BlackBerry 8800
The BlackBerry 8800 could be described as a somewhat beefier version of the multimedia-friendly BlackBerry Pearl device, featuring the same smooth trackball navigation and side chrome accents, but adding on a larger screen and full QWERTY keyboard.
The 8800 weighs 1.5-ounces more than the Pearl, and is just over half an inch wider, but about the same thickness. The extra screen real estate allows the user to view more messages at once, while a larger battery allows for extended talk time.
Another major strength of the BlackBerry 8800 is its surprisingly functional integrated GPS system. A $9.99/month subscription with TeleNav will enable this device to give turn-by-turn spoken directions, with 3D maps, and a useful local search feature.
Like most BlackBerry devices, the 8800 does a great job of automatic push email, and allows users to set up as many as ten personal and corporate email accounts. As for attachment support, it is able to read Word, Excel, PDF, and Jpeg files, but not edit or create Microsoft Office documents as some smartphones can.
Although not 3G-capable, this device performs quite well on EDGE data networks, and voice quality is generally very good.
The BlackBerry 8800’s built-in media player, navigation features, and $299 price tag makes it realistic choice for the high-end consumer market, but not at the expense of strong enterprise functionality.