FireFlyYFD
Forum Ride Along
- 8
- 0
- 0
l'm a medic out in CT looking into getting a blackberry possibly. I've got the nexel/sprint network. looking to see what other folks have and recommend.
Blackberry?
- Thread starter FireFlyYFD
- Start date
emt19723
Forum Lieutenant
- 123
- 0
- 0
heres your first friendly piece of advice.....get rid of Sprint/Nextel! especially if their service is as bad up there as it is down here.
- 5,523
- 404
- 83
Everyone I know that has a BlackBerry also uses Verizon. I know quite a few people with Smart/PDA phones with Sprint who really like them. The Motorola Q looks cool.
MrRevesz
Forum Crew Member
- 37
- 0
- 0
I had Sprint while in Vermont and used the Palm Centro and 755p, along with the Blackberry Pearl. If you're going the route of a Blackberry, go for the Curve. I currently have it on ATT down in Jersey and I love it.
AbsoluteZzZero
Forum Crew Member
- 36
- 0
- 0
Switch to ATT and get an iPhone. Thats my number one choice - I LOVE mine!
Second choice would have to be a blackberry. My mom had one and she liked it. Its got a pretty decent operating system. Although, she just got an iPhone too and she says its a lot better than the blackberry.
Whatever you do, DO NOT get anything with windows mobile on it. I had a phone with it and HATED it. Everything about its OS layout makes no sence whatsoever.
... just my two cents..
Second choice would have to be a blackberry. My mom had one and she liked it. Its got a pretty decent operating system. Although, she just got an iPhone too and she says its a lot better than the blackberry.
Whatever you do, DO NOT get anything with windows mobile on it. I had a phone with it and HATED it. Everything about its OS layout makes no sence whatsoever.
... just my two cents..
JJR512
Forum Deputy Chief
- 1,336
- 4
- 36
Here's what I consider to be the best advice you'll get:
Go to different mobile phone stores and look at and play around with different makes and models. Try to do everything you plan on using it for. Get the sales person to show you the tutorials that most PDA phones come with to get a feel for how the device wants you to use it.
I could just tell you that I loved the Windows Mobile OS and hated the BlackBerry OS, that the iPhone OS is pretty good or that I didn't much like the Palm OS. But what I and anybody else do or don't like won't matter much if you get a particular device and find you just can't stand it. I got a BlackBerry Curve and I really wanted to like it. I tried so hard to like it that after the first time I returned it, I actually bought it again, and I still wound up returning it.
Same deal goes for the networks. Here you'll need to really on people you know who live and work in the same areas where you'll be using the phone to tell you how well the network works in that area.
Over the years, I have used Sprint or AT&T each a few different times. My wife has used Verizon for a long time. Each has specific locations where it doesn't work well, but some other network gets a pretty good signal in the same spot.
For the record, I now have the new iPhone 3G. For the first few weeks after I got it, I could barely get a low-speed signal where I live; suddenly, one day (and ever since) I've been getting a decent high-speed signal reliably. I do not seem to get as good a signal inside in general as my regular partner at work, which is most noticeable the deeper we go into a hospital. I think he has T-Mobile.
Go to different mobile phone stores and look at and play around with different makes and models. Try to do everything you plan on using it for. Get the sales person to show you the tutorials that most PDA phones come with to get a feel for how the device wants you to use it.
I could just tell you that I loved the Windows Mobile OS and hated the BlackBerry OS, that the iPhone OS is pretty good or that I didn't much like the Palm OS. But what I and anybody else do or don't like won't matter much if you get a particular device and find you just can't stand it. I got a BlackBerry Curve and I really wanted to like it. I tried so hard to like it that after the first time I returned it, I actually bought it again, and I still wound up returning it.
Same deal goes for the networks. Here you'll need to really on people you know who live and work in the same areas where you'll be using the phone to tell you how well the network works in that area.
Over the years, I have used Sprint or AT&T each a few different times. My wife has used Verizon for a long time. Each has specific locations where it doesn't work well, but some other network gets a pretty good signal in the same spot.
For the record, I now have the new iPhone 3G. For the first few weeks after I got it, I could barely get a low-speed signal where I live; suddenly, one day (and ever since) I've been getting a decent high-speed signal reliably. I do not seem to get as good a signal inside in general as my regular partner at work, which is most noticeable the deeper we go into a hospital. I think he has T-Mobile.
