R.I.M. Blackberry 7230 Smartphone

But let's face it, on most smart phones, and I speak from experience of having just owned a Handspring Treo 600, the camera is not up to much. When it comes to MP3 you are better off with an ipod or another player. And the lack of wi-fi and bluetooth doesn't actually make that much difference to me.

That's because the Blackberry essentially does two things and it does them well. It automatically collects your emails while you are out and about, without you having to do anything. And it includes a surprisingly decent phone. Add to that you have various standard PDA functions such as a calendar and address book, as well as an Internet browser. All in a device that is a lot smaller than most PDA phones - it really does fit into the palm of your hand or a shirt pocket. It also offers a much more user friendly keyboard than your average palm or treo.

My only gripe is that the device only syncs with PCs and not macs. Mac owners will need to buy virtual PC to back up data.

However all in all, if you don't want a mobile entertainment centre and want to concentrate on the basics, then this is the perfect mobile device while you are away from the office

The Blackberry gives access to my full enterprise Outlook inbox, file system, personal address book and diary. It does not, however, give access to the enterprise address book, which means I am restricted to replying to emails, or to remembering (or having in my personal address book) their full smtp email address if I want to send or forward one.

The system is surprisingly transparent - Blackberry's 3G technology means there is no particular time lag in receiving emails on the handheld as compared to when they arrive on the desktop. It would be hard to imagine (apart from the address book problem) how the email connectivity could be improved.

The diarying is slightly less successful - entering dates is tedious, and navigation from week to week is slow and difficult. Most of my colleagues seem to have the same problem with it. The small screen of the Blackberry also means that it cannot display very much information, although the current 7320 is certainly an improvement on the earlier models that some of my co-workers use.

The voice quality on the phone is absolutely outstanding. I was preparing for a radio interview the other day and struggling to find a land-line - while the journalist on the other end actually thought I _was_ on a land-line. Eventually we did the interview via Blackberry, and both of us were very happy. There's also surprisingly intelligent connectivity with the email. If someone sends you a phone number in an email, then the Blackberry will underline it and allow you to dial from it.

SMS usage is also extremely good, although it is less important if your colleagues also have Blackberries, since email will always be better.

As a PDA otherwise, however, the Blackberry is at least one generation behind. The tiny QWERTY keyboard is too small to properly type on, although I've seen nimble thumbed people going at some speed. The Palm's handwriting implementation is far better than the Blackberry's typing. The Palm also allows you to select items by tapping on them. The Blackberry's non-touch sensitive screen is clunky and difficult by comparison. Also, by taking up half of the available space with keyboard, the Blackberry's screen is only half the size.

The Blackberry performs particularly badly on applications. No web-browsing (though I understand you can buy this as an add-on), no viewing of Excel or PowerPoint files, and no tables in Word attachments. There is no expansion slot, and a very limited choice of aftermarket software applications. I can get virtually anything I want for the Palm, including esoteric items like tide tables, sundials and starcharts.

Although it's shaped like a PDA, the Blackberry is really (as its full name suggests) a replacement for the mobile phone, not for the Palm Pilot. Its connectivity is superb, and the voice quality makes it hard to justify carrying the mobile at all. The purchasing decision for a Blackberry is also more like a phone. A Palm is a one-off purchase, a Blackberry locks you into a contract, and is useless without it.

I gives this four stars with some reluctance. There is nothing like the Blackberry, it is hugely useful, and has already changed my work life. For that it deserves five stars. But the user interface is comparatively so poor that I feel obliged to limit my rating.

Warmly recommended -- if it's worth the contract price to you -- nonetheless.