Nomads And Blackberry TechnologyThe BlackBerry is the de facto e-mail device for nomadic employees. Now Research In Motion is upping the ante with the BlackBerry 8800, which aims to prove that RIM can do voice well enough to serve as an all-in-one mobile platform. Voice-activated dialing, enhanced multimedia capabilities, a GPS sensor and other advanced features put this BlackBerry on par with Windows Mobile phones and the Palm Treo. Even better, these add-ons don't come at the expense of its messaging capabilities: It still boasts a full QWERTY keyboard and improves Web browsing with a new trackball. But this pretty little number still has its flaws, including a limited battery life and disappointing data throughput. "Sleek" and "stylish" are words rarely associated with previous devices from RIM, but both aptly describe the 8800. The device itself is runway-model slim. A glossy black finish and chromed sides replace the decidedly corporate look of older BlackBerry models. Beyond cosmetics, the new form factor means making and receiving calls feels a lot less awkward than it did with previous models. Dedicated volume controls are within easy reach during a conversation. The new device also offers Voice-Activated Dialing (VAD), which saves you the trouble of scrolling through the address book. (It also makes it easier to dial while driving, but we trust you know better than to make calls while behind the wheel, right?) The VAD feature is voice-independent, meaning the device doesn't have to train itself to a specific user's voice. After activating the VAD, you say, for example, "Call John Doe mobile." The device then scans the address book for the appropriate number. If no exact match is found, the VAD will suggest names closest to the one you said. We found the VAD to be accurate during testing and simple enough for everyday use. The 8800 is also the first BlackBerry with a built-in Blackberry GPS Software. Not only does this open opportunities for location-based services down the road, it also gives road warriors access to navigation tools today. For example, Telenav, a subscription-based navigator available from AT&T, captures location information from the 8800, then downloads maps, directions and even points of interest from Telenav's servers, and presents them on the BlackBerry's screen. We found the maps and turn-by-turn directions to be surprisingly accurate, though because the service downloads the maps as you go, it can sometimes be a bit slow. Users can choose a destination from the 8800's address book, enter it on the keyboard, or call into Telenav and use its voice response system. Travelers now have the convenience of mapping and routing with turn-by-turn voice prompts, again without having to carry a dedicated device. In fact, the 8800 is the only device in AT&T's current lineup that doesn't require an external Blackberry GPS Software. Although the 8800 brings both form and function to the BlackBerry line, there are flaws beneath the chrome. One concern is battery life. While RIM claims a staggering 22 days of standby time between charges, we were only able to send and receive e-mails and make occasional phone calls for five days before recharging. We've found that RIM devices get very close to standby time when just used for data. (The last one we reviewed, the 8700, listed 10 days of standby, and we got seven days out of it just using e-mail.) E-mail and data usage doesn't fall under "talk time," but since RIM doesn't publish a "data time" either, we thought the battery issue worth mentioning. |