
I've recently switched from the iPhone to a Blackberry Bold. And I absolutely love it! I checked out one website and just picked out one random blackberry out of all the blackberry's models (and believe me there are a lot). Here is more information about the RIM Blackberry 8800 When thinking about the problems with the BlackBerry 8800, we're tempted to paraphrase James Carville by saying: "It's the interface, stupid." The BlackBerry 8800 has a great feature set, including the well-designed trackball, GPS-navigation, an excellent microphone and speaker for calling, as well as a bright, clear screen. Still, the interface holds the phone back in almost every way. Even worse than the lack of 3G networking, a feature most true business users won't miss, is the poor interface design, which hasn't changed noticeably from monochromatic days of BlackBerrys past. With Windows Mobile 6 on the near-horizon, and Apple's magical iPhone interface not too far off, RIM needs to redesign the interface from the ground up to remain competitive. The device does a great job with e-mail and calling, admittedly its primary functions, but should be a much more pleasant phone to use. Release: February 2007. Price: $300.
Pros: Excellent calling capabilities; best-in-class battery; slim design; trackball is great for navigation.
Cons: Dated interface; lacks 3G connectivity; creaky construction; multimedia could be better.
Multimedia and GPS - Mediocre
On paper, the BlackBerry 8800 seems to have a wealth of multimedia options. It can play WMV and MP4 videos. It can handle WMA, MP3 and AAC music files. GPS-navigation comes standard (though you'll pay about $10 a month for TeleNav service), and there is a rumor that A2DP support could be an upgrade with a forthcoming firmware update. Still, The entire experience is quite average. The media transfer software is as bare as it gets, relying on folder trees to move files to and from the device. Songs sound good, and videos look okay, but not great, with some pixelation and stuttering. EDGE means there are no streaming or over-the-air download options, and the phone lacks any DRM support. Also, we understand the lack of a camera for sensitive business environments, but many manufacturers omit the camera as an option, not as a standard "feature."
GPS was disappointing as well. The sensor had trouble finding our location in Manhattan, and navigating our commute home on the New Jersey highways, our signal dropped off about once every 10 minutes. Maps downloaded slowly over the EDGE connection, as well. We do like the fact that the address book links directly to TeleNav, so you can find a contact and then use the "Drive To" option to get directions to their address. Still, this didn't make up for poor GPS performance.
Our favorite: Integrating the address book with the navigation app makes sense
Our request: More multimedia, including some DRM support and better transfer software
Battery life - Excellent
We don't usually devote a section to battery life, but the BlackBerry 8800 does have extraordinary power management. We managed a phone call that was fifteen minutes shy of nine hours, which is much more than the already-impressive five hours that RIM claims. We've never seen such performance from a smartphone battery. Here, the lack of HSDPA support probably helps greatly, as 3G capabilities do drain batteries quicker.
Price and availability
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