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I don't usually do gadget blogs, but I just got a new BlackBarry 8820 and I need to share the news. I'm in love. This little thing is actually a bit addictive in fact. I replaced my Treo 650 which kept hanging up on my mother (I swear it really was the phone). In making my decision I of course considered the iPhone, so I'd like to share my findings with you. Your results may vary.

First, the iPhone is definitely very cool. It's the best mobile web browser I've seen. But there are some issues. You can only use their browser which doesn't support flash yet - but I was told by the sales people "it will". In fact that was a familiar refrain in my discussions with them. Despite the commercials where the PC guy is the geek and the Mac guy is cool, these guys were pretty geeky over the iPhone. They just exuded too much enthusiasm.

That was a minor issue. More difficult was the typing. You have to use your finger tip - no nails, no stylus. If you have finger nails, typing is very, very difficult. I found it very slow and inaccurate. It helped somewhat that the phone offers suggestions for words as you are typing. Supposedly the more you use it the smarter the phone gets smarter at recommending words. I called some people I know who have the phone and they all said typing is difficult. That's kind of annoying if you actually want to answer emails on your phone.

For me the ultimate deal killer was the inability to transfer files to the phone and then send the files as email attachments. I did this a few times through Bluetooth on my Treo and it was a life saver when I was on the road with no internet connectivity on my PC. Turns out that now I cannot live without this feature.

The salesman in the AT&T Mobile store told me the BlackBerry 8820 could transfer files via Bluetooth. Well, that turns out to be partially true. Bluetooth works for file transfer and wireless synching if you are connected to an Enterprise BlackBerry server. I am not, so I need to use the USB cable to transfer files and synch with Outlook. One more cord to carry on my trips - not the end of the world. At least I know I can email files through the phone in an emergency.

Here's a picture of my little beauty.

I know the pinching and finger spreading thing on the iPhone is way cool, but the BlackBerry 8820 has this little trackball in the center that is a great way to navigate the screen. One reviewer commented that the keys on the keyboard are flat, not raised buttons. But each key actually has a little rims, and which I find makes typing both fast and accurate - even for women with nails.

The 8820 also has WiFi and I found that very easy to set up. There is one button on the side that you can set to instantly bring you to any function. I set it for email, after first setting if for the phone, then wondered if I should set it to the home screen with all the applications. But then I found that when you are in a different application, pushing the left green phone button to place a call brings you to the phone screen. Pushing the red hang up button on the right automatically brings you to the home screen. So navigating the functions on the phone is very fast and easy.

The phone supports photos and music but you need to install a data card for that functionality. I found a 2 gig micro card for $26, free shipping. It does not have a camera. It does have a GPS, but it's a $5 per month subscription fee. Haven't tried it yet.

I'm very happy with my BlackBerry. Maybe next time I'll be ready for a new phone the iPhone will be ready with more business friendly features. Has anyone else seriously considered the iPhone and decided to pass?

Posted by bethgb at 09:18 PM in Industry News | Digg This | Add to del.icio.us

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Posted by: Graham at October 9, 2007 01:46 AM

Posted by: Beth at October 9, 2007 11:28 AM