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February 2, 2005

Lo Szabo's BlackBerry 7100v Review

I'm currently in a very busy stretch here, professionally and personally, and don't have time to post a substantive article to the blog this week. However, Lorenz (Lo) Szabo, a friend of mine, and fellow mobile device fan, has written an interesting review of his Blackberry 7100 device I'd like to share. Enjoy! — Mike

This is the story of how I came to love my Blackberry 7100v, and how I came to accept that I'm a two-phone kind of guy.

First, a little introduction: I'm a big fan and early adaptor of high-speed W-CDMA cellular networks and currently use my fourth "terminal" — a LG U8110. Before the LG I owned a Motorola A925 Symbian UIQ smart-phone as my daily driver, but hated the thing simply because of its battery life (uhm, like every other Mota I owned before).

At the time I still used the Mota smart-phone the availability of the BlackBerry 7100v was announced by the Austrian provider Mobilkom "A1". My initial thought: ignore this "lawyer-gadget." After managing a little crisis outside the office with two freshly charged but nearly empty Mota batteries, I did two things: transferred the Mota smart-phone to its new permanent home — an old box in the cold, wet cellar — and bought a BlackBerry 7100v & LG U8110 of my very own.

My W-CDMA phone number for the LG U8110 was converted to a secret new number for private phone chats and the mobile 500MB/month internet access. Call me paranoid, but I like having two phones on different networks (GSM & W-CDMA), with me at all times. Yeah — I'm more paranoid than your average secret agent.

Okay, I'm also a multiple-device guy: a friend of mine let me play with his new Nokia Communicator 9500, but I still like having a separate PDA and phone. On the other hand I don't want to experiment with Bluetooth/PPP-dialup settings anymore! Even when Bluetooth worked, it didn't work all the time. How incredibly frustrating when you rely on a technology. So, no Bluetooth for me.

As a multi-device guy, I have an "offline" PDA (palmOne Zire72) for documents, eBooks, offline web-pages, photos, etc., a MP3-player (currently the Panasonic SV-SD51, to be replaced with the new iPod shuffle), and my BlackBerry smart-phone in addition to the LG U8110.

I love smart-phones because they can act as email clients and do limited web-browsing. Lo's only rule for buying a new mobile device is: can it synchronize with Microsoft Outlook? (We use Outlook 2003 with Exchange server at the office.) If yes, it's welcome — if no — it's outta here!

Oh, by the way: one can even synchronize the BlackBerry with Mac OS X as there is a 3rd party software called PocketMac For BlackBerry available. I would have never guessed that PowerBook guru Jason O'Grady of PowerPage.org is also a fan of the BlackBerry 7100.

So why the BlackBerry?
First I've learned from my mistakes: a keyboard-less smart-phone is simply not useable as my "daily driver." Have you ever tried using pen-based input on a freezing cold, snowy winter day — or even a sloppy, damp rainy day? It just doesn't work well.

Secondly, I admit it... I'm a smart-phone geek. I can't resist tinkering with another OS. So call me a glutton for punishment, I don't mind.

Thirdly RIM — the company behind the BlackBerry — is famous for saving every micro-watt of energy. Aside from the gadgeteer syndrome, I don't talk a lot on my business cell-phone. But I need a phone being capable of getting e-mails, as an example: our main server sends e-mail alerts and most of my communication is done via E-Mail and Instant-Messaging (MSN & Reuters).

Even my technology-averse boss started to realize, that reaching me via email when I'm outside the office, is much easier and faster than calling. Yes, I'm the prototype BlackBerry user like all these bankers, lawyers, or assistants to Congress members. Former Intel chairman Andy Grove has once joked that the BlackBerry is so addictive, "It should be reported to the DEA." and Marc Andreessen, himself a huge BlackBerry fan, has banned the device from meetings. Read more about the history of BlackBerry in this excellent FastCompany article.

How useful is the Blackberry?
The device is very small, but not really pocket-able, which is taken care of by an included belt-clip holster. Attention, gentlemen: the BlackBerry is meant to be carried on the belt! If you hate such a fashion-statement, forget the BlackBerry immediately: every profile (e.g. silent, loud, office) differs between out-of-holster and in-the-holster — it's at the core of how this device operates.

