RIM BlackBerry 7280 Smartphone
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- Installed Memory: 16 MB
- Operating System: BlackBerry OS
- Design: Mobile
- Style: Smartphone
- Network Type: GSM 850 GSM 1800 GSM 1900 GPRS GSM
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Great Email Device; Not A Great Phone
Pros
email capabilities; large, clear color screen; very long battery life; keyboard; easy PDA functions
Cons
Bulky for a phone; call quality just adequate (on Cingular)
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
For portable email and PDA functions, I highly recommend this (but NOT as a replacement for a laptop)
For anyone who has wanted to have the freedom to send and receive email and have internet access without lugging around their laptop, the RIM Blackberry 72XX series (the specific model varies according to the wireless carrier you sign up with) goes a long way in meeting those desires (the newer 7290 differs in that it is a "quad band device" which will work on more international carriers services outside the US and supports a Bluetooth headpiece).
The 72XX series has a QUERTY keyboard which is easily handled using your thumbs; this will take a little while for first-time users to get a handle on, but once a person gets comfortable, they're able to type fairly quickly.
As a phone, though, the 72XX series falters. To really hear your conversation, you need to use an earpiece (although the 72XX has a microphone and speaker on its body, neither works well, especially out of doors). In my experience, the 7280 drops calls more often than a pure cellphone working on the same network (in this case, Cingular). If you want an email device which also can be used as a phone, get this. If you want a phone and to have occasional email use, this is not the device for you; try the newer Blackberry 7100.
Updated 9/21:Several members have asked me to describe the PDA functions of the 7280. The 7280 includes a calendar which syncs with your MS Outlook calendar, an address book (which similarly syncs with Outlook), a "to do" list function (labeled "Tasks"), and a notepad (ditto). It also includes a built-in calculator.
The Blackberry has a 240 X 160 display supporting 65,000 colors (according to RIM). This translates to a display which is clear and readable for text, but nowhere near as sharp as the displays on current Windows Mobile or Palm OS devices (or on the Blackberry 7100x series).
Although I haven't seen a version of "Documents to Go", the MS-Office translator, for the Symbian OS (used by RIM), there is a lengthy list of third-party software available for the 7280 (including an 'office' suite). Handango, the mobile software developer, recently announced the availability of some of its products for Blackberry devices.
The 72XX series has a QUERTY keyboard which is easily handled using your thumbs; this will take a little while for first-time users to get a handle on, but once a person gets comfortable, they're able to type fairly quickly.
As a phone, though, the 72XX series falters. To really hear your conversation, you need to use an earpiece (although the 72XX has a microphone and speaker on its body, neither works well, especially out of doors). In my experience, the 7280 drops calls more often than a pure cellphone working on the same network (in this case, Cingular). If you want an email device which also can be used as a phone, get this. If you want a phone and to have occasional email use, this is not the device for you; try the newer Blackberry 7100.
Updated 9/21:Several members have asked me to describe the PDA functions of the 7280. The 7280 includes a calendar which syncs with your MS Outlook calendar, an address book (which similarly syncs with Outlook), a "to do" list function (labeled "Tasks"), and a notepad (ditto). It also includes a built-in calculator.
The Blackberry has a 240 X 160 display supporting 65,000 colors (according to RIM). This translates to a display which is clear and readable for text, but nowhere near as sharp as the displays on current Windows Mobile or Palm OS devices (or on the Blackberry 7100x series).
Although I haven't seen a version of "Documents to Go", the MS-Office translator, for the Symbian OS (used by RIM), there is a lengthy list of third-party software available for the 7280 (including an 'office' suite). Handango, the mobile software developer, recently announced the availability of some of its products for Blackberry devices.
