CrackBerry Member Spotlight - F2!

It's only a few short months until BlackBerry 10 will be released, and there has been no shortage of sneak peeks and a few leaks showing what we can expect to see from the new devices and OS. In the meantime, our community is still growing and we have no shortage of great people here at CrackBerry. The forums are full of interesting people all sharing a common interest, BlackBerry!

We're going to be singling out great CrackBerry members to recognize their contributions to our community and post about them right here on the blogs. These members go above and beyond to be active, not only helping out others but contributing to conversation and helping to make our community not just something you visit when you have a problem, but somewhere you feel welcome and want to belong to. Today our Member Spotlight is on Fred K, better known to you around the forums as F2! Keep reading to learn more about him, and don't forget to say hi when you see him around the forums. 

How long have you been a BlackBerry user/abuser? Why did you join CrackBerry, or what brought you to the site?

I've been a BlackBerry user since just before I joined CB. Funny story - I was trying to hack or crack my Verizon 8830WE to get the GPS to work and so searched for "crack" for Berries. Yup that is not what I found but found CB terrific.

What was your first BlackBerry, and if you've had several then which has been your favorite?

The 9930 is the greatest. As mentioned above the 8830 my first. I wanted a phone that could be used in Europe and had a real keyboard. Verizon's choices were limited. Berry it was.

That 8830 finally did make it to Europe more than a year later.  It was great and 3 of us used it for email and checking the web and the occasional phone call to book a reservation.  Used the web tons for weather and travel info and keeping in touch with local news.  My friends were very impressed that they could read and reply to email while lounging in small refugios in the middle of the Dolomites.  During that three week period I used about 3gigs of data.  Too bad Verizon has eliminated that foreign data plan.

From the 8830WE I moved to the Tour - trackball issues led Verizon to replace it and "unfortunately" when I called they had no refurbished Tours and sent me the Bold 9650.  I say "unfortunately" because the Bold introduced the trackpad and wifi and was NOT a sad replacement for the Tour and I jumped at the fortuitous upgrade.  This past February, Best Buy offered a FREE 9930 upgrade during Presidents' Day weekend and I jumped at that, too.  We shall see what BB10 brings.  I vacillated over the Playbook purchase when it was introduced and waited a month.  As we all know it has its strong and weak points but it has been a learning adventure - I'm sure both for me and Rim!

You were chosen for the CrackBerry Member Spotlight partly because you are always helpful, answering people's cries for help, which is awesome. Do you enjoy helping newbies?

Yes and generally don't like to send them searching when they need help. I've been there and desperate.

Have any good CrackBerry stories, or how has the site affected you in a positive way?

Just getting to know really helpful and knowledgeable people.

Are you looking forward to BB10? If so, are you planning on full touch screen or QWERTY?

I am still a qwerty guy. Must be my age.

Tell us a little about yourself outside of CrackBerry (hobbies, pets, family, whatever you feel like sharing).

No pets. By the way, I'm typing on the 9930, as I mentioned I'm out of town on a hiking adventure. That is also a prime interest. Hiking. Also cross country skiing and biking. I am recently retired.

Congratulations on being chosen F2, and thanks for all you do for our community!

If you want to nominate someone from the forums to be in our next Member Spotlight, send an email to sitesupport(at)crackberry.com with their username and why you think they deserve the honor. 

Read more