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RIM's New Blackberry Ditches Thumboard
Eric Giguere writes "Research In Motion's newest BlackBerry, the 7100t, aka 'Charm,' has a more conventional phone form factor. It does this by ditching the thumb keyboard for an extended keypad with predictive text input. It also adds Bluetooth. The changes are mostly physical, the device is still running the same basic software -- existing Java apps should run with only minor changes. More details at the BlackBerry.com website." xRelisH supplies this link to a review of the device from MSNBC.
existing Java apps should run with only minor changes
It's freaking java. Why do all of these device makers continue to change small things that make all of the previous software libraries not work!
The platform is going to do better if there is more software available.
... keyboard was what made these things so attractive. I txt on my cell phone quite frequently and I'm not crazy about T9 input. It's a bit of a pain to check behind yourself to make sure the correct word was selected. Obviously it's better than pounding one button 3x to get the right letter you want but isn't this a downgrade for this type of device?
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I'd be very surprised if the predictive text system works as well as the reviewer appears to indicate, unless the only words you use are common ones (or if you're willing to use up virtually all of your storage on your custom dictionary entries).
Every predictive text system I've used in the past has been slower (due to dictionary-adding, backspacing, and so on) than it would have been by using more 'traditional' input methods like thumb-texting.
Maybe it's just me, but I doubt it.
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So far, the Blackberry is the only mobile device that I've found useful for web browsing and emailing. The qwerty keyboard is the main reason, it's much better than, say, the one in the Treo 600. The new Blackberry looks like any other cellphone. I know that I'll never be able to compose email or search Google nearly as fast with the predictive input, no matter how good it might be.
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At $199 I would buy this phone in a second. With the current Blackberries being $349+ and being kind of awkward to dial out/talk on, this is exactly what I want. And Bluetooth is an added bonus.
I regret reposting so soon, but I've been reading the thread and I have to ask, Does BlackBerry succeed in actually being a good phone or a good PDA? MSNBC says it has "four hours talk time and eight hours standby". With battery life like that, how can this be a useful phone? If BlackBerry has adopted a "more conventional phone form factor", what's it like to use as a PDA? Really, does integrating phone and PDA really provide a better and more convenient experience or does it just implement the worst of both worlds - a smaller screen than a straight PDA and worst battery life than a non-smart phone? Wouldn't it just be better to buy two separate devices?
Is when the products are used on countries where the language is not supported by the device. This is my only frustration with predictive texting on my Sony Ericsson phone. I assume the same would be true with this new Blackberry. Yes, english is just fine, but when I need to text using our native language (that is not supported) predictive texting is useless. Also, predictive text is kind of useless if you're texting a lot of techinical jargons.
Take-off every
Some of us don't feel the need to check our email whilst walking, or listen to mp3s on a phone. Some of us believe in that tireless old adage "The right tool for the right job." Still others of us don't have a lot of devices to carry...for me it's keys, ipod, wallet, phone stays in the car or on the desk or in my jacket pocket. I don't carry a palmtop because the input methods are invariably shite, don't carry a camera unless I intend to take pictures of things (and let's face it, camera phones take shitty pictures anyway, why waste the money) and I don't need retarded games or ringtones.
Am I anti-convergence? Fuck no, it's good to see people creating shitty devices that do too much, because it makes them appreciate the simple things in life. Like a phone that's just a phone, or a notebook that doesn't erase everything you're doing if your brother text messages you. Convergent devices are good things, they're just nothing I would ever want to own. I like to be able to USE the things I own.
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One of the reasons Blackberries have become so popular is because of their professional look. Lawyers, politicians, consultants, everyone else in DC and in other parts of the country love the Blackberry. And we love keeping it on our belts as a status symbol.
This new Blackberry looks like a toy and like every other phone. There's nothing so appealing about it. I think RIM has really given up that professional tone and they'll be upsetting quite a few customers.
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I have negative thoughts about removing the the keyboard. I always thought that was a huge plus. Remember, a majority of Blackberry users are the suits who could care less about the technology and just want to do nothing more then send and recieve their corporate email and have the ability to read attachments. Many of these people can not even understand the difference between "GSM", "gprs" and the "GPRS" signals and what they are for. Any learning from the predictive input better be stored on the sim card so when they get a new BB, they do not have to start all over again. Although there will be an interest in smaller, there will always be a nice sized crowd that would rather have a largeer screen and full KB also. I turned down a 7210 which has a color screen in favor of the monochrome 6710 because it had a larger screen.
Fewer keys = fewer moving parts = less breakage
I agree in theory but the only thing I've ever seen break on any of the BB's are the thumbwheel and the screen.
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Have you tried it? And not to be an ass, but 20 - 12 is 8, not 6. I would also have to say that having 67% more keys probably makes a large difference.
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Did ViewSonic stop selling CRTs when LCDs came out?
... don't buy it ... buy a one with a full keyboard.
So, what makes you think that RIM is going to stop selling BlackBerrys without the full keyboard. If you don't like it
I personally am happy to see a phone like this hit the states.
The only problem with combination phone/PDA devices is that it can never be the right size. A phone is supposed to be small and compact. A PDA is supposed to have a larger screen so you can actually do stuff on it. If you combine the devices into one, it's never going to be adequately sized.
OTOH, that's the only combination I dislike. Combine other things, sure. Thanks to my cellphone, I save money not buying a watch. If I had the money to buy that Zaurus I've been drooling over, I'd use it as a combination PDA/music player/whatever else I can think of.
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