Treo vs. BlackBerry 7100t

Treo vs. BlackBerry 7100t

by Adam Cochran
October 2004

First of all, it isn't really fair to either of these phones to compare them since the BlackBerry (old or new) is designed to be a very basic PDA and not a complex smartphone device. I also must admit that this review is not thorough.

I have been pestering the T-mobile kiosk in the mall for several months to alert me when they got the new BlackBerry in so I could compare it to the Treo. Many rumors were calling it the Treo killer when it was announced. If there is something out there better than the Treo, I am always willing to give it a look.

My verdict is that the new BlackBerry will only replace the Treo for people who really don't understand how to use their Treo.

First the positives. I love the screen. It is bright, although hard to see in daylight. The high-res 16-bit display is nice, but nothing greater than other high end color phones.

The weight was very nice. It almost felt like my daughter's Barbie toy cell phone. It also felt like a phone. This is a big improvement over the older - giant numeric pager style device.

The 7100t also supports several traditional chat programs as well as email. This is great for the target audience - busy people who don't want a complex device and teenagers.

T-Mobile is the only carrier that supports the BlackBerry thus far, but rumors are that Sprint may support it before long. With T-Mobile as the only carrier, the BlackBerry is limited to GSM service areas. GSM is the lesser used form of cell service in the U.S. supported by AT&T, T-Mobile, & Cingular. Verizon and Sprint both only offer CDMA service.

As for the technical features of this smartphone, it is a very entry level device. It synchs with Outlook and many other personal data manager and calendar programs and address books, but that is about where this stops at being a smartphone.

Unlike Palm on the Treo, there are very few programs available for the BlackBerry that amount to anything that you would use on a daily basis. There are a number of games, some financial software, but not much else. When compared to programs like Win-Hand, Mapopolis, Documents-to-Go, and Agendus, the BlackBerry is very limited in function and expansion.

Other things that I was missing on the BlackBerry include a digital camera, expansion slot and MP3 playback. The BlackBerry does have a nice Internet browser, but that's about it for cool features not found in less complicated cell phones.

Personally I think that every smartphone device should have an expansion slot that allows backup of the device. I don't know how many times having my entire Treo backed up on an SD card has saved me while I was away from my computer.

The BlackBerry does have BlueTooth support, but T-Mobile charges $20 in addition to the $20 data plan to connect to the Internet using BlueTooth with your cell phone. This means that BlueTooth is really only useful for transferring data and using wireless ear buds that cost nearly as much as the phone.

Now for the funkiest part - the keyboard. The BlackBerry has a QWERTY keyboard, but not in the traditional sense. Each key represents a number or symbol and two letters of the alphabet. As you type, the BlackBerry tries to guess what you are trying to write based on the internal dictionary made up of programmed and learned words. While this wasn't hard to use, it does play tricks with your mind because you may spell a word using all of the wrong letters until you hit the space bar - then it magically converts the series of letters into a known word. You really have to play with it to understand.

In the end I feel that both devices have their market, but the Treo is far superior when it comes to function and versatility.

Castellini on Computers Rating (1-5 mics)
Recommended Market:	Teenagers, college students and busy people who can't afford a Treo
Approximate cost:	$150 with T-Mobile service - $299 without.
Company and Web Site:	BlackBerry