+++ Another grandchild: Alyssia May Tarina James born 16:45, 16th Dec 2009 ~ I will get back to r/r/...
+++ Another grandchild: Alyssia May Tarina James born 16:45, 16th Dec 2009 ~ I will get back to r/r/c as soon as I can! ~ ♥ ♥ ♥ ~ I'm dyslexic, dyspraxic (but erudite and eclectic ) and physically challenged ♥ ~ jes ~ ♥
Member since:17.10.2002
Reviews:115
Members who trust:390
When I heard about the BLACKBERRY® range of instant E-Mailer/web-browserhandhelds, I was VERY EXCITED!!! At last, here was a handheld platform - without too many exotic features requiring intricate maneuvering - which would bring me the possibility of accessing e-mail wherever I happened to be (as long as I was not actually flying in an airplane!) - from up to ten different "normal" e-mail addresses.
The one I finally got to borrow last Saturday was the BlackBerry® 7230.
This is a wireless handheld multifunction (phone, e-mail, SMS, browser, organiser) unit weighing under 150g, which includes an integrated speaker and microphone, thumb-operated track-wheel, easy-to-read screen, QWERTY keyboard and quick access to all functions, including web applications, including a "back" button for easier browsing just below the track-wheel.
WHY WAS I SO VERY EXCITED, YOU MIGHT ASK?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My E-mail on the move in 1999-2000: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I have been interested in an on-the-move e-mail/internet browsing system ever since my one2one (now T-mobile) network offered me e-mail on my mobile phone which was delivered directly to my SMS service on my phone.
The e-mails arrived in 160 character increments (up to 9 segments could be received) - and all my contacts had to do was send an e-mail to my telephone number (i.e.: +4479xx-xxxxxx)@one2one.net and I received the messages, bit by bit. It had it's funny side - like the time my sister forwarded a joke to everyone in her address book - the first 8 SMS I received consisted of everyone else's e-mail addresses - and I only got the first section of what could have been very witty.*
When one-2one decided to alter the charging system so that you were charged 10p/e-mail sent or received instead of flat-rate £2 plus 4p/e-mail sent, I cancelled my subscription to the service, and bought a Freeserve (genie-BT Cellnet) phone (with free internet usage for the first three months) from Dixon's for £29.99. This was fine except that internet links were very slow and you only got text. After a certain number of characters, you also had a link to get "more" which did not always work, even in the middle of a sentence. I checked out news, weather and genie e-mail, but felt that the medium was very unsatisfactory as you could only access specially altered websites and that to a limited extent.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ WAP on my mobile phone handsets? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I had to reluctantly decide that WAP access just did not suit me. I got far too tired waiting for the link to connect - when it went beyond so many free minutes it got very expensive to use the service - and when the links DID connect, the information received was very difficult to understand due to my dyslexia - I hated the green-y-yellow screen of my Mitsubishi-Trium, and eventually sold the phone on to someone else.
Although each additional handset I have acquired for my
T-Mobile Monthly Contract telephone has been WAP enabled (and the Siemens MT50 and Nokia 3510i are GPRS enabled) - I have lacked the confidence to explore the internet from these handsets.
The Siemens C35i kept dialing the internet by accident and running up charges without my accessing anything so I disabled the internet feature. The MT50 had a quick access key for the internet, which I altered to a quick access key to my diary as I used that feature the most, and did not want the risk of dialing the internet when I fastened my seatbelt across the holder.
I BELIEVE THIS IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT CONCEPT – IT WORKED FOR ME!
This is an E-Mailer data and voicebased wireless handheld unit, which accesses all (well, up to ten) of your existing e-mail addresses for you, without the need to sign-in and sign-out each address, using “blackberry web client” interface (remote control).
~~~quoted from the BlackBerry.com website description of the 7200 series: • It has Phone, email, SMS, browser and organizer applications • High Resolution 240x160 color display • Ample memory for application and data storage • Smaller form factor with a light and comfortable feel • Enhanced attachment viewing and browsing experience • BlackBerry 7230™: Tri-band handheld, operates on 900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS wireless networks in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific ~~~End quote.
I have only seen it offered by T-Mobile in the United Kingdom; I have asked about the BlackBerry® technology in Orange, Vodaphone, Phones4U, and Link shops, and was told they had never heard of it; and each suggested someone else who might be of help (but who wasn’t) As I had heard about the BlackBerry® 7230 through an e-mail from Dial-a-Phone, and they offered it through T-Mobile, I went into the T-Mobile shop when I was in Wolverhampton on Saturday, 1st May to ask for more details.
