With its latest BlackBerry 8800 smartphone, Research In Motion (RIM) set out to build on the success of its previous BlackBerry Pearl 8100 and 8700 models by targeting a more mainstream audience. RIM's latest device comes with built-in GPS and numerous entertainment features but it's the way it works as a business phone that has us most interested.
Design
One of the most striking elements of the new 8800 is its small stature. Measuring in at only 114mm by 66mm by 14mm, the 8800 sits very comfortably in the hand and is slimmer than previous models. At 134 grams, it won't be too much of a burden when placed in a jacket pocket. Its glossy black finish with chrome buttons and slick QWERTY keyboard ensure the 8800 will get envious glances in the boardroom. The vibrant 2.5-inch LCD display packs in over 65K colours and has excellent image quality. The 8800 also comes with light-sensing technology that adjusts brightness of the screen and the keyboard backlight depending on ambient light levels.
One key improvement over the previous 8700 is the inclusion of a MicroSD memory card slot. The slot is placed next to the battery which means you don't have to switch the phone off if you want to change the card. The 8800 also picks up the 8100 Pearl's excellent trackball scroller with four-way movement, a welcome change from the scroll wheel that often led to "Blackberry thumb." One annoying design feature is the location of the voice-activated dialling key, which can get pressed accidentally while you're holding the phone.
Other external features include volume keys, a 2.5mm headphone jack and mini USB port, as well as power and mute buttons. Inside sits a 1400mAh Lithium ion battery that's charged via the supplied USB cable or portable AC adaptor.
Features
With the 8800, RIM is catering to both the business end of town as well as more mainstream users after a slick handset for messaging.
The big news is the built-in SiRF Star III GPS receiver for navigation duties. The 8800 comes pre-installed with RIM's own BlackBerry Maps navigation tools, but at the time of writing we've been advised that Australian maps aren't available.
The 8800 has also been packed with a host of entertainment features including playback for most popular audio formats, as well as video support for MPEG4 and WMV.
As a phone, the 8800 is equipped with quad-band 2.5G support with Internet access through GPRS/EDGE and Bluetooth 2.0 for extra connectivity. When it comes to e-mail, the 8800 uses BlackBerry's now famous push technology with support for POP3 or IMAP4 messages. There's also an attachment viewer, which allows users to open most Microsoft Office files as well as PDFs, JPEGs, and GIFs. Despite all the new additions, there's no avoiding the fact that the 8800 misses out on several key features that should be standard for a smartphone in this price range. The 8800 lacks 3G support, Wi-Fi and a camera, which is very disappointing especially up against new rivals such as Samsung's BlackJack. Additionally, the range of third party software for the Blackberry pales in comparison to that of Windows Mobile.
Performance
There are no issues with using the BlackBerry 8800 as a basic phone. Call quality is good, with clear and crisp sound coming from the unit's internal speaker, but it's not very loud even at the maximum volume setting. Sound through the loudspeaker is also good, but again not loud enough for you to sit back and talk in true teleconferencing style. Battery life is good for a phone with this large a screen. The 8800 will last you at least one full day with heavy messaging and two hours of phone calls.
For business users, the 8800 has an assortment of PDA-style features including calendar and address box functions that can be synced with a desktop using the packaged BlackBerry software. Web pages load effortlessly thanks to the full HTML support browser but speeds can be painfully slow when compared with 3G handsets.
Although its GPS capabilities could not be fully tested, we found the 8800 to offer a very quick satellite connection.
E-mail and messaging functionality is top notch, as you'd expect. The keyboard is a joy to use and even with minimal time to adapt to the layout and size we were tapping out e-mails quicker than previous Blackberry models.
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