The BlackBerry 7100g is the first of its kind-- a fully-featured mobile phone that delivers the power of BlackBerry e-mail. This is one sweet little phone, loaded with all of the cool features you want, like integrated Bluetooth connectivity, speakerphone, and downloadable ringtones. Plus, surf the Web the way it was meant to be surfed with an ultra-large, high-resolution color screen.
Design
Click the image to get a closer look at the 7100g's features. |
Design-wise, the 7100g is a departure from the form factor of previous BlackBerry models. This BlackBerry is far more phone-like, and RIM's engineers have managed to fit a QWERTY keyboard onto the handset's slim frame. Each button on the keypad shares two letters and the unit automatically determines which letter is the intended one based on what it predicts you are trying to spell. This unique predictive text technology, known as SureType, enables the 7100g's diminutive size. SureType also learns the words you use most often, further enhancing your typing speed.
The 7100g sports a large 240 x 260 screen with 65,000 colors-- plenty of real estate to view your emails, web browser content, messaging sessions and attachments. The venerable BlackBerry jog dial is located on the right side of the unit for quick scrolling through menus and emails. A speakerphone is housed in the top portion of the rear of the handset, just above the removable battery door. There's also a standard 2.5mm headset jack that can be used with the included headset.
Calling Features
All the calling capabilities folks have come to expect in a wireless phone are present in the 7100g. As mentioned, the unit's speakerphone makes it easy to use the device handsfree, or if you prefer, use a wireless headset via the 7100g's built-in Bluetooth capability. A vibrating alert, speed dial, and a contacts list/address book that is limited only by the unit's 32 MB of internal memory, are also included. Any of the phone's 32 included polyphonic ringtones can be used to create caller-specific ringers so you can know who's calling without having to look at the handset. More ringtones are available from Cingular's MEdia mobile web service.
Messaging, Internet and Tools
While the 7100g is a different kind of BlackBerry, it's still delivers the legendary BlackBerry email experience. With Cingular's BlackBerry service plans, you can receive emails instantaneously from up to 10 email accounts (personal and enterprise). With BlackBerry push technology, you don't need to retrieve your email. Instead, BlackBerry devices are designed to remain on and continuously connected to the wireless network, allowing you to be discreetly notified as new email arrives. Support is also built-in for viewing email attachments (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, WordPerfect, and PDF formats).
If your company has BlackBerry Enterprise Server installed, you can take advantage of the power of wireless calendar synchronization. Your calendar events are exchanged wirelessly and automatically so that your desktop calendar and BlackBerry device calendar are synchronized. All your Outlook meeting requests, changes, and updates are instantaneously synchronized instantaneously with your desktop. Make meeting requests, invite new attendees and more, all on your 7100g. Users without Enterprise Server support can manually sync with their desktop calendars and contacts via Bluetooth or USB using the included BlackBerry Desktop software.
Use the 7100g's Web browser to access the Internet from the palm of your hand. Browse Web sites, get up-to-date stock quotes, read the latest news, check weather reports and more. Instant messaging and wireless messaging are also built into the 7100g. The unit supports AOL, Yahoo and ICQ instant messaging, as well as SMS text messaging. MMS messages can be received and forwarded.
The 7100g ships with a number of tools, including a calculator with a unit converter and a to-do list. The unit supports Java application and game downloads (available via the t-zones service). One game, BrickBreaker, is included.
Vital Statistics
The RIM BlackBerry 7100g weighs 4.30 ounces and measures 4.70 x 2.30 x 0.8 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4 hours of digital talk time, and up to 8 days of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.
What's in the Box
BlackBerry 7100g handset, international travel charger, USB cable, battery, holster, hands-free headset, SIM card, BlackBerry Desktop software.
1 It's so convenient!
I love having the ability to get all my email forwarded to the blackberry, it's so convenient. And the improved typing system on the 7100 makes it extrememly easy to reply to them all in a snap. The large color screen is definitely a big improvement over regular phones. The 7100 offers not only email capability, but also a large Address Book, Task pad, Memo Pad, Picture storage (which you can download from your emails), numberous built in ring tones, SMS (aka text messaging), an easy to use internet browser, games and so much more. I love my 7100 and would recommend it highly.
2 An excellent upgrade over earlier Blackberry models
This review is for existing Blackberry users contemplating an upgrade, especially business users who need to use RIM devices to comply with corporate security and other standards.
BACKGROUND: I am a confirmed "crackberry" addict. This is my fifth Blackberry: I was an early user of the 850 pager, the 857 larger screen, the 5810 (which I managed to crush), and the 6820 "blueberry", which died two weeks ago after 16+ months of hard use. I run a company that keeps about 35 BB devices running; mine is the fourth that we have deployed in the 7100 series. Some are model C(Cingular) and some T (Deutche Telecom). The other folks all love theirs. Mine is a T, but the comments apply to both.
