BlackBerry…More Than a Fruit

I’ve been thinking about purchasing a BlackBerry for the past couple of years. I like the thought of accessing my email from places on the go but don’t particularly like lugging my notebook, iPAQ, cell phone and everything else. Don’t get me wrong, I like my Motorola Razr, but I’d love to have an all-inclusive device that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. However the previous Blackberries were too bulky, cost too much and didn’t look cool. Well, I’ve been searching and waiting and I think I’ve finally found what I’ve been looking for.

The BlackBerry is no longer for just the corporate or enterprise person. The BlackBerry 7100 is a world class PDA/phone. Because I travel a lot, I love the fact that the BlackBerry 7100 is a Quad-Band cellular phone. As long as my carrier has a contract with the regional carrier, I can receive and make calls nearly anywhere in the world – roaming of course.

This is a fantastic benefit for anyone who travels internationally. One feature you’ll notice instantly is the shape, size and weight of the 7100. RIM has made a huge step in my opinion – the right direction. The 7100 is a “candy-bar” shaped cellular phone/PDA that is actually looks and feel great in the hand. So, what else is there about the Blackberry 7100 to love?

Features of the Blackberry 7100

The Blackberry 7100 features a 20 key QWERTY keyboard that may take a little time getting used too. Like on most cellular phones, each key has three letters associated with it. With the 7100, each key has only two letters associated. What’s amazing about this is RIM’s SureType software. When you’re typing, the 7100 displays words that could be formed by using the letters you’ve typed so far. Once you complete the word, the BlackBerry 7100 intelligently figures out what word you want and if there are multiple words, you can select the correct word using the the 7100’s thumbwheel.

The 7100 also has a built in speakerphone. This definitley can come in handy when you need to make a conference call. The 7100 also has BlueTooth, a feature that BlackBerries in the past did not have. Now you can connect your BlueTooth headset for when you need both hands free. Another useful characteristic of the 7100 is ease of dialing. The keys are large enough so when dialing a number or composing a message, you don’t press the keys next to the one you intended to press. The 7100 also has the ability to open and view MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint files as well and Adobe PDFs. Unfortunately, you cannot edit and send the documents back to the original sender.

The BlackBerry 7100 works simalarly to other BlackBerry handheld models regarding e-mail. Using BlackBerry Enterprise Server, you can intergrate up to 10 e-mail acconuts including Microsoft Eschange accounts, AOL Mail, MS Outlook, Lotus Notes, IMAP and POP3/ISP e-mail accounts. You can even Instant Message with AOL, Yahoo and ICQ users.

With all of these great features, what’s the down side? Well, you don’t get a nifty camera on your phone and it doesn’t play MP3s. If that’s your main reason for buying a cellphone, you should probably think about purchasing a MP3 player and actual digital camera.

So what’s the bottom line?

If you’re in the market for a new cellphone, and would like to have e-mail access, ability to open MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents and you don’t want to make the decision between making your car payment and purchasing a new phone/PDA, then the BlackBerry 7100 is the answer to your needs.