Laptop V. Blackberry

If you go with a laptop, you will only be able to check your internet and access the web at places that have free wireless internet (Panera bread, Kansas City airport, etc.) without buying a special card and paying a phone service to provide you with internet. Best I can tell, this will cost you at least $20/month.

If all you need to do is access the email and internet, you don't necessarily need all the functionality of a laptop and a phone device might be the best way to go, especially if you're already paying for a cell phone (in which case it's just a little more a month than you were already paying) or are in need of a cell phone! I *highly* recommend the G1 if you're with TMobile and the iPhone if you're with AT&T. The amount and variety of applications you can put on them is amazing, from movie times tailored automatically to your location, calorie trackers, aids to help you find where you parked your car (the phones have built-in GPS and have helped me find my way from one place to another a million times), shopping lists, barcode scanners that quickly tell you the lowest prices that can be found for that item, a flashlight, and so many more you can't even imagine-- all at the convenient touch of a hand!

Having read the other responses let me add that neither the iPhone nor G1 have screens that are too small too use. Both make it very easy increase the size of anything on the screen to whatever size you desire. They both use "full" internet, too, the same as you'd have on a laptop, on either wireless internet speed, the 3G network (nearly as fast as wireless), or 2G network (which is more like dial-up). The iPhone has top-notch support as well via your local Apple store, online support site, and phone tech support.

If youre wanting to really type anything or browse the internet I would suggest a laptop. You can access anyones internet as long as its not secured. Most public places have internet that you can access for free. A phone would be difficult to use if you want to do much more than checking email. Depending on what phone you get and what service, the internet accessed on phones can be extremely slow and frustrating (in my experience). It can also get expensive. Some places charge per minute youre online. Others charge a monthly rate. Again it depends on what company/phone you go with. Check with local cell companies on what their rates are. Also do some brainstorming on where you would want to access the internet away from home. If its in your car, phone may be better. If its at the local coffee shop, a laptop may be better cause internet there is free. Weigh your options and their pro's and con's and see what you come up with. Hope this helped a little.

I own a small business and I have to tell you that the Blackberry has saved me a ton a time and has brought me new customers b/c I could get back to them quicker. Good Luck. I have sprint so I have the package that includes everything for $99 per month.

Hello! I work at Best Buy and am pretty familiar with your dilemma. The "netbooks," those smaller laptops, are a perfect solution for you. As far as price- they range from about 330-500. They all have built-in wireless capabilities so as long as there is an open wireless network you can use the internet for free. However- you are not guaranteed to be able to access internet just anywhere. Many times hotels and airports make you pay for their service. Or if you're in a remote location like a park or in rural areas you will find it difficult to find a network.

For a guarantee you will have to purchase what's called an "aircard" and pay a monthly fee as you would with your home ISP. The aircard will allow you to get internet on your netbook wherever your cell phone gets service.

Cons for the netbooks- well... they only come with 1gb of ram- but you could always upgrade. They're really only for word processing, net browsing, and e-mails. The linux version is a bit more efficient; therefore, allowing you to run more processes at once without slowing your pc down.

Hope that helps!

With the Blackberry you are going to have to fork over at least another 20 a month for the service needed to get your emails and such. The screen is very small and the keys hard to type on.

A lot of the students have the mini laptops and they are great for mobile use. I have a full sized laptop, I am actually typing on it now. I am considering buying a mini to take to school because this just weighs down my backpack too much. Unless you are going to need to run large applications you will be fine with the mini.

You can find wi-fi connections in a lot of places for free. They are unsecured but with a good antivirus you should be ok. There are just sites you may want to consider avoiding when on an unsecured network. If you want internet at home then yes you will have to pay for it. At least then you control your connection. My home network is secured and invisible. That is your best protection from intrusion. A hacker would have to know you exist and what your connection protocol is and the name before they could even try hacking your system.

I was just having a conversation with a co-worker about blackeberry phones yesterday....she said there are about $100 dollars worth of monthly additions that you need to pay for in order to have a Blackberry that is capable of doing all of the things they advertise!!! On the other hand...you can get wireless internet for as little at $20 a month...after the initial cost of a router....so to me, long term the laptop is the way to go. I have a laptop that I use here at home all of the time and we take it with us when we travel. So many restaurants, hotels, etc etc have free internet service now that you can use it in a lot of different settings.

Pros of the Blackberry (or other 'smart phone') are that as long as you have a data plan through your cellular provider and you're in a coverage area, you can get to the email and internet. They are also small and very portable. Cons are that you will have to pay extra each month for a data plan (generally around $30/month) and the screen is very small, so it is not always the easiest to use and read. Also, some internet sites have plug ins that will not display correctly on the phone.

Pros of a laptop are that you have the larger screen, so reading and typing are a lot easier. If you get one of the newer, smaller 'netbooks' you also have pretty good portability. Cons are that you would need to be somewhere with wireless access (home, library, coffee shop, etc.) or pay for cellular data service to access the internet.

I have two opinions to offer, as my friend just had me ask my brother, who is an IT tech, because she is looking into the similar things for her husband's business. He said the mini laptops are honestly only worth the check your email factor. He said they aren't really that great to for more then a little bit of basic office things on them. As far as the Blackberry, I have no idea, only to say I think the laptop is a better investment, as in a few more months, some other kind of upgraded Blackberry etc will come out, where as you can upgrade your laptop numourus times etc... Also the thing with laptops and being wireless, is that even if you pay for your ISP and you're wireless to your desktop, if you pull in signal from sombody else's wireless connection why away from home, the people you're pulling signal from, could hack into your things (if they were that type). You have to be carefull about using other people's signals. That's why it's best to use a secure wireless, or secure Wi-Fi (however you spell it). I know it's not much, but hope some of that helps!

If you are not going to do serious internet stuff (like downloading and etc) you should go for the phone. I have a Palm and I LOVE it. I get in there and send my emails and check the status for work and etc. It takes a bit longer, but it also houses calendars, contacts, and etc. It is a phone too AND it is much less bulky than a laptop. It does everything. I also have word and excel files in there that I use to take notes and etc. I would recommend using a phone for all that any day. It is cheaper than buying an $800 laptop b/c you probably pay for cell phone usage anyway. The kicker is to find a reasonable plan, but your going to have that problem with a laptop regardless PLUS the expense of your cell phone. I'd say combine if you don't need seriuos access to internet

Hello! I have a Treo Centro phone (thru at&t... but i believe it's available thru most carriers). Treo's are a palm product and have a version of microsoft office on them. I LOVE MINE. I have had 3 different versions over the last 5-6 years and my husband is on his second. I tried to go back to a regular phone one time and i hated every day of it. It has a great planner/calendar that syncs with outlook (or a program that comes with the phone... which ever you choose at setup). it also syncs all your contacts and pictures, etc. I access the internet and check my email from my phone and it's very easy. At this time i do not have an extra data plan on my account. i just pay as i download. i am now a stay at home mom so i dont use it as much as i used to being a full time real estate agent! When i did use it all the time i had a $20 additional data plan on my account. I think unlimited might be $30... i cant remember for sure. The phone itself is pretty expensive if you are not signing a new contract or renewing. But if it is your renewal time... i think they are only like $50. Another advantage is that the treo has word, excel, etc. on the phone and you can access, change, email documents and worsheets right from your phone.

As you can see... we are pretty impressed with ours. Let me know if you have any other questions. I would be happy to answer any. NO... I don't work for At&t or Treo... just very happy with thier products! :)