Blackberry 8800

Posted by T3 Online on Fri 26 Oct 2007

First UK Review: RIM's full QWERTY wonder

Like the look of the Blackberry 7130g, but still having trouble hammering out emails at speed while negotiating other pesky pedestrians? Then RIM's latest offering, the 8800, could be just the ticket. The latest in the line of portable email addiction devices packs a full QWERTY keyboard, meaning you can send all-important messages (or idle nonsense) to mates on the move, without spending precious minutes constantly revising misspelt missives.

It still does exactly what you want a Blackberry to do, with a speedy web browser to keep you bang up to date with news, footy scores and even the latest happenings in the tech world here at T3. Email is a cinch to use, as on its older siblings and the Yahoo instant messenger is also a breeze to get to grips with. Battery life has also been given a lift, with a massive 22 days standby time or five hours talk.

The 8800 also manages to cram GPS into its hefty frame. Although it's great for getting you to the right place for all-important power breakfasts, it does take an age to work out exactly where you're at and gets confused rather too easily. Still, there's no denying it's handy to have your known personal direction service in your pocket. Don't bet against the Blackberry's competitors going all out to ensure their latest lookers are packing the same tech.

The 8800's killer feature though is its trackball. Slap bang in the middle of the phone, it makes getting from A to B a swift delight. You can cruise from maps to your address book in one quick skip, and it makes the web and email as easy as you like.