Now Blackberry users can wirelessly read email, make phone calls, book meetings, and more--in color. In addition to being the first color BlackBerry, the 7230 is also the first with support for gaming, and it's one of the first with tri-band GSM-- a real must for world travelers. This integrated phone, email client (with support for corporate email servers), organizer and web browser is the ultimate weapon for mobile professionals.
Design
Click the image to get a closer look at the BlackBerry 7230's features. |
The 7230 follows the standard BlackBerry form factor-- a large 240 x 160 color screen placed above a QWERTY thumbpad. The screen offers plenty of real estate to view your emails, web browser content, messaging sessions and attachments. The popular BlackBerry user interface is here, too, which makes it easy to navigate the phone's functions. A jog dial is located on the right side of the unit for quick scrolling through menus and emails. There's also a standard 2.5mm headset jack that can be used with the included headset. A removable lithium-ion battery is housed in the rear of the unit, and there is a USB port for data connectivity.
Calling Features
Many of the calling capabilities folks have come to expect in a wireless phone are present in the 7230. A vibrating alert and speed dial capability are present, as is a contacts list/address book that is limited only by the unit's 16 MB of internal memory.
Messaging, Internet and Tools
The 7230 delivers the legendary BlackBerry email experience. With T-Mobile's BlackBerry Internet Service plans, you can receive emails instantaneously from personal and corporate accounts. With BlackBerry push technology, you don't need to retrieve your email. 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 with your desktop. Make meeting requests, invite new attendees and more, all on your 7230. Users without Enterprise Server support can manually sync with their desktop calendars and contacts using BlackBerry Desktop software and the device's USB data port.
Use the 7230'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. Wireless text messaging is also supported by the 7230.
The 7230 ships with a number of tools, including a calculator with a unit converter, and a to-do list. The unit's software is based on the Java platform, meaning Java-compatible games and applications can be added to the device.
Vital Statistics
The RIM BlackBerry 7230 weighs 4.9 ounces and measures 4.4 x 2.9 x 0.94 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4 hours of digital talk time, and up to 240 hours digital standby time. It runs on the 900/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.
What's in the Box
BlackBerry 7230 handset, travel charger, USB cable, battery, holster, hands-free headset, SIM card, BlackBerry Desktop software.
1 Do not get this if your email account is MSN or hotmail
I have an MSN email account and neither Blackberry, T-Mobile nor MSN - not on the phone or online - could figure out how to forward my email to the blackberry. It turns out that "full email integration" with MSN isn't possible which means you won't get fully synced email. I spent 1.5 days - 36 hours trying to make it work. I wasn't going to eat until I got it working. I've ended my fast and returned the 7230 to Amazon. I thought I'd try the Sprint model 7750 since I already have a cell account with them and it is advertised to work with MSN - but the Sprint customer service person confided that it would require an additional purchase of $400 software to make it compatible with MSN - making it a $900 blackberry. She said "they (Sprint) don't tell you that". If you get the T-mobile 7230, make sure you have the battery in on the first step, so that your desktop detects the hardware. If you attempt insert the SIM card under the battery into the SIM "bed", make sure you realize the bed flips up like a murphy bed and the sim card slides into the slot then locks down. The directions are very unclear and the photos are too small to see. A piece chipped off from inside from my attempts to put in the SIM card (my SIM bed was stuck - in fact, I didn't realize from the photos it was supposed to flip up). I now cry at the mention of "T-mobile". It got so bad that they credited me $80 or so, equivalent to one month of the service I signed up for.
2 Great hardware...Be wary of T-Mobile
Simply put, this hardware device is amazing...Easy to use and intuitive.
That said T-Mobile is really annoying. I signed-up for the 29.99 plan with Enterprise Server Access, which worked for 2 months before I was informed by T-Mobile that I would need to switch to a $39.99 plan to maintain Enterprise Server Access.
3 Think about it no more
Make no mistake, this is the best portable e-mail device you will ever find. T-mobile is absolutely great. I have ahd several PDAS and phones but this is by far the best. If you want immediate access to e-mails without any extra work or hassle this has to be your choice.
