Graphic overview
This handset uses BlackBerry OS6 which offers a graphically enhanced look with subtler, slightly higher-resolution menu icons. Previously, the phone switched instantly from one line of menu icons at the base of the display to a screenful, now the applications tray, as it’s called, slides gently into view.
Familiar form, but the camera is now 5Mp
Swipe to the side on the optical trackpad and the screen sweeps to different menus: Downloads, Media, Favourites and so on. Start typing on the keyboard from the home screen and you launch Universal Search – similar to the excellent JustType feature on the Palm Pre 2 it looks in your contacts, e-mails and just about everywhere else.
Among other things, BB OS6 features Universal Search and an icons makeover
Social networking is a bigger part of the BlackBerry experience too, and the browser is hugely improved over earlier models. For all that, this phone still doesn’t match the 1GHz chip many smartphones manage, though Research in Motion has always had a gift for making slower processors seem capable and speedy. Having the RAM increased to 512MB helps on this handset, too.
And BlackBerry handsets have never had the out-of-juice-by-lunchtime issues that many Android and early iPhones had. You can safely charge on a daily basis if you e-mail, text, browse and use GPS. Or every other day with more moderate usage. Overall, battery life on this phone is hard to beat.
Next page: Application status
COMMENTS
IMAP Sync
And yet again no mention that the ultimate device is actually rubbish at synching using IMAP protocols. So home computer and mobile device aren't really in sync as it doesn't do 2-way sync. Big huge fail imo for individuals, not a problem for a corporate if they run their mail on Exchange and are willing to buy a BES but a horrid experience for email elsewhere.
Email addresses
"And despite the fact that everybody who has one uses it for e-mails, Research in Motion doesn’t see fit to put the @ and full stop characters – which are essential in every email address –on lower-case keys on its BlackBerry devices. True, if you’re entering such an address you can press the space bar and the software knows to translate, but it still slightly beggars belief. Never mind."
Just curious: where would you put the @ and . keys?
Since 99.9% of my emails are to people in my contacts, I just need type in (part of) their name rather than having to actually type out full addresses. I find the @ and . more problematic for web addresses; sometimes it's easier just to Google. I wish Opera Mobile was available (Opera Mini is crap on my Torch) so I could use Opera Link.
@ key...its only the biggest key on the keyboard.
I am not keen on blackberries and I generally detest short cut keys, but for flips sake even I cottoned on that within emails pressing the space bar does the job, and surely anyone constantly emailing would soon find that second nature.
I could not be bothered with the rest of the review after such an idiotic start, and leaped straight to the comment, though plainly I am not the first to take issue with this.
Playing with the device for 5 mins
Doesn't make a review.
There is a key with the @ symbol over the letter P, it is very accessible (alt+p), it has always been there for those first two hours in which you do not know that a double space on an email address means to automatically insert the @ symbol.
Someone suggested that it is not a good time to buy a blackberry because the bold touch is coming out... well what I have to say is that with electronics: IT IS NEVER A GOOD TIME TO BUY ANYTHING, as something better will get released the next six months.
It happens with mobiles, the ipad, nikon and canon cameras, processors, motherboards, monitors, flat tv's, your broadband connection package, paid TV, etc.
Aim for what you need right now, or else wait forever.
Full stop.
"And despite the fact that everybody who has one uses it for e-mails, Research in Motion doesn’t see fit to put the @ and full stop characters – which are essential in every email address –on lower-case keys on its BlackBerry devices. True, if you’re entering such an address you can press the space bar and the software knows to translate, but it still slightly beggars belief. Never mind."
A double space changes to a full stop - which works everywhere not just in e-mail addresses. Most normal users query the full stop within an hour or so of having a device. How can a professional reviewer not have noticed??
But concur with others here - really can we not have some proper hardware reviews? Signal quality? Battery life? Just seems nowadays to be a reviewer you need to play with the device for a few minutes - retype all the "facts" provided by the manufacturer - then go to the pub.
