Cingular Will run BlackBerry on Nokia Phones

This is pretty interesting stuff. BlackBerry has had the Connect software for quite a while, but no licensees … I’ve been wondering when SOMEONE would have it.

SAN FRANCISCO — Cingular Wireless in November will enable its subscribers to use Research in Motion’s BlackBerry software on a non-BlackBerry device for the first time, the mobile operator announced Wednesday at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment show here this week.

The BlackBerry Connect software will be available on the Nokia 9300, a flip-open handset with a QWERTY keyboard, Cingular said in a statement Wednesday. BlackBerry Connect is software that RIM is beginning to license to third parties for use on non-RIM devices. RIM’s BlackBerry, one of the first handhelds to have a keyboard, has become a familiar sight as business users rely on it for real-time e-mail on the road. Cingular said it will be the first U.S. operator to offer BlackBerry Connect.

More details at PC World.

No, really, this is great. But the 9300 has been available in other parts of the world … why so long to get to the U.S.? Theories abound … personally I think it’s because unlike other parts of the world we have so many different cellular technologies in the U.S. TDMA, CDMA, GSM 900 and 1800. Sigh.

Converged on a SmartPhone? My experiences …

I really wanted to be able to carry just 1 device … a cell phone / PDA. I’d been waiting for the Treo 650 to hit AT & T Wireless … but then Cingular bought them and I received a brochure with the Siemens SX66 … a Windows Mobile 2003 SE device. And I really liked it. For quite some time I had been a little dissatisfied with the changes (or lack of changes) Palm had been making to the OS … they always seemed to play catchup. So I bought the SX66.

My desire was to get a Bluetooth headset to use with it. But the SX66 (and in fact, all the XDA devices that have been rebadged for Cingular and other companies) have Bluetooth issues. Static, Short range, etc. And I tried both a Motorola HS820 and and HS850. Eventually I gave up on BT. Also, Microsoft Voice Command would not work over a BT headset so that took away a lot of the advantage anyway.

But I eventually found an article about the Jabra A210. This allows non-BT phones to use BT by connecting to the headset jack. Tried this, hoping. And finally, I have a solution that works. No static, better range, but there is SOME echo on HS850 … so I use an HS820, despite the better battery life of the 850. AND, since the sound goes through the headset jack, Voice Command MOSTLY works. Based on what I read on pdaPhoneHome.com, “Bluetooth audio quality is 8kHz 8bit. Voice Command works best with 16kHz 16 bit audio. Digit dialing is inherently more complex than contact dialing, and will generally not work well over a bluetooth headset connection.” Yep, this is my experience as well. I can get it to work with “Call Name”, but not “Dial 123-1234″. For the most part, it’s fine.

What have I learned? Read a little more before jumping on the bandwagon. I mean, I assumed a lot would work and it didn’t. I had to try 2 BT headsets, a retractable wired headset (not easy to find), the BT adapter before I finally settled on a solution.

Another thing is that Siemens has only updated the firmware once since the release. There have been more homecooked releases on the pdaPhoneHome.com site, but HP or Palm would keep the firmware up-to-date … or at least more up-to-date than a 2nd-tier (IMHO) provider like Siemens.

In terms of wi-fi, times have really changed …

Generally, when I turn on my laptop, I can see at least 2, maybe 3 other wireless LANs in my neighborhood. Used to be 0, besides mine. Then, for a while, there was 1. At least they are “security-enabled”. The one wireless LAN that’s been around for quite some time used to be totally open.

However, they are all using WEP (I’m using WPA) … and I’m not sure why. They also are broadcasting their SSID (I’m not). Security-wise, it would be better for them if they switched to WPA and turned off their SSID broadcast. Naturally, this would not make them bulletproof, but if you aren’t wanting others to connect to your network, why broadcast the SSID anyway?

I wonder if they even bothered to change their default router passwords … I know a lot of people do not! And I personally know a couple.

Opinion

Technology is great. That’s why I follow it, and … if I can afford it, why I am frequently an early adopter. Though I tend to not be one of the “earliest” adopters …

However, technology has its downside as well. It’s allowed us to create a semi-disposable society … I mean, we can’t even dust our own wood furniture anymore without disposable polish wipes … which end up in the landfill. And it’s cheaper to actually buy a new VCR than it is to fix it if it fails.

This is not to say technology is bad. But as we enter a period when a confluence of factors is occurring … peak oil, a massive population boom, global warming (whether or not you agree it’s caused by humans … it’s there and we need to be aware of the consequences to come) … we need to focus more on technology to improve our world than on technology to give us pleasures (MP3 players, DVRs, etc).