BlackBerry In Dubai

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BlackBerry in Dubai Nov 29, 2006
I need to do some quick research and since I’m inherently lazy I thought I’d come to you guys for help ;)

Anybody use one in Dubai? Can you offer feedback? How are costs? Service? Can individuals use it or just corporations? Do you use push mail on other devices, iMate, Nokia E61, etc? how do you find it?

Thank you in advance for your input.

fayz
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Nov 29, 2006
its awesome...
very elegant.....easy to use....
excellent customer service

lol..dude..i'm kiddin...
i've never seen it :S
haha
sry
hack88
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Re: BlackBerry in Dubai Nov 29, 2006
fayz wrote:I need to do some quick research and since I’m inherently lazy I thought I’d come to you guys for help ;)

Anybody use one in Dubai? Can you offer feedback? How are costs? Service? Can individuals use it or just corporations? Do you use push mail on other devices, iMate, Nokia E61, etc? how do you find it?

Thank you in advance for your input.


Seen a couple of them, but they were with visitors, they reckon that they are addictive, don't know how true that is.
sage & onion
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Nov 29, 2006
The thought of having email tailing me wherever I go, and people expecting a response immediately because I have one.... eeeeww.

Anyway, I have the details of the Marketing Manager for Blackberry in the UAE. PM me Fayz if you want her details.
^ian^
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Nov 29, 2006
^ian^ wrote:The thought of having email tailing me wherever I go, and people expecting a response immediately because I have one.... eeeeww.

Anyway, I have the details of the Marketing Manager for Blackberry in the UAE. PM me Fayz if you want her details.


Thats what I saw, what seemed like panic reaction in trying to answer incoming e-mails immediately.
sage & onion
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Nov 29, 2006
Thanks Ian, you rock.

Sadly I’m already obligated to answer emails immediately so this will just give me the mobility to answer them while filling a bottle of Masafi.
fayz
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Nov 29, 2006
PS, i'm still looking for info on people that use push mail on other devices as well, should you wish to post your experiences :)
fayz
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Nov 29, 2006
o darling I am going to start using one to give you some input. Just wait for few months :lol:
easternjewel
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Nov 29, 2006
What the friggin heck is Blackberry? Is it something like the frogs wear on their heads? :lol: :lol:
yorky500
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Nov 29, 2006
yorky500 wrote:What the friggin heck is Blackberry? Is it something like the frogs wear on their heads? :lol: :lol:


Now that is some signature, awsome :lol:
sage & onion
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Nov 29, 2006
Yeah, I like it too. well funny. :lol:
yorky500
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Nov 29, 2006
yorky500 wrote:Yeah, I like it too. well funny. :lol:


I would love to see how far the chase goes :lol:
sage & onion
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Nov 29, 2006
I would imagine the old rooster caught up to him and gave him a good old peck on his a$$ for his troubles. :lol:
yorky500
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Nov 29, 2006
yorky500 wrote:I would imagine the old rooster caught up to him and gave him a good old peck on his a$$ for his troubles. :lol:


:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
sage & onion
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Nov 29, 2006
fayz wrote:Thanks Ian, you rock.

Sadly I’m already obligated to answer emails immediately so this will just give me the mobility to answer them while filling a bottle of Masafi.


It's nick name is "Crackberry".
Concord
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Nov 29, 2006
Yup, I have one. You can get them on Etisalat. There is a monthly unlimited data charge of about 200dhs I think, plus your calls which are limited to 500dhs.

They're pretty good. Emails pop up all the time but I only read the first line and decide when I'll answer it. It's most useful for sending emails to mates when stuck in a taxi or something.

The other big advantage is it has a proper internet browser including pictures. Can make some chat forums quite a long page, but is handy again to browse around when bored.

As for linking with other mail, not looked in to it as my company set it all up for me when I got here.
scot1870
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Nov 29, 2006
Should i get one of this myself too habibi?

or shall i just make you the juice later? :roll:
isabela
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Nov 29, 2006
I use Push email on a Pocket PC based phone and usually push email on PPC sucks the battery life of the PDA. This is a huge advantage that blackberry has over PPC phones, when i used to have one back in the day it used to go on for days without needing to be charged. However the amount of applications available for PPC beats blackberry anyday.

scot you said you are limited to 500 dhs of calls each month ? Thats it ? So you cant go over ?
MaaaD
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Nov 29, 2006
Seems to be stuck at 500Dhs which I thought was stupid given they're surely aimed at businesspeople. I even looked on the Etisalat site and it said that was the limit so it's not just some stupid company deal.

