Advances in gadgets and the endless roll out of new mobile technology continues at break neck pace and after taking on my new job I was presented with the RIM Blackberry 7230 Enterprise device to double up as both a mobile phone, PDA and wireless e-mail device to enable me to communicate with Assembly Members during Committee Meetings, check my e-mails while out of the office and ensure that I kept any appointments in my diary and I'm happy to say I was and still am impressed with my new piece of kit.
The Blackberry is a handheld portable unit weighing in at 136g and it fits snugly into the palm of my hand measuring 11.3 cm in length, 7.5cm in width and being rather slender at only 2cm in depth. Black is the standard colour of the Blackberry but it is possible to purchase models in different colours. The screen itself is quite small and sits above QWERTY keyboard as shown in the picture above. Various screen options are available, the older versions being black and white however the newer version includes the high-resolution 240 X 160 colour display with backlight that glows a rather strange blue colour at night! If I had any complaint with the actual look and feel of the device it would have to be that the actual material it is made from looks rather lacklustre and the colour screen isn't particularly colourful! In my opinion, if you saw this in a shop you simply would not give it a second thought.
Despite it's nasty looks the Blackberry is very robust and mine has taken a damn good kicking over time and is yet to give up the ghost. It stratches but it doesn't break, Thankfully!!
As stated earlier, these devices are standard equipment where I work and I was therefore lucky enough not to have to pay for it. A Blackberry can be picked up on contract free
of charge, but if you did want to buy this baby you could expect to pay anything up to £100-£150.
The Blackberry operates using GPRS technology and as long as you can get a signal you can make mobile calls along with sending and receiving text messages and e-mails. Navigation through the menu is a breeze using the trackwheel located on the right hand side of the device. Selections are made by pressing the trackwheel and hey presto your application opens up.
Rather than going into to how you actually synchronise your Blackberry to your PC I'll simply explain what this means. If you add or remove an address or contact from your address book, delete am e-mail or make changes to your diary using the Blackberry, after installing the software the changes will automatically be updated to your PC. I always find that the synchronisation is a little slow and at times some changes to my address book do not update until I actually plug the Blackberry into my PC using the USB cable provided.
What uses does the Blackberry have?
E-mail
The first icon in the menu is your inbox. By selecting the envelope you enter the inbox showing all e-mails that still await your attention broken down into daily sections. This is handy when you know what date the e-mail you were looking for was sent on. Again using the trackwheel you can read or respond to messages, delete them or file them into the appropriate folder.
This is the option I rely on when using the Blackberry and for me is the most important feature. It allows me keep in touch and do work whilst on my way to and from meetings.
Mobile Phone
Telephone numbers can be input straight into the Blackberry to dial, or if you have an up to date address book numbers can be dialled by accessing names. If more than one telephone number exists the Blackberry will give you the option of dialling Mobile, Home, Work or send SMS. If SMS is selected a blank page will appear and the message can be typed using the QWERTY keyboard. Any text messages you send are then shown in your e-mail inbox (although they are not visible on your PC). Rather than delivery messages a simple tick or a cross appears at the side of the entry in the inbox.
Call reception I have always found to be crystal clear and unlike most other mobile phones I have used I have no problem hearing what people on the other end are saying, The volume control again is the trackwheel which makes adjusting the volume levels during a conversation very easy indeed.
Address Book
The address book has the ability to store in excess of 1000 entries in alphabetical order. The data stored includes title, name, address, telephone/fax numbers, e-mail address and web pages.
Searching the address book is instantaneous, so if I wanted to locate everyone in my address book called Rachel, by the time I had typed in Rach everyone with a name containing that text would be listed.
Entries are easy to add and delete and as stated easier making finding and calling telephone numbers fool proof.
Diary
The diary is a must have for me at the moment. It stores birthdays, meetings and functions I have to attend and the reminder option gives me that little nudge just to ensure that I don't forget.
As with the address book, entries are added and removed easily and a text box will alert you to the fact that you may be doubled booked. This feature lets me look easily at when I'm free and enables me to organise myself as much as possible for the working week.
Tasks/MemoPad
Any projects or research I have undertaken are entered into the Tasks menu. This will remind me of things that I have to chase a few months down the line or point out that a deadline is approaching. Using the QWERTY keyboard makes entries and deletions very easy but this is a function I very rarely use due to the nature of my job.
The MemoPad in my opinion is a useless feature. Due to the size of the keyboard and keys it is virtually impossible to type at any great speed making the job of entering notes directly a nightmare. A piece of paper and a pen is much easier.
Alarm
As with most mobile devices the Blackberry has an alarm clock that can be set to go off at the same time every working day. It can be programmed easily not to go off at weekends and the alarm levels are loud enough to make the dead. Combined with the furious vibrating you cannot fail to be woken.
Profiles
The Blackberry comes with very limited selection of ringtones that are exceptionally dull. These can be changed in the profiles setting. There are several standard settings, Loud, Quiet, Discreet and these can all be personalised.
Games
Now we are onto the interesting stuff!! I have a very serious brick breaker addiction, the only game currently on my Blackberry. It is a wonderful game and reminds me of a version I owned for the Spectrum…..
Further games can be downloaded using the USB cable from various websites.
Browser
The Internet can be accessed using the WAP technology and I have always found the web pages to load very quickly. The only problem being that as the colour screen cannot support many pictures you will find that sites appear simply as a list of links and text. It's useful for settling arguments down the pub by accessing Google but apart from that this isn't something I personally use regularly.
Battery Life
The Blackberry website states that the battery has a 5 hour talk time life and should remain charged for 10 days when on standby. The reality is that I find myself charging the device every 4-5 days even when I haven't used the mobile phone.
To charge the Blackberry can either be charged using a portable charger or by connecting it to your PC, meaning that it can be charged whilst it transfers data.
All in all I am mightily impressed with the Blackberry, it is very functional and has everything I need for when I'm away from the office. The battery life is exceptional and it charges quicker than any mobile phone I have ever owned. As a business users device I would highly recommend but for those who are looking for a new mobile phone I would have to say try something else as this probably has too much that you won't need. Yes it looks tacky with its plastic body and yes the keyboard buttons will be too small to press if you have chubby fingers but it is well worth it.
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Thanks for taking the time to read and rate.
Steve :o)
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19.02.2006 18:28
Nice review. Thats one more thing to add to the list of wants! thank you for providing us with such info!
05.01.2006 17:21
Great review. The blackberry to a tee. - Roy
11.10.2005 12:57
Fantastic review - now off to tell the other half what I want for my birthday - Alan