). There are currently 4 cell phone carriers in the US that provide BlackBerry services; AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. BlackBerrys are commonly used in the business world because of the many different communication services offered with the devices. The most popular service is email. All BlackBerry smart phones are able to send and receive emails. This allows constant communication between coworkers. Another popular communication app is the BlackBerry Messenger. This is an I.M. app that allows instant conversation with other BlackBerry users. Speaking of apps, BlackBerry has a lot of apps for download via the App World. Some of these apps include Facebook, Twitter and ESPN. Not all apps are free. BlackBerrys come pre-installed with a lot of helpful apps, such as a calendar, address book, email, web browser, and a calculator. Recently Skype and Bing have pushed out apps to BlackBerry users.

So how can a BlackBerry be beneficial as a “non-work phone?” As mentioned earlier, a BlackBerry is very handy when keeping in touch with family and friends. With the BlackBerry Messenger app, you can start an instant conversation with a push of the “track ball.” Personal email, such as Gmail, can be accessed on your BlackBerry via a Gmail app. This allows you to send and receive email from your personal Gmail account without logging into a computer. The Gmail app also synchronizes your Google Calendar with the calendar on your phone. Of course like all cell phones now days, BlackBerrys have a texting feature. The good thing about most BlackBerrys is they come with a full keyboard. This makes texting, emailing, and web browsing much easier. Another great feature that comes on all but one BlackBerry is the ease of navigation. Instead of pushing buttons to navigate through menus and the internet, the BlackBerry phones have a track ball; which is basically a computer mouse on your phone. The one BlackBerry, the Storm, is touch screen.

BlackBerrys are reliable phones. They have good battery life and are built tough. I have dropped mine more times than I can count and it still works. If I do happen to break it, loose it, or it becomes submerged in water, then the insurance plan available for these phone would send me a new one. Of course I send them $50, but I think that’s a fair trade off. But anyways, tomorrow I will interview Delbert Terry about his experiences with his BlackBerry. Until next, happy teching!