Easy to use as it is absolutely intuitive.
4 Blackberry 7230 purchase was a two year commitment mistake
The Blackberry 7230 seems like a great idea. You have a keyboard, color monitor, e-mail, phone, and a pretty good battery life. Now that I've provided the nice sales features, let me jump to reality. The Blackberry is too wide to hold when phoning or receiving calls. It will slip out of your hand and there's no safety strap. They did provide a nice click on holder but it would not allow the phone to be on standby because it was tight and pressed against the keys that control that function. Oh yes, you have to shift for higher case and also for numbers. I found the blackberry 7230 to be difficult to use as a phone or even a PDA. It is not made for average human hands or fingers. I won't even get into the way you have to hang up a phonecall and the options/menus. It only gets a 3 from me because it looks solid and the battery life is quite long. The color fades dramatically in low light situations. I would much rather have the newer, thinner, Blackberry.
5 Lose my mind if I ever lost my Blackberry
I hated this phone at first. It was a gift, and try as i did to get use to holding a rather large calculator sized box to my ear, the phone feature wasnt happening for me. The more i played with it, the more i discovered just how awsome this thing was. I own a mobile entertainment company, so its a breeze to keep schedules open, log CC information from clients, send bulk mail to my employees, even get driving directions. I love the Memo pad feature as well. Now I can remember things id normally forget because i can easily take note and keep time. Not to mention the unbeleivable battery life. I have kept full charges for weeks on end. Chargeing is a sinch. Ive only lost full battery life 2 times and each time i was able to connect to my computer and in less than 15 minutes i had a full charge that lasts longer than the energizer bunny.. Ive been more organized with this phone than I have in my entire career. Three thumbs up!!
6 Get the Blackberry and (comfortably) spend your time out of
Get the Blackberry and (comfortably) spend your time out of the office
I had decided to go with the Blackberry after my recent trip to China. I would see executives using the Blackberry everywhere.....at the airport, on the aircraft, in the hotel lobby, at the bar, even spotted a few using it at the Great Wall. And so, on my return, I decided to do a little research. I found that Amazon and T-mobile offered a great package and along with the rebate offered, it took me all of 2 minutes to decide.
I use to feel like I was balled and chained to my laptop. Speedy action and response to client's email was the key. In this day and age, no response to an email is equivalent to no operator manning the phone of a business. Even when I was out of the office and on the road, I would have anxiety attacks just pondering about what possible urgent emails have I missed or not been able to action due to being on the road.
Now all that has changed with the Blackberry 7230.......After working with Tmobile to setup my Blackberry......(just a comment about the TMobile CSD......I have had experience with AT&T, Sprint, and Tmobile, and hands down - zero competition, Tmobile's CSD by far has the best CSR out of all 3. Tmobile CSR have demonstrated their ability to effectively and courteously resolve all issues every single time that I've called, which was about 7 times within 4 or 5 days. Furthermore, it takes less than 1 minute to speak with a live person. ...Try that with AT&T - Ha ha !!. Anyway, continuing on about the Blackberry......after the setup and after 2 months of use, I give you the following...
The minor cons......
No speaker phone.....This is an issue because it looks way-more cool speaking into the Blackberry like a walkie-talkie, then having it pressed against your ear. Trust me on this; I've conducted a survey with male and female between ages of 20-50. So risk looking uncool, or just use the hands free which comes included and works very well.
No voice dial.....this really should have been a safety feature since there is no way that one can dial a phone number while safely operating an automobile. Don' do it fellow Amazonians...be safe!
The shape of the Blackberry is not ergonomically shaped to fit in a women's (or a man) small hand. For a female, I would say that you basically need both hands to use all the blackberry features such as dialing a number or email, etc.
The Message Icon contains both the email messages as well as the call log. It would be great if it was separated....and maybe it can be and I just do not know, so if anyone knows how to, please let me know - thank you.
There is not an option to keep the LCD light on.....but this is one of the reason why the battery is EXCELLENT. You can go for days without having to recharge.
The magnificent pros........