I spoke to a helpful assistant named Keith, who has told me I may quote him. He has used the BlackBerry® 7230 now for several months and let me borrow his unit for over an hour to explore its possibilities. He also gave me a leaflet designed for small businesses to show the basic functions available with BlackBerry® handheld units. This explained a little bit about the way that T-Mobile actually operates the service they offer you in accessing your e-mail remotely, on page 9 of this leaflet. You are given a monthly data allowance of 50MB to transfer information. [Keith explained that that is loads of e-mails and he has never come close to using even half of the allowance given him, despite letting curious customers (and prospective buyers) explore the features and managing all his own internet use on the unit]
The “small print” on the page gave a few disclaimers. Your e-mail provider has to allow T-Mobile to query it’s server on your behalf; if your e-mail service provider blocks T-Mobile’s attempts to “poll” its servers, you cannot access that e-mail; also there needs to be GPRS coverage – if GPRS signal fails where you are, you are inaccessible.
Keith told me that when your e-mail arrives, it arrives in 2kb increments (I guess a little bit like my old e-mails from one2one came as 160 character SMS’s) so you can decide whether to read more, or to reject that e-mail. You can also use the accompanying software in conjunction with the supplied USB cable and your home PC to set up various filters so that you only receive the e-mails you want. This cable is also used to back-up and exchange details between your computer and the BlackBerry® unit, synchronise address and phone information and to update common files when you arrive home, configure your BlackBerry® to suit your own preferences and download any attachments from the e-mails you wish to edit and save.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I found it very easy to use the handset ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I was not able to check my own e-mail on the handset as it was Keith’s own personal unit, but I was able to browse the internet and explore the other functions. You use the track-wheel on the upper right-hand side to scroll between the icons on the main screen and to scroll through the menus when you are in a function. When you want to select an icon or a function, etc, you press the track-wheel into the side and it is the same as “clicking” with a mouse. This did not require much pressure and I got the hang of using the track-wheel very quickly. If I inadvertently “clicked” the wheel, it was a simple press of the “back” button beneath the track-wheel to reverse the action.
The buttons on the “qwerty” keyboard were very tiny, and I wondered whether I would be able to use them when I first saw them. However, it required only the slightest of touches with my (very short) fingernails to actually type. To capitalize the letter, you held the letter down for an extra fraction of a second, or you could depress a “cap” key which would then act as a “caps lock” for one letter while you typed the letter. An indicator showed the state of the “caps function” in the top R corner of the screen.
For numbers and symbols, you depressed a “shift” key while you pressed the corresponding “qwerty” key. It took a little bit of getting used to, to type a sentence or a web address, but once you found where all the symbols were hiding it was not too difficult [At least you could see all the available symbols instead of having to guess which key you should press for your punctuation – which alters depending on your handset manufacturer for you standard mobile phone].
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~I found Ciao! and even explored products! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I typed in www.ciao.com (forgetting that we were www.ciao.co.uk) and after 20-30 seconds of watching a line moving at the bottom of the screen (saying .”requesting” “loading”) the German website came up – whoops! I pressed the back button under the track-wheel and was back in the “go to:” screen. I corrected “.com” to “.co.uk” and selected “ok” again. This time I was in our own site. I was disappointed that I could not login, however this was because I needed to use the USB cable to customize the handset at home to accept the cookies from the site. It correctly recognized that my password was incorrect the first time I typed it (had trouble knowing if I was capitalizing the correct letters – had to use the alternative method for capitalizing, not the quick method), so Keith said he thought once I customized I should not have any difficulties.
I was very pleased to find the pictures were clear and I could see the ordinary website and read quite clearly. I could even read reviews of a product. The main difference I noticed was the size of the screen – and the amount of the page visible at once – each page-refresh option took about 20-30 seconds to load – but this was not any longer than I often find with dial-up connections on my PC, and quicker than the refresh at college when the network is busy. It was far, far better than any internet access I ever tried on my mobile WAP.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Availability of price plans and unit ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I have seen it offered on dial-a-phone website recently for free on the T-Mobile "Everyone200 + Instant E-mail" tariff. This would entail taking out a minimum 12 month contract at £29 plus £10 for the instant e-mail/month. This covers 49.5MB instant e-mail and 0.5MB general WAP/internet access. This offer is currently available until 1 June 2004.
From T-Mobile online it is available from £99.99 depending on price plan - £10/month for the instant e-mail alone and additional charge for telephone call plans. You can increase the number of free minutes by 50% by taking out a new 18month contract.
