Mobile Phones

Research In Motion has announced a new entry to its popular messaging device line with the BlackBerry 8800. Taking many styling cues from the consumer orientated Pearl, the 8800 is notable for also including a microSD memory card slot and media player, which do not normally make an appearance in RIM's enterprise lineup.

The BlackBerry 8800 is quad-band GSM compatible, perfect for travelers, and carries a built-in GPS module for use with BlackBerry Maps. The trackball, a feature carried over from the Pearl, makes navigating the user interface through the QVGA resolution light sensing display easy. Bluetooth functionality is available, as is USB connectivity. The 8800 can use MP3 format ringtones, and speakerphone functionality complements the full push email support seen on all BlackBerry devices.

Research In Motion (RIM) has continued its assault into the consumer space with the announcement of the new BlackBerry Curve 8300. The Curve is the QWERTY keyboard equipped cousin of the Peal 8100, but steps the multimedia features up a notch.

Gone is the 1.3 megapixel camera of the Pearl; the BlackBerry Curve sports the manufacturer's first 2.0 megapixel sensor, paired with a large QVGA (320x240 pixel) resolution display. An overhauled media player allows keyword searching for the music you want, with A2DP stereo Bluetooth 2.0 and a 3.5mm headphone jack both available to connect your listening device of choice. RIM has collaborated with Sonic to bundle Roxio Media Manager for BlackBerry with the Curve 8300, an application based on the award-winning Roxio Easy Media Creator 9. A microSD memory card slot is thankfully available to store all your media and files.

All these multimedia features are on top of the regular BlackBerry PIM functionality and the well-known push email support. New to the BlackBerry Curve 8300 is a 'high-performance' web browser for viewing full HTML pages and RSS news feeds, and speaker independent voice activated dialing and speakerphone functionality make an appearance on the quad-band GSM device.

T-Mobile USA has started offering the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8320. The original 8300 Curve, sold in the USA by AT&T, lacks the new 8320's WiFi and UMA support. This new WiFi based UMA support will allow users of T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home service to use an 8320 for free VOIP calls over their home WiFi network in addition to being able to do the same from any of the thousands of T-Mobile HotSpots located in the country.

Apart from the WiFi data connectivity, which can also be used for things like web browsing in addition to VOIP calls, the 8320 is nearly a clone of the original 8300. As such, it sports the same quad-band GSM/EDGE network support as did the 8300 that we reviewed back in July. This new T-Mobile version of the Curve does add support for AOL, Yahoo!, MSN, and ICQ instant messaging right out of the box, and it also, naturally, supports T-Mobile's MyFaves system.

The BlackBerry 8320 Curve is available on T-Mobile in two colors: titanium and gold. It can be purchased now on the T-Mobile website for US$249.99 after an instant rebate of $150 and a mail-in rebate of $50, when purchased with a new 2 year commitment.

Nokia launched the N75, the smallest member of the Nseries of multimedia handsets. This folder style handset sports a large 2.4", 320x240 (QVGA) display that is capable of 16 million different color shades, and makes use of a smaller reflective display on the outside for navigating through the music player application.

Highlights include a 2 megapixel digital camera that can record video at up to 15fps (frames per second), landscape mode playback for photos and videos, and a micoSD memory card slot that can augment the built-in 40MB of storage with up to 2GB of additional headroom.

The N75, like most of the Nseries handsets, has a full suite of connectivity options built-in that range from 802.11b/g WiFi to dual-band, North American spec UMTS/HSDPA connectivity and Bluetooth 2.0. Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support is also included, which means that the device should work in most parts of the world.

Nokia, which has long shied away from releasing thin devices, has announced its entry to the ever-crowded thin handset market with the new N76. Nokia states that it did not want to compromise on features just to shave thickness off the device, and as such, this 14mm (0.5") thick handset boasts some impressive specifications when compared to its rivals.

The new Nokia N76 runs the S60 v3 UI on top of the Symbian OS, and so includes all the smartphone features that users have come to expect from the company's Nseries. The folder design holds music control keys underneath the 160x128 pixel resolution external display, and conceals a 16 million color capable 2.4" QVGA resolution internal screen that can also be used in a landscape orientation. A 2.0 megapixel camera is present to satisfy the shutterbugs among us, with 26MB of internal memory and microSD memory expansion supporting up to 2GB cards to store all your photos and music. With UMTS 3G high-speed data and Bluetooth v2.0, the Nokia N76 should satisfy most on the connectivity front. Despite the feature list, the Nokia N76 tips the scales at just 115g (4.1oz).