There is a real selection of devices now for those who want a good smart phone. From the Treo to the Q, choice abounds. Here’s the latest salvo in the fight for market domination by RIM, the Blackberry 8800.
At the 3GSM conference in Barcelona on Monday, RIM introduced the BlackBerry 8800, the latest iteration in the popular BlackBerry line. The new model measures .55 inches thick. That’s a bit slimmer than last year’s Pearl, and substantially thinner than the BlackBerry 8700.
Perhaps the most striking feature of the 8800 is the front trackball, which replaces one of the key features of the older models — the side wheel. The new model boasts an upgrade to the Pearl’s trackball, and comes with a full keyboard designed for heavy text messaging and mobile e-mail.
I currently use a Treo myself, but if RIM keeps improving the Blackberry I may have to switch. I especially like the trackball, which would be useful for one-handed web browsing.
I’ll finish off paying my 600$ BB 7130e first.
In the business world, the Treo + emails is not as streamlined a solution as the BB is.
However the smartphones with Windows and a large enough screen, can outperform the BB, just because the Windows smartphone is able to keep formatting.
The BB converts all emails to pure text.
I keep thinking about a Windows device too, but I need to play with one first. I like the flexibility of the Palm OS.
I started with various blackberries, then changed to windows mobile smartphones when I changed jobs. I found most to be sadly lacking vs. Blackberries- they lack an efficient smart typing system (and therefore too many tiny keys on the keyboard,) and have a cumbersome menu system. The thumb wheel on the blackberries is a real boon to one handed navigation (can you say click and drive…?)
Finally I found the samsung blackjack- very close to the blackberry user experience, and fast (3G.) (I suspect that a lot of this depends on what you first used and grew comfortable with.)
“I especially like the trackball, which would be useful for one-handed web browsing.”
Oooh.. Blackberry porn 😉
Personally I’d rather not have a camera in my phone. It avoids security issues.
#2 Do yourself a favor and stay with Palm OS. Win mobile is crap. Frequent freezes and buggy performance is common with Win mobile. And from what I have read about v 6, it seems to be much of the same. The ones who rave about it are the same M$ lovers who think Windows is the greatest desktop OS ever. I have a 700P and love it. Tried a BB 7130e and didn’t like it lack of HTML browsing, half ass keyboard and higher rate plan.
#7, I agree. I only use the BB 7130e for the cellphone and replying to emails, I get hundreds a day excluding spam.
It’s simplified my life with reducing voice conversations and the “I told you so on that day” problem. Great for billing the customers.
The palm’s web browser is rock solid and beautiful – but I don’t need browsing – just an extension to my emails.
If BB doesn’t get on the HTML email bandwagon, this will be my last BB.
Hahaha – you guys diddling on about ‘palm-this’ or ‘windows mobile-that’ kill me. You must be one with John, and his piss-in-the-wind opinion that people just looove buttons.
Don’t you get it? Assuming a reasonably priced plan from Cingular (the only wild card), by July all of these ‘smart’ phones will be as the steam engine was to internal combustion – not bad, but clearly not the future either.
Better to save your pennies until then.