• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Blackberry 7100/7290 vs. Treo 650?

E

Epsil0n00

Golden Member
I saw a few threads on AT regarding the choice between Blackberries and the new Treo 650. I personally have long been a fan of Blackberries and the backend structure/functionality of the Blackberry Exchange Server. Recently we have had some consultants telling us that the new Treos can do everything that the BBs can do... and do it just as gracefully. I am personally skeptical of this assertion... for a long time now other companies have tried to do remote email access as well as RIM/BB does and failed. I find it hard to believe that the Treo actually does it.

So here's my question(s):

1. What exactly is the difference in how the BB handles email reconciliation vs. the Treo's email system? Which works better?

2. If we are going to use the BlackBerries with a BES server, why would anyone choose a Treo?

3. Is there anything that the Treo does better?

Those are the questions for now... I might have more later...
I am especially interested in how these devices function in a business environment and hearing about the experiences of people who have used both, or support both.

Thanks!
Epsil0n
 
I have both, and I'd have to say they are a bit difficult to compare. The blackberry is excellent at email, but that is about it's limit. It sucks as an organizer and it's web browser is also crap.

The treo on the other hand can do just about everything, with exception of email (natively.) It has an excellent web browser and a lot of 3rd party applications that are not avaliable for the blackberry. You can find just about anything you need for a Treo as it runs the standard palm os. Also, recently a program called ChatterMail came out, which rivals the BlackBerry's email capability. It keeps an open session to an imap server essencially giving you the same push email as the blackberry would, since it would know exactly when a new message comes in.

A blackberry BES handles all the email for a company forwarding and sorting everything to the account holders blackberry. It does all the work and all the configuration is done easily by a network admin so it simplifies the task for the admin. They can easily roll out 100 blackberries in a corporate environment wtihout individually having to configure both. On the Treo you would need to configure each one. Once configured, however, the Treo is a very advanced advice, that can pretty much keep up in the email department, but excel in everything else.

Overall - If you are the admin and want something easy to support and distribute, and it's main use will be for emails then the blackberry is your choice. If you want something that is more complex and can do a lot more, and don't mind the extra work to maintain in a corporate environment I'd take a look at the Treo. I do think the BlackBerry will be the main player in the corporate market just because of how simple it is to roll out compared to a Treo.
 
BES 4.0 is awesome, it's easy to configure and you can do it without the BB physically plugged in. Also, BES4.0 supports other BB enabled devices, so you're not dealing with just BBs now.

Have not played with the Treo yet, but typically, in a corporate environment, BES is the way to go. Especially if you're running Notes, Exchange, or Groupwise.

-FP
 
i love my treo650. i haven't worked with blackberries but i don't think i could ever go to one unless it was required of my job.
 
thats because u guys dont use good technology for treo 600/650s. www.good.com .. its better than bes.. same thing, they had wireless sync before bes 4.0 came out..

but bes is still the way to go.. I rolled out both Good Server 4.0 and BES 4.0. Bad thing about treos.. onces the battery dies.. you lose all your programs like a palm. Blackberry is embedded in ROM..

both being equal in email, BES is easier to setup.. treo is great for PALM users.. BES for new to hand held users..
 
Originally posted by: forcesho
thats because u guys dont use good technology for treo 600/650s. www.good.com .. its better than bes.. same thing, they had wireless sync before bes 4.0 came out..

but bes is still the way to go.. I rolled out both Good Server 4.0 and BES 4.0. Bad thing about treos.. onces the battery dies.. you lose all your programs like a palm. Blackberry is embedded in ROM..

both being equal in email, BES is easier to setup.. treo is great for PALM users.. BES for new to hand held users..
Click to expand...

um its my understanding that the treo 650 has non volitile memory, so if the battery runs out eveything is still there.
 
Originally posted by: RichieZ
Originally posted by: forcesho
thats because u guys dont use good technology for treo 600/650s. www.good.com .. its better than bes.. same thing, they had wireless sync before bes 4.0 came out..

but bes is still the way to go.. I rolled out both Good Server 4.0 and BES 4.0. Bad thing about treos.. onces the battery dies.. you lose all your programs like a palm. Blackberry is embedded in ROM..

both being equal in email, BES is easier to setup.. treo is great for PALM users.. BES for new to hand held users..
Click to expand...

um its my understanding that the treo 650 has non volitile memory, so if the battery runs out eveything is still there.
Click to expand...


so does the BB.
 
Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
Originally posted by: RichieZ
Originally posted by: forcesho
thats because u guys dont use good technology for treo 600/650s. www.good.com .. its better than bes.. same thing, they had wireless sync before bes 4.0 came out..

but bes is still the way to go.. I rolled out both Good Server 4.0 and BES 4.0. Bad thing about treos.. onces the battery dies.. you lose all your programs like a palm. Blackberry is embedded in ROM..

both being equal in email, BES is easier to setup.. treo is great for PALM users.. BES for new to hand held users..
Click to expand...

um its my understanding that the treo 650 has non volitile memory, so if the battery runs out eveything is still there.
Click to expand...


so does the BB.
Click to expand...

i was never disputing that, i was writing in responce to what i've highlighted in bold
 
I just spent the last 5 minutes trying to post a response to this thread from the browser on a BB 7250. I got all the way to this thread and hit reply... only to find that JavaScript is not enabled on this unit. Shucks. The browser is certainly not made to handle AT forums!
 
Originally posted by: Epsil0n00
I just spent the last 5 minutes trying to post a response to this thread from the browser on a BB 7250. I got all the way to this thread and hit reply... only to find that JavaScript is not enabled on this unit. Shucks. The browser is certainly not made to handle AT forums!
Click to expand...

Yup - The browser on the Treo handle's it just fine 🙂

That lack of JavaScript actually made me buy the Treo, I couldn't respond to tickets in my own helpdesk as my helpdesk script uses javascript 🙁
 
Originally posted by: DeviousTrap
Originally posted by: Epsil0n00
I just spent the last 5 minutes trying to post a response to this thread from the browser on a BB 7250. I got all the way to this thread and hit reply... only to find that JavaScript is not enabled on this unit. Shucks. The browser is certainly not made to handle AT forums!
Click to expand...

Yup - The browser on the Treo handle's it just fine 🙂

That lack of JavaScript actually made me buy the Treo, I couldn't respond to tickets in my own helpdesk as my helpdesk script uses javascript 🙁
Click to expand...
4.0 Blackberry handheld software supports JS, but the browser still sucks for stuff like the forums.
 
Originally posted by: forcesho
thats because u guys dont use good technology for treo 600/650s. www.good.com .. its better than bes.. same thing, they had wireless sync before bes 4.0 came out..

but bes is still the way to go.. I rolled out both Good Server 4.0 and BES 4.0. Bad thing about treos.. onces the battery dies.. you lose all your programs like a palm. Blackberry is embedded in ROM..

both being equal in email, BES is easier to setup.. treo is great for PALM users.. BES for new to hand held users..
Click to expand...
Over the years I've piloted Visto, Jarna, Notifylink, Hand and a few others. I put in a BES 3.6 and haven't looked back; will be upgrading to BES 4.0 soon. I'll also be piloting Good 4.0 to bring in our non Blackberry users and be able to extend capability in either direction if needed.

Originally posted by: RichieZum its my understanding that the treo 650 has non volitile memory, so if the battery runs out eveything is still there.
Click to expand...
I don't know about the 650 but I just plugged in my old Treo 600 and ZERO of my contacts/personal info survived power failure.

BES is solid and is an Admin's best friend. When it comes down to it, mobile users need solid email and good contact management. Even if a device or server app has a bell or whistle or two more it's hard to compete with the ROI of a BES (especially with BES 4.0's ease of wireless device rollout).

We're currently running 7100's 7280's and 7290's for BB devices.


 
Originally posted by: Sketcher
Originally posted by: forcesho
thats because u guys dont use good technology for treo 600/650s. www.good.com .. its better than bes.. same thing, they had wireless sync before bes 4.0 came out..

but bes is still the way to go.. I rolled out both Good Server 4.0 and BES 4.0. Bad thing about treos.. onces the battery dies.. you lose all your programs like a palm. Blackberry is embedded in ROM..

both being equal in email, BES is easier to setup.. treo is great for PALM users.. BES for new to hand held users..
Click to expand...
Over the years I've piloted Jarna, Notifylink, Hand and a few others. I put in a BES 3.6 and haven't looked back; will be upgrading to BES 4.0 soon. I'll also be piloting Good 4.0 to bring in our non Blackberry users and be able to extend capability in either direction if needed.

Originally posted by: RichieZum its my understanding that the treo 650 has non volitile memory, so if the battery runs out eveything is still there.
Click to expand...
I don't know about the 650 but I just plugged in my old Treo 600 and ZERO of my contacts/personal info survived power failure.

