Coming Soon: RIM Blackberry/WiFiBerry
Monday, July 3rd, 2006 by Mike Rundle
Just a few days ago RIM’s Co-CEO/Chairman announced that many Blackberry features will be added to models coming out “by the end of the year” with WiFi support, image capture (camera), and MP3 playback capabilities on the short list. After settling the lawsuit earlier this year, RIMs subscriber numbers have been growing steadily, and although they recently announced the 8700 line I’m sure that at least one new product line will be coming out in Q3/Q4 2006 as per their announcement.
My current phone situation is pretty messed up, but I’m seriously considering an 8700c from Cingular. Although some friends of mine prefer the Treo’s form-factor and UI, I have to say that I’m a sucker for how the Blackberry looks. One of the things that seals the deal for me and the Blackberry is how much you can customize the interface (super hot theme pic!) and since I’m a UI guy that’s a huge plus. I’m not sure if you can thoroughly change the entire look and feel of the Treo’s Palm interface, but there is a nice theme-builder IDE for the Blackberry which I’ve been drooling over. A third competitor in the space is the new Nokia E61 — Om just got one and this morning he was trying to convince me to buy that instead of the Blackberry, so it’s definitely a tough choice. Since I despise Windows CE, the Motorola Q is out of the picture for me, which is tough because it’s a pretty nice device as well.
Reader Comments
7 Responses to “Coming Soon: RIM Blackberry/WiFiBerry”
The E61 looks hot (as does the E70) and I would get either of those before a Blackberry, but it’s a matter of personal taste I suppose. If you’re going to get a Blackberry, you should definitely use the full Blackberry Enterprise e-mail/calendaring service. Without it, it’s more or less a pile of crap. IMAP sync doesn’t work very well at all (it does on Nokias and Treos) and communication with a Mac is awful.
July 3rd, 2006 at 2:20 pm
I have had a blackberry for a while now and love it and can’t wait to upgrade to the 8700c. It does what I want and easily. I can’t be doing with a lot of the excessive functions of so many phones. The personalisation and setup jumps every new model. However, in the UK we loose some of the features which does grate a bit. The phone on it is also good quality. Then again talk to a Treo or any other user type and I am sure they have their own take.
July 3rd, 2006 at 5:51 pm
What do you hate so much about Windows CE? I just got a Motorola Q and have fallen in love with it. Not only that, but I switched from Cingular to Verizon and I’m never looking back.
July 3rd, 2006 at 11:44 pm
I just got the Q about two weeks ago and I absolutely love it. I have had no problems so far, and the apps run pretty smoothly. Sometimes there’s a tiny delay with the touchpad but that doesn’t bother me. But when I was looking for a new phone, it was between the Treo 700 and the Q.
July 5th, 2006 at 8:38 am
I am also Treo guy and I am kind curious about the new blackberry.
As I heard from my friends its UI design is very impressive and what else. Can someone help me out with this ?
July 7th, 2006 at 1:32 pm
Treo 650 was the in thing last year - this year the playing field got leveled by the introduction of the Motorolla Q, BlackBerry , Treo 700w and the Nokia E61.
I personally own the Treo 650, but am annoyed by the fact that the Palm OS is a very unstable, keeps crashing and freezing, and soo in need to an overhaul. The Blackberry I am forced to used through work has some major quirks - for one, its wider… and trust me, if you don’t use a headset the width makes or breaks the deal. The Motorola Q might be fun, except that most financial firms are married to the BBerry and hence you need to implement third party solutions to push your work emails to your device - not a very clean or stable solution.
In the end the choice is very much dependent on the usage patterns - if you need lots of applications - go with the Palm, if you need compatibility with office networks - go with the BBerry, if you need a cool phone/pda - go with the Motorola Q… the Nokia is simply too wide and thick to be a real choice, especially since you now have the Motorola Q around.
July 10th, 2006 at 9:38 am
Personally I Love the Blackberry 8700. I think its the best Blackberry that i have ever used but i am considering the Blackberry 8800 or the Curve. If Any of you have doubts about it i really think that you should get it, it is a really good phone. Dont hesitate to go to your local Cingular (AT&T) store and grab you one … although they are a little pricy when your contract isnt up yet but believe me the Blackberry 8700 is worth every penny.
July 17th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
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