Blackberry question

[Greathands]

I've been using Blackberry for a while now and at this point have no desire to switch to another phone unless I'm forced to.

 

Here's the problem I've come up against and wonder if anyone has any suggestions/advice.

 

I've just switched jobs and my new laptop and computer (supplied by the employer) have Office 2010. I just found out that Blackberry Desktop Manager is not compatible with Office 2010, which greatly affects me since I use the calendar and contacts on my phone constantly.

 

Unfortunately, the laptop I had been using the last couple of years is no longer available to me as it belonged to my previous employer. It had Office 2007, which was compatible with Blackberry.

 

My own personal laptop is an older model (since my employers typically provide them), and has Office 2000, which is not fully compatible with Blackberry.

 

Therefore, I'm at a disadvantage starting the new job and not having access to my calendar and address book on my laptop.

 

I'm presuming (and hoping) that Blackberry/RIM will update the Desktop Manager to be compatible with Office 2010. The forums seems to indicate that it may not be anytime soon. I know there are probably other options out there ... but thought it may be quicker and more efficient to get advice here than to spend lots of time searching online for the correct answers.

 

Thanks for your thoughts!

[+ deej]

I think you should immediately contact your employer's IT department and ask them for their recommendations rather than asking on an anonymous message board.

 

It is possible that they may allow you to downgrade your laptop (and may even do it for you) to a previous version of Office. It is also possible that they may give you a new phone and disallow your older personal model.

 

If the data is going to reside on *their* notebook (and therefore, presumably, their network but that doesn't matter) then they own the data, and they're legally responsible for it. They get to say what's allowed. (Their lawyers will require them to say what's allowed or you shouldn't be working there!)

 

The path forward needs to start with your corporate IT department rather than by trying to create a skunkworks workaround.

[+ deej]

Oh wait, I realized you might be asking how to make your older personal laptop work with your Blackberry. You have two options:

 

* Upgrade the notebook

* Downgrade the phone

 

I'll tell you now that the list of phones that were compatible with Office 2000 is quite short. (Were there any?) You can buy a new TOTALLY usable notebook at Staples for $500. If that's where you're going, replace will be easier route.

[Greathands]

Thanks for your thoughts Deej ... but unfortunately not possible. I work for a very small organization ... four employees. And of them, I'm probably the one the rest will go to for IT questions, which is a sad commentary.

 

Other than the posters on here, I'll rely on finding what I can on the web.

 

(Just saw your second reply. My employer also provided me with a license to upgrade my personal laptop to Office 2010 ... so that is no help.)

 

I find it very hard to understand how Blackberry/RIM would let this happen. The Blackberry forums are full of people furious over this, many of which are choosing to switch from using their Blackberry.

[+ deej]

(Just saw your second reply. My employer also provided me with a license to upgrade my personal laptop to Office 2010 ... so that is no help.)

 

Don't throw away the baby with that bathwater. RIM is FAR more likely to provide Office 2010 compatibility than Office 2000 compatibility, so that upgrade may serve you well. Eventually.

 

I find it very hard to understand how Blackberry/RIM would let this happen. The Blackberry forums are full of people furious over this, many of which are choosing to switch from using their Blackberry.

 

They depended on Microsoft respecting their data. Big mistake. Microsoft does not consider their users' data to be of any value at all.

 

I'm sitting here trying to figure out what RIM might have missed in O2010 that didn't happen in O2007. O2007 is where the big file format changes happened. But yeah, Outlook got some work done in O2010 so anyone messing with contacts needed to stay on top of it.

[Guest ryan2552]

Also I suggest you check out the forums at crackberry.com .. its the number one blackberry site online. If there is a work around you will find it there.

[+ Lucky]

Blackberry Dingleberry

 

As long as the subject is Blackberry, am I wrong to conclude that the phone is falling behind? The Iphone appears to do more, and the new Droid phones also have many apps that I don't Blackberrys can handle.

I have learned to type with skill on my Blackberry and dread going to a touch screen where my fingers always seem to get the wrong letters, but I do like the idea of apps and gps on my phone.

[+ deej]

Well, RIM still has a commanding presence in the smart phone space so I'm not expecting them to go anywhere any time soon.

 

And be sure you check the Blackberry App World before writing off the idea of apps for your phone. (OK, maybe you'll need a newer one ... you don't say which one exactly.) Apple and Google will never admit this, but RIM actually pioneered the idea of apps written for smart phones.

 

Perhaps they don't have the ever-growing variety, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Do you really want "Vuvuzela 2010" on your phone?

 

http://www.dfapam.com/PICTURES/vuvuzela.jpg

 

The real question (which, unfortunately, too few people ask) is whether your phone does what you need it to do. Too many people get caught up in religious wars.

[Greathands]

As an update (for those who may care) ... RIM is providing an update for Blackberry Manager that will be compatible with Outlook 2010 32-bit next month.

 

The update for 64-bit will be available in 2011.

[+ deej]

Oh, ouch! (And I do appreciate the post!)

 

WTF are they doing? Compiling for 64 vs. 32 just isn't that big of a deal, unless of course they zigged when the should have zagged five years ago. A lot of products zigged when the should have zagged in the jump from 16 bit to 32 bit, and fell by the wayside.