BlackBerry smart phones are recognized all over the world as the most reliable business oriented mobile devices. RIM was first to bring email functionality to mobile phones and were the main reasons why the smart phone is how it is today. Almost all BlackBerry devices come with physical QWERTY keyboards that are fun to use and make writing long messages really easy to do.
Now, it looks like Twitter will be the newest functionality offered by the device.
Twitter has been around for quite a while. As to why this is the first time a Twitter application will be made for BlackBerry is anyone’s guess. As the saying goes, late is better than never.
The new Twitter up is currently in closed beta, and if you are not testing it (most likely), do not worry. The way the app is today, you are not missing much. The app has been criticized for being slow and unable to maximize the speed of the device as it takes significant loading times for functions. Even worse is the fact that you have to download entire Tweets since the device will not cache your previous data. This leads to unnecessary load times whenever a user logs in.
On the upside, there are several hotkeys which make the system much easier to use. There is also a specialized search function that allows users to easily find specific Tweets. Of course, typing out your own Tweet on a BlackBerry device is pretty easy thanks to the keyboard.
Overall, for a closed beta version of an application, the new Twitter function for the BlackBerry holds plenty of potential. Research in Motion still has plenty of time to iron out the wrinkles that make the app hard to use.
Learn more about the new Twitter application for the BlackBerry at Stuff TV.
Since RMI launched their first BlackBerry phone, critics have been extremely positive towards the phones. The 8100 proved to be the fastest selling BlackBerry of all time, and its follow up, the 9100 has already shown the be a fantastic piece of kit, even before it has been released. With the 8010 using 2G technology, people at the time thought that internet speed was fast, and could not be improved a whole lot. The 9100 comes with 3G, which allows you to connect very quickly to the internet, and to popular sites such as Facebook, MySpace and twitter. You can also connect to websites such as YouTube, news sites and sports sites. Such sites allow you to stream and watch videos online. With 2G this was just impractical, with 3G it’s a lot more realistic, with some connection speeds as fast as real time!
If internet is not your favourite perk, then the 2.0 megapixel camera is sure to impress you. Built in to the stylish design of the phone, it is capable of taking photograph and also making short movies. This allows you capture any moment of your life, be it through a photograph of through a video.
Applications have also been updated. With new photo editing software, new email programs and an all round quicker for your hard drive, you will never be stuck waiting for your phone to load again. If you want to get your hands on one of these phones you will have to wait for an official release date.
The BlackBerry Pearl 9100 is expected to be available on pay as you go tarrifs as well as Pearl 9100 contracts.
BlackBerry Storm 2 deals are now available on Vodafone and people might be wondering if this second installment of the Storm series is still plagued by the old problems that beset the original BlackBerry Storm.
The quick answer is no, the new device has been designed to efficiently deal with all the problems and weaknesses of the first device, but to say that this device is worthy to be called an excellent phone would be an overstatement.
It is impressive how RIM has redesigned the transmissive touch screen interface to deal with the old SurePress problem -though this can be seen as more of a stubborn effort to keep the SurePress feature instead of moving on to capacitive touch screen technology. Still, the fact that the Storm 2 actually has working multi touch can be considered a great feat. The only real problem is that the onscreen keyboard has problems recognizing pressing two buttons beside each other at the same time.
The Moving Storm
What makes the Storm 2 lacking is its inability to make messages fast. Despite the improved touch screen and onscreen keyboard, it still does not give the speed and reliability of a physical keyboard. With the onscreen keyboards on other touch screen phones working a little better than the Storm 2’s, the phone loses some of that brand identity.
Aside from that, the Storm 2 is actually a decent smart phone with 3G capabilities, WiFi, a media player, a decent camera and all the usual features atypical of a smart phone.
Almost There
The Storm 2 is a decent, average smart phone, but considering that the other BlackBerrys are so unique in their own way shows that there is a lot more room for improvement with the Storm line. Hopefully the next one will continue the trend of improvement; for now, users of the old Storm might want to upgrade to the Storm 2 through Vodafone. The UK carrier is offering the device for free on plan. Individuals and businesses have plan options to choose from.
The Bold 9700 is the phone for messaging folk. Be it email, text or whatnot, the device provides a very ergonomic solution to any messaging needs. No need for a slide out keyboard, the front faced full QWERTY keyboard is easy to use with one or both hands without any hassle. Learning to use the device takes only a few minutes and anyone will be able to type easily on this phone. Thanks to the design prowess of BlackBerry when it comes to messaging devices, the Bold 9700 makes typing a truly enjoyable experience.
