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BlackBerry 8703e Review
Rating: 9.0 / 10
BlackBerry is perhaps the best known name in next-generation cell phones. Easy integration of PDA style data applications with cell phone capabilities make BlackBerry an excellent choice for those who prefer to carry only one device. The 8703e continues BlackBerry's tradition of excellence, offering modern and updated features while retaining the stability and ease of use for which BlackBerry has long been famous.
Sleek and slim line in design, the 8703e's dimensions are only marginally larger than those of a traditional cell phone and much smaller than the bulky PDAs of the not so distant past. The 8703e can be comfortably carried as a phone while offering the enhanced functionality required by many professions.
The 8703e offers a full QWERTY keyboard, which is backlit for ease of use. The keys are comfortable to use and well spaced. A track wheel is used for navigation. The 8703 e also provides a choice on the main screen between colorful and intuitive icons and simple, easily readable text menus. The phone uses an intelligent light sensing technology to automatically adjust both the screen and keyboard lighting for each of three levels of ambient light.
Where the BlackBerry 8703e particularly shines is in its business functionality. The cell phone features are quite enhanced, offering smart keys and integrated Bluetooth capability. Data management is easy with the 8703e. BlackBerry Enterprise Server software, available to corporate customers, works seamlessly with a variety of popular business applications including Lotus Domino and Microsoft Exchange. Personal users can access many of the same applications through the BlackBerry Internet Service. Web browsing is simple and fast on the 8703e and the phone also functions easily as a modem, enabling access via laptop to the enhanced EV-DO wireless network. Internet speed depends on signal strength, and is not as fast as true broadband in any case, but this seems to be a function of existing cellular technology rather than a fault of the phone.
The only real weaknesses of the BlackBerry 8703e are the lack of a GPS tracking system and the surprising lack of a camera. GPS tracking software has become increasingly common on cell phones in every price range, making it an odd feature to leave off a high end PDA replacement phone. The lack of a camera is perhaps more understandable, as the device's resources are instead dedicated to more "business-oriented" applications. Nonetheless, as many forms of business require photo-sharing, a camera would be an excellent addition to the 8703e.
The drawbacks to the 8703e are minor, while the advantages are significant. The 8703e is the latest in a long line of stable, reliable products released by BlackBerry. Combining the best features of the new smart phones with the enhanced functionality of the PDAs, the 8703e is a truly useful replacement for two individual electronic devices.
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