Feel comfortable out of the office. Email arrives instantly (even faster than my company server).
Keyboard is super easy to use and allow you to type any length messages with ease.
You can forward attachment onward even if you cannot open the attachment that you are forwarding.
The address book feature is great...and it even gives you the ability to enter "pause". So, say for example, you are calling a company with automated answer where you will need to dial the extension number of your party, well, program the telephone number, then add 2 "pause" then add the ext. number....it will dial for you. You save your self a step of having to dial the number, then after connection, dial the extensions.. Voila!! Also, this is a super super feature if you use a calling card with a pin number for dialing international (or domestic) on your blackberry.
So, in conclusion,I can only say, if you want to experience FREEDOM from your laptop. Get the Blackberry!!
7 Solid device
After reviewing a lot of PDA phones I ended up getting the BlackBerry 7230 for TMobile. The device does a good job of combining all the features that I need and still fits into my pocket nicely. It can be difficult to hear using the phone, but it works well for most conversations. The shape and layout of buttons makes it easy to navigate the features and the keyboard is great. It doesn't have all the features of the Treo, but the price of the phone and Tmobile service make it a good deal.
8 The unit is OK but INCOMPETENT T-Mobile customer support
I purchased this unit about two months ago; I started having problems later where the screen would freeze on me...I called the customer service yesterday. Some girl at the wiresless support tried to install software to fix the problem but instead she terminated the unit for good!!! Now all I have an error message of 507. She had no idea about what she was doing....she started even laughing in the end...She first said she would be sending me a replacement unit. She said she would use normal delivery which was free of charge. I said I needed asap because this was the only phone I had at the moment as my wireline phone was not yet connected due to a recent move....She said that 2-day delivery was $15 extra....When I said there was no way I was paying as this was due to her incompetence, she omplete said she would talk to her supervisor...then she came back with even a more brilliant idea...She said that I now needed to talk to someone from RIM....I had already spent over 30 minutes for a problem that she made worse now her so-called supervisor was trying to save
the company at my expense...They put me on hold to get RIM on the line but after ten minutes I hang up. I will break my contract and switch to Verizon where both nationwide coverage and customer service are much better than T-Mobile.
9 Best instrument I have ever used.
I have been usury the 7230 for one year - don't what I would do without it. For its functions - phone, directory, e-mail and appointments there is no item more elegant.
10 Blackberry 7230
As a experienced mobile communications user I highly recommend this device. It provides excellent sound quality, functionality and capabilities for both business and personal usage. If you looking for a PDA/ Phone combination this one is hard to beat.
11 Blackberry 7230 Phone/PDA - best option
I have had my Blackberry 7230 since about May 1, 2004. I have successfully used it for phone and email in a wide variety of locations --- many of the 48 states, as well as Paris (France), Prague (Czech Republic), Shanghai (People's Republic of China) among others. Only place it hasn't worked is Tokyo (Japan) - no coverage. Well, a few locations in the US - my basement among them - also produce failure. But if you're in a city or near a major highway in the US it appears that you're virtually certain to get coverage.
It took about 3 days to get the unit set up for email initially due to the network being down when I received my unit, and the people on telephone help not being able to find that out. As a result, we tried lots of options, and suddenly three days later it worked fine, and we later found out about the network problem.
Great --- email by push (it arrives, you don't have to check for it --- standard Blackberry stuff). Calendar is fine, as is rolodex, etc.. Phone is a good thing, though the minutes aren't cheap. I regard it as an emergency/rare use phone.
The unit is very sturdy, and small enough to fit easily into my shirt pocket (I use a holster most of the time).
Synchronization with Outlook was effortless - the default settings worked just fine.
All in all - I'm very happy with this unit. Very happy. Good choice.
12 A PDA phone that you will really use and enjoy using
This is just an awesome device, very well thought off and integrated. Obviously RIM didn't try to build Windows in, like Microsoft is strugling to do with their PDAs, but rather created a clean and ergonomic interface tailored for a mobile device. The keyboard works great and you'll be surprised how much you are using it. Track wheel is also very usable and very helpful. The screen is crisp and easy to read both indoors and outdoors. The device is also very light.