Simple Phone, Good Features
The Bold 9700 is the successor of the original BlackBerry Bold 9000. The phone does not suffer from the old problems that plagued the old Bold. It also brings some of the nicer features found in the BlackBerry Curve, most notable of which is the track pad.
The BlackBerry track pad is a nice smooth surface that you can easily tap or slide your finger over to navigate the BlackBerry OS. The result is similar to using a touch screen. The smooth gliding action is more relaxing than pressing on a hard key, making moving through the menus a lot easier.
The 2.44 inch screen provides excellent graphic quality with its 480 x 360 pixels of resolution. The 3.2 mega pixel camera on the other hand is a good choice for taking quick snap shots or for recording video clips with upload quality formats.
The battery can support up to 35 hours of continuous music playback. The device also has 256MB of onboard storage, this can be further expanded with the microSD card slot.
Free on Contract
BlackBerry Bold 2 deals are now available on T-Mobile and also on Vodafone, both carriers offer the device for free on 35 Pounds per month. Orange mobile UK has yet to confirm when they will release the phone but it is already listed as coming soon in their site.
The new BlackBerry Curve 8520 is RIM’s latest venture into the world of entry level handsets. With this competitively-priced device, you can start wandering about your favourite social networks via the Curve 8520’s ever-present QWERTY keyboard. Plus, a bunch of awesome apps and a decent array of media options simply mean that there is definitely a lot of room for fun on the newest BlackBerry unit.
Glorious Looks
On the onset, the Curve 8520 actually looks like a bared-down version of its predecessor, the Curve 8900 – only with a more rubbery trim to replace the glitzy chrome edge. By holding it alone you’d know that it’s much cheaper than its older brother, but nonetheless, it is still able to give off that sturdy and durable feel.
The BlackBerry Curve 8520 is available in a variety of colour schemes but unless you’re a 16-year old girl, then we suggest that you stick with the classic black version. In all honesty, the purple one just looks awful.
Tracks and Boards
One of the major improvements on the Curve 8520 is the addition of an all-new track pad. This replaces the familiar trackball which has been present in most, if not all of the BlackBerry Smartphones in the past. Its functionality is exceptional and it works like any other track pad you’d see on a laptop.
The strongpoint of the device still lies in the QWERTY keyboard. It remains immaculate and is still a perfect fit for all those typing-extensive messaging applications installed on the device. Aside from Facebook and Twitter, you could also use the QWERTY keyboard for the push email accounts you can set-up on the BlackBerry Curve 8520 which allows up to 10 individual accounts. There’s no need to check the inbox every now and again as push emails arrive real-time – just like a regular text message.
In a not unsurprising mangling of this lovely language, some of the marketing materials for the soon-to-be-released Blackberry 8520 describe it as a “supremely approachable” phone. Now, it’s not just us, is it, but that is one of the daftest things we’ve ever heard. What next? Phones that are sensitive? Handsets that are well mannered? Operating systems that are considerate?
But, utterly daft as it is, we can see where they’re coming from, because (to put it more simply) the Blackberry Curve 8520 is the cheapest Blackberry ever released. And little more needs to be said, in fact, because it really is as simple as that. As you’d expect, it’s also just about the simplest / least high-end Blackberry ever, but unless you really do need all those super-fast/-fancy options you’ll find elsewhere, it’s not at all that big a deal. And when you take a look at these Blackberry 8520 deals, you’ll agree all the more. And it’s not like RIM haven’t put any effort in with what the phone does feature. Quite the opposite, in fact, because this thing is the first (probably of many) Blackberries to feature the new mini optical trackpad. This replacement for the old scroll wheel is an absolute winner in our humble opinion.
Add to that a fantastic quality keyboard, good solid design and a very nice crisp screen and those deals start to look even tastier. There’s a bunch more details of what’s there and what’s not in this Blackberry Curve 8520 review, but to sum it all up for you, the 8520 is basically full of win. Hurrah!
We have been doing a bit of soul searching this month at Best Rated Phones and have decided to compile a quick list of the best 8 phones out there and the best contracts to go with them. After all you don’t need to spend the earth to get these top class handsets, just so long as you shop around and compare deals. Anyhow, here is our list of the best phones and their respective contracts.
