Mobile Phone Reviews

Archive for the ‘Blackberry’ Category

People scour the internet looking for the best deals on the BlackBerry Torch 9810, and with more features than the average phone this is no surprise. BlackBerry Torch 9810 deals do exist and can save you money on this sought after mobile phone. This unit offers a chance for users that are bored with the BlackBerry 9800 to update to the latest phone from BlackBerry.

For the mobile phone user looking for a BlackBerry that can be used with Facebook then this phone ticks all the boxes. It has been upgraded from previous BlackBerry software and now offers the BlackBerry 7 software package. A screen size of 3.2 inches and the hybrid design of this phone give the user the chance to make the most of any BlackBerry Torch deals around to buy a great phone. 

The camera on this model is similar to most BlackBerry phones and comes with five megapixels for still shots. As with all BlackBerrys, the phone is capable of playing music files from a variety of sources. An improved processor speed of 1.2GHz gives this phone an edge and allows all of the popular business apps to be run smoothly. The standard Wi-Fi built into all BlackBerrys gives the owner the ability to make full use of the phone’s features. From the business apps to the social networking side of the phone, this BlackBerry offers a unique combination of speed and style to create a sound mobile phone.

BlackBerry is a name that everybody in the world will recognise as a brand leader in the mobile phone market, but what is a BlackBerry phone? BlackBerry first made its name in the late 1990s as the business user’s mobile handset of choice. Designed and produced by a company called Research In Motion (RIM), the BlackBerry is a smartphone known for its internet and messaging capacities, including the highly popular BlackBerry Messenger service, more commonly known as BBM.

With a wealth of Wi-fi and communicative devices at the push of a button, the smart-looking BlackBerry original handsets came with an integral QWERTY keyboard that the company remains famous for. BlackBerry has become such an iconic brand that US President Barack Obama was even seen to use a BlackBerry for communicating during his famous 2008 presidential campaign. This celebrity endorsement could potentially have added millions of dollars to the company income due to its powerful advertising value. 

BlackBerry is known as a pioneer for its capacity to send and receive emails and instant messages, but new generation BlackBerry handsets have made more and more advances. The original smartphone BlackBerry was released in 2003. While retaining, in many cases, the traditional QWERTY keyboard, newer models have also adopted many of the characteristics and features associated with more modern smartphones, such as those pioneered by Apple, LG, Nokia and Samsung.

One of the most commonly asked questions from users new to smart phones is ‘What is a Blackberry Sat Nav’? The answer to this question is simple; a Blackberry Sat Nav is a satellite navigation system which runs on a Blackberry mobile phone.

Like all modern smart phones, Blackberry’s come complete with GPS technology. This allows them to also act as Sat Navs, where the phone’s position is tracked via satellites in order to give directions to a set destination. This is a common feature on modern smart phones, and thanks to their high build quality Blackberrys are able to execute this function very well.

One of the main reasons why using a Blackberry as a Sat Nav is popular is because Sat Nav software for a Blackberry handset is often much cheaper than the price of buying a stand-alone Sat Nav. Thanks to the huge amount of data and technology needed to run a Sat Nav system, stand-alone Sat Navs can be very expensive, often costing several hundred pounds for top of the line models. However, leading Sat Nav software for a Blackberry can be purchased for between £30 and £60, making it a much cheaper alternative.

Using a Blackberry as a Sat Nav also makes it easier to add maps if you are planning to travel outside of Europe and update the maps you have with new roads, speed cameras and long term road works.

Most people who use or have shopped for mobile phones have a good idea of what a Blackberry is.  The brand is a leader in mobile phone technology.  Developments and enhancements to Blackberry’s technology and programs also impact other phones.

A Brief History

The first device made by RIM, the manufacturer of Blackberry devices, was sold in Germany in 1999 and was a pager.  In 2002, the first smartphone from the company was debuted.  It combined favourite mobile phone features with the functionality of a handheld computer.  As technology has improved, more features have been added to the phones.

Blackberry Internet Features

Most Blackberry models use mobile broadband internet service, and also have Wi-Fi capabilities.  Internet users can access email from most major account providers.  If you prefer to log on to your social networking profiles multiple times a day, a Blackberry makes it easy to do this.

Calling Features

Blackberry phones also have features that make phone calls easier.  The call quality is usually very clear, even when you are placing a call from a crowded setting.  Your list of contacts is easily stored and accessible whenever you need it.  Bluetooth compatibility is offered, allowing you to use a headset when required.

Music and Video

Your favourite songs and videos can be downloaded onto your Blackberry.  You may either download them from the internet or transfer them from another device.  A headphone jack is included so you can listen to your music without disturbing others.

What is a Blackberry phone?  Many people who are new to smartphones or mobile phones in general have asked this question.  Blackberry has a long history of being the phone of choice for business professionals.  The current range of features and programs makes the phone ideal for business and personal use.

Some Unique Blackberry Features

Blackberry was one of the first mobile phone brands to use a full QWERTY keyboard.  This allowed it to be easily used for business applications, including document preparation.  In recent years, the phones have become popular for their messaging and email options.  A unique operating system is used that incorporates similar features to those found on the Android, Apple and Windows Mobile operating systems.

What to Expect

Blackberry phones that are currently available come in several models.  Some of the most favoured models include the Curve, Torch and Storm.  Wi-Fi internet access is a standard feature, and most models also have a digital camera installed.  Users who invest in a Blackberry phone will find that many functions commonly performed on a computer are available to them.  The display screen offers rich colour displays.

