Earlier this week, I became the proud owner of a BlackBerry Pearl. I researched it online beforehand, so I was aware of the potentially short battery life and possible issues synching with Microsof Outlook (which I don’t use, so I don’t care about). But when the Verizon guy mentioned that I can hook the BlackBerry up to my laptop and use it to get a wireless signal in places that otherwise wouldn’t have wireless, I was in heaven. How did I miss this during my online research? That alone practically justifies the monthly data fee! (Thanks to a generous rebate, the phone was practically free.)
When I got home and managed to configure Gmail access by myself, I was feeling pretty good. Tech Godness Good. But wait… There’s a catch. Somehow nobody told me (and I distinctly remember mentioning Gmail when I was in the store) that every time you send a Gmail message from your BlackBerry or your laptop, your BlackBerry will think it’s an incoming message and will include it in your new messages. Which is très annoying if you’re someone like me who sends fifty million emails a day.
A quick search uncovered a seemingly simple solution, but I couldn’t log into the BlackBerry website because it thought there was an existing account attached to my phone (my guess is someone returned my BlackBerry to the store). An hour and a half call with tech support finally fixed this problem.
I spent the first hour on the phone convincing the tech support person that “yes, I did in fact purchase my phone from a Verizon store” and “no, I do not have an existing account with BlackBerry, at least not to my knowledge.” Then I had to re-explain the Gmail issue and convince him that it IS a problem to get all of these emails I wrote showing up as duplicates in my inbox. Isn’t the purpose of a BlackBerry so that you can keep up with email instead of spending more time wading through it? Fortunately, we were eventually able to establish that we needed to override the existing account to create a new one.
He was perfectly nice and patient (as I tried to be), but I’m almost positive he had never used a BlackBerry before either. The man did not know how to rearrange icons! “Gee, I don’t think you can do that.” Thirty minutes into our discussion, it finally clicked that this was actually a Gmail issue and not a figment of my overactive imagination.
This morning I discovered that the deleted and read items from Gmail box are not synching with my BlackBerry (yes, the box for synching messages is checked). That means that even after I delete an email from my mailbox, it still shows up in my BlackBerry. I followed all of the instructions on Gmail’s BlackBerry help page, and it STILL doesn’t work. Anyone have other suggestions so I can avoid another lengthy call with tech support?
I guess the moral of the story is twofold:
- Gmail and a BlackBerry is a clumsy combination.
- Trouble-shooting BlackBerry issues with phone support is like trying to learn watercolor painting from audio tapes. You’re better off learning by doing!
With all of the Blackberry support resources on the internet, I’ve never had to call technical support unless something happened to my BIS account, and that only happened once.
Blackberry + Gmail is not clumsy, but it takes time to sync messages between the BB and your Gmail inbox.
Ugh, I spent most of the morning trying to get it to sync. I finally gave up! The reason I had to call tech support was that they had to override the BB account that waas already set up for my BB’s pin #. Good times…
Aw, Susan, I’m sorry to hear about all your troubles! That’s why I haven’t wanted to buy a BlackBerry. I’m afraid I’d end up with more tech troubles than I already face.
I hope you get it straightened out soon. It’s already overwhelming trying to wade through gazillions of e-mails!
*smiles*
Michele
Hi Susan,
I found the following info on Google Groups from someone who appears to work for Google -
Hi everyone,
There are three ways to get Gmail on a BlackBerry device, so feel free to check out which way works best for you:
1. Gmail for mobile application: This is the downloadable application that you can install on your phone. The app is in sync with the web interface of Gmail, so actions you perform in web Gmail will be reflected in the app, and vice versa. Download the app by visiting http://m.google.com/mail on your phone.
2. Gmail for mobile browsers: This is simply gmail.com on your phone’s
web browser. You access this by typing ‘http://gmail.com‘ into the
address bar of your phone’s web browser. Naturally, since this is the Gmail web interface, it’s in sync.
3. POP or IMAP: If you access Gmail using your phone’s built-in email
program (Personal E-mail account on a BlackBerry), you’re actually
using POP or IMAP. By its very nature, POP doesn’t support syncing
with web Gmail. And, while IMAP offers two-way syncing, Gmail IMAP
access isn’t officially supported for BlackBerry devices at this time, though you’re welcome to try it out: http://mail.google.com/
support/bin/answer.py?answer=78882.
Hope that helps. My personal recommendation would be to go with the app
Ethan
Gmail Guide Orange
A BB user responded with the following comment -
The app doesn’t support more than 1 gmail account and doesn’t
offer instant receipt of e-mails, which is one of the biggest reasons
I have a BB.
It may not solve your problem but may help explain it and know you are not alone. Best of luck!
Mark
@Michele: I’m still glad I bought it, but I had no idea there would be such a steep learning curve. I picked up an iPod’s user interface almost immediately, but this is way more complicated.
@Mark: I tried #3, but I didn’t know about the other two options. Thanks for the tip!
I’m so glad I’m technically behind the curve. I just “upgraded” to a camera phone and even that taxes me! LOL
Susan: I still haven’t been able to justify the expense of getting a Blackberry though I’d love to have one, so I’m jealous despite all of the problems you had.
Michelle Rafter
Back up of BlackBerry Devices batteries are a much needed necessity and you do not want to be without power for your BlackBerry Devices. A spare battery will ensure that you are always prepared. It can extend your talk time and reduce worry about dying battery life if you are on a long call or listening to music. It’s also great for safety on long trips especially when your battery is dying and there is no charger around. A spare battery that is charged and ready to go will do the trick.
——————————————————
BlackBerry Accessories
@Pankajs: that sounds like a good idea. I’ll look into it. Thanks!
Source for BlackBerry Storm Accessories is Fommy.
WorldofCables One Stop Store for USB Cables, DVI Cables, Firewire Cables, Monitor Cables, Adapters, PC Cables, Connectors, Audio Video Cables, Gaming Accessories, PDA & Phone Accessories, iPOD Accessories.
http://www.worldofcables.com/store/default.asp
WorldofCables One Stop Store for Flash Memory Cards , USB Cables, DVI Cables, Firewire Cables, Monitor Cables, Adapters, PC Cables, Connectors, Audio Video Cables, Gaming Accessories, PDA & Phone Accessories, iPOD Accessories.
http://www.SmarterDeals.com provides best price comparison features exclusively for hi-tech products, like – computer hardware, software and electronics. You can make best deal out of it.
Online Shopping, Best computer price comparison shopping, Online computer price comparison shopping, Best compare computer price.