RIM BlackBerry® 8703e - Oh geez, I have a "CrackBerry"!
Written: Apr 09 '07 (Updated May 01 '08)
Product Rating:
Pros: Tethered modem option, sturdy, reliable device, long battery life and fairly easy to use.
Cons: Expensive, few excuses unavailability, typing on small keyboard is an acquired skill.
The Bottom Line: This is a very nice piece of equipment that allows you to stay connected, eliminating loss of communication in your business. Many features!
mongomad1's Full Review: RIM BlackBerry® 8703e Smartphone
The term Crackberry comes from the habitual use people who own one seem to devote to it. Well, not me...yet.
Our use
We are starting a business in the hosting arena: websites, Exchange with the option for BlackBerry Enterprise, Backup, SharePoint and MS Office online. As with many upstarts, we are only willing to risk our entire savings and homes on this venture, so we need to spend money as effectively as possible. These devices keep us in contact and on the web as needed from virtually anywhere. We chose Verizon as our carrier since, to date, they offer the best coverage and services that we need. They certainly are not the cheapest.
Having no office space in our grassroots, we need to be in touch at a moments notice. As our equipment arrives to the datacenter of our choosing, we can remote into it using the tethered modem option nearly anywhere. This is critical or we would have to stay within 5 minutes of secure Internet access at all times. We now could pull in a parking lot and fix an issue and call to make sure it is fixed.
The Looks
It has just under a 3" viewable screen and illuminates based on the light it senses, brighter in bright light, more dim in less light. It is black with silver accents for some buttons and around the screen. On the left side, you have a profile button, power input and earphone jack. On the right, you have the scroll wheel, which is used the most and a "Back" button. On the top is a power button used to turn the device off and on and a mute button.
The Home screen comes with icons for "Enterprise Activator", texting, e-mail, phone, address book, calendar, Internet Browser, e-mail settings, tasks, memo pad, alarm clock, profiles, BrickBreaker (game), calculator, password keeper, help, pictures (standard - but you can add your own),search, options, keyboard lock, turn wireless off and power off. The bold are the ones I use the most.
The bad
They are on the pricey side for both the unit itself and for service. You pay extra for the "unlimited" use of it as a tethered modem. By unlimited, they mean, at least at Verizon, 5GB or under as far as downloading each month. They will not give you an exact figure usually because they do not want you to come right under the maximum. Go over the secretive amount, and bye bye tethered modem until the following month. So, this will not affect us at all as we will use far less than the max, but if you were thinking of replacing your home ISP with this and like the downloading of movies and such, you may want to rethink that.
You now have little excuse for not being able to be reached. The, "I left it at home," excuse will only go so far. If this is for business use and your company forked over the dineros for it, consider yourself on call 24/7.
The Good
No matter where you might be, as long as you have your laptop nearby, you are on the world wide web lickity split. This allows you to meet with colleagues in areas without a hotspot or one that wants to charge you. Phoning in network (for Verizon's service anyway) for us is free and texting plus e-mail are unlimited.
The device is solid and has been dropped numerous times, even on cement, and it works like a champ. The included belt clip exposes the device so that everyone knows you have a BlackBerry. Personally, this was a negative for me so I bought the leather case that hides it so I might just be toting an oddly shaped knife! It also fits in my pocket, which I prefer, but sometimes they are full of other crap.
I have traveled a bit and not found a deadspot yet, but when I do, I might move there just to spite my partners. I jest. It really is reliable and you can sync it to your e-mail on your desktop by using the USB cable or it will do it automagically as you get within range if you enable it and have Bluetooth on your PC.
If you are running BlackBerry Server on top of your Exchange Server at work, your BlackBerry will always be in sync with that account as long as you are sending and receiving from the account on the Exchange Server. This is a very nice set up and a service we plan to offer affordably to small companies, even to individuals with a business. Though a neat toy, I think there are far cheaper solutions to keep in touch with friends and family.
I paid 249.99 just for the phone but get a $100 rebate (I hate mail-in rebates with a passion just for why they do it).
