Re: Crackberry and Linux.

Dylan Griffiths wrote:
> Hi. I recently bought a refurb Blackberry from TigerDirect ($109,
> 7100t, replaced a 3-year-old cellphone that didn't hold a charge
> anymore). While the page says it supports "bluetooth", it's actually
> quite limited since it doesn't support OBEX or any of the other standard
> BT profiles that are more interesting.

I've had that very phone from TigerDirect for just under a year now.
Love the phone, but yes, the bluetooth is basically headset only, which
works dandy for me.

> I've been able to successfully synchronize its contacts and calendar
> with my Mac, but I'd like to sync this with my desktop machine is well
> (if it works out, this could be an easy way to bridge the Mac PIM with
> Linux PIM software). Does anyone have any experience here?

I didn't have luck with linux side of syncing, though I'll have to
admit, I didn't dig nearly as hard I did when setting up other PDA's
under linux several years back when every new thing you tried required
compiling something. This time I actually had to get back to work, so
gave up too easily.

> Also, since it has no OBEX and has no memory card slot, placing
> files onto the phone probably requires some USB finangling. The Mac
> sync software will let me place applications onto the phone, but not
> arbitrary files. Does anyone have any experience with an SDK or other
> method to write a simple file dropper application? It sure beats using
> Rogers data plan :p

I don't use Roger's data plan either. The 7100t is great because it's my
PDA and my cell, but I don't use it for email. I can feed my email habit
sufficiently from a real computer.

RIM makes available a Java Development Environment, but sadly it's a
Windows thing. From the readme:
   The BlackBerry Java Development Environment (JDE) consists of a
   handheld simulator in the form of a Windows application, Fledge.exe.
   This program hosts the Java Virtual Machine (jvm.dll).
I thought the reason we were all going to adopt java was for platform
agnosticism. Alas, if you have access to a Windows system, there is a
convoluted way to manually move files onto the BB. Do a complete backup
of your 7100t. Then load a 7100t in the simulator, and "restore" the
real backup into the simulator. While in the simulator, fire up browsers
and other things, go to web sites, download what you want, then backup
the simulator. Then restore that backup to your real BB. I know it's
convoluted, but I had to try it as an experiment, and now I've got
pictures of my kids on it.

> Note: Tigerdirect's checkout page was loaded with popups and
> advertisements. Despite me taking the time to decheck anything that
> looked like a "send me spam" box, I started to receive email from
> "promo.tigerdirect.ca" which promptly went into a blacklist.
> Additionally, the shipping with UPS showed up 4 days later than the UPS
> tracking site said. It's the worst shopping experience I've had online.
>
> The cellphone came in a box marked $89.99; I wish I know a direct source
> for the phones that'd drop the $30 markup of Tigerdirect.

The 7100t has been sold by TigerDirect at 89.99, 99.99, 109.99, and
129.99 over the last few months. It just depends on which month you
noticed it. (I've been watching, because I've had several clients want
them.)

TigerDirect has some prices that beat NCIX (in their promo flyers, the
ones that you blacklisted), but I've also had 2 occasions where they
really screwed up with shipping, fixing, honesty. In the end I always
got my product, but it required more work / complaining / threats than
it should have.

> Compare with NCIX: I always choose the cheapest ground shipping, and I
> always seem to get it within 48 hours air shipped. They've bent over
> backwards to make me happy after they have made mistakes. I've never
> received an email from them w/o permission, nor have they ever plopped
> me into a page loaded with popups or advertisements!

Yup, same here.
Enjoy the 7100! If you buy a holster/case/thingy, get one with the
little embedded magnet so you can set up profiles for how it
rings/vibrates/etc depending on where it is.

        Les...

> --
> "Those who do not understand Unix are condemned to reinvent it, poorly."
> (Henry Spencer, 1987)
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Received on Sat Jan 27 18:53:08 2007