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8 truly awesome things about my BlackBerry

Jul 27
blackberry-curve-8320-bluetooth-smartphoneI've been talking a lot lately about how I need to be slightly less attached to my BlackBerry... but in case you think I've completely gone the route of the BlackBerry hater, let me let you in on a little secret. I still love it. I just need to love it a little less. But when I do have it in my hot little hand, here are my absolute favorite things about it:
  1. Birthdays. This was, hands-down, the best thing about a hand-held unit way back when I got my first BlackBerry. (Actually it was my favorite thing about my Palm Pilot back in the day when I carried it and a cell phone) I don't have to:
    1. Remember folks' birthdays anymore... because BB tells me in the morning who was born on this glorious day.
    2. I don't have to transfer all of the birthdays from one year to another in my Franklin Covey anymore... woot!
  2. Phone numbers. They're all in there. Home, mobile, work. And... thanks to my friends LinkedIn and Facebook, they're properly updated, along with email address.
  3. LinkedIn. Now, this is more of a love for the LinkedIn/Outlook relationship than anything (it goes to LinkedIn, grabs folks' info and populates my Contacts folder. Hello, brilliant!). Everything that is in my Outlook contacts folder flows through to my BB. And that is a wonderful thing.
  4. Facebook. I sort of can't stand the new BB/Facebook application. Its intention is to be more handy but it's ended up being more of a pain in the butt. BUT the awesomeness of it is that it connects my Facebook contacts with my BB contacts (which if you've been paying attention are seamlessly synced to my Outlook) and updates my people's info for me. And the fun part to boot is that it grabs my FB friends' profile pics, adds them as contact images in my BB and that flows back to Outlook. So when you (if you're my FB friend) send me an email, Outlook shows me your mug. Or that artsy photo of Godknowswhat that you're using as your profile pic these days.
  5. Flickr. I love Flickr. I was a die-hard SmugMug fan for years (I still use it...) but Flickr's ability to play nicely with my BB brings it head and shoulders above the others for me.
  6. Photo and video. Because who doesn't need to see another photo or video of George?
  7. Caller ID. I've mentioned the awesomeness that is the FB plugin and the photos that come along with it. Well, friends, when you call me, guess what pops up on my phone? That's right, your FB profile pic.
  8. Notes integration. Someone said something funny at the beauty parlor, and you just have to write it down for later? Need to remember that shopping list? Notes typed in Outlook flow through to BB and the other way around. Handy.
I'm sure there are other things that people love about their BB... and while I wonder if this is a good idea, given that I'm trying to be less reliant on it, I have to ask... Why do you love yours?

posted by Elisa DelBonis
7/27/2009 4:15 PM 

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Nervous Addiction

I love mine, too. Except when my 7 year old tells me I look at it too often. I also find myself absent-mindedly pawing the keypad during idle moments, or turning it about between my fingers to defuse anxiety. A little sad, I know.

While a fantastic work tool, the BB is also a very complex and relatively pricey version of Worry Beads. My advice: leave it home on the weekends and take the beads instead!

By Marc Ardizzone on   8/3/2009 12:53 PM
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