Alex's space

BlackBerry V7100 - more like a phone than it was before

originally posted in December’04 now updated and with some new links at the bottom

In follow up to my Collegue’s post on ‘Blackberry, kind of like iPod’

BlackBerry 7730 we liked the full thumb keyboard, and did not like holding it to our ears to use as a phone…

The new BlackBerry V7100 on UK Vodafone is the supposed, consumer / SME, successor to the 7 series and meant to be the magic convergent thingy.

I got one to see how it works, at first glance they have done some good things with it, and like its predecessor you do not really need to even open the manual (see setting up email below). So does it work?

I will get to typing later!

the screen is about 60-70% of the size of the 7730 we have been using on a client project, now the 7730 has a bigger screen than the consumer 7 series so this is not too bad. As with all BlackBerry’s I have seen the screen is excellent, better than any mobile I have played with so far. There is a softness to the way it renders images and text that seems much more ‘human’ (I can not find a better way to describe it)! than other devices. The Vodafone skin is very good (much better than on the 7730) although some of the apps are a little more burried (to make more room on the home screen I assume).

Overall size is ok, if you are used to a Nokia 6600 or a SE P900 then this is probably a nice size.

The software is the same as 7730, from a user perspective, so the transition is fine.

So to the keyboard… my first few days with it were hell, basically it is a hybrid between the full thumb qwerty of the 7730 and a mobile phone. There are 2 letters per key and a bespoke form of T9 called suretype (i think) is used. After a few days it did get a lot easier and I actually managed to use it as my main email client while away for 5 days. in brief:

you can use it with one hand or two, (one hand with a trad BB is not so good)

the T9′ish text is ok (I am a very bad speller so it is always throwing up bizarre words)

it is much more stylish / less of a brick than the 7730

so is it worth it ? well I still use my 7730 most of the time but we have a BlackBerry Enterprise Server and MS Exchange running so I can! but if you do not want to spend enterprise money on BlackBerry it is a very good option.

Vodafone have taken Rim’s BlackBerry WebMail client so you can bring up to 10 Exchange, POP, and IMAP accounts in to one device and there is a WebMail client for managing it all. This feature on its own makes it a great device. (although its probably easier to set up your email on it from a PC based browser and not on the device).

So if you are an Enterprise level organisation wanting to push email out to execs via BlackBerry go for the 7730, BES etc. If you are not and want to have push email where every you go with a phone and email device in one … then get the V7100.

From a commercial point of view it may also actually work as a laptop / email / phone replacement for reps on the road … time will tell but as people like us develop and find more applications for smart devices, one day a great deal of travelling business people could be using this or something like it as their main communincation tool.

Update – Oct 05 having used it for nearly a year it is fine, however I have discovered that if you want to get your 7730 working on BB Webmail with UK Vodafone, you can. With a bit of jiggery pokery and some installing of the new OS with the webclient software in it and then getting the 7730’s pin number registered on the BB Webmail site you can use it. Now why do they not sell us the better BBs in the first place?

Update – Nov 05 BBs are now officially cool

seems like they have hit the spot.

P.S. No MP3 / AAC yet, and no external memory card either.

(Memory can become a problem on the BB, as the new OS is much fatter than before and if you install some 3rd party apps you can run out of space)

This BB is now available on T-mobile and O2 (with out the V) Rim have just launched the next gen big BB in the states the 8700c, which looks nice too – as soon as we get one we shall report back.