_________________________________________________________________
Update: 4/26/07
I actually received the rebate check today. Still, just take the money off upfront, BlackBerry, as you know so many people will do it wrong, forget about it or otherwise lose out on it. This practice should be banished and it gives me such a dirty feeling about the integrity of a company that chooses a method of this type to entice people to buy. I digress...
Here are the specs from the the BlackBerry site:
Phone (Speakerphone built in) and Email
Text messaging (Short Messaging Service and Multimedia Messaging Service)
BlackBerry Internet Service™ Instant Messaging
Web browser
Integrated address book, calendar, memo pad, task list.
Smart dialing, conference calling, speed dial and call forwarding
Full QWERTY keyboard
GPS-enabled for location-based services.*
Bluetooth capability for hands-free dialogue via headsets and car kits.
Integrated attachment viewing
Ev-DO* Support, which enables the BlackBerry 8703e
Tethered Modem capability, lets you use the device as a wireless modem for your laptop or PC
Compatibility with popular Personal Information Management (PIM) software.
Polyphonic and MP3 ring tones for personalizing your device.
Light sensing screen, which adjusts lighting levels automatically for ideal indoor and outdoor viewing.
Dedicated Send, End and Mute keys, plus user definable convenience keys.
64 MB of memory.
Rated for hearing aids: M4, T4
*Check with service provider for service plans and supported features and services.
Up to 8 days (192 hours) (Standby Time )
3.3 hours (Talk Time 2 )
E-mail Integrations:
Works with BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Microsoft Exchange
Integrates with existing business email account
Integrates with existing personal email account
Integrates with optional new device account
Includes desktop software
Works with BlackBerry Enterprise Server for IBM Lotus Domino
Works with BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Novell GroupWise
Accessories Included:
Holster
Handsfree headset Mine did not come with this
USB cable
Wall Charger
Update: 9/12/07
Well, I would not say durability is a strong suit of the plastic display cover. I dropped mine on a carpeted floor and was unable to get in my patented "kick save". This is when you put your foot out and try to absorb some of gravity's effects by having it hit your soft shoe and redirecting it more parallel to the ground vs. taking a direct hit. Feel free to use it.
The display cover, probably worth a dime or so at most, cracked like a spider's web. The device functioned perfectly still, but it was difficult to read. We have insurance on ours so I filed a claim. You pay a nice $50 deductible for this 10 cent mistake, but get a brand new device even before returning the old one. That is fine and all, but I would rather have paid $50 to fix the one I had. As I expected, there were issues with getting the new one into action. Fortunately, I had used the provided software and backed the device up pre-fall and right before returning it as the new one arrived. Also, apparently you get to keep the extra home/travel wall plug-in charger and belt clip case for free. Well, for $50 anyway.
I followed the directions, for once, to a "T" and the device would receive but not send (perfect for me, I wish that was not able to be fixed!). No big deal as a simple call to Verizon, my service provider, remedied this. Still, I had downloaded a game and it was lost. They now want $5 for it. Bass Assassin passed away many an hour waiting in airports, dr's offices (What? I turned off the wireless communication! I saw the signs posted!) and other times where boredom was so bad that this game was entertaining.
The new one is not exactly like the first with its trackwheel clicking versus spinning smoothly. Not a showstopper, but I preferred the old one. Was the insurance worth it? Yes if there is not someone that can replace an inexpensive piece of plastic for less than $50.
I had both for at least a month and did not get charged for not returning it promptly, so that was nice and I did return it in the end. Also, the new one is not scarred like the old one was from a successful "kick save" on a parking lot's pavement (I never said it would not scratch it on certain surfaces). Maybe that was what weakened the display cover? All in all, not a bad experience, but you should have seen my "Trophy Room" in Bass Assassin...
If this review was informative, please feel free to visit my other Computer Hardware reviews:
Contoured, Thinner Shape With Full QWERTY Keyboard Gets Rave Reviews Bluetooth Wireless Technology Powerful On-the-go Email Solution When Used With Sp...More at Amazon Marketplace
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.