BlackBerry 7290

“The 7290 sports a tweaked version of the QWERTY keyboard that helped put BlackBerry on the map. The familiar side-mounted thumbwheel is there, but it's a matter of taste whether it's more user-friendly than the center-mounted, five-way navigation key found on many other smart phones. The screen has a much brighter backlight than the 7290's predecessors, but the resolution and colors are weak compared to most other smart phones.”

“If you're looking to loose your phone and PocketPC or Palm powered PDA in exchange for a Blackberry, you may be disappointed, especially if you're any kind of power user, you'll miss the MP3 player, the word processor and the ability to load up fancy GPS software. If you plan to keep your mobile phone but need to add remote email and calendaring to your life and especially if you're the type that buys technology for the job rather than for fashion then you're in luck, the Blackberry offers strong email, calendar and contact management in a tough and pocket-able form that doesn't need a tech-head in tow to keep it running and, having recently seen them in the hands of the FAB-5 and George Clooney you might hit the fashion note too.”