Welcome! Rachel Berry (my Blackberry Curve 3G 9300 review)

If you’re a reader of my blog, you would probably know that I am an Android lover! Been using Android for like 2 years now and I am very much used to it. I love the flexibility of the system. Plus most Androids are not that expensive and most handsets are over the top in terms of quality.

I previously got a Samsung Galaxy Spica android phone which I uberly love. But I got tired of the full touch phone. I don’t know. I find it more difficult to use as time went by. Though a full screen is really such an eye candy.

And then, my Andie Cha Cha came. This is the phone I love the best! And my love for her won’t falter. But I guess, just like all the great things in life, one day you must let the go. #emo!

I am now a proud owner of a Blackberry Curve 3G 9300 which I got from Sun for free. Been with Sun for 27months to be exact and one day they told me I am already eligible for their Blackberry plan promo.

You might ask me why I did the big switch. The answer is quite simple… Because I want to save money.

I am in Sun and been paying them around Php700 per month for my Call and Text needs plus my Mama’s. Then I got Smart (HTC ChaCha) for all my internet needs. I am not a real fan of Smart I tell you. Refer here and here. I pay Php 1000 for just 100Mbps of internet. I am a twitter addict and Smart’s claim that 100Mbps is enough for your Social Networking needs is not true. So when Sun Cellular offered me their Php 999 Blackberry plan, they got me thinking. I mean, I’d get unlimited call and text to Sun plus unlimited mobile data for just 999. I’ll be saving lots of money per month right? And I’ll enjoy my mobile internet without worrying if I’ll max out my data limit. And my sister told me she’d be happy to continue my Smart subscription for me as long as I’ll give her Andie ChaCha. :’( And since she’s my sister anyway, I let go of my love. I also want my sister to save some money. She’s really planning on buying a phone anyway and I told her paying Php1000 per month is like buying a new phone on 12months 0% interest.

In all honesty, I am not a big fan of Blackberry. I think the graphics are lame and the over all look of the phone looks like those China phones you’d find in Quiapo. (All you Blackberry lovers, don’t get mad please!) And I used to associate Blackberry with work! No fun. All seriousness.

I remember being teased on my first day back at work holding my BB. Everyone was like, “where’s your chacha?”! And I am all teary eyed. My BB is not the touch and type phone. It’s just has this trackpad thing on the center.

I am already using BB for days and I really think it’s lame. I find it very difficult to use and not to mention I miss my Pinoy Henyo app on Andie.

And then I told myself, maybe I should give my BB a chance to prove to me her power. I mean, people won’t get addicted to them if they’re not that fun to use right? So I did a couple of research, tried a couple of things and voila! After almost 2 weeks of having her, she can’t leave my hands for a minute now.

Lesson learned: you’ve got to appreciate what you have! I got BB simply because I want to lessen my expenses but then, I got so much more!

Here’s why I love my BB, which I fondly call Rachel now:

1. BBM! Been reading lots of reviews and blogs about Blackberry phones and this application is always on top of everyone’s list of why they love the phone so much they got so addicted. At first I thought its just like so many IM apps there is. And I could easily install a YM and MSN messenger on my android. But BBM is just waaaayyy cooler! I have a cousin who’s currently working in Qatar and we’re like BBM’ing the whole time. She’d ask me to make her daughter listen to her voice messages. She’d send pictures. I’d send pictures. And it’s really fun. I guess it’d be more cool if I’d get more of my friends on my BBM contacts. Oh! Forgot to tell you that I am now BBM’ing my boss if I ever need something. Or if I need to let him know I’m coming to work late! \m/
2. Integrated emails with push! I have 3 main emails that I keep. My Yahoo! account, my Gmail and my work email. I know I can install Yahoo! on my android and my Gmail is automatically linked on my Android and I can configure my work mail to work with other phones but I swear! Rachel makes handling all 3 of them loads easier! And since its on push technology, I receive my emails in real time. And I can read them anywhere, delete them easier and now I can really organize my email in a click! It’s very easy and convenient! :-)
3. Instant Messaging Apps all available! All of my IM are also currently installed on my BB. And everything is working. So I am online 24/7! Wherever I am!
4. Twitter and Facebook made easier! Honestly! I don’t know what it is that BB has that makes Tweeting and Facebooking much more faster and easier. I currently have 2 Twitter apps that I’m using and I just can’t decide which to use. :-) I currently use them both. And I’m on unlimited data so I get updated all the time, real-time!
5. Easy Application Management! Unlike android, you can easily uninstall an app even if they are pre-installed on the device. So I just remove those apps that I don’t need and won’t use. It saves up on App Storage and space. And my phone is not at all clogged up with applications that I don’t need or use.
6. All messages and notifications in one folder! Just click on the Message app and all of your emails, SMS, FB notification, Twitter mentions, BBM and everything is shown there. But they also have a separate folder for each app. I find it very much useful specially when just browsing on the things I need to know. I just need to open one app and everything is there already. Cool right?
7. Call is very much clear! It has very high call quality. The call is clear and loudspeaker is loud. It is so far the best phone I got in terms of call quality.
8. Loads of keyboard shortcuts! I love that you can do things in a BB much faster because of all the available keyboard shortcuts they have. I love everything fast. Working in an IT company does you that. So I love love love the convenience that these shortcuts brought.
9. It’s from Sun Cellular! Alright. I just really need to mention this one. It’s because its true. I never had a problem with Sun Cellular. Or atleast on Sun Cellular Robinson’s Ermita branch (ehem! just in case anyone in Sun Cellular read this, give your Ermita team a pat on the back). I got my BB in an instant. They explained everything to me properly and no false claims. I just recently encountered some problems on my connection around Makati area but a couple of tweets and it’s resolved! See? That’s Customer Service. Now I only have 1 phone that I check always. For my messages, calls, tweets, mails and everything.

I know I’ll find more interesting things about my phone as I get the hang of it. I still miss Andie ChaCha from time to time but I guess, you could never find a perfect phone. A phone that has it all. :-) You just got to know what you need, not want ok? And then choose. Also, I suggest you maximize the power of your phone. I always see people holding those extremely Smart Phones and just use it for SMS and call. Oh please guys! It’s cool to discover what your phone can do and maximize it. :-)