SUMMARY: the 7100 is a big improvement and if you can stand a poor screen while outdoors, you will likely take to it after a few days of getting used to SureType.
IMPROVEMENTS over the 6820 blueberry.
-- Support for opening email attachments. Very helpful.
-- A much improved phone. Quad band for overseas. Bluetooth and autodialing for the car. A speakerphone for when you are on hold or need to add a colleague to a call. A bar not a brick form factor -- not nearly as lame to hold to your face.
-- A faster, better browser. More Java compliant, so you get further into more sites. Allows you to save photos. Seems to use cookies and cache better.
-- Faster memory and twice as much of it. 32MB of RAM and 4 of SRAM -- a lot more than my first desktop had.
-- SureType. I have been known to type short chapters on a Blackberry and some of our folks have literally injured their thumbs by typing too much - so I was very nervous about losing the QWERTY keyboard. But SureType works - just start typing and it figures most of it out. I am not yet quite as fast as I was on the old keyboard - but I am probably 80% as fast (and hey -- I should type shorter notes anyway).
-- A couple of nice touches: a photo album. (I carry pictures of my wife and kids around - I like it) and polyphonic ring tones. Some of these are obviously lame, but a bit of variety is nice. Brickbat is improved.
-- They stuck the entire help manual in the device. You won't need it often, but you will learn little tricks by referring to it occasionally.
SAME as ever: the software, the applications, the integration with Exchange, the security, the system software, the battery life are all still excellent. Support is still mediocre to nonexistent, but you don't need much.
PROBLEMS vs the 6820:
-- The screen is great indoors, but just dies in the sun - even if you turn the brightness up. I usually just seek out a bit of shade. In a side by side comparison with the 6820, it is clear that RIM made some tradeoffs on the screen that make it less usable outside. Autodialing makes this less of an issue in the car than it would be otherwise (and come to think of it, this limitation actually prevents bozos from doing email while driving. If you are one of these folks, get a 6820 and double up on your life insurance).
-- The keyboard is a tradeoff, but I think a small compromise in the end. It does take some practice to get used to, which has not been true of previous BB upgrades.
-- For some reason the thumbwheel seems less precise and my Brickbat scores would suggest that it is stickier. Many report that this gets better with 2-3 weeks use, but I'm not sure.
CONCLUSION: the 7100 series is a very impressive upgrade. Not perfect, but very good. If you don't need, don't want, or can't have a Treo, this is a fine choice.
3 Perfect!
I have a very unique experience with the Blackberry 7100. For the reason that my first purchase of a PDA-phone was a Treo 650. I used the Treo 650 for exactly one week, and then traded it in for my current Blackberry 7100. The Blackberry 7100 is vastly superior for a few signifigant reasons.
The reasons are the smaller size of the Blackberry 7100 is outstanding. The Blackberry's e-mail is much easier to sync with my corporate e-mail (which is the main reason I purchased the Treo 650 in the first place), and the phone quality is simply excellent. The Treo's phone was too large and the volume was insufficient.
Lastly, the Blackberry is the easiest full PDA phone you will ever use. The new Blackberry has accomplished what they set out to do from the begining. That is to create a phone with an e-mail , browser, and contact manager, that will take you a few days to become comfortable with, not a month.
4 All you need in a Blackberry PHONE
After carrying around a pda and a phone, I decided to go for something that included both functions effectively. I had a "smartphone" before and though it was small and nice, it was very difficult to type in appointments and data with the tiny keys in it. The Windows Mobile was pretty good but not what I really wanted. I purchased this phone and immediately saw that I no longer had to bring 2 devices with me. I have a good function phone with great PDA functions included. I also set up the phone to receive my personal and my work email. Its good to have all these features in one phone. The bluetooth works flawlessly and though the phone is a bit on the bulky side, its not very heavy or uncomfortable. I recommend this phone if you are tired of carrying 2 devices to keep your schedules, tasks and emails. Really good phone with great features.
5 Excellent Marriage of Blackberry and Phone
On my request quest for mobile e-mail, I purchased the BlackBerry 7290 from Cingular. While that phone had a good color screen and filled my require for bluetooth, I found it to be an absolute brick to carry around and to hold to your face when a regular phone was desired.
The BlackBerry 7100g released a week later and I promptly traded in my Blackberry 7290 for this one. This device is almost perfect. The screen is large and vivid and very easy to see. It has all of the features that are common to the blackberry's such as the scroll wheel.
The thing that impressed me most with this device is its usability as a phone. While larger then today's typical cell phone, it is modeled after the candy bar phone and is very comfortable to hold and talk on. The reception is typical compared to my other phones. Having bluetooth and speaker phone both combined into this device makes it the most usable phone that BlackBerry has available.
The only things this device lacks are:
Camera
Real Music/Sound Ringtone capabilities
MMS messaging capabilities
