Newest BlackBerry Promises To Go Where No BlackBerry Has Gone Before
Posted February 12, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It hasn’t been that long since the very first BlackBerry was introduced to the world back in 1999.
But things have certainly changed a lot since then. Smart phones, MP3 players, portables that can play music and video, even GPS tracking are all being packed into mobile devices these days.
Which explains a lot about the very latest model of the ubiquitous handheld introduced by Waterloo-based Research In Motion on Monday.
The newest BlackBerry, with the very unsexy name of the 8800, has almost all the features users have come to expect and a few they won’t find on its predecessors.
The upgraded model is designed to usurp the Apple iPhone before it hits the market and is packed with a host of improved features.
In addition to the usual email and phone capabilities, the 8800 acts as an MP3 player and can store music, video and ring tones with an upgradeable memory card.
There’s a Global Positioning System that allows you to enter a location from your address book and have the BlackBerry guide you straight to it.
And if you’re not the one doing the driving, you can send a map to someone else using its email.
The version being offered in Canada promises to tell you where the nearest gas stations with the cheapest prices are.
And then there’s that traditional sidewheel used to scroll through messages. The 8800 doesn’t have one.
It’s been replaced with what its creators call a more intuitive front trackball, which is supposed to be easier on your hands.
“The response to the trackball has been universally positive,” explains RIM co-Chief Executive Jim Balsillie. “If it’s just messaging, it’s just up-down, left-right. But if you’re going to do multimedia, the navigation aspects become more prominent.”
It also goes back to the full keyboard, which was abandoned on the last version, The Pearl.
There’s a voice activated dialing system.
It’s supposed to display a brighter and crisper resolution on its screen, which automatically adjusts to the lighting conditions it’s being used in.
And it’s actually slightly thinner and narrower than previous models.
All the changes and improvements have been made to help the BlackBerry compete in an increasingly complex mobile world.
But there’s one thing this model doesn’t have and maybe never will – a digital camera. The reason? Business customers let the company know in no uncertain terms they feared it would make the multi-tasking device too prone to corporate sabotage.
“It’s not that hard to put one in,” admits Balsillie. “But it was unambiguous for a dramatic proportion of the mobile professional segment: no camera.”
Those addicts who want to get their hands on the latest so-called CrackBerry won’t have to wait long for their fix. It should be on the market everywhere by March.
For more info on the new 8800, click here.
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