why is the csk better?

"Newguy" <none@msn.com> wrote in article

Question posed: which is better-- CSK or new color BB

Response
========
I used an older BB (957) for a couple of years, and I believe the new
models are similar in some (all?) of the respects outlined here. After
giving the CSK a thorough workout over the two week trial period back
in early June, I dropped the BB, and never looked back. Surprising to
me, because I thought nothing could ever beat the BB. Wrong! My
reasoning:

1-- Keyboard. While the BB was great, the CSK has proven much more
comfortable in terms of day to day use. The keys are intelligently
backlit, which means that BOTH the alphabet AND the symbols can be
EASILY seen at night. The keyboard is a bit larger than the BB's, and
apparently that slight difference is what spells huge dividends in
increased comfort. There's more room between the keys, and the keys
seem to be elevated a tad higher, which spells comfort. Plus, I can
add items to the "auto-text" feature, so that, for example, I type
youll, it will auto convert to you'll. Little things like that mean a
LOT in daily use, trust me!

2-- Screen. The CSK's is the ONLY screen I've encountered which is
EQUALLY viewable in both direct burning hot sunlight (U.S. East Coast)
and typical office locations. I discovered this by happenstance, while
sitting in a line at a drive-in fast food joint, in my convertible.
I've had PocketPCs and several Palms (currently, a Sony TG50)-- no way
no how were those screens (or the BB) actually viewable under direct
sunlight conditions. Frankly, this still blows my mind.

3-- Reply-To address. With the BB, I was tied into one reply-to
address. To change it, I had to call in to Earthlink (I had the
Internet Edition, as opposed to the Corporate Edition). Because of
that reality, I simply would not use the BB in some situations, i.e.,
when I did not want to divulge my primary/preferred email address.
That, in turn, caused a backlog of email. With the CSK, I get a
"tmail.com" address, and can also set up 2 additional addresses-- all
from the device itself. This makes it tons easier to protect myself
from potential spam, i.e., I use a 3rd address for product inquiries,
etc., thus protecting my main address. No more email backlog!

4-- Global WebSite Access. Dunno if this is true for the newer BB, but
the old one related solely to WAP-based websites. The CSK handles just
about all well, with one exception-- it's allergic to javascript
(Flash, java and other none-HTML stuff). Otherwise, I can fill out
forms, etc as if I were in front of my BigBoy laptop machine. Bonus:
the pages are reformatted by the danger servers, so there is no
left-right scrolling. As for speed, the CSK is comparable to, if not
better than, dial-up. The BB was tortuously slow, so much so that I
cancelled the website access long prior to switching to the CSK. (That
speed issue may be resolved with the newer BB.)

5-- Price. The BB has an all-you-can-eat data plan, for email, at
$40/month. Add $10 for browsing. T-Mobile has a flat $30/month
all-you-can-eat data-only plan, which includes browsing, email, and
AIM messaging. Although I prefer Verizon for phone purposes, I have
the freedom to make TMobile calls on the CSK at 20 cents/minute. A
combined plan-- voice and data-- starts at around $40.

6-- Unanticipated Extras. Manufacturer Danger has set up a
"hiptop.com" forum, allowing you to blog directly from your device
(email address is NOT visible on the pages, so no worry there). I also
like the fact that the CSK syncs wirelessly with a secure site,
provided jointly by T-Mobile and Danger. Finally, the CSK is upgraded
via "OTAs"-- Over The Air transmissions. I've experienced one thus
far. A message appears alerting you to the OTA, and then it's done. No
fuss no mess. Note: some complain about this because that OTA removed
a game, as T-Mobile's license to include it had expired. Personally, I
found the game to be a waste of space, so I didn't care.

7-- Email attachments. Out of the box, the CSK allows you to view
text-based pdf, and doc, images, and a few other types of files. With
the BB, I needed an add-on, which meant extra $$.

Now, on the flip side, re BB benefits:
1-- All transmissions are automatically encrypted. To my knowledge,
this is not the case with the CSK.
2-- Size. It was easy to find a case for the BB if dissatisfied with
the one in the box. In a word, it's got a sleek profile, thin and not
obtrusive. The CSK is bulge city. Pants with wide pockets will work,
but standard skin-tight gear will not. A few cases are now becoming
available. FWIW, generic "large" cell phone cases work nicely.

Bottom-line: Amazon now has the CSK for under $200, rather than the
list $300. The special price assumes you will activate it at time of
purchase. I don't know what their return policy is, but if you buy
direct from T-Mobile, a 14-day no-Qs-asked policy kicks in. Worth your
time/$$ to investigate? You better believe it!!

Hope this helps.
---
BBRenegade