BES is solid and is an Admin's best friend. When it comes down to it, mobile users need solid email and good contact management. Even if a device or server app has a bell or whistle or two more it's hard to compete with the ROI of a BES (especially with BES 4.0's ease of wireless device rollout).

We're currently running 7100's 7280's and 7290's for BB devices.
Click to expand...
Well said. Wireless provisioning rocks.
 
What is the technical difference at the server-fuction level between BES and GoodLink? What is the difference in terms of end-user experience and/or functionality? ...and finally, what is the difference between the two in terms of admin setup and support?

Thanks again for all the perspectives!
Epsil0n
 
I also just read this about GoodLink:
"There are even tools available that will let IT professionals remotely disable and erase a lost Treo smartphone, so you can rest easier knowing your important proprietary information is safe."

That's pretty cool, does BES have anything like that?
 
Originally posted by: Epsil0n00
I also just read this about GoodLink:
"There are even tools available that will let IT professionals remotely disable and erase a lost Treo smartphone, so you can rest easier knowing your important proprietary information is safe."

That's pretty cool, does BES have anything like that?
Click to expand...
Yep. I can send a KILL command from the server to erase corporate data off of the device. Kind of fun to do 🙂

 
I don't like the lack of a stylus on blackberry, and the treo 650 i have here resets itself half the time

using a PocketPC with Exchange ActiveSync is the way to go.
 
Originally posted by: Joemonkey
I don't like the lack of a stylus on blackberry, and the treo 650 i have here resets itself half the time

using a PocketPC with Exchange ActiveSync is the way to go.
Click to expand...
one handed operation is key. Touchscreens suck.
 
Originally posted by: werk
Originally posted by: Joemonkey
I don't like the lack of a stylus on blackberry, and the treo 650 i have here resets itself half the time

using a PocketPC with Exchange ActiveSync is the way to go.
Click to expand...
one handed operation is key. Touchscreens suck.
Click to expand...

Touchscreens don't suck when you have lawyers that are used to grafitti on palm and also writing on tablet pcs. and how the hell would you play solitaire on a blackberry? 😀
 
Originally posted by: Joemonkey
I don't like the lack of a stylus on blackberry, and the treo 650 i have here resets itself half the time

using a PocketPC with Exchange ActiveSync is the way to go.
Click to expand...
When I had a PocketPC Phone I preferred it over the Treo's. Once I got used to the Treo 600 I preferred it over the PocketPC. I hated giving up the Treo but had to start testing Blackberry. I missed some of the bells and whistles that the PocketPC and PalmOS have but when it came down to a solid email platform from both an end user and more importantly an Administration perspective I prefer the BES/Blackberry solution.

A friend of mine says Goodlink 4.0 Administration was clunky in previous versions but that 4.0 is pretty nice. I'll be running them both side by side in consideration of providing another mobile option to my sales team but not because of Good's 'standards' marketing and pathetic comparisons against RIM. No doubt "Good" is a good product, but half of the promise that Goodlink marketing touts is yet to be developed software. Their 'comparison' link on their webpage sucks too. It's not even a direct comparison of existing features or functiionality. Don't get me wrong, the 'potential' of Goodlink right now looks like it'll outclass Blackberry if RIM doesn't make any advances. But I doubt that RIM will just sit still. And, it's not like it's an all or nothing marketlplace. There's room for both; probably even room for both in the same company. We'll see.

In any event, consider more than just a 'cool device' aspect of mobile wireless email. The Administration and ROI of the system is what makes or breaks the investment. Unless you have specific needs, email and PIM is all most companies need to do. If Goodlink proves to be worth keeping and rolling out; I'll have to support all of the devices that people want to use. Device versatility is nice to a point; though if it's your responsibility to stay up to speed and support them all (and don't have time to burn) as an admin you're going to hate every new device release that hits the street.

With all the talk about Blackberry and Goodlink; not much gets mentioned about the built-in wireless options in the current versions of Exchange and GroupWise. Admittedly, I don't know much about them either. I guess I have more research to do.

Take the google results with a grain of salt too. Unless the review is independent and written from an Admin perspective of having run BOTH a BES and Goodlink server beyond a 30 day trial period you're not likely going to get an apples to apples comparison. Waaaaay to much marketing mis-information out there.

Disclaimer: the above is my opinion, based on limited experience.








 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top