RIM is branching off into new types of devices with the more phone-like BlackBerry 7100t: Larry Garfield, editor at large, takes a sneak peak at RIM's new style.
RIM's latest BlackBerry is a new direction for the company, which to date has focused on more data-centric devices. The 7100t, however, is much more of a phone-style form factor, sporting a few changes to make it more phone-like.
The 7100t, available through T-Mobile, is a large candybar-style device, with a general tapering down the sides that allows it to sit in the hand very well. While larger than most mobile phones, it's not ungainly for a smartphone and is against-the-face friendly. The 16-bit color screen is large, bright, and crisp - just as one should expect.
The keypad is the 7100t's novelty. Rather than the full QWERTY design of previous BlackBerries, the 7100t features a 4x5 grid of keys, arranged in a V-shape, with each key including two letters or symbols, as well as digits in the usual arrangement. The idea is similar to T9, except the device has only two letters to choose from when guessing what the user meant to type. In practice, we found the system, dubbed SureType, to be surprisingly accurate in its guesses and quite fast, although some symbols require a dedicated shift key. Corrections are also somewhat clumsy due to the lack of a touch screen or proper directional pad. The device is sized so that both one- and two-thumb typing is possible, with two naturally being faster. Score for RIM on the data input front.
 | | RIM BlackBerry 7100v and 7100t |
Most of the 7100t's other features are typical of its predecessors. Those include a quand-band GSM/GPRS radio at 850/900/1800/1900 MHz and Bluetooth support for all of the things Bluetooth is good for. The screen is not a touch screen. Instead most interaction is through the scroll wheel and back button on the right side, in addition to the keypad of course. The left side includes an audio jack and USB jack, high enough that they should rarely be in the way.
The software is the usual RIM suite, including PIM applications, a web browser, and the company's trademark push e-mail client. Curiously absent is an MP3 player or expansion card support, although RIM has likely chosen to refrain from the former due to battery life issues. Why there's no expansion card is worse to explain, though.
An alternate version, the 7100v, will be available through Vodafone as well. The Vodafone version, however, has a different casing and software theme, with a more rectangular design with sides that curve inward. The buttons are also more widely spaced. In practice we found the T-Mobile version to be more comfortable to hold and use, although neither is by any means bad.
While it may not be as full featured as the Symbian Series 60 phones it will likely be up against in the market, the 7100t (and its Vodafone fraternal twin) is a good showing for RIM's new design. In particular, the SureType typing system strikes a good balance between typing speed and compactness with very good accuracy and little learning curve. Time will tell if it catches on with users.
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