I use the device as a phone, to read and respond to email when away from the office or just away from PC (believe or not, you really can write email from it), read news via web browser when need to kill some time and taking "to buy" and "to do" kind of notes.
From what I would add to the device is a camera and a card reader (e.g. secure digital).
Excellent device overall.
13 Great integration: Could use more add-in apps to rival Palm
This new Blackberry is great in pulling together all the data (such as in Outlook) so that it can be fully leveraged as a communication and monitoring device. It offers professionals a new degree of freedom and flexibility not previously available with this level of ease.
This device trumps the Palm alternatives in just about all categories, except the availability of add-ons. Since getting this, I've used the phone and email features both here and in Europe. Actually, the coverage in Europe is better (in less dense areas).
My only gripes are twofold: (1)you cannot synch the web-emails of the 3-in-1 with Outlook, and (2) most of the really cool and useful add-ins on my old PalmPilot cannot be found for this RIM device. I'm unsure about the capacity of the Blackberry 7230 to match the Palm operating software in this manner.
All in all - some of the competing Palm oriented devices attempt to deliver this integration, but IMHO - they have not yet captured the high ground. Maybe that will change in the future.
Looking for fully integrated functionality for phone, emails, short-messaging, calendaring, address book, et cetera? It is now the Blackberry 7230 to beat.
14 The closest to the PDA-Phone bundle I was looking for...
I had been waiting for prices to come down on these PDA-phone bundles. I'd seen the Pocket PCs and the Treo 600, and I love them, but they were way above my budget. The time came when I had to replace my "free" T-Mobile Nokia, and I figured this was the best time to jump into the long dreamed of PDA-Phone, so I got myself a Blackberry 7230. It's not without shortcomings, such as the "floating" cradle that is only used to charge it, though no cables run through it, so you charge the unit using a USB cable that hooks up to a wall AC adapter (odd, but it works), while the cradle just serves the purpose of holding the unit. The same plug you use for charging is the plug to synchronize your Blackberry with your PC.
The reception is outstanding, and the usability, superb. They've worked out quite a few shortcuts to allow you to use it with only one hand most of the time (except if you're typing something, where you can benefit from using two fingers -don't think of typing as you would with a regular keyboard, because your hands won't fit!) Setting up the synchronization with your Outlook (Contacts, Calendar, Tasks and Notes) is a snap: almost all the default values need no playing with. Getting the unit to pick up your e-mail may take longer, depending on how receptive your IT folks are and/or whether you have Blackberry's Enterprise Server running in your company.
Overall, I am very happy with it. It's not perfect, but it's the best thing I found for the price range I was willing to go for. In case you are wondering, I didn't buy it from Amazon. I got it from T-Mobile directly as an upgrade to my current phone, which I'd kept for over one year. The option of switching numbers and opening a new account going with all the rebates that Amazon offered at the time of this writing wasn't appealing to me, because my wife and I share minutes in a family plan, and that was not an option with the phone-service plan options that Amazon offered. Still I highly recommend this little unit. The time is ripe for affordable PDA-Phone bundles!
15 Don't buy
If you really want a smartphone get the only phone that can really claim the name... TREO TREO TREO 600.....
16 Check T-Mobile coverage at your home/office
My zip code "passed" the zip code test for T-mobile coverage, but when I got the phone there was zero signal at my house. I called them and they looked up my home address and said yes, they show a dead zone in my area. They were very nice about terminating since well within trial period, and then I had to return to Amazon. BUT HEY - they had my home shipping address in order to open the account and ship the phone to me!!!! If T-Mobile has a database that shows specific dead zones, wouldn't it make sense that most people expect their Blackberry to work at home?
So, my advice if you know you are in an area that has spotty coverage for some carriers is to call BEFORE you order. I called AT&T to try to verify with them, but they don't have a map that goes below zip level. Maybe that's because they really have full coverage??? I'll know in another week.
