The Slim and Trim RIM BlackBerry 7100g

admin    861     7100g, Blackberry, slim, Trim

The Slim and Trim RIM BlackBerry 7100g

Hoping to attract the more casual user, RIM launched the  BlackBerry 7100t a few months ago; with a new streamline design fit for the 21st century. At the time, Cingular consumers lusted after T Mobile’s BlackBerry 7100t, but with the launch of the new BlackBerry 7100g, Cingular users are able to share in improved designs. Internally similar to the 7100t, the 7100g has a high resolution color display, 32 MB of internal memory, Bluetooth wireless connectivity, and BlackBerry functionality and tools, making it appealing to both business and casual users alike.

Design
Having a chrome high tech appearance, the front features a large 240 x 260 pixel screen capable of displaying 65000 colors. A reduced size QWERTY keypad was a major factor for the 7100g is condensed size; situated below Send and End, and a Convenience Key used to open a list of useful links or open selected lists. With just 20 keys, up to two key presses is needed for entering a desired letter. Combined with RIM’s SureType predictive technology, the text entry process has been considerably simplified.

Features
The BlackBerry 7100g is a quad band GSM device ensuring compatibility and international roaming between North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Operating under the BlackBerry OS, many business consumers are drawn to the devices due to advanced security features contained, for safeguarding sensitive corporate data. In addition to password protection and keyboard lock, information such as messages, address book entries, calendar entries, memos and tasks, can be encrypted locally.

Entertainment
Powered by BlackBerry Operating system, The 7100g comes preinstalled with many common PIM (Personal Information Management) tools. Call, email, SMS, or schedule a meeting from one centralized Address Book. Every contact can hold up to eight phone numbers, an email address, and two postal addresses, and stored in groups; with the capacity limited only by the available memory left.

With the Calendar, users can view meetings in one of four views. Day, Week, and Month views show all appointments for the selected timeframe, while Agenda view shows the schedule in a list. Other common software packaged includes Alarm Clock and Calculator, and Memo Pad and Tasks to organize busy lives.

Also supporting Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME), users can download and install 3rd party Java games and applications on the BlackBerry 7100g. Being the most popular platform for Java MIDlets, there are an abundance of applications and games already out on the market.

Having the ability to open and view email attachments, the BlackBerry 7100g supports formats such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, Corel WordPerfect, Adobe PDF, Zip Archives, HTML, and ASCII documents. But perhaps the greatest strength of the BlackBerry 7100g is its ability to connect with Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes servers through Enterprise Server. Managing email accounts in one location, the 7100g supports email delivery in real time using “push” technology. From a user desktop, email is “pushed” to the BlackBerry 7100g without needing to prompted. The BlackBerry 7100g is aimed at business consumers who want a device for work. And for the serious traveler who needs email synchronized with the company office, BlackBerry is a must. Combined with BlackBerry Enterprise Server, corporate email is secured from prying eyes, while push technology ensures email is sent to users on the road in real time.

However, the restricted Bluetooth connectivity and lack of EDGE high speed transfer capabilities are significant drawbacks; items important to the business demographic the device is targeting. And the lack of an expansion slot means users may need to flush out old entries and contacts.

The BlackBerry 7100g was meant for work, and fun features such as a built in camera and MP3 player are noticeably missing. But its redesigned shape is a welcome relief from the boxy blue design of the past. And the 20 key QWERTY keypad with SureType predictive text technology makes typing on a reduced keypad just like using a full sized keyboard.

Rating the 7100g’s 960 Lithium Ion battery at 4 hours of talk time, and 8 days (192 hours) of standby, actual times will be slightly less. When handset manufacturers and cell phone carriers list talk time and standby time ratings, they usually include disclaimers about variable performance and often refer to the times they publish as maximum times.

For consumers whose office uses BlackBerry Enterprise and requires access to the intranet or secure communications, the 7100g is a simple choice. But for those who don’t need such powerful email functionality or want more robust multimedia features, the 7100g may not be for them.

Find More Blackberry Articles

If you enjoyed this article please consider sharing it!