Blackberry 7100 Addicts

Addictive or not, Blackberry 7100 Software has become a mission critical issue for people who use a computer of any kind. Like telephones, people have at least one, usually two and often three, email accounts -- especially with the proliferation of free, browser-available email from Hotmail and Yahoo. Even then, it doesn't seem to be enough.

The people at Research In Motion Limited of Waterloo, Ont., realized this some time ago and have come up with the BlackBerry, a 3.5-inch by 2-inch by 0.93 inch pager-sized device that allows for the wireless sending and receiving of email.

How crucial is Blackberry 7100 Software? It's huge. It was the basis for the largest corporate merger ever, as last week MCI WorldCom and Sprint consummated a US$ 115 billion deal that focused largely on wireless transmission of data.

The BlackBerry is an AA alkaline battery powered, wireless handheld device that contains an Intel 386 processor and 2 MB of Intel Flash memory. It has an embedded wireless modem, a 2-watt transmitter.

The input is achieved through a thumb operated keyboard and trackwheel; both of which are easier to operate than I ever thought. The backlit screen/display, which provides only adequate clarity, is similar to an older, monochrome IBM green and black monitor.

Like any winning product, the BlackBerry is easy to use. With the demo version supplied to me for testing, I simply keyed -- well, thumbed -- in a message and when completed, double-clicked the trackwheel to send it over the Cantel AT&T network to a recipient.

Receiving email to my temporary greg@myblackberry.com, email account was just as simple. I even used it on the airplane on the way to San Francisco last month and it worked fine, although the actual transmission of email only seemed to work when we were, by my estimates, below 5,000 feet.

Yes, I know. I was almost certainly in violation of the airplane cellular phone rules -- the one where the flight attendants tell you the use of electronic devices is strictly prohibited.

While sending and receiving email is fine, the device is better used in conjunction with a Microsoft Exchange setup and account. This way, when a new message arrives at your email account, Black- Berry automatically encrypts and routes a copy of the message over the wireless data network to your BlackBerry Handheld.

Blackberry Software