Category: Smartphones

I am always on the lookout for new and useful applications for my Blackberry handheld. (My current phone is a Blackberry 8700C). I saw a post from CES talking about a new Yahoo! service called Yahoo Go 2.0. I checked out the web site and downloaded and installed the application. The entire process was seamless and so far I am quite impressed with the application. Yahoo has done an excellent job creating an application for a small handheld like the BB does a great job handling the limited screen space and provides useful information. I highly recommend checking it out.

In my perusing, I noticed more pictures of the new Blackberry 8800 appearing. I believe that these originally surfaced at howardforums, but were promptly pulled down. Fortunately a number of sites picked them up and I found them on BBHub. This is interesting because it looks like the long awaited next gen Blackberry may be surfacing. The latest rumors suggest that we will see this by the end of this quarter. We will see….

I think that the phone looks good, but am a bit frustrated by the lack of HSDPA. This is Cingular’s new speed 3G wireless data service, and is a very compelling feature. I have no idea why RIM chose not to include this feature. Perhaps it is because the coverage is limited (changing) or it was a time to market issue? Regardless, this is a big black mark against the phone in my book, but the mark may not be big enough to prevent me from purchasing it.

Update: It looks like BBhub removed the pictures. This site has them now.

I am a Blackberry addict. Yes, I admit it; I am addicted to the thing. Of course, I am also a gadget guy. Currently, the 7290 is my Blackberry of choice, and I purchased the hardware about 2 years ago. Most of my colleagues at work use the 8700G from Cingular which is the next generation Blackberry platform. My contract with Cingular has expired and so at some point, I will want to upgrade to a new phone.

This brings up the big question of where to go. One phone of interest is the Cingular 8525 which is a very full features Windows Mobile phone, but it has this weird slide out keyboard which would not be conducive to one-handed use. I really like what RIM has done with the Blackberry and wonder if the Windows phone would be as intuitive to use. The other option is the Cingular Blackjack which is more similar to the Blackberry.

One thing that looks intriguing is the buzz about the next Blackberry, the 8800. It supposably will be released in April. Here are some highlights of the phone; of course, it is unclear if these are the real specs.

In the end one of the big questions is whether to go with a RIM or Windows Mobile solution. Our company has BES and so that might work a bit better, but some of my colleagues have an okay experience with Windows Mobile so that could work as well. Hmmmmm… Fortunately, I have ample time and so for now, I will keep pondering.

The time has come for me to replace my curent cellular phone and I am beginning to look at options. My new employer, SEPATON, has a Blackberry server and so I am looking at Blackberry options.

The choices of Blackberry devices are limited.

There has been a ton of press on the new Blackberry 7100t. The unit looks outstanding and represents the ideal solution. The problem is that it is only offered on T-Mobile and that carrier’s coverage in Boston is awful. They have no signal at my house. As much as I want that phone, I do not think that I can buy it on such a horrible network.

Another option is to stick with Verizon. They have the best network, and I am curently using Verizon as a carrier, but I get frustrated with them because the phone is very expensive and they do not have the newer version. That is the problem with Verizon, they never have new phones.

The third and most likely choice is to look at Cingular/ATTWS they will soon be release the new Bluetooth enabled 7290. The problem is that there is a joint press release for the new model, but there is no sign of the phone. I have no idea if this is vaporware or what. The good news is that this carrier has reasonable coverage and newer phones.

My ideal soluion would be a 7100t on any network other than TM, but that is not an option. I have an immediate so I do not have much patience to wait for a future release of the 7100t. I could als consider the Treo 600, but I do not think that it works as well with corporate email as the Blackberry.