FOR ALL THE current Blackberry fans out there, I can describe the new device this way: If your "old" Blackberry 950 were made out of putty, and you pushed down on the screen and keyboard at the same time, what you'd get would be very close to the new Blackberry 957 PDA.
For those who've never seen one of the "old" Blackberry 950s up close, it's the size of a large pager, with a 6 or 8 line display and a small keyboard. If you could squish it flat, you would be looking at the new 957 "palm size form factor" with its 15- or 19-line display.
The 957 is 4.6 by 3.1 by 0.70 inches and weighs 5.3 ounces (including the battery). For comparison's sake, the 950 is 3.5 by 2.5 by 0.93 inches and weighs 5.0 ounces (also with the battery). Both have an Intel 386 chip for a brain. Both have a thumb-operated trackwheel to navigate the menus, and both let you read/answer/forward your Microsoft Exchange e-mail on your Blackberry device.
As for differences, The 950 runs on one AA alkaline battery. For me, that battery usually lasts 7-8 days. The new 957 runs on an internal, rechargeable Lithium battery. So far, I'm up to 11 days and counting between charges.
The 950 will notify you of new mail with a tone, a vibration or on-screen. The 957 also has a bright red LED on top that flashes for 15 minutes when you want a visual indication of a new message.
The 957 PDA comes with 5MB of flash memory inside. The newly upgraded 950 pager now has 4MB of flash (up from 2MB). I once had an IBM 386 PC that had less RAM inside!
The 950 and 957 use version 2.0 of the Blackberry Desktop Software. The 957 can now delete old messages on the desktop PC, something I've always wanted my Blackberry to do (although it does so only when you place the PDA in its cradle). For current users, software upgrades to Version 2.0 are available, for a price, on the Blackberry Web site.
Both Blackberries do what they're supposed to do and they do it very well. I could tell you about the password-protected, triple-encrypted safety features, or the desktop software filtering capabilities, or the back-up utilities and application loader.
But, when all is said and done, Blackberries let you take all your office e-mail on the road. Wirelessly. No one has to know where you are when you read/answer/forward your messages. The entire world is your office.
The 957 should be able to attract many new users to the Blackberry family. It's slim, slick and super cool. Unlike the Palm VII, you don't need to raise an antenna to get or send messages. Everything is built in.
A lot of people told RIM that they would never buy a device that looks like a pager. Even though the 957 comes with a leather case with built-in belt clip, it's small and thin enough to slip unnoticed into a shirt pocket or very small purse.
On the other hand, some people (like maybe lawyers) told RIM that they could never bring a PDA-sized device into a court, but a beeper-shaped device could be used without gathering undue attention in a courtroom. The choice is a difficult one.
I'm not really sure whether I'll stay with the 957 PDA or go back to the 950 pager style. Here's why:
I hate rechargeable batteries. I'd rather change alkaline batteries two or three times a week than have to schlep a recharging unit along with me. In the 957's case, the AC adapter plugs into the docking cradle, and not the device itself. More stuff to carry.
The backlighting on the 957's 160-by-160 pixel screen is that reverse-lighting (Palm/Handspring) kind of deal that's difficult to get used to. I've tried adjusting the contrast (it helps somewhat) but the backlighting mars what I would call the best black-and-white PDA screen on the market.
The keys are different. The 957 has a few more keys, and some in different places. So far, I haven't gotten used to that. It's slowing me down. Plus, for my hands, the 950's keyboard is easier to use. Especially in one-handed operation. Especially while I'm driving. (Please, please, don't try this.)
No browsing the Internet. More about that in a minute.
BOTTOM LINE
The bottom line is always the price. The 957 sells for $499 (U.S.). The new 950 sells for $399. Flat-rate wireless e-mail service is $39.99 (U.S.) per month for either. Add $6-8 per month for different levels of private paging services.
In my original review, I said that Blackberry would give the upcoming Palm VII a run for its money even before the Palm was released. (They're slightly different kinds of devices, but they both use the same wireless network, Bell South, and the comparison must be made.) At that point, I was right. The Palm was introduced at $599, with small amounts of wireless airtime going for high prices. That was then.
Now, the Palm VII is $450 (and maybe less as new versions, possibly with more memory and/or a color screen could be coming to market). And Palm now offers an unlimited $44.99 monthly service charge.
Plus, the big difference here is accessing the Internet. The Palm VII has its Web clipping. Basically, small amounts of text from Web sites are downloaded, wirelessly, to your handheld.
There are two wonderful, extra-cost, add-on services available for the Blackberry 950. Go.web and PocketGenie work very well, but neither are available (yet) for the 957. What's up with that? The big screen seems custom made to display more than just e-mail.
RIM needs to get some sort of Internet service working on the 957 right away. And, they need to adjust the monthly service charge to keep their prices in line with Palm's service.
When they announced the 957, they also announced a strategic relationship with Neomar Inc. to provide a fully Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) compliant microbrowser for RIM devices. According to the press release, they're in limited beta testing at the moment, with customer rollout scheduled for the summer. That's great, but wouldn't it be better if Go.web or PocketGenie were bundled with the 957 right now?
(Update: WolfeTech posted a beta of their PocketGenie software after this column was completed. I've downloaded the file, but it refuses to install on my 957.)
Don't get me wrong. I still think the Blackberry 950 is the greatest device I've ever used. And, I'm still crazy about it after a year of using/abusing it.
But since I do love it so much, I want RIM to raise the bar a few notches for their 957 PDA. To compete with a Palm VII (and other future devices), RIM will have to hurry up and make it a complete wireless solution. I hope they do it soon.
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Reprinted with permission from MSNBC Interactive L.L.C.
MSNBC is not a sponsor of and does not endorse PDA Verticals Corporation..
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