BlackBerry 7100v

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Fresh from winning the handheld category in IT products watch group Datamation's Product of the Year, the phone-like Blackberry 7100 seems set to win over original users of the Blackberry 7230. Their Blackberry technology is similar, but of the five variants of the 7100, the 7100v undoubtedly comes across as the most chic of the lot.

Upside: Unlike the Blackberry's 7290, the 7100v's overall appearance looks more like a traditional mobile phone. As an exclusive variant from M1, the handheld weighs lesser at 120g and has smaller dimensions compared with the 7290. The call and cancel buttons are slightly longer than its counterpart, the 7100g, which is offered exclusively by Starhub, but it's nothing to wow over. Its preloaded pictures present themselves brilliantly, especially on its 240 X 260-pixel screen. Where Web browsing is concerned, the device gives an acceptable online experience, although it takes a while to load Web scripts.

Downside: Previous users of the Blackberry may take some time to get used to its new two-characters-per-key layout as we took several attempts to type a proper email. Once we overcame the notion that it's not a mobile phone keypad, we were able to type with relative ease. It's SureType software also played a part in deciphering what we were trying to say, which made the learning process easier. Due to a smaller screen than the 7290, email subject titles sometimes appeared truncated, making it harder to read. We weren't impressed with its laggy interface, which at times wasn't worth waiting just to change a few settings such as its themes and home screen images.

The 7710 comes with 32MB flash memory, though there's no expansion slot in sight. However, it should not pose a hindrance since push emails are limited to only 2KB. A Vodafone "live" icon can be found on the main display, although upon activating, it will lead you to M1's MiWorld. M1 says a patch will be out to change the confusing icon.

Conclusion: Best value for money and lightweight, the Blackberry will be a welcomed addition to the businessman's arsenal of tools. Unfortunately, the ease of use has been compromised too much as a tradeoff for a smaller form factor and phone-like appearance.