With its slimmed-down profile, RIM's new candybar-style handset may not look like your typical BlackBerry, but the 7130c packs some powerful messaging abilities under its hood. Too bad 3G data access and a full keypad aren't included in the mix.
Review summary of the RIM BlackBerry 7130c:
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 With its new, trim profile and powerful, real-time messaging and PIM capabilities, the BlackBerry 7130c makes for a smart and pocketable business companion -- provided your fingers can master the phone's tricky SureType keypad. That said, speed demons spoiled by the latest 3G smartphones might be disappointed by the 7130c's EDGE-only data capabilities. Release: June 2006. Price: $200.
Pros: Excellent messaging abilities and call quality; desktop PC and corporate server PIM synching; good use of screen real estate; compact for a BlackBerry handset
Cons: SureType keypad can be tricky to learn; no voice calling; intimidating menus for beginners; EDGE data access only
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Full RIM BlackBerry 7130c Review:
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Messaging - Very good
The 7130c's new, boxier phone factor makes it look more like a typical candybar-style phone than a BlackBerry, but don't let that fool you -- like its RIM brethren, the 7130c is a true messaging machine. You can collect messages from up to 10 personal and corporate accounts, including POP, IMAP, Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes, and as always with BlackBerrys, push e-mail is the norm. The bare-bones message interface will be familiar to RIM fans (if a little unfriendly for neophytes), but the two-letters-to-a-key SureType thumbboard (a fixture of the 7130 series) takes time to master.
Calling - Very good
Calling quality on the 7130c was excellent, even over our Bluetooth headset, and we wrung more than five hours of talk time from the battery -- impressive. We had no trouble synching our Outlook contacts with the bundled USB cable and PC software (you can also sync up over Bluetooth), and while-typing search results made calling our buddies a snap. The 7130c made quick work of conference calls, but there's no voice calling, and typing in contacts with the SureType keypad can be something of a drag.
Scheduling - Good
While the 7130c's spare calendar views aren't exactly what we'd call evocative, they get the job done with a minimum of fuss, and real-time synching with Exchange and Notes servers always make for a winning combination. Synching calendar info with a desktop PC was easy via USB and Bluetooth, although those new to the wide world of RIM may be intimidated by the myriad options.
Multimedia - Mediocre
The EDGE-enabled 7130c is all business -- no videos or downloadable music here. Still, we were able to pull down mobile Web pages relatively quickly on the BlackBerry browser; the XHTML Google page downloaded with no trouble, as did the lengthy New York Times site. Still, we would have liked to see a wide-page viewing option akin to those in the mobile Internet Explorer and Blazer browsers.
Related phones: Cool BlackBerrys
Price and availability
The RIM BlackBerry 7130c will start selling for $200 to $250 ((AT&T)) in June 2006.
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