I started this review back on 11/12/04 ...
been a while. I know other's have reviewed it, so I updated this to cover
some new things.
| So I got myself a new toy ...
my first phone that is more than just a phone! I had wanted a Blackberry
device for years, but this new 7100t got my attention with the things that
were missing from previous versions: Bluetooth, smaller size like a phone,
and Color. I am a sucker for gadgets. I have had 5 Palms and really like
a productivity tool. I just never had found a phone / handheld combo that
I liked before. With PSC's move to embrace Blackberry technology across
the board, it seemed like a good time to take the plunge. I am not going
to cover the things that you can get on the RIM site and out of reviews.
Here is my like and dislike lists: |
Likes
- Email, calendar, tasks, address book all
sync with Domino. Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) gives us full synching
of these
- Browser access on a phone that works pretty
well
- I love the keyboard. I can type very fast
on it
- Speakerphone is great!
- Bluetooth with a headset seems to work
very well
- Form factor is perfect ... not too small
and not to big
- Polyphonic ringtones work well
- USB charging works well
- IM works pretty well once you get it set
up correctly
Dislikes
- The included holster sucks. I bought the
one Rocky has on ebay
- Changing Ring Tones per call group is very
difficult to enable
- Available addon software a fraction of
what is available for the Palm and Windows Mobile devices
- Lots of the software requires BES and you
have to work with your Administrator to set up the software
- No handwriting like a Palm
- Device loses settings quite often
- IM set up is difficult
- Desktop manager software clunky to use
- Battery charge is so-so. No hard numbers,
but I do have to charge it nightly
- Overall phone usage is ok. Nothing spectacular.
People say that there is still noise, but its not as bad as my old phone
It seems that the 4.0 software (for the
device, desktop manager, and BES) addresses many of the issues that I was
having. Previewing images and a whole slew of features were added. Plus,
the development SDK was updated with many requested features. If you have
a BES server, do the upgrade.
Where do we go from here
| Well, for myself and PSC, we
are moving ahead into the world of mobile applications. PSC is taking the
enTouch framework to a mobile device as it makes sense. We are partnering
with RIM to produce versions of our enTouch applications on the Blackberry
devices. We are not doing a complete port, instead adding features that
make sense on a small sized device. Today, we are working with WebSphere
and Domino applications and plan on supporting IBM Workplace shortly. As
you can see from the picture on the right, enTouch.crm has already been
built for the Blackberry. Full contact searching and viewing and activity
viewing and creation is supported today. We have also made our enTouch.workflow
approvals available on the device. enTouch.cms supports WAP out of the
box. And we plan on adding more support as customer demand requires it.
|  |
So there is my take on the Blackberry 7100t.
Overall, it is a great device. I hope RIM listens to all the comments and
makes the next version a real winner.