17 Awesome product !! I love carrying just one device!
This is truely am amazing product and far superior to any device I've used in the past. I only need to carry one device for Email, Mobile Phone, Schedule synchronized with Outlook, all other PDA functions.. amazing! And it fits into my pocket so I don't need to look like Batman with a utility belt full of devices :)
I have also used it in Hong Kong & Shanghai - WOW!
18 My2Way My Fon
This thing is great! I can write emails on the plane, subway, and bus. I can take a conference call on it too. wish it had a speakerphone and was a little smaller. But now I have a lot less gadgets strapped to my waist.
19 Email and Phone in one almost-a-PDA format
I like email for messages, because voicemail is dull and unclear (my UNFAVORITE thing--someone goes on blah-di-blah-blah for minutes then when they get to the PHONE NUMBER which is all you really want, they go BZZZZT fivefoureightfivez... and you have trouble getting it. Then you have to go back, wade through the blah-blah again and again to catch the number. Voicemail is LINEAR. Hint to those who use voicemail: repeat your phone number and your name S-L-O-W-L-Y.) But if you want to send more complex messages, email and SMS are great options.
I got tired of emailing on my cell phone--that keypad, and thought, HEY, maybe the Blackberry could work. So I got the T-Mobile version of the Blackberry, which does use a SIM chip, and in about ten minutes of learning curve, I had this thing up and running except for a glitch in the reception of email. This was fixed by a quick call to T-Mobile's friendly technical service.
The email was easy to set up with my POP servers. Sadly, the BES (Blackberry Enterprise System) is not supported at my workplace, so I can't get secure mail from work this way. It's dependent on support from your IT department.
The phone is a bit clumsy (the numeral pad is the left side of the QWERTY keyboard) but with a headset and mic, it works pretty well. And it's clearer than my regular cellphone. One problem: the series of letters found on a phone keypad are NOT on the numeric part, so if you have to dial by name or someone gives you a 800-CALL-MYNAME type number, you have to have those keys memorized.
There is a memo pad, a calculator, T-zones (some limited online ability and weather/news.) The color screen is nice. The battery really lasts long--three or four days. (Hint: let it run down ALL the way before charging.) The ergonomics for typing are good, just ok on the phone, but liveable. The thumbscroll is quite effective along with the escape button below. These two side-mounted buttons are used to navigate, highlight, select, delete and escape--fairly easy to master.
I have to say, it's a pretty slick device. For me, this is a great solution to get both email and phone service in one.
20 I'm a techno-dinosaur but love this thing
When my firm gave me my Blackberry, I was skeptical. Afterall, I'm one of those people who thinks cell phones are way over used -- we're not all that important after all. Why would constant email contact be so important? After 4 weeks, I'm hooked. I've connected it to my home email account also so that if I'm at work I don't have to take time to check emails at home and visa versa. It's made email a much more useable way for people, like lawyers who need a quick response to get in touch with me. All in all I'm sold. But I'm easily impressed, being a dinosaur and all.
21 Be ABSOLUTELY certain you want to use T-Mobile
I bought this device with T-Mobile service and then found out they have no service where I live (the coverage map was not detailed enough to see that). So I tried to switch back to the service I had been using for a few years.
Eventhough I cancelled the T-Mobile service within their 14-day "Buyer's Remorse" time-frame, they would not "unlock" my device from their service making it virtually useless. Therefore, the other wireless service couldn't activate the device. So, there I sit with a VERY fancy address book!!
The only way I could get T-Mobile to unlock it would have been to stay with them for 90-days (with no service, of course, because they don't cover my area) and then pay a substantial cancellation fee (I think it's about $200) for cancelling within a year.
So, now I have to send the device back to Amazon.com and start all over again.
WORD TO THE WISE . . . . Be sure to read the fine print (I still can't find the 90-day unlock fine print) about the "Package" you choose to buy. And, be darn sure you want to keep it for a while.
22 Excellent product if you need e-mail as primary activity!
I use it primarily for sending emails and secondary as a phone. It is a great product.
Scrolling button needs improvement but overall this is it.
