I spent a few minutes today setting up my first Blackberry… this after writing several articles about the way that the device is being abused by working professionals around the world.
It’s barely been a day, but I am coming to understand its addictive nature, and why people seem so engrossed by them, especially to those who are non-users.
#1: the screen and keyboards are very, very small compared to the usual freedom I have using a laptop with one or two screens and keyboards. It feels as if I’m threading a needle every time I pick it up, and my bifocals are finally getting the workout they deserve as I quint, furrow my brow and tune everything out in order to hit small key, teensy radio buttons with a slippery feeling trackball.
#2: as a practitioner of the Zero Inbox, push email drives me crazy. To the new user, this is crazy. My device, a not-so-new Curve 8320, does not allow me to turn off email. I must either disable every communication app off (the browser, email and even the phone) or keep them all on. This is awfully distracting, as it’s very hard to work with a single email while others are pouring in at the same time. Isn’t there an app for that?
All in all, I appreciate the convenience of mobile email, but so far it’s not a game-changer in productivity terms. Maybe I need to find the games that have fast become the most popular items used… but where are they?