When the BlackBerry Pearl was released last September, we like the rollerball, and even found it an improvement over the classic BlackBerry trackwheel. Now, with the BlackBerry 8800, RIM has brought the ball to the more traditional BlackBerry full-QWERTY look. With the latest BlackBerry update, we're left with a couple of questions about the new device. First, how much of an improvement is the device over the previous generation BlackBerry 8700-series? And second, how will this device help RIM compete in a marketplace that has grown much more competitive?
Concerning the 8700, we reviewed the BlackBerry 8703e on Verizon Wireless back in September, a few weeks after the release of the Pearl. We like the tethered modem support and the availability of GPS-navigation, but were left feeling that the interface was a few steps behind the crowd. Admittedly, we haven't seen much of the interface on the new BlackBerry 8800, but what we've seen isn't any different than the last-generation device. In fact, while the 8703e was a 3G phone, surfing on Verizon Wireless' EV-DO network, the new 8800, which is exclusive with AT&T (for now, at least), will not take advantage of the HSDPA network AT&T has been diligently rolling out all over the country. The device is somewhat slimmer than the bulky 8700, but also appears a tad wider and taller than that device. Also, the new 8800 will sell for $300 with a contract, while the older device, which is not much different, is $100 less, while the BlackBerry Pearl is half the price of the new device. The price of the 8800 is not exorbitant, but for $100 you could have the Samsung BlackJack, which is a 3G phone.
Which brings us to the competition. Forgetting about Apple's iPhone for a moment, Microsoft has recently released their newest version of Windows Mobile 6, and though it lacks the simplicity and grace of Apple's interface or even Palm's easy-to-use OS, it does an excellent job at e-mail, scheduling, and enterprise-class networking. The BlackBerry device, on the other hand, has an e-mail client that looks like a holdover from the old monochrome screen days, and a calendar app to match. Sure, the BlackBerry 8800 has a QVGA screen, but so do most Windows Mobile devices, and the BlackJack can handle Cingular Video.
We liked RIM's BlackBerry Maps software, which we saw in action on the BlackBerry Pearl, a phone that does not have the GPS capability of the 8800 (the BlackBerry 8703e curiously opted for VZ Navigator, instead). However, navigation, and even BlackBerry's signature push e-mail support, are everywhere today, even on Windows Mobile devices, so RIM is going to need to separate itself further from the crowd by updating their aging OS. With innovative devices featuring snazzy new operating systems coming out every week, devices like Apple's iPhone, Samsung's Ultra Smart F700, and LG's KE850 Prada phone, RIM may have to accelerate development on their rumored new interface to keep themselves competitive.
Finally, we wonder what sort of deals AT&T had to make to keep the BlackBerry 8800 exclusive at launch. The Pearl launched on T-Mobile only, but was followed a few months later by a Cingular release. Without 3G support, the BlackBerry 8800 would be fine on T-Mobile's network, but instead RIM went with AT&T. With the iPhone also an AT&T exclusive, we wonder if there is any connection between that device and the new RIM phone. After all, the fall of RIM's stock price on the day of Apple's iPhone release was widely reported in graphs across the Web. Certainly this new relationship between RIM and the iPhone's future carrier can't be entirely coincidental.
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