bluetooth

A few weeks ago I picked up a BlackBerry 8800 from a friend who’d ended up with a surplus of them after a few lucky auctions on eBay. I’d traveled back to Michigan for a wedding and, after having the chance to try out his for a bit, I couldn’t resist the chance to pick one up without sinking myself into a new contract.

So far, I love it. Its everything I loved about my old BlackBerry 8700, plus everything I wished the 8700 could have been. Its thinner, sexier, and just simply a more complete solution than the BlackBerries that have come before it. Many of the improvements could be viewed as simple incremental improvements. But taken as a whole, the upgrades make it feel like a whole new device.

• The new form factor is a huge step up over the previous BlackBerries. It may only be a quarter inch thinner than the 8700, but it might as well be paper thin. It fits much better in a pocket now, and with its new shiny black case, many people don’t realize that it’s a BlackBerry until they ask. It no longer looks like just a business device… it actually does look and feel like a real “smartphone”.
• I’ve actually come to like the trackball. At first it was strange, but within a half hour I was quite proficient with it. Its not as “clicky” as the old scroll wheel was, but it makes it much easier to browse webpages and it is now finally easy to edit what you’ve already entered into an email without arcane key + scroll wheel combinations.
• Numerous small software upgrades have improved the overall feel and usability of the system. I love the “Today” screen, and I use it constantly. They’ve made it easier to navigate between the contacts screen and the call log screen, so its easier to jump between calls and their associated contacts. They’ve also added a great media player.
• Bluetooth modem profile!! So freaking cool! The 8800 now advertises itself over bluetooth as a dial-up modem, and its now super-easy to set up with your laptop for wireless Internet access. I’ve been using it all the time with my MacBook Pro, in airports, meetings, whatever, its always available.
• The GPS is simply too cool. Unfortunately Google Maps is too slow to actually keep up with you while you’re driving, but it’s excellent for getting your bearings on foot in an unfamiliar city (like Boston) or for getting driving directions. And it’s an excellent conversation piece. I’m still looking forward to trying out TeleNav, but I haven’t been able to get a trial key.
• The Micro SD expandability is pretty cool, although I haven’t been able to figure out how exactly I’m going to use up 2GB of storage on my BlackBerry. MP3s and videos on your smartphone are pretty fun, but they’re really nothing more than a gimmick.

Great device. I’m very happy with my purchase.

Yes, some geeks do actually have active outdoor lifestyles.

This past summer I snagged a Burton RED helmet off of Steep and Cheap for the low low price of $70. That was the beginning.

I’ve recently realized that I may be the geekiest guy on the ski slopes. And thats hard here in Washington:

• Burton RED Tantrum Audex Helmet. Primarily to protect my precious noggin. Its got all the standard helmet features like fleecy ear covers and goggle-gap seals. But the real benefit comes from the Motorola Audex Bluetooth headphones, which I’ll explain later.
• Apple iPod Photo, 60 gig. She’s starting to show her age, but I don’t really see the need for a new iPod yet.
• T-Mobile BlackBerry 8700g phone. Yes, its just your standard BlackBerry, but recently they’ve started putting in towers near the ski resorts here in Washington, so I can finally get reception. Not only can I get reception, but I can get EDGE wireless broadband access from the ski lift…
• Jabra A125s iPod Bluetooth Module. This is very cool. It supports the both the Bluetooth audio/control protocols for my iPod as well as the headset profile for my BlackBerry. And it has its own battery so it doesn’t drain my iPod battery.
• CamelBak Scorpion hydration pack. I got a great deal on it on Steap and Cheap. Its a great bag for skiing, with padded pockets for my gadgets and enough room for lunch and other goodies. And its got a 70oz water bladder that’s specially insulated to keep it from freezing in the dead of winter. All in a package compact enough that you don’t have to take it off to sit on the lift.

The real fun happens when you hook it all together. So the Audex headphones on the helmet support both the AVRCP/A2DP Bluetooth headphone profiles and the standard headset profile. So I can connect them simultaneously to both my BlackBerry and my iPod.

The Jabra Bluetooth module streams music wirelessly from my iPod to the headphones (which are open so I can still clearly hear things going on around me). The earpieces themselves have big mitten-friendly buttons also big rubber rings on the outside that act like big knobs. So you twist the left earphone to turn the volume up and down and the right headphone to change the track forward and back. Very cool.

And then when a call comes in on my BlackBerry, the headphones automatically pause my iPod. When I answer the call (using another big, mitten-friendly button), they act as a cell phone headset, allowing me to talk without taking my phone out of my bag.

Do I really need all these gadgets? No, not really. But its convenient and fun :)