BlackBerry 8800

“Hear that rustling noise? That's the sound of a million insecure junior execs opening their wallets simultaneously. Why? A new BlackBerry has just hit shelves. Reflecting RIM's new design philosophy, the 8800 sports a trackball, a full (yet crammed) QWERTY keyboard, and a sharp, vivid display that automatically adjusts brightness to ambient light. While it's ideal for messaging, the 8800's dimensions are a bit too wide for a phone-it feels like talking into a Pop Tart. And the included entertainment options are so anemic and boring, they make an Excel spreadsheet seem exciting. Technocrats will love this device, but those working for the weekend can take a pass.WIRED Beautiful display. Integrated GPS ideal for business travelers in new cities. Easy email setup wizard and full QWERTY keyboard means you're always connected to the office. Long battery life for such a large device.TIRED No Wi-Fi or 3G web connection. Phone's shape makes gripping it awkward. Call quality is sometimes muddled. Media player seems like an afterthought. Non-intuitive menus make transferring music and video a pain. Those with sausage fingers will have problems with the keyboard.”

“The 8800 is a gorgeous device. RIM has taken the business-style Blackberry, given it a swanky makeover and some multimedia hoops, opened up email access to the masses then put it out through standard retail channels. This makes it a great purchase for small businesses, and die-hard Crackberry addicts will find that this gives them an even more enticing and appealing dose of their drug of choice. The GPS and Maps software isn't quite there, but we can hope that a firmware and software update improves this in the future. For now, the 8800 is undoubtedly the email device of choice for anyone that wants push messaging - and the stunning good looks are just an added bonus.”

“This phone's impressive features include excellent e-mail options and built-in GPS, as well as a sleek design.”

“There is no denying that the RIM BlackBerry 8800 is a very nice device. It is modern looking, yet still offers the same smartphone functionality and the push email system of the older BlackBerry phones. Its user interface might seem a bit vast and archaic to the uninitiated, but I think that the typical road warrior will manage to adapt to it quickly enough. But RIM still has a long way to go before it can expect mass acceptance of their phones by Joe Consumer.With that said, I still think that the 8800 is a fantastic phone. Save for a camera, it has the basic multimedia capabilities that people want, it is fairly compact, and offers great text input and a novel trackball for navigation. I give it a Recommended rating. If you are looking for something a little more compact, with a camera, check out RIM's BlackBerry Curve 8300, a device that I like even more.”