No phone can send email with such efficiency. With cell phones, you need to press each button 3 times and God forbid if you miss the turn. :)
The sounds of this phone is CLEAR as if you are using regular line, there is no static! Enough of sales pitch. I love my Blackberry!
23 Good product but with a few kinks
I just got my color blackberry and I like it quite well overall - but there are a few kinks - such as it freezing up 2-3 times a week.
24 If phone feature are important, this isn't for you...
My company got me this blackberry in lieu of a cell phone. But after using it for a few months I'd rather have a $29 cell phone.
The web browsing capability is limited but passable.
The email works great, but I get a lot of spam which causes a problem. On my laptop I have software that eliminates 95% of the spam that I get, however it doesn't do it's thing until after the spam hits my inbox. Consequently, if my laptop is not connected to the company email server, - like on the weekends the spam does not get filtered and ends up coming to the Blackberry - which as near as I can tell has no way of resolving the problem. So on the weekends it's annoying to wade through 100 spam messages to find the one or two emails that I'd actually like to read. Because of this problem I've turned the email feature off.
It's barely passable as a phone. Poor reception, uncomfortable shape, bulky, impossible to dial with one hand or without looking, no one-touch dialing, and you have to position it just right to hear the other party well.
Overall, - this device is a hint at how features will be bundled together in the future, but since my main need is for a good phone it doesn't meet my needs.
25 Powerful - but takes time to get going
We had to reconcile 4 personal and 2 biz e-mail accounts, and wanted to be more mobile. Blackberry is the standard for wireless e-mail.
So we got two T-Mobile units. It took us about 12 hrs to get it all setup, and we got most of what we wanted, but not all of it. So count on spending quite some time figuring out the various e-mail options, and playing with them until they work.
What you really want is the e-mail redirector, which gives you full access to your mailbox. Unfortunately it runs only with corporate e-mail accounts (Exchange & Domino) and is useless with standard ISP e-mail accounts. That was the biggest setback and disappointment.
Trying to find out solutions to handle the ISP accounts took the longest. You can use T-Mobile's webclient re-direct, but it's not obvious how it is setup and does not have any forwarding filters (which is too bad with today's spam volumes).
Setting up forwarding rules on Outlook provides more flexibility, but you really need redirector software, not just forwarding - otherwise the from: address is always yourself. I found two pieces of shareware, but they required installation on both ends, and that didn't work out with the Blackberry.
So we went with the T-Mobile redirect and its working, but not ideal.
No complaints about T-Mobile so far. When I had to deal with them, they were easy to work with, and amazon takes care of most of the work, as the phones arrive pre-activated.
Summary: Probably still the best mobile e-mail solution around, but the software integration has plenty of room for improvement. The hardware is great though - the gold standard in terms of usability and features.
26 Depends on what you want...
I'm most definitely not a "pointy-haired boss" (see my About page), but overall I'm quite pleased with it.
If you're looking for a portable game machine I hear Nintendo sells them pretty cheaply--and with a far better selection of games than the typical cellphone. (Or there's always my personal favorite, the NeoGeo Pocket Color.)
The Blackberry is primarily a device for doing email/text messaging, calendar and to-do organization, and a little web browsing. It's really intended to be a personal organizer.
The unit itself feels quite sturdy, but keep in mind it has a quite large LCD screen. It feels pretty solid overall, but I bet it'll scratch pretty easily, and it isn't something that can be safely carried in a pocket without some sort of protective cover.
Battery lifetimes are good, and I seem to get about 7-10 days from mine (although I have it set up to shut itself off at night). It charges pretty quickly, probably in 2-3 hours.
The Blackberry happens to have a voice cellphone built in, but it's not the best choice for this purpose. It is NOT a cellphone in the usual sense and it's not really trying to be one, if for no other reason than its size and shape would make it really annoying to use without a headset. It works, but a dedicated cellphone will work better for that one purpose. (But I definitely haven't had the problems with feedback from the headset mentioned by one of the other reviewers. My headset works just peachy-keen.)
There are a couple of nice features in the address book I really like. There are extra user-definable fields for additional phone numbers/email addresses besides the usual home/office/cell etc. There's also a Notes field, handy for keeping track of who wants to be called when and such.
