Expert: Roberto Serrano - 3/10/2008

Question
I am looking to purchase a new smart phone/blackberry.  The 2 different options I've narrowed down to are: the Blackberry Pearl and the Palm Treo 755.  Could you please advise me to the best of your knowledge, the better of the two, based on softward capabilities, the ability to organized information (data) on each.  I want to make a wise decision and the reviews from the sales people at verizon and online seem to be indifferent, and I am seeking some advice from an expert opinion.

Answer
Hello Sania,

When it comes to the decision you will be making concerning the two phones it would pretty much depend on what type of software you use on your home or work computer to keep yourself organized. If you strictly depend on e-mail for work then I would definately recommend the Blackberry Pearl to you it has push e-mail where as soon as you would get a e-mail at your home or work in less than a few minutes you would get it automatically forwarded to your device. This device also gives you the option to view Microsoft Office program attachments such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint & Pdf files the only downside to that is that you cannot edit these files. The device has a 1.3 megapixel camera with a flash if you are in realty or insurance claims I would definately recommend this phone to you. As far as organization goes on this phone its really not up to par with some other devices that open and edit Microsoft Office software such as Excel, PowerPoint, Word Documents and other Miscellaneous files like Pdf Acrobat Files. When it comes to the Palm 755 you will have the capabilities to open and edit your files for work especially if your on the go and forgot to finish up a small project before you left work this phone will let you create documents and spreadsheets so you can finish your project and you can also e-mail on the phone the e-mail is delayed according to the settings you put on the phone it can check your e-mail to see if you have any updates every 15 30 45 1 hour or you can manually check to see when you have received e-mail. In my opinion as far as organization goes the Palm is simply the way to go. Both devices offer you software with your phone that will make it easy for you to import your Microsoft Outlook settings and e-mail contacts. Another decision you need to make is wether you have small hands and would really like a smaller device or if you have a bigger hands and are comfortable with a bigger device. Also style and color seems to be a factor with alot of people. So to recap if you need to keep appointments depend heavily on e-mail the Blackberry is the device to go it is also a quad band phone which will work all over the world, of course you will be charged extra fees for roaming outside of the United States but you have that capability at your hands. Also another good option to consider for the Blackberry Pearl is the fact that you have the option to have GPS on the device. If you want a device to open edit and your Microsoft Office documents then I would definately consider the Palm phone. The Palm based phone does include a stylus which at times will make your phone more delicate to touch and the screen is more sensative however I have had complaints about the reception in my experience with its older models fewer complaints about its newer models. When it comes to the Blackberry device in my honest opinion I have never had any complains when it comes to its reception and its battery life is also very excellent. After reviewing both products I would recommend the Blackberry device to you. However I am pretty sure that they offer an exchange period of about 30 days or 14 days for you to test out the model incase you are not content with it. Also please feel free to view the live models in store they are there for your viewing and using decisions. I hope that I have been of help to you and I hope that any future questions you may have you will come back to ask further questions. Thank you once again for your question.