Apparently you can add credit up at the World Trade Centre if you get close to your limit (they send you a text with 50Dhs left), but I've never bothered and so ended up getting a pay as you go sim for calls at the end of the month and just using my blackberry for email, internet and messages (it's free to message between blackberries).
scot1870
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Nov 29, 2006
Etisalat never brings out a solution without adding some stupidity into it .. what retards.

thanks for the quick reply.
MaaaD
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Nov 29, 2006
Actually, I tell a lie. :oops: Just asked some guys in the office and it is set by the company and Etisalat together. Not sure who had the most sway in deciding the 500 limit but can't think of many reasons why we'd need to have our limit so low.
scot1870
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Nov 29, 2006
thank you guys, i really appreciate the input.

I use a pocket pc now and receive emails (not push but connecting to the server every X-mins) and agree this reduces my batter to 1 third.

I use to use a crackberry about 6 years ago, it was impressive even back in the day. I'm just trying to get a feel for costs and service structure here in Dubai as I don't personally know anyone that uses them here.
fayz
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Nov 29, 2006
the new one.. crackberry pearl .. it looks awsome.. btw y not some other pda's ?
St.Lucifer
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Nov 29, 2006
Fayz,

Husband just got his 2nd one. Has had one in US for the last 3 years (which he put to very good use), and has replaced it with second one. I don't think he could live without it. It is fantastic for him, saves him bunches of time, is totally 100% next to it at all times as he has to be.

Of course I threaten to throw it out the window because he does have it by his side 24/7, but I do know that with his travels, etc., it makes his life much better. The company pays for it, so I have no clue how much it costs per month.

And Concord is right, nickname is "Crackberry"!
dubai girl
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Nov 29, 2006
I had one in my previous job and when coming to Dubai I was happy getting rid of it, but SURPRISE: 2 weeks before I moved here Etisalat started and I got the Crackberry from the company before my work visa.

When being outside of the office (70% of the time) I couldn't work without it anymore, and answer 20 e-mails per cab-ride; but it's a pain to have in the evenings and weekends as the temptation to quickly check is too big. I turn the data services off now on the weekends, so it's just a phone.

My company has an internal Bberry server in the US, so we only pay for the data services. I'm not sure how much it costs inside the UAE, but we do have a flat fee of 300 AED per month for data roaming when traveling and that's a great deal for us.

PM me and I can hook you up with our IT guy who knows all the costs inside out.
apl
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Nov 29, 2006
If the monthly cost is anywhere near Dhs 300, I don't expect it to be a consumer hit, except of course with business people and image-conscious dorks who carry their mobile/PDA in their hand.
gtmash
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Nov 29, 2006
I have been using them for about 2 years now and work wise its handy, but I do end up answering emails whilst i should be relaxing and not thinking about work - my missus hates the thing as every 30 minutes i am thumbing the wheel or typing out replies.

Another handy aspect, is having my entire email archive on hand - I am a techie so this is invaluble when i need a memory prompt on an issue that occured last year.

The one I have at the moment is under contract with Vodafone UK supplied by my company, but i will soon have to move over to estilaits version.

Its a 3g model i have, so in the UK i used it as a modem - this was awesome, dsl speed whilst sitting on a train!
jabbajabba
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Nov 30, 2006
Hey everyone,

I'm actually going out to Dubai, and will be working on the BlackBerry service out there. I worked for RIM for almost 6 years.

BlackBerry is not for everyone, but it is if you..

1: Need emails on the fly
2: Time management is a major issue for you
3: Don't like to be tied down to your desk.

The most heavy BlackBerry users are addicted because BlackBerry helps manage their schedules and contacts. The UI is intuitive, the speed at which you get your emails tends to be ridiculously fast, and any bit of information you would ever want to keep (Address books, appointments, emails) can all be done on one device.

Web browsing is cheaper through BlackBerry as opposed to regular GPRS/3G services, instant messaging is available depending on where you're located (GTalk, MSN, Yahoo!, AIM).

...and finally, just because you get an email right away doesn't mean you have to answer it right away. In the end, it's up to you to make sure you manage your BlackBerry... not the other way around.

Hope that helps!
djl
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Nov 30, 2006
djl you coming to work for EMS ?
MaaaD
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Dec 01, 2006
they are brill Fayz

get one NOW

:wink:
arniegang
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