At the T-Mobile shop, I was told it could cost £139 but if I bought on a special BlackBerry® demonstration day, I could purchase at half price. The monthly tariff quoted for data only was £17.50/month.
For a small business user, according to the T-Mobile leaflet I was given, it would cost from £10/month (£8.51 ex VAT) on top of the basic monthly contract plan.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ What do you get and Who Makes it? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I accessed the websites for Research in Motion and Blackberry to get technical details and find out more about the manufacturer. I also "played" with the phone using an "interactive demonstration" which reminded me of features I had not had a chance to examine in as much detail during my use of Keith's unit.
The Phone is made by RIM (Research in Motion), and includes embedded RIM® Wireless Modem and removable/rechargeable lithium battery.
Accessories include: a USB cable, a hands-free headset,, international travel charger, swivel holster, and BlackBerry® desktop software supported by version 3.6 or higher.
Battery life – Approximately 4 hours - talk time† and 10 days - standby time†
For support, a personal user is recommended to contact their service provider: T-Mobile UK: Telephone: 150 from your mobile phone or from your land line 0845 412 5000 or from overseas +44 7953 966 150.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The Basic Icons you see on the screen ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Top row: Letter ~~ this is to manage your e-mail, SMS, messages and phone call logs received Phone receiver ~~ this is to make calls, receive calls or initiate conference calls Flip directory ~~ store phone numbers and other contact information Calendar block ~~ Different views – day, agenda, week, month schedules World with Arrow Around ~~ Internet browser/bookmarks Letter going into envelope ~~ create/send e-mail/SMS/PIN messages
Middle row: Magnifying glass ~~ tool to search for particular message Open folder ~~ store messages for future reference “Tick”-list ~~ To do list – mark as completed, add new, edit, delete tasks Page with pin ~~ notepad for taking notes Alarm clock ~~ alarm – can set it for daily or just weekdays Speaker ~~ customize alerts – tones and/or vibration for messages/reminders/phone
Bottom row: Brick wall being hit by ball ~~ Brickbreaker game Calculator ~~ (guess what?) make calculations! Wrench ~~ tools/settings – set passwords, date/time, screen font size Lock ~~ prevent accidental use of keypad Radio mast with circles ~~ turn off wireless radio when could cause interference I/O switch ~~ turn off to conserve battery power or not receive messages
This is the Default Profile configuration – which can be modified using the provided BlackBerry® software while in conjunction with your home computer via the USB cable. Applications can be removed or modified to conserve memory space.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Research In Motion Limited are a company founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. They design, manufacture and market solutions for mobile communications. Their products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations around the world and include the BlackBerry™ wireless platform, the RIM Wireless Handheld™ product line, software development tools, radio-modems and software/hardware licensing agreements.
In April 2004 they announced a joint initiative with Siemens.
I am looking forward to seeing the results of that collaboration, too.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ FOOTNOTES ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * "Subject: The vicar and the birdcage" - sent sometime near Easter 2000? If anyone else has heard this - please let me know what happened – my sister promised to send it by snail-mail as I only got the first 9 of 36 segments BUT she failed to get round to it - by the time I asked her, my sister had a) wiped it and b) forgotten it altogether.
† According to website specifications, this is "based on GSMA PRD TW.09 Battery Life Measurement Technique." Actual results may vary as battery life often varies based on usage. If you’re traveling in a car or on public transport you will find life shortened because of the need to change cells.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I have ascertained that a version of this handset IS available through Vodaphone, mainly for business use, but it does not have as many features available and it is not promoted on the BlackBerry® site. (note added 17 May 2004)
A very informative review, it sounds very handy. M.x
fabfrog5 06.05.2006 16:30
wowee! ive not heard of this little toy before! this sounds like a great email device - but perhaps a little too slow for ciaoing!! cool, a cracking review with little techno gaga! :) x
moonpoppy 21.10.2005 00:57
Fantastic review - thanks ever so much for all the detail; I'm desperately trying to convince my other half that I MUST have the latest BlackBerry (on 02 - much better tariff, I think, than T-Mobile) and this is going to be the final point needed!
Dear Ciao User, We are sorry we can't show you any offers on this page for the product you have selected. You can find offers here: 1 - out of offers for RIM BlackBerry 7230
Advantages: Plenty of features, sending and receive e-mails, SMS, address book, calendar, web browsing..... Disadvantages: QWERTY keyboard keys are tiny and it looks a bit naff, poor range of ring tones.......
Badger_Boy 31.08.2005 (31.08.2005)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of RIM BlackBerry 7230
May 3rd, 2004
exceptional by (30%):
very helpful by (64%):
helpful by (6%):
