BlackBerry 7230 Wireless Handheld (T-Mobile network)

Review:
If staying in touch is important, the BlackBerry 7230 is your device. The 7230 includes a tri-band cellular phone, e-mail, Web browser, calendaring, task listings and more built in to a pocket sized unit. And it comes with a sharp color screen capable of displaying 65,000 colors and a (small) QWERTY keyboard to typing in messages.

We tested the 7230 on the T-Mobile GSM/GPRS network with e-mail synchronized with Network World's own Blackberry Enterprise Server. We give the 7230 a 'Power Users Only' ease-of-use rating, because people who just need a cell phone do not need one of these. Also, setting the thing up, especially in an enterprise setting, requires system administrator help.

Once the device, e-mail and synchronization settings are configured, anyone can get started on the device without reading the manual. We also like the ability to turn off the 'radio' part of the device while still having access to the calendar and locally stored mail. This is a great feature when you're sitting on a commercial flight. The phone audio quality through the built-in speaker is excellent, though using a hand-free headset is recommended (the screen can get smudged up when holding the device to your face when using it as a phone).

Reviewed by Jason Meserve