GonnaBeEMT
Forum Crew Member
- 64
- 0
- 0
I say get a palm...... lots more medical applications availible.
CFRBryan347768
Forum Captain
- 491
- 1
- 0
I have the motorola Q. AND LOVEEEEEEEEEEE IT!!
FireFlyYFD
Forum Ride Along
- 8
- 0
- 0
Thanks for the quick imput folks. I've used verizon and nextel/sprint both. Verizon I dropped, to many different fees. Also couldnt use it with my dcompany paging system. I have to say I've had real good luck with nextel. No real issues with service up in our area. has anyone used the blackberry 7100i?
- 8,009
- 58
- 48
I have a BlackJack. I like it. The BlackJack II seems to have some pluses and minuses from the original... but it still looks good.
I had nextel for years... then I switched to Cingular/AT&T. I love it, and can't imagine going back.
I had nextel for years... then I switched to Cingular/AT&T. I love it, and can't imagine going back.
BossyCow
Forum Deputy Chief
- 2,910
- 7
- 0
It depends on your area. Different companies have better coverage than others in certain areas. Around here either Verizon or AT&T do well. Nextel and Sprint are just awful, no coverage in some of our more remote locations.
kayrules5340
Forum Probie
- 27
- 0
- 1
I'm also from CT, and my dad has a blackberry for his work. His company uses the Sprint network, and it is awful. He gets almost no service inside buildings, and especially when in the car it doesn't get service. Our cell phones are Verizon and that works great everywhere, so I would suggest switching to a different network to get the most out of the blackberry. Hope this helps!
medic258
Forum Crew Member
- 73
- 0
- 0
I have the 7100 through work. It is horrible. It drops calls constantly. The messaging is intermittent at best. I went to home depot the other day. When I got out I had 31 text messages spanning a 10 hour period that I never got. I am frequently in NE Connecticut and it does not work well there either.
If it wasn't paid for by my part time job I would ditch it.
If it wasn't paid for by my part time job I would ditch it.
FireFlyYFD
Forum Ride Along
- 8
- 0
- 0
What do you guys think of the palm?
EMTDON970
Forum Crew Member
- 33
- 0
- 0
My partner has had one for 3 weeks, he still cant figure parts of it out..
Arkymedic
Forum Captain
- 324
- 0
- 0
same here. The centreo is hard as hell to figure out.
PorterTwpMedic71
Forum Ride Along
- 3
- 0
- 0
blackberry curve 8310
I have a blackberry 8310. I love this phone and everthing I can do with it. I have AT&T and the service is kinda spotty but otherwise ok. Im looking for some good EMS related applications for it tho. does anyone out there know of any good one's that are either free or kinda cheap?
I have a blackberry 8310. I love this phone and everthing I can do with it. I have AT&T and the service is kinda spotty but otherwise ok. Im looking for some good EMS related applications for it tho. does anyone out there know of any good one's that are either free or kinda cheap?
reaper
Working Bum
- 2,817
- 75
- 48
Epocrates Rx, It's free and a great product. It has one designed for BB.
Just as a side note, if this thread is in regards to a tool you'll be relying on in EMS, don't. The worst thing you can do (and I've seen it happen often) is become reliant on an electronic device.
I've had medics that couldn't even convert pounds to kilograms without messing with their blackberry. They'd walk into national registry with that thing, and the minute they were told they couldn't use it, their face turned white and they were frozen, completely useless.
I've had medics that couldn't even convert pounds to kilograms without messing with their blackberry. They'd walk into national registry with that thing, and the minute they were told they couldn't use it, their face turned white and they were frozen, completely useless.
reaper
Working Bum
- 2,817
- 75
- 48
No one should be reliant on it. But they are good to have. I would much rather have a medic have the tools to look up a med dosage they don't know, then risk them guessing and give the wrong dose of something!
I use mine mainly for looking up a Pt's med, that I may not know what it is used for. It is the same as carrying a pocket guide. Any medic that does not have a backup, is not prepared. No one can know every drug on the market, so it is smart to have something you can use to look it up.
If a medic can't do simple conversions, then they should not have a license!
I use mine mainly for looking up a Pt's med, that I may not know what it is used for. It is the same as carrying a pocket guide. Any medic that does not have a backup, is not prepared. No one can know every drug on the market, so it is smart to have something you can use to look it up.
If a medic can't do simple conversions, then they should not have a license!