1. Nokia N97 deals – We reckon that this handset is a couple of firmware updates from being the best all round handset out there. You can pick it up for £40.00 per month on T-Mobile and for that you get 800 minutes and unlimited texts.
2. HTC Touch diamond 2 deals – A much improved handset on the original Diamond. The user Interface is great and at just under £30.00 per month for 400 minutes and 500 texts, you can’t go wrong. It’s also on O2, the largest UK network.
3. Nokia 5530 deals – The little sister of the Nokia 5800 just has to be included because it is so damn cheap. £20.00 per month gets you 600 minutes and unlimited texts on Vodafone. You also get Xpressmusic, meaning sweet music to your ears.
4. Blackberry 8520 deals – The best Blackberry yet has been working hard to improve its apps offering, the buttons are better and the screen is brighter, all for £25.00 per month on O2 with 600 minutes and 500 texts. This is an absolute bargain in our opinion.
5. Samsung Jet deals – Samsung’s first Android phone has perhaps been overshadowed by the HTC Hero, but we really like it. It’s definitely worth looking at if you are a facebook addict and let’s face it, who isn’t these days?
6. HTC Hero deals – We put it at number 6 because we felt sorry for the Samsung Jet in all honesty. It is a seriously good phone, although no touch screen left us slightly disappointed. You can expect the number of apps available to rocket this year and so expect a bump up the list in the near future. You can get the Hero on Orange for £26.00 per month with 400 minutes and 3000 texts at the time of writing.
7. Samsung pixon 12 deals – great for big users of their mobile phone, you get a massive 900 minutes and unlimited texts for £40.00 per month. Now that’s some serious minute and text action and the phone isn’t half bad either.
8. Sony W995 deals – The best that Sony Ericsson has to offer at the moment and it really should be higher on the list. The only thing is, we are so excited about the Aino and the Satio that we reckon it’s worth waiting for these to arrive. Having said that, the price is cheap. You can get it on T-Mobile for £21.20 with 700 minutes and 3000 texts, quite unbelievable.
Think we are missing out any handsets? Seen any better deals? Then let us know in the comments section.
The Blackberry 9300 Gemini is the newest addition to the Blackberry family. This phone has a much circular keypad than its counterparts and initial Blackberry designs. The 9300 Gemini also has a wide array of features that is sure to impress the user. Some of the specifications are mentioned below:
- 3G connectivity
- High resolution display
- GPS system
- Quad band GPRS/GSM/EDGE
- Tri band HSDPA/UMTS
Apart from these features the 9300 Gemini also has a number of alternative features as well. The Blackberry Gemini has a 3.2 megapixel camera. With the use of this camera you will be able to capture those precious memories you spend with family and friends.
The 9300 Gemini is perfect for the business individual. The phone will not only add a certain amount of sophistication to your appearance, it will also help you succeed in your business ventures. The phone is ideal for this purpose because of its Wifi capabilities. You will now be able to access the web with ease and thereby send and receive e-mails from anywhere. Also note that this feature is subject to change depending on the phone usage and network.
Other features of the Blackberry Gemini are its basic features. These features are found in every phone and therefore it is no secret that these too are essential features of a phone. Some of the features consist of a calendar, calculator, TO-DO lost, notes and an alarm.
Check out the official Blackberry site for more information on the 9300’s release date. The Blackberry 9300 Gemini is a phone that is perfect for anyone and if you are a fan of high technology phones, this is the phone for you. Do not settle for any other phone, especially when you can get the best!
BlackBerry smart phones are recognized all over the world as the most reliable business oriented mobile devices. RIM was first to bring email functionality to mobile phones and were the main reasons why the smart phone is how it is today. Almost all BlackBerry devices come with physical QWERTY keyboards that are fun to use and make writing long messages really easy to do.
Since RMI launched their first 
In a not unsurprising mangling of this lovely language, some of the marketing materials for the soon-to-be-released 
We have been doing a bit of soul searching this month at Best Rated Phones and have decided to compile a quick list of the best 8 phones out there and the best contracts to go with them. After all you don’t need to spend the earth to get these top class handsets, just so long as you shop around and compare deals. Anyhow, here is our list of the best phones and their respective contracts.
The Blackberry 9300 Gemini is the newest addition to the Blackberry family. This phone has a much circular keypad than its counterparts and initial Blackberry designs. The