RIM BlackBerry 7130e Review

Dec 28 RIM BlackBerry 7130e Review
Found in:Devices, BlackBerry, Reviews,

When it comes to memory, the 7130e improves upon its predecessors by doubling the amount of flash memory to 64 MB. The handset's swappable battery has a poor showing, however, delivering up to three hours of talk time and up to eight days of standby. The BlackBerry 7130e is the first BlackBerry handset from Research In Motion (RIM) specifically designed to operate over today's high-performance Evolution Data Optimized (EVDO) networks.

Measuring 4.6 x 2.2 x 0.9 inches and tipping the scales at 4.7 ounces, the 7130e looks more like a conventional mobile phone than many of the earlier BlackBerry models. Moreover, the handset's scratch-resistant color screen is definitely bright enough to be read under a wide variety of lighting conditions.

The slimed-down design of the unit's keyboard falls midway between a full-blown Qwerty-style thumb-board and the standard keypad found on conventional mobile handsets. RIM's engineers assigned two or more text characters on each of the smartphone's 20 keys, which means you may need to press each key two or more times to arrive at the desired text character. Fortunately, the 7130e -- like all of RIM's 7100 series handsets -- incorporates the requisite Suretype predictive technology to simplify text entry.

Features

The BlackBerry 7130e sports a high-resolution LCD screen featuring 240 x 260-pixel resolution, 64 MB of flash memory, and a built-in speakerphone. The handset also incorporates wireless Bluetooth technology for enabling hands-free operation by way of a Bluetooth-enabled headset.

As is the case with all other BlackBerry handhelds, the 7130e has been designed to operate in tandem with RIM's BlackBerry Enterprise Server software, which works behind the corporate firewall to push e-mail and other corporate data to wireless handsets with Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino, and Novell Groupwise e-mail accounts. If you still have security Relevant Products/Services from Microsoft concerns, you also can take advantage of the software's end-to-end Triple DES encryption capabilities.

Small businesses and even individuals without the requisite BlackBerry support behind the corporate firewall will be able to use Verizon's Web client to access up to 10 corporate and/or personal e-mail (POP3, IMAP, AOL, or Hotmail) accounts from a single device.

You can also take advantage of RIM's Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) package, which employs public-key cryptography to provide additional security features such as writer-to-reader authentication and digital signatures.

Performance

When it comes to memory, the 7130e improves upon its predecessors by doubling the amount of flash memory to 64 MB. The handset's swappable battery has a poor showing, however, delivering up to three hours of talk time and up to eight days of standby, far less than the 5 hours of talk time of the Treo 650.

RIM also chose not to offer an SDIO or MMC expansion card slot in any of its latest handheld products. Connectivity options are further limited by the handset's Bluetooth radio, which will only work with a limited number of Bluetooth profiles, such as those associated with hands-free headsets and car kits. And like all other BlackBerry handsets, the 7130e fails to incorporate voice-dialing capability.

The Verdict

Available from Verizon Wireless for $299.99 with a two-year contract, the BlackBerry 7130e certainly would be a good choice for mobile workers looking for a stylish handset with high-speed EVDO support. However, unless you have corporate RIM server support, road warriors with deeper pockets may find the Samsung SCH i730 to be a better choice.

BlackBerry 7130e

Specs: Abbreviated Qwerty-style keypad; 64 MB of flash memory; 16 MB of SRAM; Bluetooth radio.

Pros: Svelte form factor; scratch resistant screen; EVDO.

Cons: No expansion card slot; Bluetooth support limited to headset and hands-free car kit profiles; sub-par battery life.

Verdict: The BlackBerry 7130e is an excellent choice for buyers looking for a slim and trim telephone handset that can also send and receive data at blistering EVDO speeds; however, the Samsung i730 may be the better choice for those looking for more connectivity options.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Price: $299.99 with two-year service contract

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