I’ve bought several laptops over the years, and we all know the many factors that go into our purchase decision.  RAM, CPU, HDD…etc, etc..  However, next time I go there will be a new (for me at least) factor in my head…durability.

I’ve never thought about durability when buying a lapt…anything.  However, I just had quite the experience this morning that made me rethink that.  I was in quite the hurry as I was walking out the door and didn’t bother to pack my Acer up in a tracel case, I took it bare and put it in the front passenger seat of the car.  I get to the first stop sign, hit the brakes, and wouldn’t know…Acer’s can fly.  It flew off the seat forward on the floor.

My heart immedietely stopped right there.  I was to present something off the the notebook…so as I was driving (a phrase that should be never said) I picked up, put on the seat and opened it up.  When I turned it on I could’ve swore I saw a crack in the LCD.

I absolutely hated myself.  I kept going taking each breath in fear.  However when I got there…everything was fine.  No damage whatsoever.  You can’t imagine the feeling of relief.  As lucky as I was, there is no doubt I’m going to be more careful.

Score one for Acer, :).

I use calendars and task lists to run my life.  Now a days, many events get added to my calendar automatically, thanks to GMail recognizing event invitations and adding them to Google Calendar, then Google Calendars syncs with my Blackberry…then my Blackberry syncs with Outlook…and pretty soon I should know what I’m doing no matter where I am.

Calendars and task lists make every aspect of life easier, no doubt.  One thing I’ve always hated doing however, is adding my favorite television shows to my calendar manually.  Yes, you can add them once and just set a repeat…but many times I have no idea what weeks new episodes won’t air, or when the season will end…it’s a pain.

It’d be great if television networks had a decent calendar that integrated with Google Calendar, or Outlook.  That way, you can pick what shows you want to track, and have them automatically added to you calendar.

It’s been a few months now that I’ve gotten my Blackberry 8820.  I just thought I’d share what I’ve done with it so far.

First off, it’s a solid phone.  This is my first Blackberry coming off a long line of Windows Mobile phones.  I don’t understand why I never picked up a Blackberry before.  In my opinion, the BB OS is far more intuitive than any other, save the iPhone.  The Wi-Fi capabilities make this absolutely amazing for quick email checks around the house.  It’s not 3G capable, so I’ve had to deal with the EDGE network (ATT) on the road.  No big complains there though, browsing the net is alright over EDGE.

The first thing that I had to make sure I was comfortable with, was email.  I’ve got to say, it was a breeze setting it.  I was able to use my GMail account straight from my Blackberry right out of the box.  Although, there is a GMail app offered by Google that gives some more GMail features.  However, as far as basic email is concered…it worked great.

Secondly, the calendar is decent as well.  Although, it doesn’t really have an edge over other calendars, it gets the job done.  Google Sync works with the Blackberry as well, meaning I can Sync my Google Calendar with my BB both ways, which makes things super easy.

Everything else on the phone is great.  Messaging interface, call logs (massive :)), address book…it was all there.  Everything I needed.  However, the biggest plus with this Blackberry is the battery life.  No joke, I went on casual use, including internet usage, talk time, messaging, etc, etc…for 3 days before I forced myself to charge it.  Otherwise, it probablly would’ve gone for another day for sure.

Beyond the box, I have installed some aftermarket stuff.  I haven’t spent a single dime on anything…yet, and am happy with it.  Here are the applications I’ve installed so far…and kepy;

Google Maps - The built-in GPS is absolutely amazing, its accrucy is mindblowing.  Google Maps gives great directions, and is also useful in just searches places; hotels, restaurants, etc…

Viigo - If Viigo did for a desktop, what they’ve done for the phone…it’d easily be the single most useful RSS reader of all time.  This thing syncs up with my Google Reader account and provides awesome RSS aggregation.  The interface design is very easy to use, which is quite uncommon for a mobile phone.

Twitterberry - Fast, easy and simple twitter updater.  There are some alternatives that I’ve been told are better…but I’m happy with Twitterberry.

Facebook - I don’t use Facebook that much, but I have the app installed and it seems to be a great tool to check up on friend statuses and sending messages.

Opera - For when you need the full internet.  The BB browser is great for most tasks, but Opera definitely kicks it up a notch rendering pages just as they would on a computer.

Google Talk - Excellent, very smooth Google Talk application.  Works a lot better than I had expected an instant messaging app to.

That’s really about it, I have the Google Pack installed.  Which places links to many google services on the home screen.  Although beyond that, what more do I need?  Email, Calendar, RSS, MEDIA!!!

The media player itself is great on this thing.  However, it supports a very select file format.  Although BB provides a great working video converter…it’s still a pain.  Here is how I’m to get a Youtube video onto my BB for on demand play;

Download the video as .avi using YoutubeGet!, then convert the .avi to the BB supported format.  I guess, it’s only 2 steps…although it still seems like a hassle.  YoutubeGet! does allow you to download and convert to 3gp rather than avi, however for some reason, it doesn’t work for me, :(.  Which would make things alot simpler.

Overall, I’m really happy with this device.