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John Dodge

Blackberry buzz and other annoyances

That annoying staccato sound that a Blackberry makes when in close proxomity to speakers actually has a name. It's called the "Blackberry Buzz." A week ago, a RIM spokesperson promised to get me an explanation to why it happens and I have yet to hear back. The buzz has afflicted each of the three Blackberries I've had including my current unit, 8700c (Cingular).
 
I've heard but cannot confirm that a fix is a long way off. EDN Senior technical editor Brian Dipert blames it on the GSM radio in the unit synching up and searching for base stations. A technical explanation ran in sister publication EDN early last year, but said users rarely encounter the problem in a "quality cell phone." Either the author is mistaken or I don't have quality cell phone in my Blackberry. The buzz is more than a passing annoyance. It usually occurs when the Blackberry is within 7-8 feet of the speakers and is as loud as you have your speaker volume set. More than once, I've tossed my Blackberry across the room to get it to stop (my Motorola RAZR suffers from the same problem, but to a far lesser degree).

No, this is not dump-on-Blackberry day, but I've long thought the strength of the Blackberry phone left much to be desired. Compared to my Motorola RAZR, the Blackberry phone is inferior, often dropping calls or not making the connection at all. I've also had a problems with the Blackberry making calls on its own when it rattles around in my pocket and right key is accidentically struck. On a couple of occasions, I've really sweated it out that someone overheard 30-60 minutes of my conversations. Guess I need to get into the habit of locking the keyboard. The belt holster automatically locks the keyboard, but has has pinched my love handles too many times to make me a regular user. Ouch! If you want listen to a short clip of the buzz buzzing me, listen below.