10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Perfect entry into a color screen
Date of Review: Feb 12, 2005
The Bottom Line: Excellent color screen. Web browsing/E-Mail paging make this better than TREO. Third party apps becoming available. RUGGED, all-in-one solution for those on the go.
I recently purchased the Blackberry 7230 model as an upgrade to my 6230. The one BIG difference is that the 7230 model uses a 16 bit color screen to display fantastic images on its 240x160 screen. If you want Bluetooth, there are many new models including the 7290 for Cingular and T-mobile that will give you that function.
Basics
But let's go through the basics. The 7230 is a PDA, phone and e-mail assistant and web browser. You'll find an address book, email program, calendar, notepad, task list, calculator, and mobile web applications as part of the basic PDA offerings. The 7230 also comes with a password vault, picture viewer and brickbreaker game right out of the box. With the upgrade to OS-4.0 (Free from the RIM website. www.blackberry.com), the 7230 can become a very close substitute to any other PDA.
The unit can be syncronized and backed up using the supplied PC software and data cables. The Desktop software is not designed to allow inputting information like you would find in a Palm desktop suite, however, the Blackberry can InteliSync with Outlook and many other software packages.
I sysnc to my calander at work to notify me of meetings and events and use the e-mail function on a regular basis. The Blackberry operates in a push mode whereas many other devices, like the Treo, use pull technology. The biggest difference is the fact that with the Blackberry you are notified as e-mails come in. With the Treo and other "pull" devces, you have to initiate communication with the server. Other e-mail accounts may also be added to the BB. I receive my google account on my BB as well as the web.
I have T-Mobile service and am using the RIM device as my Phone/PDA/EMail/Mobile Web device. Again, I have upgraded to the 7230 after only having a Blackberry for 4 moths. The device can be so handy for both business and personal use. My initial draw to the device was the email capability. I can get email from multiple accounts. I can also respond and create messages easily and quickly. There are two ways to set this up. If your company offers a Blackberry Enterprise Server, or through your provider's Blackberry Web Client. Both will get you your e-mails, however, the BES is a better, faster option if it is available.
Design and Setup
The 6230 and 7230 share the same ergonomic design and out of the box this thing looks intimidating. Lots of buttons and functions present themselves immediately. The initial set up of the account services and email was not quick, but rather simple. You can set everything up via the RIM device/Internet, or call your provider and ask for Blackberry support. Not knowing I had the option, I did both and would recommend calling your provider for help.
It should take less than 72 hours for the mail service to kick in using T-Mobile. And that's okay, because there's lots to do with this device. That being said, you may want to start looking for good documentation on the web immediately. Other than the setup information, the manual that comes with the 7230 is worthless. Blackberry.com will have some .pdf files and the pdastreet.com blackberry forum is very helpful. One of the best resources is www.pinstack.com. This site has excellent manuals and discussions that are invaluable if your looking for information.
There will be a learning curve if you're only used to using a cell phone and touch screen PDA. The Blackberry models use a thumb wheel and esc button to navigate through menus and functions. Most people are used to touching the screen to advance and that's not the case. I prefer the thumb wheel and esc key. This design allows a user to navigate and use the device with only one hand. It's very quick easy to use. The QWERTY keyboard mirrors that of a standard US PC keyboard and is easy to use. Functions like tapping the space bar twice inserts a period and moves to the beggining of a new sentence automatically capitalizing the next letter, make up some of the smart features of the device.
As a phone the 7230 is better than my previous 6230. It's still awkward to say the least and lacks the easy to use features of a standard mobile phone. The unit does have 2 quick phone keys that allow you to access the phone feature at the touch of a button and uses all 26 letters as a one touch speed dial. The other nice feature about the phone is that you can use the full keyboard to dial those alphanumeric numbers like 1-800-IFLYSWA. This is a lot easier than tapping through a standard phone key pad. The lack of speaker phone and plain awkwardness of using the phone and keypad make this not the best choice for a phone only option. However, coupled with the PDA, Mail and web features it is well worth it.
My service signal continues to be OUTSTANDING on the 7230. The battary life has been much longer than I anticipated. Using the device rather frequently for phone and web applications, I get 4 or five days of battery life before I'm only at 25% life left. Charging theunit is fast and easy. Like many other PDAs it uses a USB cord that can be plugged into the PC or to the supplied AC adapter.
Third Party Sofware
In the last year, third party applications for the Blackberry have really boomed. All Blackberrys use an upgradeable Java platform that can be custom developed if you know Java programming. The free 411 application that is available (rimroad.com) is a MUST for travelers. It allows you to use the Blackberry for surfing google, yellow pages, and white pages. It also can give turn by turn directions from MapQuest with the click of a button. I like this when I'm out-of-town and looking for a Best Buy or good place to eat. The 7230 will have more third party applications available. Things like games and IM chat apps are easier to find for the 7230 than the 6230.
UPDATE: I've recently been using my Blackberry for Instant Messaging and Chat programs. It's very effective and awesome when in and out of airports and hotels to be able to stay in touch quickly using IM apps like AIM, Yahoo, MSN, ICQ, Google Talk and Jabber. IM has been my favorite. More information can be found here: http://www.pinstack.com/viewtopic.php?t=212
The Fact that this is a java based device allows the development and upgrade to the OS. The recent upgrade allows the unit to be used as a modem and adds a more verbose PDA interface. No bluetooth is available on this unit. You'll need to look at the 7100 or 7290 models for that.
Final Thoughts
The 7230 was an upgrade for me, so I paid a about a hundred more, however, the benefits of a color screen far outway the cost. Other than a better phone speaker, the only upgrade is in the color screen. Most of the functionality is in the OS upgrades available. T-Mobile provides a basic data service for $19.99 that has UNLIMITED DATA including E-mail and Web. That's a GREAT Price. If you need the Corporate e-mail from the BES, the cost bumps up to $29.99.
After-market software and accessories are becoming more and more available for RIM products. That, coupled with the incredible web and forum supprt (www.pinstack.com) make moving to a Blackberry much easier. This device has been incredibly rugged. I've bumped, dropped, kicked and abused my 7230 and it works as good as it did the day I took it out of the box. All-in-all the capability of this device has been outstanding and made travel and personal time much more enjoyable and relaxed.
