Blackberry 8800 Deals

The thinnest Blackberry yet (at 14 mm), RIM Blackberry® 8800 Series smartphone - to be strictly accurate, the 8800 series of phones - is designed to let you do your best work from wherever you choose. It delivers email, phone, Web browsing and instant messaging, then goes a step further, providing remarkable new features, such as built-in GPS, expandable memory, global roaming and a media player.

Boasting a sleek and sexy design, the BlackBerry 8800 offers integrated GPS - complete with Blackberry Maps - push-to-talk capabilities, and multimedia features. The quad band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; EDGE) smart phone also has Bluetooth, push e-mail, a full QWERTY keyboard, and long talk-time battery life.

It is sleek and sexy with its smoothed edges and a deep midnight blue casing and chrome accents. At 106 x 60 x 15.5 mm and 134 g, it is slightly taller than the 8700c but it is definitely thinner, so easier to slip into a trouser pocket or purse.

It features a beautiful 2.5-inch (diagonal) 65,000-color display with a 320x240 resolution. Text and images are clear and vibrant, and the screen also features light-sensing technology that automatically adjusts the backlighting of the screen, as well as the keyboard and trackball, depending on whether you're indoors or outdoors. Each key has a raised ridge to make them more tactile.

The trackball enables you to scroll four ways and also select items by pressing down, but some might also like it larger and raised more above the phone's surface. There is a microSD expansion slot behind the battery, though removing the battery cover can be tricky.

The 8800 retains many features that has made Blackberry such a staple among the business set, but also adds some to make it more than a messaging device. For multimedia, the built-in media player supports MP3, WMA, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, and MIDI formats and videos (MPEG4, WMV, and H.263 files). There is 64 MB of flash memory available, but a microSD would be a mandatory for storing large media files.

In addition to moving pictures, the Blackberry 8800 has an image viewer but there is no camera - perhaps mindful of the a growing trend among businesses (for security reasons) not to allow camera-equipped devices. Road warriors will certainly appreciate the integrated GPS feature. All you need is the help of a location-based service and you can get colour maps and text- and voice-guided driving directions right on the Blackberry 8800, as well as points of interest and other navigation tools.

For voice features, it offers a speakerphone, voice-activated dialling, smart dialling, conference calling, speed dial, and world roaming. The phone book is limited only by the available memory (the SIM card holds an additional 250 contacts) with room in each entry for eight phone numbers, e-mail addresses, work and home address, job title, and more.

Wireless is via Bluetooth 2.0 and the 8800 can be used as a wireless modem for your laptop. It offers Blackberry's well-known push technology and can sync with your company's Blackberry Enterprise server to deliver corporate e-mail in real time. Other tools for the business users, including a calendar, a tasks list, a memo pad, an alarm and a calculator.

The battery life is rated for five hours of talk time and up to 22 days of standby time, with about 7.5 hours' talk time on a single charge.

Although it does not have integrated Wi-Fi, instant messaging is limited to the Blackberry Messenger client.and, for some, the phone might be considered quite wide and awkward to hold, these are minor issues. The Blackberry 8800 offers mobile professionals a well-rounded smart phone with added multimedia functions, GPS and push-to-talk capabilities, with messaging its forte.

• The smartphone for the palm, pocket or bag at only 14 mm thick.
• Quick access to functions via voice-activated dialling and trackball navigation.
• Integral GPS system with Blackberry Maps.
• Integrated media player.
• 64MB of internal memory plus MicroSD card support for expandable memory.
• Bluetooth and Mini-USB for wider device connectivity.
• Noise and echo cancellation to hear and be heard better.
• Email and Web browser to keep in touch on the move.