Create a FREE Stunning Website
- Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 47 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
19 out of 19 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"If you like your BlackBerry, but LOVE your telephone, this is the phone for you."
Pros: Crystal Clear, Large, Bright Screen...easy to use...fun...A REAL PHONE!!
Cons: Holster stinks...bad... I mean, come on, did we step back in time 10 years?
Summary: Let's be clear, this phone isn't for everyone. If you are a die-hard, blackberry emailer and love your QWERTY, you may want to stick with what you have. The keyboard, although easy to use and built to function really well, isn't made for amazing thumb speeds. I moved from the 7510 to this phone and I can't say how much I am impressed. This phone is great! With more phone friendly features such as the "Green" and "Red" call buttons, clear number keys and a bright, clear screen this phone is a real winner. It can even do MMS and Text messaging with the new BB 4.1 software, a feature I sorely missed on the 7510.
Things I really loved:
Dials and acts more like a phone. This was numero uno for me as I am on the phone FAR more than email. It has the normal "Red" "Greed" call buttons everyone is so used to. Made it 100 times more user friendly.
BRIGHT! Very bright, vivid screen. And the screen/keyboard lights up whenever it's removed from the holster or rings. This is a great touch versus having to always press the light button on the 7520, which drove me crazy.
Very clear and detailed screen. A friend sent me a photo of his newborn over the weekend. I was blown away at how great and clear it looked on the blackberry. Very impressed.
SMS and MMS features. After spending some time with the BB Tech group, we got both of these features working. I think for people who enjoy sending text messages, or picture messages, this phone gives you that...features that are clearly missing on the 7520. I am a "texter" and love having my cake (Blackberry) and eating it too (MMS)
Bluetooth - I know the 7520 has it also, but I'm glad they included it on the 7100i. It's a great feature.
Web - Excellent web browsing with this screen. I configured mine to act like Microsoft IE, rather than BB Browser (setting in the browser controls) and love getting the full screen web pages.
Size - This device is very friendly in the size category. It's not compact but it's not huge. It is about the same size (Top to Bottom) as many of the Nokia's out there that are not flip phones. So for the power that it has, the designers did a great job in packaging it in a perfectly sized case.
Keyboard. I've looked at the T-mobile and Cingular blackberries. I hated how they jammed all the keys together and angled them in a V, on the unit. Your guys did a great job. The layout of the keys is perfectly spaced and are almost straight across the unit, rather than being angled up, so your thumbs aren't pressing other keys or rolling over each other. I've typed quite a bit already and it's easy on the hands.
Pictures - If you love to show off your downloaded pictures this is the phone. The screen is ultra clear and the program for storing/viewing pictures is easy to use.
Convenience Key - This is a great addition. That little button between the Red and Green keys can be set to run any program you want. It's a great shortcut for the program you use most.
Clear sound - Phone conversations sound great!
Good battery life. I get about 1 1/2 days out of mine with normal use.
As much complaining as I've read on the blog sites about the antenna, I don't mind it at all. It gives the device a more phone like look and I think is appropriate.
Things to HATE! The holster sucks. No longer do you get the great swivel clip ala 7520. Instead you get this flash back to Qualcom crap that you have to jam onto your belt and easily comes loose. It's not even a clip, just a folded piece of metal that you force onto your pants. I've almost left my phone behind twice now, as it shimmies itself loose from my belt without you noticing.
All in all, the few little annoying things, like having to turn off the Green LED "In Coverage" Light that blinks 24/7 if you don't, are burried by a land slide with the great features of this phone. I was acutally thinking of moving away from BlackBerry, but the 7100i is a home run and I'll be using it for some time. Hopefully by then they will come out with a better holster.
%20user%20review%20and%20rating%20-%20CNET%20Reviews&srcUrl=http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/rim-blackberry-7100i-sprint/4864-6452_7-31562833-1.html){kind=small}