Rating: 
Summary: If phone feature are important, this isn't for you...
Review:
My company got me this blackberry in lieu of a cell phone. But after using it for a few months I'd rather have a $29 cell phone.The web browsing capability is limited but passable. The email works great, but I get a lot of spam which causes a problem. On my laptop I have software that eliminates 95% of the spam that I get, however it doesn't do it's thing until after the spam hits my inbox. Consequently, if my laptop is not connected to the company email server, - like on the weekends the spam does not get filtered and ends up coming to the Blackberry - which as near as I can tell has no way of resolving the problem. So on the weekends it's annoying to wade through 100 spam messages to find the one or two emails that I'd actually like to read. Because of this problem I've turned the email feature off. It's barely passable as a phone. Poor reception, uncomfortable shape, bulky, impossible to dial with one hand or without looking, no one-touch dialing, and you have to position it just right to hear the other party well. Overall, - this device is a hint at how features will be bundled together in the future, but since my main need is for a good phone it doesn't meet my needs.
Rating: 
Summary: Solid device
Review: After reviewing a lot of PDA phones I ended up getting the BlackBerry 7230 for TMobile. The device does a good job of combining all the features that I need and still fits into my pocket nicely. It can be difficult to hear using the phone, but it works well for most conversations. The shape and layout of buttons makes it easy to navigate the features and the keyboard is great. It doesn't have all the features of the Treo, but the price of the phone and Tmobile service make it a good deal.
Rating: 
Summary: High expectations low results
Review: After years of owning separate PALM devices, cell phones and PCs I finally decided to break down and purchase the Color Blackberry (actually got the AT&T version) Pros:
** Excellent PDA synched with my Lotus Notes PIM apps via Pumatech's Intellisynch seamlessly
** Form factor wonderful-keyboard a joy but not a one handed unit
** Interface for phone software wonderful (check for hidden keystrokes to speed thing up Cons: (and the reason I am returning ** Headset terrible had so much feedback was asked to mute it on numerous conference calls (over 2 days)
** Desktop Software (not synch) for installing apps would not work Even after installing service packs, hacking registry and calling support who's biggest focus was making sure I knew where I was downloading the SW upgrade to on my Hard drive so I would not lose it.
** No voice dialing
** No speed dialing other than 1 for voice mail All in all I was terribly disappointed by the phone features. And due to the feedback on the handsfree (support suggested I turn the volume down -- did not work) found the unit unuseable Next step is to try the Treo 600
Rating: 
Summary: Blackberry 7230
Review: As a experienced mobile communications user I highly recommend this device. It provides excellent sound quality, functionality and capabilities for both business and personal usage. If you looking for a PDA/ Phone combination this one is hard to beat.
Rating:
Summary: On par with Palm OS.....from 1997
Review: Blackberry needs to get their act together. 3rd party apps range from horrible to non-existent. Usability is atrocious. So I can get my corporate e-mail via a wireless device...so what when everything about the so called "crackberry" sucks! But I'm sure all of the "pointy-haired" bosses out there love this piece of crap.
Rating:
Summary: This device is a POS
Review: Do not wate your time, energy, nor money.
Here's why -Poor email attachment support.
-No 3rd party applications
-Device freezes and crashed regularly
-Blackberry support is a joke. I emailed Blackberry help 3 months ago and I'm still waiting for an answer. If you decide to get this device, PLEASE DO NOT USE T-MOBILE. You'd be better off getting 2 soup cans and a piece of string.
Rating:
Summary: Get the Blackberry and (comfortably) spend your time out of
Review: Get the Blackberry and (comfortably) spend your time out of the office
I had decided to go with the Blackberry after my recent trip to China. I would see executives using the Blackberry everywhere.....at the airport, on the aircraft, in the hotel lobby, at the bar, even spotted a few using it at the Great Wall. And so, on my return, I decided to do a little research. I found that Amazon and T-mobile offered a great package and along with the rebate offered, it took me all of 2 minutes to decide.
I use to feel like I was balled and chained to my laptop. Speedy action and response to client's email was the key. In this day and age, no response to an email is equivalent to no operator manning the phone of a business. Even when I was out of the office and on the road, I would have anxiety attacks just pondering about what possible urgent emails have I missed or not been able to action due to being on the road.
Now all that has changed with the Blackberry 7230.......After working with Tmobile to setup my Blackberry......(just a comment about the TMobile CSD......I have had experience with AT&T, Sprint, and Tmobile, and hands down - zero competition, Tmobile's CSD by far has the best CSR out of all 3. Tmobile CSR have demonstrated their ability to effectively and courteously resolve all issues every single time that I've called, which was about 7 times within 4 or 5 days. Furthermore, it takes less than 1 minute to speak with a live person. ...Try that with AT&T - Ha ha !!. Anyway, continuing on about the Blackberry......after the setup and after 2 months of use, I give you the following...
