BlackBerry 8700v

By Asher Moses, CNET.com.au
May 16, 2006

Despite the ominous lawsuit that loomed over RIM's US operations for what seemed like an eternity, the company unabashedly continued to refresh its BlackBerry line with new products. Its most recent offering is the 8700 series, which consists of two handhelds: the 8700g and 8700v. The only tangible difference between the two models is that they run on the different operator networks. They also differ slightly in aesthetics, with the 8700g offering up a navy blue chassis, while the 8700v is mostly silver.

We took a look at the 8700v model, which in typical Vodafone style is branded with a silver and red software colour scheme, as well as a company logo just above the keyboard that stands out more than the BlackBerry logo itself!

Design
Head out to buy a BlackBerry and you'll be confronted with two distinct types of design. The first is the slim phone-oriented shape (as seen on the 7130e), which is less dorky to hold up to your ear for calls but at the same time is less suited to rapid-fire emailing since two letters share each key.

Conversely, the data-oriented design used by the 8700v is wider and flatter, and offers a full 35-key QWERTY keyboard. We've tested both, and can confirm that the 8700v is significantly faster for data entry. We found that the same e-mail typed out on the 7130e and the 8700v takes roughly half the time on the latter.

The device measures 69.5 x 19.5 x 110mm and weighs in at 134g, which makes it only 4 grams heavier than the phone-shaped 7130e. It's noticeably wider, but this is a necessary evil given the inclusion of a 35-key keyboard. If the 8700v doubles as your regular mobile phone, the fashion conscious will undoubtedly want to purchase a Bluetooth headset, as this is far from a glamour device.

Unlike a conventional smart phone or PDA, the BlackBerry's navigation keys are located on the right-hand edge of the chassis. First there's the thumbwheel which is used to traverse the menu system and doubles as an "enter" key when depressed. Just below it is a second button which functions as an "escape" or "back" key. This combination works quite well--as long as you're right handed. If you operate the device with your left-hand, your middle finger, rather than your thumb, falls on the scroll wheel which can prove uncomfortable.

The power button is located in a familiar spot on the top of the phone, and nearby is a handy LED that flashes red when you've got unread e-mail and green otherwise. The left-hand side offers up a mini-USB port for connection to a PC, as well as a headphone jack and a button for profile selection.

The only design qualm we had was that left-handed users will find it difficult to navigate the menu system using the scroll wheel, which is located on the right-hand side of the device. That said, lefties shouldn't have a problem adapting to using their right hand--we didn't.

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