Setup the BlackBerry 8700c

My friend got a BlackBerry 8700c from cinguar since she just switched her cell account from T-Mobile to cingular. She paied $200 for the BlackBerry  based on her cell plan. It's my first time to take a close look at the "amazing toy".

My friend asked me to help her to setup the Email, the www, etc.  I never thought there would be any problem for me because I am a programer, plus, I have GOOGLE in front of me. But I was stuck at the first place. I couldnt find the Browser and Email program. I spent almost 2  hours but I got nothing. My friend was sure she has the data plan package. She called Cingular 800. You know what happened? Cinuglar didnt setup it yet. That means,  you would get  nothing if you didnt call them even you have been paying the service. Oh, my Ameraica! What a good service. After he opened the options for the account, we got the browser and email on the home page of blackberry.

 Follow the direction, I went to http://www.cingular.com/blackberrystart/  and logined  to our account. We could setup at most 3 email accounts.

The way the email works on blackberry is interesting. It is not like we thought that we use a email client program as we do on our pcs which will use the pop3 and smtp protocol to send/receive the emails based on tcp/ip. The blackberry  service provider use their server to get the new emails using the account information you filled on the internet and send the content of the emails to your blackberry. So, the blackberry does not need to check emails. That will save the data band a lot and it is much faster than the pop3.

Actually, the blackberry servie provider provides more email services such as Enterprise Email which allows you to communicate with your workmates smoothly. Of course, you have to pay it.

More interesting, those kind of service are not served by Cingular. They are provided by the Blackberry Manufacuture.(? I am not sure) . Maybe this is a good idea for our domestic cell phone manufacuture companies.

After I set up everything my friend wanted on this toy, I started to play it. I installed the desktop software on my laptop, and then I tried to download some free software to the BlackBerry. Again, I got lost. The desktop software reported the following message:

No system software was found for your handheld. Contact your system administrator or service profider for information on obtaining handheld system software."

What does this mean?  What was the handheld system software? The software installed on the blackberry?

3 hours later, I found out the problem. It is neither the software installed on the blackberry nor the desktop software comes with the CD. It is the software you have to download from

https://www.blackberry.com/Downloads/entry.do?code=577BCC914F9E55D5E4E4F82F9F00E7D4

If you are not a cingular user, you have to find your own download address.

After you installed the downloaded exe, everthing went well.

Again, Cingular would not tell you this even you are their customer.  Good job.

How about the blackberry itself?

 I loaded the MobilePlay.com and found that it was useless, so I wanted to uninstalled it? Again, I couldnt uninstall it. It was not in the application list. Where was the entry to remove it? No way. I have to wipe out the blackberry and reload the OS software to take the dummy mobileplay off.

Honestly, the blackberry hardware is cool itself. Especially the wheel design is really fantansty. With the wheel, you can operate the cell smoothly without the touch screen which is not supported by BlackBerry.  The most problems are the services and the software.  There is a web site called www.blackberry madesimple.com. It makes money by answering  all kinds of questions about your blackberry. In this world, the best sold products dont have to be the best. Actually, the bad service and bad designed software could create many business opportunities to the other people.

So, do we really need good products?