Price: From free, depending on contract


BlackBerry owners just can't stop messing about with their email, but with the addition of Facebook, is the device – already dubbed 'CrackBerry' – about to become even more addictive? Web User finds out

Motion's BlackBerry has always been popular with business types, keen to have access to their corporate email whether they're making their way to a meeting or staying within reach of the office while on a family holiday. But the rest of us quite like our email and messaging too, especially if it's not work-related. The latest BlackBerry, designed to also appeal to non-business types, still manages its core application of controlling email but also adds some new features, by mixing the compelling qualities of mobile email with the even more addictive social-networking application, Facebook (www.facebook.com). Could this be the BlackBerry we'll never be able to put down?

Features:

The 8120 has all the things you'd expect (if not necessarily need) in a modern phone, including a 2-megapixel video-capable digital camera and a media player (for music, video etc). If you've already had your mitts on an iPhone, then the BlackBerry's media-player aspect won't particualrly impress you – the square screen isn't a patch on watching video in widescreen. But it's a necessary arrangement because, despite the extras, that's not what this phone is all about. The BlackBerry is a communicator, and needs space for a keypad at the bottom. Although it's most famous for email, it works as a phone,and you can use it for texting, instant messaging and small-screen web-browsing as well, with added Wi-Fi speeding everything up if you're within range of a network. And with the addition of a Facebook application, those already addicted to the social-networking service have an easy and convenient way to keep up with their contacts while they're away from their PC.

Performance:
The Facebook application is quite well designed – you can do all the usual things like update your status, see what your contacts are doing, invite new friends and leave messages on walls. It'll even tell you when something new has happened with an icon at the top of your screen – just like it does with email.

This email 'push' – checking your mail automatically and telling you when there's something new, rather than waiting for you to check your Inbox yourself – is one of the great features of the BlackBerry. You can set up a number of personal email addresses to be captured by the device and its indicator light flashes red when you've got an email.

The phone itself is perfectly adequate but the browser feels like a step back after using Safari on the iPhone. If browsing's your thing, you're unlikely to be content with the tiny screen, despite the fact that the trackball and mouse-style pointer make navigation fairly straightforward.

Ease of Use:
The BlackBerry's user interface is starting to look archaic. Scrolling through emails with the rollerball is easy enough, but the main menu crams the relatively small screen with options, and choices within applications usually have to be accessed via long, text-based menus.

The keyboard also takes some getting used to. It's laid out like a QWERTY keyboard but with two letters per key to keep the size down. This means you can never quite be sure what you're typing without checking, but the system is intelligent and the right word is usually picked for you. It's a case of getting used to it, which isn't too hard a struggle but Apple has spoiled us on the interface front and the BlackBerry's pales in comparison.

Value for money:
Until recently, the newest mobile phones were always a bit expensive unless you were willing to commit to a hefty monthly contract. Interestingly, the Apple iPhone has changed all this, and having the option of paying for the phone with a short contract or getting it free with a higher monthly cost suddenly sounds quite reasonable. One of the downsides of the BlackBerry is that you need to pay an extra subscription to get your email pushed through to your phone. With O2, this is either £10 a month or £2.70 per megabyte if you want to pay as you go. The phone is free with a £35 per month contract, or costs £129.99 if you'd rather drop this to £20 per month. There are other options available for those who want a different balance of contract, price and bundled talk-time or texts, and it's also available through Orange and Carphone Warehouse, so shop around if you can.

Verdict

With the launch of the iPhone, all phone manufacturers have been forced to do new things in order to keep their products up to date. If it's email you're after, the BlackBerry is still a superior device, primarily because
of its ability to push your mail to you – with the iPhone, you have to open the email application, connect to your email server and check it before you know whether you've got a new mail. The addition of Facebook brings the BlackBerry firmly into the consumer arena, but its interface is still more functional than attractive or pleasant to use..