[pianotech] blackberry vs pda

[Tom Sivak]

Tom

My wife has been using one for over a year now.  Unless she uses the earpiece for phone conversations, her voice is absolutely unintelligible.  There will be a word or two that is clear, and then just mumble-mumble-mumble, then another clear word and back to jibberish.  She was a professional actress when she was younger, so it ain't her diction, it's that blasted phone!  (Never had that problem with her old Razor phone.)

I hate her Blackberry, but I'm not sure that a different brand is going to be any better.  I'm afraid that many of the phones with all the bells and whistles now have the same philosophy: skimp on the microphone and speaker part of the phone to make room for the camera, videocam, MP3 player, etc. and keep costs down.

So if you go the Blackberry route, plan on spending an extra $100 on an earpiece, and be prepared to wear it if you want to answer the phone.

Tom Sivak
Chicago

--- On Sat, 1/10/09, Tom Servinsky <tompiano at bellsouth.net> wrote:

> From: Tom Servinsky <tompiano at bellsouth.net>
> Subject: [pianotech] blackberry vs pda
> To: pianotech at ptg.org
> Date: Saturday, January 10, 2009, 10:55 AM
> List,
> I came in on this discussion late. My Dell Axim 5, which
> has been absolutely dependable for the past 5 yrs is finally
> showing signs of dying. I too am in the market to consider
> other options. I was wondering if anyone out there has
> anything to say about the Blackberry route.
> I'm seriously considering combining the phone and pda
> into one platform, however not with reservations.
> I personally like having 2 separate devices for the obvious
> reason of not putting too many eggs in one basket. However
> when I went shopping for a new PDA I was shocked to see that
> the typical "old school" pda is quickly becoming
> extinct. There were hardly any to be found.  I quickly
> realized that the industry was pushing their might on us and
> telling us that our options will be on their terms from this
> point forward.
> We have our cell phone service with Verizon and now am
> looking at the what's available. I looked at the Palm
> devices, which I like. But I really liked the Blackberry
> platform much better. The Blackberry Storm really has caught
> my attention, but would like to hear comments of those
> already using it as to whether I should continue down this
> route.
> Any suggestions would be most welcomed.
> Tom Servinsky
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: David Boyce 
>   To: pianotech at ptg.org 
>   Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2009 4:55 AM
>   Subject: Re: [pianotech] Handling wire w/ talcum powder
> 
> 
>   No, Chalk is calcium carbonate (form of limestone),
> FRENCH Chalk is hydrated magnesuim silicate, as is Talcum.
> 
>   David.
> 
>   "John,
>   In part you are correct in that French chalk falls under
> the category of a
>   "talc" only in that it is a lubricant.
>   Talcum powder is the loose form of hydrated magnesium
> silicate, whereas
>   French Chalk is calcium carbonate. Different stuff for
> different uses, but
>   maybe not in this case.
>   Bruce Browning
>   The Piano Tuner".