As I don't carry a Zippo lighter or Swiss-Army Knife on my belt, I can live with this fashion no-no. But this concept makes the BlackBerry a business device, as the "default" profile always vibrates in the holster! So there's nothing to remember before going into a meeting, the gym, or even a movie theater. You can even auto-protect the BlackBerry by inserting it into the holster.

The device is powered by USB only. You get two USB-cables and a special charger with USB-plug. VERY COOL! Therefore, every time I connect the BlackBerry to my notebook, data and time are synchronized, backed up and charged. palmOne should have followed this scheme with the Zire72.

My BlackBerry 7100 is Vodafone-branded. Therefore the BlackBerry e-mail system is provided by Vodafone and I set up a delivery rule from my primary FastMail.FM e-mail account to this special e-mail account. I have no need to synchronize my contacts or other PIM-info wirelessly even though we use Microsoft Exchange at the office.

At first sync, the BlackBerry Desktop Manager software transferred all my Microsoft Outlook data completely (including note-fields) within a few minutes, right to the device. I think BlackBerry Desktop Manager — based on IntelliSync technology — is the best synchronisation-software I've ever used. It's second to none compared to Palm Desktop and its HotSync Outlook conduits. (In case you wonder: I've set up my Zire72 and LG U8110 just to receive and overwrite new PIM data, but not synchronize back.)

The display is gorgeous. It offers anti-aliased 7pt (and more) text and a resolution of 260x240. Both GUI-themes are truly beautiful and icons/photos displayed are brilliant. As the BlackBerry caters to business professionals, polyphonic ring-tones are very professional and decent. Including the game "BrickBreaker" (a breakout-style game) was a nice touch for such a device.

Aside from the track-wheel input, the OS is very simple to use and navigate. At the beginning I was not completely happy with the keyboard. There are two letters and one number/symbol assigned to every key — and BlackBerry's "SureType" input method (similar to T9) isn't foolproof. My initial reaction was: I hope this will change over time. After a few weeks I'm happy to report, I've adapted and am much faster. To speed up typing I really recommend using the correct dictionary.

Conclusion
My conclusion about this device is this — I understand all those "CrackBerry" addicts! BlackBerry is simple to use, always on, and very secure. Content is encrypted, there is a built-in software firewall, and the BlackBerry can be locked down remotely. (A few weeks ago a hacker cracked a Secret Service agent's T-Mobile Sidekick and downloaded classified documents from his Sidekick account. The agent should have used a BlackBerry!) Aside from the fact that providers can lock ports for Internet applications like chat or SSH, the BlackBerry service plus device is a hassle-free device.

Let me state on thing for all you gadgeteers out there noting 'missing' features on your blogs: In my opinion, RIM has the best price/feature-ratio of any mobile device. This is a smart-phone and not a Windows Mobile VGA-hires WiFi/Bluetooth PDA. Get it!

For example: Bluetooth supports only headsets. Think about it — no Bluetooth exploits and no chance of beaming company data to other devices. There is no camera and the device's RAM is limited to 32MB (more than enough). Again, both can be useful as some companies/labs/institutions do not allow camera-enabled devices.

The BlackBerry 7100 is the perfect e-mail (two-way) pager, and because of its fool-proof sync and phone capabilities it's an awesome smart-phone. The new form factor is brilliant and I'm not the only one appealed by that new design.

Both my palmOne Zire72 and BlackBerry 7100 are perfect buddies, as each one has its own designated tasks. I don't miss an eBook reader on BlackBerry the same way I don't miss a keyboard on my Zire. I recommend you check out the device at your phone-carrier store and compare it to other smart-phones like the Treo 6x0 or Motorola MPx220. You might be as pleasantly surprised as I was.

FYI: My favorite websites covering the BlackBerry 7100 include MobileWhack and TinyScreenfuls.com — go check them out.

Lorenz Szabo (Moblog) has been a long-time Macintosh addict and converted to WinXP two years ago. (It seems he didn't understand the concept of Apple's Switch campaign.) Since his switch, he loves Microsoft products (really!), tricks out his WinXP notebook, and buys funny things like BlackBerries. His first mobile experience was the Newton MessagePad 120 with Eudora and the 2400 baud Newton Modem.

February 2, 2005 10:08 PM | Technology | add to del.icio.us