Farhad, I can't believe you have the audacity to think you're qualified to pass judgment on what's cool (using the c-berry word), considering you write the nerdiest column on Salon! :p The term is played-out, for sure, but gimme a break ...

A lot of the retail shops dont do repairs on site (at least for Sprint- I doubt Verizon operates differently). Look for a Verizon repair center. Im no expert, but that sounds like a hardware problem, so resets aint gonna help. Just to be sure, though, go to Preferences->Sounds and Alerts and make sure there is actually a ring tone selected, and that vibrate is active.

I have a Blackberry Curve 8320 (T-Mobile) which allows me to talk over any WiFi connection (and not use my minutes). To me, this is pretty damn cool. I wonder if AT&T will enable their new Blackberry to do this.

Personally I think my N95 running on AT&T has a non-blurry or pixelated screen. Granted the screen is small, but at 2.8 inches I wouldn't recommend watching movies on any phone. The 3G connection is fast, the 5 megapixel camera is very slick it includes an accelerometer and FM radio if you use the included wired headphones. I've yet to fill up my 8 gigs of space even with a 1 hour tv episode and a full length movie. It's come to replace my 6 megapixel canon, and be an organizer, phone, FM radio, and allows me to connect to the internet with my laptop via bluetooth and 3G.

But everyone talks about the iPhone and the Blackberry like they are the only phones ever.

I think the only reason he is deleting the word c****berry, is becasue he is probably getting paid for this plug by RIM. There is probably a clause in his contract that say he won't get paid if his blog mentions the c-word. Just a guess...

What's with all the weird censorship-type stuff of late?

...I guess you can censor people if you don't like their terminology.

After your zealous defense of Diebold in the past election I should have censored you long ago Farhad.

Bill

Well then ...

crackleberry, oogleberry, dongleberry, multomegaberry, spackleberry, cackleberry, knackleberry, knuckleberry and cuckleberry.

-- peBird

I like cuckcooberry myself...describes those who use that and an I Phone constantly to a tee...

I think Farhad was reacting more to an overworn cliche phrase than anything else-- its a very, very tired catch-all, and it IS commonly used to describe all thing instant email and IM- my Treo gets referred to as a you-know-what on a daily basis.

mc--nice try, but there can be no excuse for obsessive messaging...it shows a lack of communication skills with one's MOUTH...remember that???

There is NO need to IM anyone, anytime, nor there is there an essential need for e-mail...only time it is necessary would be in important work situations...otherwise it is a useless waste of time for people who have lousy people skills.

There is nothing lame about attacking those who are so sad that they do need to check in every five minutes. The world managed just fine when it didn't need to be so compulsive and needy, and nothing has changed to justify such obsessiveness.

crackleberry, oogleberry, dongleberry, multomegaberry, spackleberry, cackleberry, knackleberry, knuckleberry and cuckleberry.

I don't get it. Why do you care enough about the crackberry comment to engage in censorship? Am I missing something? Were you exaggerating?

About the Treo, I have the 700W. Lately it won't ring or vibrate. Went to Verizon store and was given the really bizarre suggestion to buy another one because "we don't do repairs." It's their phone.

Any suggestions beyond that ridiculous response for restoring the ring. I've done a soft reset and checked the volume button which is up mid-way but neither solved the problem. Buying another $300 phone is not on my budget radar.

is the term "IPhony" supposed to any more acceptable than "Cr***berry"

Screen resolution is only half the story. If you're going to watch videos on a hand device, the size of the screen is critical. At 480x320 and 3.5", the iPhone is just barely big enough, in my view. Given the over-all proportions quoted in this article, Farhad, I'm guessing that the BlackBerry Bold is quite a bit smaller.

So, how big is the screen?

I think Farhad was reacting more to an overworn cliche phrase than anything else-- its a very, very tired catch-all, and it IS commonly used to describe all thing instant email and IM- my Treo gets referred to as a you-know-what on a daily basis.

I think that email and IM addiction are worthy of a discussion on their own. I am a hopeless Treo addict (though I'm considering jumping to a blackberry- and if the Bold comes out for any carrier besides AT&T, I WILL jump!), but I do have some sense of protocol and ability to function in public left. This weekend, I was sitting behind some idiot at the theatre texting away on his very bright Sidekick. The next night--mothers day, by the way-- I'm out to dinner and a kid a the table next to me is switching between ipod, nintendo and texting on his cell phone during the entire dinner, leaving his mom to talk to no-one. The kid in the theatre was rude to those around him, and the kid at dinner was just an idiot. Ugh!

looks like an iPhone with a teensy little keyboard glued on. :)

I understand the urge; you want to sound coolly anti-, better than those folks who need to check in every 5 minutes.

I never understood this criticism, but maybe it's because I've never owned a Blackberry. Nobody accuses people who use other low-latency messaging protocols like SMS of being swirly-eyed slaves to their device. We don't call it "crack messaging," we just do it. And did anyone call the Sidekick, pioneer of always-on internet access, the "Sidecrack" or "Crackstick" or whatever?

If there's anything about the Blackberry interface to criticize, it's that having to check your email is cumbersome and lamely late 20th century. It should just happen, all the time, any time, and then the phone should let you know if it's actually important.

The comments that Farhad Manjoo highlights, about corporate customers and their resistance to change, are telling in that regard. I guess all revolutions eventually succumb to end user fatigue.