The RIM Blackberry
Legions of loyal Crackberry heads facing Smartphone competition, legal hurdles.
The Blackberry is the PDA device developed by RIM (Research in Motion) that established itself by offering instant wireless messaging. The Blackberry took the humble pager to another level by turning the pager/handheld organizer into a full blown wireless email-anywhere PDA. Today. the Blackberry has earned its place as one of the most popular wireless PDA communication solutions for business by offering an array of powerful messaging tools using its clever thumb keyboard and track wheel navigation.
Legions of loyal Blackberry users were born with the advent of first-generation monochrome models. Using RIM's proprietary Blackberry operating system, newer models have incorporated 64K color displays and voice, turning it into a mobile phone. The Blackberry's wireless solutions are served through all major GSM/GPRS and CDMA carriers in the U.S. The Blackberry's model number determines which mobile service plan is compatible to your device:
- Blackberry 7210 900/1900 MHz - AT&T
- Blackberry 7230 900/1800/1900 MHz - T-Mobile
- Blackberry 7280 850/1800/1900 MHz - AT&T and Cingular, Rogers Wireless in Canada
The telephone capabilities of the Blackberry offer the convenience of most cell phones. Dialing from your address book and recently dialed numbers is easy, navigation with your track wheel and one-click dial make it a snap. Using the wheel you can navigate and dial directly to phone numbers inside messages, emails and even web pages. The Blackberry will even dial extensions for you without having to hit any extra keys. With a hold feature the Blackberry makes it easy to toggle between conversations. Standard phone features like call logging, barring, redial, and call waiting are everything you'd expect from a full-featured mobile phone.
Blackberry allows you to access the browser using either a corporate Mobile Data Service or your service provider's gateway. The WAP-based browser functions out of the box using your voice carrier's service. If you have access to an Enterprise Server setup with Mobile Data Service, you have added functionality like downloading applications directly from the browser. There are a variety of solutions available depending on whether you're an individual looking for personal service or a company that can host its own Blackberry Enterprise Server.
The Blackberry's pedigree is evident - despite how far the device has come, it's still a pager that has grown into a wireless communications device. As feature-rich as it is, it's not the choice for those looking for something with more color and flash or to play media files. You won't find the abundance of third-party applications for the Blackberry like you'll find for the Palm OS, but many are being developed all the time and selections are growing rapidly. But again, its specialty is in wireless communications where it is more powerful and feature-rich than most Smart Phones, Pocket PCs or PDAs. For business they're very popular because of their stripped-down appeal. That they don't run Windows Mobile or have the media capability of many mobile devices is a plus for many employers who don't want to provide employees with another gadget that can be easily used for goofing off.
But, if goofing off is your game there are plenty of options within the Blackberry's colorful display, as downloadable games, utilities and reference material put a wide variety in the palm of the user's hands.