It also has a Java engine and I've found it reasonably easy to get my own applets running on it. (It doesn't appear to handle standard .jad/.jar applets, at least as delivered from T-Mobile. I had to rebuild mine to get them to run.) Again, it's not a games machine.
The UI is easy and intuitive to use, and I've grown fond of the wheel for doing menu selections. Occasionally it seems like I have to click the wheel one too many times to do something; it'd be nice if there were more (and user-definable) keyboard shortcuts.
The calendar book is OK. It works best if you're doing a standard 9-5 M-F workweek, as it only displays about 8 hours on the weekly summary screen and you need to scroll around to see the rest of a given day. It's been reliable so far with no lost appointments. The one annoyance is that reminders only appear to sound once, and if you miss one you won't be reminded again until you happen to look at the screen.
The web browser is so-so. It works best with WAP/WML pages of course. Some HTML/XHTML pages will display but there are going to be compromises because of the small display size, and not every page works (I've seen a number of strange error messages when trying to browse random HTML pages). However, I find it reasonably useful for reading news.google.com, maps.yahoo.com, etc., and it works for displaying pictures. In other words I've found the browser is handy when I *need* to use it, but I wouldn't use it to just "surf the web".
I find the mail reader easy to deal with, but I've only used it with T-Mobile's mail server. Any issues with email forwarding are between you and your current ISP; it's really not T-Mobile's fault if your ISP is incompetent. I also don't run Exchange or any of that nonsense.
I also don't try to sync with any desktop programs, as I rely entirely on the Blackberry for all that stuff. Supposedly the next major release of the Blackberry OS (an upgrade will be available, presumably for free) will make synching a lot easier and more reliable--so you may want to wait if this is an important feature for you.
Other nice features include AutoType (completes various abbreviated words on the fly while entering text, and you can add your own abbreviations), a simplistic but usable Todo manager, and an auto power-off feature for saving batteries (which is also a great way to stop people from calling at 3am).
In summary: it does everything I want, and does most of it very well. It doesn't run Windows apps... but for some reason I'd consider that to be a serious feature in its favor; I leave the software alone, it does its job, everbody's happy.
If you really need all the bells-and-whistles from a Pocket PC thingy (along with all the headaches, crashes, viruses and other typical Microsoft-delivered woes), then that's really what you should get. If you want to play games Nintendos are cheap and a lot more fun than a Java-based phone. There are much, much cheaper cellphones available.
But for what it is I find the Blackberry to be quite handy. It was a huge improvement over my Motorola T721. It's a compromise--most multifunctional devices are--but I can live with its limitations.
27 This actually works and it is easy to use.
We use the Blackberry for a corporate solution to provide wireless email and intranet services. We have a few minor problems with the service (lockups once a week, maybe). We are gradually expanding the applications and services available to our users. We have total control over what goes on the units and how they are used on the network.
In comparison to Microsoft Pocket PC solutions.
Pocket PC lockups 2-3 time a day
Pocket PC data services and units are expensive and fragile.
Pocket PC Users can and do load non business applications making support a nightmare.
Getting corporate support for Pocket PC is like getting blood from stone and then you pay through the nose for it.
Building apps for Pocket PC that work as a corporate solution for a wireless network over GPRS is buggy and unreliable.
If you want a corporate solution that minimises costs and provides all the cost details up front, including support, use a blackberry.
It is the easiest hand held I have seen so far.
I can show most people how to use the Blackberry in twenty seconds.
I have found Blackberry support very good incomparison to the Indian based support centre for HP Pocket PC. It will take me a matter of 1-2 hours to get a resolve from Blackberry.
With the support for Pocket PC, I might, if I am lucky, find a resolve through the support centres that we have to use for Pocket PC (after many days of frustrating, broken english conversations). I hate paying for negative results.
Building apps for Blackberry is well documented and have not had in problem so far.
If you want to play games use a Pocket PC.
The bottom line needs productivity, not wasting time.
