Do you really need a Black Berry ?

There are two prominent trends being followed in the cellphone world today. The first one being, a majority of the youth desire a touchscreen phone. While the second trend - and the reason for writing this article - is that working professionals want to own BlackBerry phones. 

No doubt these phones are good and the service they offer could be put to good use. However, I find people buying BlackBerrys without really knowing what they are meant for. In the spirit of buying something flaunt worthy, they may not realize the recurring expenses they'll pay month on month. 

They may not really require their services at all. What services are these? Read on to find out. 

BlackBerry is a Canadian cellphone maker popular for its pro-messaging QWERTY keyboard devices. Other than creating phones that are generally good for heavy-duty typing, their USP is the push-mail service. Simply put, push mail is like receiving e-mail on your phone as soon as it's sent to you - like the way you receive an SMS on our phone as soon as somebody sends it to you. Thus, there's no need for your mail client to keep "checking new mail" at regular intervals.  

You initially configure your e-mail address with a BlackBerry. Whenever the inbox receives a mail, the BlackBerry servers intercept it and sends it to the user's cellphone operator (i.e. a Vodafone or Idea), which in turn "pushes" the mail to your BlackBerry phone. But before doing so, it encrypts the data before pushing it from its server. Thus, it wouldn't be easy to tap into your e-mails, which is reassuring for people receiving confidential data. Along with mail, the BlackBerry server also syncs other data like contacts and calendar entries. 

Now for the cost

To receive this service you have to pay a monthly fee. When BlackBerry was initially introduced in India, they had only one BlackBerry Internet plan with a rental close to Rs. 1000. For thousand bucks per month you'd get unlimited push-email and mobile internet browsing. This is mainly why BlackBerry phones was initially seen only in the hands of high-ranking suits; not everybody could spend 1000 bucks per month just to get internet on their phones, apart from their monthly bill.  

To attract a larger audience, every operator recently launched a cheaper plan. In this plan, users would be roughly charged Rs. 300 per month. But the catch is that you only get unlimited push e-mail and Instant Messaging usage. Internet browsing is either restricted or charged per KB of usage. Then there's an intermediate plan pegged at Rs. 500. Here you get 500 KB of free usage per month. Digging through the rate cards of operators, you'll see that some charge as high as 15 paise per KB after the initial 500 KB of usage is exhausted.  

Here's a comparative sheet giving you the dope on Blackberry plans provided by all cell operators in India. Click on the thumb-nail for a full-size image.

Absurd, isn't it? 

Absolutely!

That would be any wise man's first reaction when he or she goes through the schemes being offered. Let's start with the cheapest plan they have to offer. The restricted browsing is just stupid in my opinion. It is quite irritating when realize that you have an internet-ready phone, but can't use it when in need. With restricted internet browsing on the cheapest Rs. 300 plan, you can say goodbye to checking Facebook updates, using Google Maps or downloading applications for BlackBerry phones - apart from of course, browsing websites!  

In the intermediate 500 rupee plan given by some operators, you get 500 KB of free usage. You've got to be kidding me. I initially thought the 500 KB was a mistype; thought it'd actually be 500 MB or something. But then many operators who have the same plan show the same figure of 500 KB. Techtree.com on an average takes about 150 KB to load. So, you'd have exhausted your MONTHLY usage quota by just opening a couple of websites! 

What's more ridiculous is the 15 paise per KB charge that some operators levy once you cross the limit. That's Rs. 150 per MB! Even if you're a moderate user, using the internet on your phone is going to consume a couple of MBs easily. Either something is horribly wrong, or they are trying to milk consumers dry! 

At the higher end of the price bar, we have the totally unlimited plan starting at Rs. 900 per month. Here you get unlimited everything -- push mail, Instant messaging and internet. This is good for people who are constantly connected over the phone and are willing to pay that price - or have their company pay for it. 

In comparison, standard GPRS mobile internet for regular cell-phones is as low as 99 rupees for 2GB from some operators these days. Many operators have different plans -- but I'm sure none of them are as absurd for surfing the net as Blackberry's. 

So What's the alternative?


It's unfortunate that phones as good as the BlackBerry Curve or the Bold series are bundled with some of the crappy plans mentioned above. The BlackBerry OS interface, their iconic trackball (currently being replaced by the equally good optical trackpad), and well-designed QWERTY keyboards are quite tempting. But these phones will make sense only to some people.

If you were looking for a QWERTY phone and coveted a BlackBerry, but after reading this information are reconsidering your decision to get one, here are some other alternatives. 

A point to note: The phones mentioned below support some form of push e-mail, but they don't guarantee any encryption before the mail's pushed to your phone -- something that Blackberry has been offering since day one. 



Under Rs. 10,000

INQ Chat 3G or Nokia E63 
This is a non-smartphone but quite the socializer. It supports only Java based apps, but has some good ones pre-installed -- for e.g. Facebook and Twitter. The interface is easy to use and the QWERTY keyboard is workable. It has push notification feature for Gmail, where it announces the arrival of a new mail in your Gmail account instantly. Other than a decent quality 3.2 MP autofocus camera, it's also got GPS! 

It supports 3G (HSDPA at 3.6 Mbps), 

so when we finally get 3G in India, you'll be well equipped. The Nokia E63 will trump this model with its Symbian smartphone OS, 3.5mm earphone jack, Wi-Fi, and a higher-capacity battery. Most of the newer Nokia phones support Nokia Messaging. This is a complimentary service by Nokia by which you can push your mail to your phone; like BlackBerry. 

The E63 will be roughly a grand more than the INQ Chat 3G. Take your pick according to your preference.  

Under Rs. 20,000

Nokia E71 or the Nokia E72. I don't need to reiterate about these two phones now, do I? 

Google em out if you need to (i.e. if you've been living in a cave for the last few years). 

Final Word 

I'm  not saying that BlackBerry phones are bad. Advanced users may have applications for it that are far beyond push-mail. But you've got to realize what kind of a user you are. For example: You want a QWERTY phone to send/receive e-mails and chat on Gtalk, Yahoo or MSN, and are absolutely not interested in browsing the web or any other internet-related activity. In this case a BlackBerry phone with the basic Rs. 300 plan could suffice.

For all other potential users, please study your operators monthly plans carefully before you go to the store and buy one.

If they don't fit the bill, you'll need to ask yourself:

Do I really want a BlackBerry?