Tales from the train - Treo vs Blackberry

Last Friday I had the opportunity to switch from the Blackberry I called 'the Waffle' to a Treo that I inherited from a departing staff member. This train tale is not really a tale but rather an experiment in comparison of using this device as opposed to the Waffle.'

At first glance this is much sexier and seems to be moving closer to a palm-sized PC. The look and features are certainly a step up from the utilitarian functions and plain features of the Blackberry. Form versus features? Appearance versus true value? Is it that age-old question again?

Well, this article installment will have to continue, Two things of immediate note: the Treo sucks juice and is tiring to type on. Right now the battery indicator is worrying me.

More later, Have fun, go Colts!

OK, back again. The Treo ran out of juice but I was able to send the email that brought the above article to the blog. I then added the photos to spiff things up a bit and am now completing the article on my laptop heading the reverse commute from this morning. To continue...

I see from looking at the various products that Blackberry comes in a sexier and more streamlined version and the Treo comes in a wider, more waffle like and probably easier to type on version. Are there any real differences between the two product lines? I suppose the technophile would be able to come up with a few, or perhaps many.

One thing I notice is the scroll-and-select wheel of the Blackberry versus the stylus or screen touch for the Palm Treo. I imagine that is a fundamental difference and probably well protected by patents. Using the Blackberry, you get used to the scroll-select and backout buttons allowing you to do most things with one securing hand and one operating hand. The Treo seems to need another hand and it would be especially helpful if that hand terminated in a rubber-tipped stylus. Maybe a nose-like proboscus that is structured like that would be the right morphological adaptation for natural selection to build a better Treo user.

I suppose the other side would say that development of a Blackberry user with diminished expectations would be the right direction of evolution in that user species. A de-evolution if you will. Treo does seem to have more capabilities and features. I particularly like not having to cable synchronize it for the email, calendar, notes, and other features that synch with Outlook Express in my case. Non-Outlook Express users, you are on your own as you have already chosen a different path. You probably use Mac's, too. Good for you.

As far as other differences, I encourage anyone needing to select a smart phone to do some investigation with online literature and colleagues. You should definitely do a test drive to see how your own anatomy is supported by either device. Have fun being more productive but remember, turn the damn thing off whenever you can. Enjoy real life!