I have now had the Blackberry 8700g for a few weeks and felt a review was in order. As many of you will know this is my second blackberry after the 7100t. My husband now has entered the digital age and left behind his ancient brick pay as you go (well, he will once we manage to squeeze his pac code (allowing transfer of his number) from his phone provider – which is a blood from a stone procedure). With this transfer over decided I phone up my helpful phone company and looked at what packages were on offer. In the end I got a nice unlimited bandwidth deal and much better call package, couple this with a brand new phone and you have a happy crackberry.
The phone was destined to arrive a few days after we got back from holiday, it did arrive the day after the call and luckily (depending on the way you look at it) a window was left open and my spider senses tingled and we came back. I received my blackberry happy package and had to abandon it while we went on holiday. Yes, it did in some ways kill me but I put my gadget freak on hold for the weekend. On my return I opened to find the usual Blackberry package offerings, case, handsfree set and charger with more bolt on adapters than a sex shop.
Handset
Now, having had the ‘phone’ type Blackberry before this move was a conscious one not just because it resulted in a shiny blackberry. I was offered the latest phone Blackberry when I called to order this but had already made the decision. The main thing I do use my Blackberry for is after-all internet and email – as a result the phone double letters to one key was not so good. I was so right for once about that one. The keypad is a joy to use and the scrolling smooth. I have small hands and was a little concerned over the possible size as I find the Xbox controller a bit too much of a beast and hoped the Blackberry wouldn’t be too wide. It’s not, it fits well and even sits well while talking.
Previously the speaker phone on my 7100t was lacking and the speaker always sounded like it was going to explode. This time, the speaker seems to have been done better and it sounds far clearer and less like a teenager playing heavy metal on walkman speakers. I can’t really comment on any other handset than my prior 7100t so I don’t know if this is standard for the full keypad Blackberrys, but this handset feels a damn sight better. All in all from a handset point of view this is a great improvement. From an aesthetic view the design of the Blackberry 8700g is really nice. The size and proportions are right and it all fits well together. I personally, like the scrolling wheel and the key positioning on it and found that combining with the short cuts all I needed was done quickly and without stress.
Blackberry system
On my old 7100t the menu wasn’t an icon one and there was a lot of limits on functionality and also on the themeing of the device. With this move I am finally feeling much more the interface. The wider screen compared to the ‘phone’ Blackberry’s really is a bonus. At the moment I am still in the throws of deciding what software I may / may not add to this setup. Out of the box, the basic Blackberry system pretty much does what you would want. The basic system hasn’t really changed once you get past the basic look change I’ve gone through with this phone. This is actually a bonus as it does what I need and was easy to get into one transferring phone. All in all the move was easy and done in under 1/2 hr including registering this device for my email accounts. Not too shabby.
Summary
I am really glad I decided to take the full keyboard option this time and really now think that any other Blackberry type really is either a paired down or poor substitute. The ease that I can navigate and type now is amazing and you quickly get used to the finger typing you have to do using it. I was already a convert, but this model has me head over heels again in love and sporting my crackberry t-shirt again.
As with any new phone there are always a few little must have accessories that you will spend money on. The most important for me is usually the case – I’ve made the mistake of not buying one quickly enough before and ended up with a bashed case. This time I did decide on one case that came, but turned out to be a poor option. The default case that comes is Ok if you don’t ever put your phone anywhere it may get damaged – considering the screen is so important for Blackberry’s this isn’t something I want to chance personally. I have this time opted for Piel Frama luxury leather case. It was something I thought about with my last Blackberry and this time just decided to treat myself to. After the misbuying of the first case I am now waiting for this one. The other major thing if you don’t use windows that you will need to buy for your Blackberry happiness is PocketMac for Blackberry. This is basically the sync package and has always done me well.
So, there you go that is my review of my new Blackberry 8700g. It’s a happy uniting and I still after a few weeks am getting that warm fuzzy feeling as I use it. The unlimited net this time I got is also making a big difference in the way that I work and turning out to be much better. Just wish more sites bared in mind users may not be using full browsers but there we go. If you are looking for a phone but don’t want or need video and other marketing hype such as crazy frog ringtones – give the Blackberry a chance in your consideration and consider more the full keyboards ones.
