About.com Rating



For me, home sweet home for email is my computer. It’s not my cell phone. But for those who want or need to email on the go, this BlackBerry 8700g cell phone review is for you.

Make sure you’re ready for the pros and cons associated with this way of life before you allow email to invade your pocket. It’s there with you at dinner, in the movies and everywhere else. You should ponder vigilantly and gravely if it’s the life for you.

Some everyday consumers choose to welcome it with open arms because they enjoy email coming to them everywhere. Others – such as realtors and on-call IT people – are forced into it because of the nature of their jobs. BlackBerry devices have the menacing nickname “CrackBerry” for this addictive reason.

In order to keep sane, I personally spend so much time emailing that I need it to wait for when I’m on my laptop (and that’s too much time as it is!). Amid the ever-confusing sea of email phones, the BlackBerry 8700g stands squarely in the middle of pack and gives you what you need.

It doesn’t get the job done perfectly, though, and does come with its fair share of quirks.

Design:

• Pro: The BlackBerry 8700g fits comfortably in your hand. It’s not on oddball, awkward size.
  
  
• Con: Con: At 4.3” by 2.7” by 0.77,” though, some newer models of email phones are thinner and smaller. Its weight is 4.7 ounces with the battery installed, which flirts with the ceiling of how heavy a phone should be.

Software:

• Pro: Email and Web surfing are the sole reasons why you’d select this phone over other devices not designed for the serious, on-the-go emailer. You can theme it to your heart’s desire, which means you can customize its overall look and feel with the “skin” of your choosing.
  
  Popular file formats attached to emails (i.e. Adobe’s PDF files) can be viewed by default. You can also combine text and images on a single message using multimedia messaging.

• Con: In several trials during my review of the 8700g, the phone took about 45 seconds to power on. That’s too long. Also, you might find the default BlackBerry Web browser to be underwhelming with problematic Web scripting. This means what you get isn’t always like what you should see.
  
  For my review, I upgraded to the default browser to Opera, which renders much better.
  
  I experienced some disconcerting technical glitches in my trials. It randomly flickers and spontaneously reboots itself. There’s no Microsoft Office unless you use plug-ins to access Office applications through the Web. Also, reading certain file formats (i.e. PDF files) don’t render exactly as they should.

Hardware:

• Pro: Its full, 35-key keyboard is a major perk that affords familiar typing. The keys are far enough apart that you can type easily and swiftly. It doesn’t have half keys like some other devices and the keys aren’t too close together.
  
  Even when I Web surfed the phone like a madman and emailed and texted more than necessary, its rechargeable Lithium battery does the job. It’s rated at four hours of talk time and up to 16 days of standby time.
  
  The dedicated “send,” “end” and “mute” keys are a nice addition and there are also user-definable convenience keys. Thank you for the bright, high-resolution screen and the speakerphone comes in handy, too. The thumb-operated “trackwheel” translates into easing scrolling and the MP3 ringtones are fun.
  
  The phone also offers Bluetooth technology for short-range wireless communication with other devices.

• Con: The 8700g only comes with 64 megabytes of on-board memory, which you may need to upgrade if you want more software applications. There’s no camera.

Data Speed:

• The 8700g runs on an advanced data network that’s enhanced by a technology called EDGE, which allows for high-speed surfing. The phone also gives you international roaming.
  
  Newer networks (i.e. 3G networks) are even faster than EDGE, though, which said simply is being used by T-Mobile to speed up its base data network. Superseding 2G, 3G is the third generation of mobile phone standards and technology.

Simplicity:

• It’s sometimes stupidly simple – like for emailing – and at other times exceedingly complicated. You may need help setting up corporate email and navigating the sometimes perplexing realm of software applications and plug-ins.

Price:

• For an email phone, it’s priced relatively economically by T-Mobile from $100 at the cheapest to a list price of $250 without any of the rebates or instant discounts.

The Bottom Line:

• When buying the 8700g, you’re clearly not just purchasing a phone.
  
  Most delve into the BlackBerry world for email just as much if not more so than its use as a phone. BlackBerry offers a wide array of models for the beginner all the way up to the tech guru. This one ranks in the middle and suffices happily for the layperson.

Your Two Cents: Have a comment or question related to this smartphone review? Chime in on the forums!