I got myself a Blackberry 7100g about a week ago and it is a HUGE improvement on the Blackberry 6230 clunker that I used to have prior to that. The Blackberry 7100g is very sleek compared to the previous Blackberry options. It is one of the first models from RIM that has Bluetooth support. The display is fantastic and very clear. A quick summary:

Price: About Rs. 20,500 in Bangalore

Keypad: Weird, unlike normal cell phones, this Blackberry does not have a standard QWERTY or ABC, DEF type of keyboard. Each key has two letters and takes some getting used to. I am still trying.

Bluetooth: Limited functionality. It is able to pair up with my Sony Ericsson HBH 600 but not with my laptop. After digging through documentation and RIM site, I found out that their concept of Bluetooth support is only for phones and headsets and not computers!

Connectivity: They give you a USB cable and software for Windows. I use a Mac Powerbook and had to spend an additional $29 to purchase PocketMac software so I could sync the Blackberry with my iCal, Address Book and Mail. There is no support for IR either.

Clarity is very good. the headset, the speakerphone are very clear. Decent choice of ringtones. The 7100g is very sleek when compared to other Blackberry’s but dont compare to the range of mobiles or PDA’s.

The 7100g is for people like me who drive a lot in town and therefore use a Bluetooth headset and who need constant access to email (basically, a business user). i would not recommend it for those who dont need constant access to email. There are probably 50 cell phones that have better features than Blackberry. For the record, the 7100g is Quad Band, so you can theoritically use it anywhere in the world where GSM support is available. I have yet to make a biz trip outside the country with this device, but I expect it will work.

The 7100g (and I believe all Blackberry’s) comes with no camera. So if you are expecting that feature, forget this option.

To close out, pretty much the only thing I accomplished after spending the extra dough is that I can use my Bluetooth headset (!)

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