I had certain preconceptions about BlackBerrys (BlackBerrys? BlackBerries? Has the God of Grammar made a decision on this one?). Who is so important that they can't possibly be without email for the duration of a train journey? Apart from Paris Hilton, I suppose. And Alan Sugar, possibly.
Three weeks later I've got to admit, I *heart* the BlackBerry 8700g. As far as I can see, there are two main advantages. You can pick up your email whenever you like, and you can play Rooster.
They've made it as easy as they possibly can to set up your email account. It took me about 10 minutes to set up my Gmail, and that's only because I had a cup of tea halfway through. Once connected, you can send and receive emails to your heart's content. There are a few things that bugged me - the way the sent items appeared from your email client account to your BlackBerry inbox, the time it took for the mail to appear on my BlackBerry - but I'm willing to put this down to Gmail being an internet-based email account. I'm very good like that..... (UPDATE: I've been reliably informed that you can get rid of the sent items appearing in your inbox, which has strengthened the case for fully reading manuals I suppose...)
On a purely positive note, Rooster will change your life. The aim is to get the rooster to the other side of the road without getting him squished by the cars, travelling on their way to.... wherever computer cars go. If you do get him squished, the BlackBerry vibrates in a maudlin fashion, which is all you need to fully appreciate the shame you should be feeling at not getting him across the road safely.
And the looks of the 8700g should not be overlooked, so to speak. Whilst previous versions might have been branded 'iconic' for a while, the blue handsets were beginning to look decidedly clunky. Some classy silver edging has remedied this, making it look positively 2006. To be honest, it's pretty massive, so you're still going to look a bit ridiculous holding it to your ear, so the Bluetooth is handy. As long as you're not of the opinion that people using Bluetooth headsets look ridiculous. Then you're going to run into trouble.
Other handy things: the screen will automatically adjust its brightness according to your surroundings (a bit of a gimmick), there's a button on the side that will take you to the profiles (very useful) and another button on the side to take you back a step (absolutely essential when you're messing around discovering how the damn thing works).
I wouldn't swap my mobile phone for a BlackBerry, which I guess is the main complaint. But if you need something else to carry around, and are as important as Alan Sugar or Paris Hilton, this one is for you. And if you do qualify as such a person, no doubt your phone bill runs into three figures, for which you are rewarded with not having to pay for the 8700g when you get it on a contract. Congratulations. [Susi W].
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I crave one so much, and I don't even have a need for it.
Whether I need something or not is the very last consideration I make when I'm buying something... Could be why I have a house full of things like trampolines and inline skates.
And how exactly did you get rid of the sent items from Gmail showing up on your BB? I am having the same problem but don't like reading manuals! Help me out!
To get rid of Sent items, open Messages>Options>General Options>Hide Sent Msgs>choose Yes.
Also, you can change what apps the front/side convenience keys open. I have mine set to open the browser and messages. Go to Options>Screen/Keyboard>and then choose what you want they conv keys to open.
Thanks Diego - I've been trawling through my emails trying to find the instructions someone sent me, as I had to return the original review unit. Very good karma coming your way...