The minor cons......
No speaker phone.....This is an issue because it looks way-more cool speaking into the Blackberry like a walkie-talkie, then having it pressed against your ear. Trust me on this; I've conducted a survey with male and female between ages of 20-50. So risk looking uncool, or just use the hands free which comes included and works very well.
No voice dial.....this really should have been a safety feature since there is no way that one can dial a phone number while safely operating an automobile. Don' do it fellow Amazonians...be safe!
The shape of the Blackberry is not ergonomically shaped to fit in a women's (or a man) small hand. For a female, I would say that you basically need both hands to use all the blackberry features such as dialing a number or email, etc.
The Message Icon contains both the email messages as well as the call log. It would be great if it was separated....and maybe it can be and I just do not know, so if anyone knows how to, please let me know - thank you.
There is not an option to keep the LCD light on.....but this is one of the reason why the battery is EXCELLENT. You can go for days without having to recharge.
The magnificent pros........
Feel comfortable out of the office. Email arrives instantly (even faster than my company server).
Keyboard is super easy to use and allow you to type any length messages with ease.
You can forward attachment onward even if you cannot open the attachment that you are forwarding.
The address book feature is great...and it even gives you the ability to enter "pause". So, say for example, you are calling a company with automated answer where you will need to dial the extension number of your party, well, program the telephone number, then add 2 "pause" then add the ext. number....it will dial for you. You save your self a step of having to dial the number, then after connection, dial the extensions.. Voila!! Also, this is a super super feature if you use a calling card with a pin number for dialing international (or domestic) on your blackberry.
So, in conclusion,I can only say, if you want to experience FREEDOM from your laptop. Get the Blackberry!!
Rating:
Summary: Be ABSOLUTELY certain you want to use T-Mobile
Review: I bought this device with T-Mobile service and then found out they have no service where I live (the coverage map was not detailed enough to see that). So I tried to switch back to the service I had been using for a few years.
Eventhough I cancelled the T-Mobile service within their 14-day "Buyer's Remorse" time-frame, they would not "unlock" my device from their service making it virtually useless. Therefore, the other wireless service couldn't activate the device. So, there I sit with a VERY fancy address book!!
The only way I could get T-Mobile to unlock it would have been to stay with them for 90-days (with no service, of course, because they don't cover my area) and then pay a substantial cancellation fee (I think it's about $200) for cancelling within a year.
So, now I have to send the device back to Amazon.com and start all over again.
WORD TO THE WISE . . . . Be sure to read the fine print (I still can't find the 90-day unlock fine print) about the "Package" you choose to buy. And, be darn sure you want to keep it for a while.
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent product still waiting on excellent service
Review: I bought this primarily to check my e-mail, and was pleased with how small the product was. This didn't make typing easy, but none of the messages I had to send were particularly long, and whatever annoyance this caused was made up for by how easy everything was to use. This product is still in its beginning stages, though, and the service that should be behind it just isn't there. I had some trouble getting my Outlook messages forwarded to the handheld, and although customer service is always helpful (and usually fairly prompt), there was something screwy going on with the network, and it wasn't possible for me to log in even with the correct password. I could, for some reason, get into the T-Mobile website - where the instructions said I could integrate the rest of my e-mail with the Blackberry - but it was impossible to get to the Blackberry Web Client from there, even with the help of the customer service representative. Although this may sound like an individual freak problem, it clearly points to a company that doesn't quite have its act together yet. The website is poorly thought out, and integrating the e-mail often requires a lot of legwork on your end, especially if you use Outlook and are primarily buying this for company messages. I had to get the company computer guy to make changes on the server to forward messages directly to my account, which was much more complicated than I'd hoped. People that have primarily accounts on Hotmail, Yahoo, and AOL should also watch out, since the Blackberry can't get mail from those accounts easily either. The 7230 is an excellent product: I hope they work out the bugs as it gets more popular. If this isn't an immediate necessity for you, I might wait a while to buy one until they do.
Rating:
Summary: Lose my mind if I ever lost my Blackberry
Review: I hated this phone at first. It was a gift, and try as i did to get use to holding a rather large calculator sized box to my ear, the phone feature wasnt happening for me. The more i played with it, the more i discovered just how awsome this thing was. I own a mobile entertainment company, so its a breeze to keep schedules open, log CC information from clients, send bulk mail to my employees, even get driving directions. I love the Memo pad feature as well. Now I can remember things id normally forget because i can easily take note and keep time. Not to mention the unbeleivable battery life. I have kept full charges for weeks on end. Chargeing is a sinch. Ive only lost full battery life 2 times and each time i was able to connect to my computer and in less than 15 minutes i had a full charge that lasts longer than the energizer bunny.. Ive been more organized with this phone than I have in my entire career. Three thumbs up!!
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