How to Buy a Blackberry

Many mobile phone shops offer Blackberry handsets for free with a line rental agreement.  This service allows new customers to use the best phone available without incurring excessive costs.  Sellers in the UK who offer their phones online often provide generous discounts or free phones with the purchase of another item.

When asked “What is BlackBerry?”, many will point to its wide use among business professionals.  While it is indeed the smartphone of choice for business use, it has expanded its reach with apps that are more focused on social networking and fun than business.

Social networking revolves around Twitter these days.  This is what makes the UberTwitter app for BlackBerry so interesting.  The app can detect a user’s location and can embed images and video.  It takes the standard features of Twitter to the next level by adding things like URL/tweet shrinking and group list support.  Best of all, it is free.

Bubble up is another fun social networking app for BlackBerry.  It is highly customizable.  You can even add pictures, change the colours and throw emoticons like smiley faces into the mix.  It too is free.

Of course, there are also plenty of practical apps for the BlackBerry.  QuickLaunch is an app that lets users set up an unlimited number of shortcuts to websites, functions, files and apps.  This allows for lightning fast browsing of both the BlackBerry and favourite places on the web. 

Most users of smartphones are constantly monitoring things like sports teams and the weather.  On BlackBerry, it is also possible to monitor personal spending.  Mobile Checkbook allows users to monitor current, savings and credit card accounts all in one place.  It will even let you record transactions as they happen.

Blackberry mobile phones were originally marketed as a phone for business use but now they are considered suitable for all users, and the BlackBerry 3G 9105 is no exception.  Deals are available at a number of levels and to suit all budgets.  This is a smaller phone than other BlackBerry models but the phone is still a good buy for those who need to text and email on the move. 

This phone has an alphanumeric keypad with good spacing, so helps to avoid typing errors.  Setting up an email account on the BlackBerry mobile phones is easy and even though the screen is small, viewing does not feel at all cramped.  There is an integrated inbox, so if you have more than one email account you can view them all at the same time, as well as setting up the inbox to take messages from social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. 

The Blackberry 3G 9105 has a media player which will appeal to most users which is simple to use but is perhaps not comparable with phones that are being aimed at the younger market.  The controls are accessed easily and the camera is also very simple to use.  There are features such as a flash and autofocus option and the 3.2 megapixels mean that you can take a good quality image.

One of the best features of the phone is call quality, with a clarity that is missing on a number of similar handsets.

The Blackberry Curve 9300 is the new mid-range priced smart phone in the Curve family.  Typing is easy on the slightly raised QWERTY keyboard, located directly below the screen.  There is a very responsive optical track pad.

At 2.46 inches, the screen is on the small size.  However, it has decent quality viewing on the 320 x 240-pixel screen.  Using 3G and Wi-Fi powered by the Blackberry 6.0 operating system, web browsing speed is good.  However, viewing web pages on the phone’s smaller screen is not as good as on other Blackberry phones.

This handset measures a standard 10.9 x 6 cm and comes in two colours.  There is a speakerphone for hands-free calling.

At 2 megapixels, the camera is only of average quality for still pictures or video.  Video viewing and music downloads can be done using several formats.  Using USB or Bluetooth, you can hook up to your computer and easily download music.

This mobile phone comes equipped with 256 MB flash and 256 RAM memory, so there is plenty of space on this little mobile phone to store all of your favourites.  The Blackberry Curve 9300 is also equipped with GPS and Blackberry maps.

Deals:

Several companies offer this handset free with contract.  Contract rates as low as 25 pounds per month make this Blackberry an affordable mobile phone, with a nice look and all the necessary options for web browsing, phone calling, email, and music.

With good looks and loads of useful organisational tools, the BlackBerry 8700g is a great basic tool for business users.

Pros

The compact design of the 8700g still manages to leave room for the full QWERTY keyboard and adequate screen.  There’s a headphone jack, USB port, and trackball all conveniently located on the handset.

The 8700g includes BlackBerry’s fantastic push email support, letting users manage multiple accounts with ease.  Viewing attachments is simple, and the internal processor makes the process reliable.

As a personal organiser, the 8700g is up to par with most cheap mobile phones.  It’s easy enough to sync the device with a PC to manage appointments, tasks, contacts, and memos.

Cons

The 8700g is an early version of the BlackBerry mobile phones with smartphone technology, so many of its features might seem outdated to the serious business user.  There’s only 64MB of internal memory and no memory expansion capabilities.  Email attachments can be viewed in text-only format, and the web browser is very slow.  There is no camera and no multi-media features such as a music player or photo gallery.

Call quality is a bit of a disappointment, as well.  Calls tend to sound muffled and too quiet.  The speakerphone feature is not powerful enough to produce clear sound in loud environments.

The Blackberry Storm 9500 is a departure from the usual style of Blackberry mobile phones.  It is designed to attract those who like the iPhone and is the first Blackberry to feature a touch screen, as well as a 3.2 megapixel camera. 

As with other models, it offers the user easy internet and email access and a wealth of user friendly features such as GPS.  The touch screen on the handset is bright and is ideal for watching videos or viewing images as it is a larger screen than on other models.  It has clickable email, so you actually press down on the buttons instead of tapping on them. 

Music can be stored on the handset and users will appreciate the 3.5mm headphone jack.  Email can be synchronised with Google and Yahoo email applications as well as business email.  There is a lack of Wi-Fi on this model which may disappoint some users.  This phone is a good choice for those who want a Blackberry but may not like the small QWERTY keyboards that they have. 

Those who want information on the latest mobile phone deals should make the internet their first port of call.  There are many sites which compare mobile phones and the deals that are available as it is important to choose the right one for you.  There are contracts on offer for different lengths of time so there is no need to commit to a contract that is longer than you would like.