Blackberry Communications Explained

Back in 1999 a little known device referred to as a ‘Blackberry’ was released onto the open market as a way for executives, self-employed business people and individuals always on the move to keep in touch with their businesses via email, the Internet and telephone. Now some nine years on over two million people in the United Kingdom have a ‘Blackberry’ device and some are even using them as part of their home Broadband package.

What is a Blackberry?

In essence a Blackberry is a large mobile telephone with some impressive and very useful additional features. Many ordinary mobile telephones that are provided as part of a contract agreement or indeed Pay As You Go (PAYG) also have a limited number of these features but the Blackberry is designed purposely to make full use of features such as the Internet, Electronic Mail and Word Processing.

Blackberry’s come with their own unique built in software which allows them to communicate with the Internet in the same way as a personal computer and also send, receive and compose e-mails, write letters and other documents, make telephone calls, organise schedules and even show video in some of the more recent models.

Why Would I Use a Blackberry?

If you are a travelling salesperson or simply someone who is always on the move then a Blackberry could be the answer to some of your logistical issues such as picking up and replying to emails, composing letters and spreadsheets and also making calls. The versatility of the Blackberry makes it one of the most impressive telecommunications devices on the market today although many still think of them as cumbersome and pretentious.

As someone who may well spend a lot of time away from the office the Blackberry provides the opportunity for you to maintain a constant level of contact and also offers you the facility to provide those in the office with written reports, spreadsheets, databases and all of the documents that you would have previously been required to be stationary in front of a personal computer to produce.

Another key advantage to the Blackberry is that it does not need Wi-FI (wireless technology) in order to send, receive or compose emails and can be used in the same way as a mobile telephone when it comes to sending and receiving texts.

You can also use your Blackberry for Instant Messaging programs as provided by Microsoft and Yahoo.

Are Blackberry’s Costly?

This is something that is very much dependent on your service provider. Not all mobile telephone companies offer the facility to use a Blackberry on their network but those that do try and be as competitive as possible. It is wise to check with your current service provider before making any decisions as to whether to change to Blackberry communications.

Some Pay As You Go (PAYG) providers offer the facility to use Blackberry on their tariffs but these are subject to slightly higher call charges and text message costs as the servers required to route calls, messages and emails are set aside from the normal call networks.

I Have More Than One E-Mail Account, Can I Use Them With Blackberry?

Again this is subject to the terms and conditions of your Internet provider who will also provide you with your email address and settings. Most Internet service providers have embraced the use of Blackberry technology for the sending and receiving of emails and will provide you with the necessary settings which allow your Blackberry to connect to their mail servers.

Can I Use My Blackberry with my Computer in the Office or at Home?

When you take delivery of your Blackberry you will be supplied with a compact disc containing all of the necessary software including some that allows you to back up the contents of your Blackberry’s sim card. Along with this you will receive a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable which allows you to connect the Blackberry to the computer. You can also upload and download Microsoft compatible documents such as Word files or Excel spreadsheets.

Further Information

For more information on the tariffs and limitations of a Blackberry you should contact firstly your mobile telephone service provider and also visit Microsoft’s website where you can find information and software upgrades for a host of Blackberry compatible software products.