Hands-on Review: BlackBerry 8800

At long last I've got my paws on RIM's BlackBerry 8800, easily the best smart phone that RIM has made to date, and definitely one of my new favorites. Here are some thoughts about it.

You'll notice immediately that compared to earlier BlackBerry models like the 8700 series, the 8800 is far, far slimmer and much more attractive. RIM finally seems to be taking design cues from the Pearl and other half-keyboard models, with more chromed accents and a sleeker design. At 4.8 ounces, it still weighs the same as the 8700g, but it's considerably thinner and rides more comfortably in your pocket.

Functionally, the 8800 is similar to 8700 line, with a few notable exceptions. Most visible is the Pearl-like trackball front and center. The venerable scrollwheel on the side of the device is gone. Now you'll have to navigate the OS with the ball directly below the screen. In my testing (and in polling colleagues), the trackball is divisive: For some applications (see below), it works very well, but having to maintain accuracy in two dimensions can be difficult if you're walking down the street, which can make it a little tricky to click on the right message or the right URL. Some people love the trackball. Some hate it. You'll have to try it out for yourself to see where you fall.

The other new feature is GPS, and it's a real standout. TeleNav's GPS service is built into the 8800 (fees run from $5 per month to $10 per month for unlimited use), and it works well. I've never seen a GPS unit lock onto a satellite signal so quickly, and though maps can be awfully slow to load, scrolling around in them with the trackball shows off how useful this new addition can be; it's light-years ahead of using standard buttons to navigate the map. The device even includes voice directions. 

The keyboard is reasonably roomy and easy to type on, and the BlackBerry OS remains pretty much the same as it's been in recent incarnations. Battery life was 7 hours of talk time in my tests (vs. 8:20 on the 8700g), definitely a serviceable amount of time. The phone is also a world phone that boasts service in over 100 countries. (I only tested the one.) There's even a music and video player (both work well), and a microSD card slot (alas, under the back cover, near the battery).

My only big complaints: No camera, and no 3G service. But those are rather minor issues on what is otherwise a real standout of a smartphone. At $300 with service plan, it's fairly priced, too.