28 Love it!
Love it. (but we have At&t service-maybe the other reviewer has t-mobile and that is why they have had problems)
29 On par with Palm OS.....from 1997
Blackberry needs to get their act together. 3rd party apps range from horrible to non-existent. Usability is atrocious. So I can get my corporate e-mail via a wireless device...so what when everything about the so called "crackberry" sucks! But I'm sure all of the "pointy-haired" bosses out there love this piece of crap.
30 High expectations low results
After years of owning separate PALM devices, cell phones and PCs I finally decided to break down and purchase the Color Blackberry (actually got the AT&T version)
Pros:
** Excellent PDA synched with my Lotus Notes PIM apps via Pumatech's Intellisynch seamlessly
** Form factor wonderful-keyboard a joy but not a one handed unit
** Interface for phone software wonderful (check for hidden keystrokes to speed thing up
Cons: (and the reason I am returning
** Headset terrible had so much feedback was asked to mute it on numerous conference calls (over 2 days)
** Desktop Software (not synch) for installing apps would not work Even after installing service packs, hacking registry and calling support who's biggest focus was making sure I knew where I was downloading the SW upgrade to on my Hard drive so I would not lose it.
** No voice dialing
** No speed dialing other than 1 for voice mail
All in all I was terribly disappointed by the phone features. And due to the feedback on the handsfree (support suggested I turn the volume down -- did not work) found the unit unuseable
Next step is to try the Treo 600
31 An excellent product still waiting on excellent service
I bought this primarily to check my e-mail, and was pleased with how small the product was. This didn't make typing easy, but none of the messages I had to send were particularly long, and whatever annoyance this caused was made up for by how easy everything was to use.
This product is still in its beginning stages, though, and the service that should be behind it just isn't there. I had some trouble getting my Outlook messages forwarded to the handheld, and although customer service is always helpful (and usually fairly prompt), there was something screwy going on with the network, and it wasn't possible for me to log in even with the correct password.
I could, for some reason, get into the T-Mobile website - where the instructions said I could integrate the rest of my e-mail with the Blackberry - but it was impossible to get to the Blackberry Web Client from there, even with the help of the customer service representative.
Although this may sound like an individual freak problem, it clearly points to a company that doesn't quite have its act together yet. The website is poorly thought out, and integrating the e-mail often requires a lot of legwork on your end, especially if you use Outlook and are primarily buying this for company messages. I had to get the company computer guy to make changes on the server to forward messages directly to my account, which was much more complicated than I'd hoped.
People that have primarily accounts on Hotmail, Yahoo, and AOL should also watch out, since the Blackberry can't get mail from those accounts easily either.
The 7230 is an excellent product: I hope they work out the bugs as it gets more popular. If this isn't an immediate necessity for you, I might wait a while to buy one until they do.
32 Love the new Blackberry 7230
PRO's:
I really like this baby! Does almost everything I would need it to do while being away from my home computer. I like that it is color and it's small size. Fairly easy to learn.
Con's: No Speakerphone! That would be great! No adjustment for screen contrast, I would like it a little darker text/icons and brighter display but you cannot adjust?? Easier phone controls to make a phone call would also be nice. Really hard to enter a phone number using that keyboard. Overall I am happy with it, if they ever upgrade to include what I mentioned I am there in a heartbeat!
33 Love My Blackberry !
Pros:
*Receive, read & write emails while on the Go !! You can leave the laptop at home with this awesome device as your means of being mobile & staying in touch. Gives true meaning to "simplicity".
* The size of it--smaller then the palm of my hand
* Draws attention: was checking out my emails at a German restaurant in Berlin and all EYES were on me-- locals were wondering what was that thing in my hand.
* Color Screen features.
Cons:
* Lack of Instructional Manual in package box upon purchase. Just a quick instructional guide by mode of disk but not very informational: doesn't explain setting emails accounts, dealing with settings and adding additional features.
* Lack of speakerphone
* My Blackberry didn't have Bluetooth-- too bad .
* Took some points off on Support from T-Mobile. I tried 3 times to have a Tech call me back for some guidance & they failed to do so. Not cool.
