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Previous: Harvard library dropbox | Main | Next: Keyring alarm
October 2, 2003 10:40 AM
Broken: Blackberry Phone/PDA
Julie Stanford writes:
I recently had the misfortune to try out a RIM Blackberry 6210 Phone/PDA
for a week. The button to end a call is located in the EXACT location where your right thumb sits on the Blackberry during a call. On numerous occasions, I accidently hung up on people while I was holding the phone.Another broken feature appears when another call comes in. The call-waiting options encourages you to hang up on people: The first and default option is "answer new call and hang up on current call." Second is "answer new call and hold current call," and third is "don't answer." I can't believe that the default is to hang up on the current person -- an option that I chose on two occasions when I accidently clicked the thumb roller when attempting to navigate to option 2.
This device is very broken.
See, that's strange. Julie comments on the 6210 and you respond with a contrary opinion, but on a different device. D'uh !!
This is just the tip of the iceberg. The Blackberry is such a clumsy device, both ergonomically and technologically. It has all the finesse (and appeal) of a dollar-store pocket calculator as you obscure the side of your face with it. The screen is difficult to see, the keys are tiny and oddly-shaped, and that scroll wheel and "end call" button are SO easy to accidentally hit.
Not even mentioning the way it fits into a pocket (or doesn't)... or the way the system integrates with the Nextel network (which is... badly.) From the time I opened the box, I felt like I was a beta-tester. Setting it up on the Nextel network was the worst! It seems badly patched-on to cell phone networks, as it uses a proprietary operating system that doesn't mesh well with a system intended for talking devices.
Comments on this entry are closed
Previous: Harvard library dropbox | Main | Next: Keyring alarm
To say that the Blackberry is broken is inaccurate. I have used a Blackberry 7510 for a couple of weeks now and I find it to be very funtional and user friendly. I have never accidentally hung up on anyone because the escape button is wherer it is and the call swap feature is useful as it gives you more than one choice...the order of those choices doesn't mean the phone is broken. Personal preference and user error don't translate into a bad design. I love the phone and would recommend it to anyone.
Posted by: M Krebs at May 5, 2004 08:40 AM