Bigger, better, Blackberry

Blackberry returns to the old QWERTY system with a machine that's not just faster but also has a better display.

The boxy looks, presumably, don't really matter since anyone who's used a Blackberry before is more concerned about its functionality.

Indeed, that's presumably also the reason that despite Blackberry finally coming out with a device that looked like a phone (the 7100 line), it has gone back to the old QWERTY keypad "" obviously users preferred the old keypad to the new looks. In comparison to other Blackberry models, the new 8700g gives amazing data transfer speeds.

For first-time users, getting used to the Blackberry's keyboard and auto text features is a bit nerve-rattling, but for the workaholics' community, a dedicated Send, End (End button also doubles as a shortcut to the device's home page) and mute buttons "" absent on most of the PDA-shaped models "" is neat.

The 8700g has a smooth "visual" navigation, thanks to the 65K, QVGA display with a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels, and an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the brightness levels of the display.

The display is far better than the earlier Blackberry 7320 or 7730. At 110 x 69.5 x 19.5 mm, it's hard to conceal in your pocket, and maybe that's why it comes with a handy cover (courtesy Airtel).

Though not the first Blackberry with onboard memory, the 8700g is a worthy addition to the Research In Motion's (RIM) line-up that offers both speed and elegance for its primary target audience "" the enterprise market.

Technically speaking, it's far superior to the existing lot of Blackberrys. Based around an Intel PXA901 XScale cellular processor, 8700g is a Bluetooth-enabled quad-band phone that can work on 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz GSM/GPRS and EDGE networks.

The processor delivers sufficient processing power making the switch between applications a not-so-tiring task. Equipped with 64 MB of non-volatile memory and 16 MB of SRAM, the lack of an expandable slot might be bad news for those who intend to store their MP3 and image files on 8700g. (You can only transfer pictures to the 8700, though, as Blackberry's don't have cameras.) The good bit "" it can support more compute-intensive applications like inventory management and sales automation.

The best part of the Blackberry (well, any Blackberry series) is its e-mail, HTML browsing and personal information management functions. The powerful processor made a difference when downloading and viewing e-mail attachments (like a PDF or an image file).

In testing, the standard applications as well as some others that RIM/Airtel had loaded on the unit popped up with no delays.

Hunting for contacts in a large database seemed faster than in the existing Blackberrys. This aside, it's still an uphill task to dial a number using the tiny keys in the embedded number pad of the 8700g.

The software bundled includes the Blackberry Enterprise Server that integrates with Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and Novell GroupWise, as well as the BlackBerry Internet Service (allows users to support up to 10 e-mail accounts).

The push-mail functionality is similar to other Blackberrys though it is easier to read messages because of higher resolution, better fonts and screen design. The 8700g works well with the Blackberry Enterprise Solution, which provides requisite security features desired by enterprises.

Airtel users can avail services of special technical and sales support teams in 13 cities, complete with a dedicated call centre number (7070) for Airtel-Blackberry customers.

A couple of flaws (although tiny in nature) mar its use of comfort. If you want it to vibrate and ring at the same time, it sure is a dampener since the 8700g can only vibrate and then ring.

All those expecting a bunch of leisure-time bells and whistles such as an MP3 player or multimedia applications are bound to be disappointed. RIM is of the view that most Blackberry users don't want to play with their gadgets.

Users can directly zoom in on web pages, images or rotate them without having to save them to the device first. But don't expect to see any option to clear/sharpen web pages and images after zooming, an option that's strangely available for photo attachments in e-mails.

If you are in the process of upgrading your older Blackberry model, then the 8700g is recommended. At Rs 29,990 it's not attractively priced though. Airtel also has Blackberry 7100g and 7290 and prices of these handsets vary from Rs 21,000 to Rs 25,000.

The world over, gizmo-geeks have glued their eyes on the Blackberry 8707v that would include 3G IP modem. While it doesn't mean a lot for us in India (3G is a still a distance away with even the spectrum policy on it unclear), but European/US addicts swear this model will be a hand-held tool with really fast broadband connections.