What do they do?
First and foremost, BlackBerry is about being able to send and receive email, quickly and easily. Over the last few years, BlackBerrys have been upgraded from only supporting email, text and phone calls to having digital cameras, expandable memory, media players, internet access, Wi-Fi, GPS and pretty much every other feature you’d find on any mobile phone on the market. The emphasis is still on email, and to be honest, there isn’t another device on the market that does what a BlackBerry does, as well as BlackBerry does it. BlackBerry devices can all handle email attachments such as Microsoft Word, Excel, & Powerpoint documents, PDF’s and images. Attachments aren’t downloaded automatically, the device will ask you if you want to download it. If you chose not to – maybe you don’t need to read the attachment until you get back to the office, the files will be sat waiting for you on your PC when you get back.

How does it work?
BlackBerrys use "Push Email" to deliver email to your phone. "Push Email" simply means that as soon as the email server receives an email, it pushes it out across the cellular network to your device. You instantly get an alert to notify you that you have new email and can read it immediately on your BlackBerry. Email on your PC or most other mobile phones normally works on a "Pull" system called POP. With POP email, your computer will connect to the servers at regular intervals (anything from 5 mins to an hour or more) and then download any new emails to your PC. This often means a delay between the email being sent and you getting it. With "Push Email" there is little or no delay. BlackBerry condenses the emails into just plain text, all fancy formatting is removed, and you just see the information you need. This allows the emails to travel quickly over the cellular network, meaning you won’t have to wait for the email to finish downloading before you can read it.

Why would I want one?
Email is now one of the quickest and easiest ways of communicating. By having email on your phone, you won’t have to worry about remembering to check your email on your computer. You won’t have to learn how to use email programs, or mess around remembering passwords for webmail. You don’t really even need a computer! Sending an email on a BlackBerry is as easy as sending a text message. You can send images in your emails, so there’s no need to try and figure out how to send picture messages. Email is cheaper too. Rather than paying for each message that you send, email is done on a flat monthly fee of around £5 (varies by network).

What email accounts can I use on it?
Pretty much all email accounts that use either POP or IMAP will work with no problem. When you set up your email with BlackBerry, you may be asked for your POP or IMAP server settings, you can normally find these on your email providers website. If you use Hotmail, then you will need to either pay to upgrade your account, or you can set a forward to your BlackBerry email address that you’ll create as part of the sign up process. See our post on Setting up email on BlackBerry Devices for more information

Related Posts:

• Setting up email on your BlackBerry.
• BlackBerry Buyers Guide

First time users, or people that aren’t quite sure about making the switch to BlackBerry should consider the BlackBerry Pearl. The BlackBerry Pearl is more of a cross-over device. It has all the standard BlackBerry features, but looks and feels more like a normal handset. The Pearl series have a "SureType" keypad. A cross between the standard keypad found on most phones and a full QWERTY keypad found on most BlackBerry’s.

BlackBerry Pearl 8100 is the original Pearl and has a 1.3MP Camera with flash, expandable memory and internet access.
BlackBerry Pearl 8110 has all the features of the 8100, but with the addition of built in GPS and a 2MP camera.
BlackBerry Pearl 8120 has all the features of the 8100, but with the addition of Wi-Fi for faster internet browsing and a 2MP Camera with Flash.

Not everyone that likes to email likes to carry round a big phone, BlackBerry knew this, hence the BlackBerry Pearl, but for some, even that was too bulky, so they have now introduced the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 . The specification of the phone is very similar to the BlackBerry Pearl 8210; 2MP Camera, Wi-Fi, Suretype keypad, expandable memory, but in a more compact flip design and with a newer version of the BlackBerry Menu System.

The BlackBerry Curve is the most popular range of BlackBerry handsets. They feature a full QWERTY keyboard, making typing much quicker. A larger screen than that on the Pearl makes reading emails and browsing the Internet much easier. If you use email regularly then the Curve is a good all round handset.

Blackberry Curve 8300 is the original Curve and has a 2MP Camera with flash, expandable memory and and high resolution light sensing screen.
Blackberry Curve 8310 has all the features of the 8300, but with the addition of a 2MP camera and built in GPS. The mapping software is subscription based.
Blackberry Curve 8310 Maps for Life Edition has no subscription costs for the mapping software.
Blackberry Curve 8320 has all the features of the 8300, but with the addition of Wi-Fi for faster internet browsing.

The BlackBerry 8800 is aimed at the business user. The 8800 has a longer life battery giving up to 22 days standby times. Built in GPS allows it to be used as a Sat Nav device (although there is an extra subscription cost for this). The 8800 is ideal for those that work in places where cameras are not allowed as there is no camera on the 8800.

The BlackBerry 8820 is an updated version of the 8800 and has the same specification, with the addition of Wi-Fi for faster internet access and support for Stereo Bluetooth and higher capacity memory cards.

 

BlackBerry’s first 3G device for a few years was the BlackBerry Bold. The Bold is a more advanced handset that will appeal to people that need their phone to do pretty much everything. The screen is a higher resolution than most other BlackBerry’s, making images and videos appear exceptionally clear. The Bold is one of two BlackBerry devices that support 3G, and gives download speeds of upto 3.6Mbps. The Bold can be used as a modem to connect your laptop to the internet. WordToGo software allows you to edit attachments, as well as view them. The MP3 player on the Bold is compatible with iTunes, making it easy to sync your music.

The BlackBerry 8900 Curve is the replacement for the original Curve series. It has both GPS and Wi-Fi, unlike the 8310 or 8320 which made you choose one or the other. The 8900 Curve is essentially the baby brother to the BlackBerry Bold. The only real missing feature is 3G, but BlackBerry devices have been running perfectly well without it for years, so unless you do a lot of internet browsing, the 8900 Curve is a better priced alternative. Screen resolution is the same as on the Bold, but the phone is smaller and lighter and is the first BlackBerry to feature a 3MP Camera.

With almost every new phone coming out now with a touchscreen, BlackBerry didn’t want to be left behind so they introduced the BlackBerry Storm. Its touchscreen interface is unique, as rather than being touch sensitive, the glass screen presses in. It’s something you need to see really as its not easy to explain! The device is (and we expect it to always be) exclusive to the Vodafone network, so no sim free version will be available. Featurewise, it has a high resolution screen, 3MP Camera, GPS, and 3G connectivity, but interestingly lacks Wi-Fi support, meaning that all your downloads will need to go through your mobile network, rather than your free home Wi-Fi network.

As touchscreen is new for BlackBerry, its getting some very mixed reviews, so if its one you’re considering, check out some reviews online first, and go and have a play in your local Vodafone store before comitting to a lengthy contract!

If you’ve already got a BlackBerry, let us know what you think of it by leaving a comment below.

Related Posts:

• Setting up email on your BlackBerry
• What is BlackBerry