RIM BlackBerry 8703e (Verizon Wireless)

Reviewed by

Bonnie Cha

on 11/07/2006

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As a phone, the address book is limited only by the available memory, which tops out at 64MB Flash memory and 16MB SDRAM. For each entry, you can store up to eight numbers, work and home addresses, e-mail and Web addresses, company information, and notes. In addition, you can assign them to a group category--business or personal. You get 32 polyphonic ring tones with support for MP3 rings tones, as well as a vibrate mode, conference calling, speed dialing, call forwarding, and a speakerphone.

The RIM BlackBerry 8703e does not have any multimedia capabilities, such as an audio or a video player or a camera). You do get one game (BrickBreaker), as well as a number of PIM tools, including a calendar, a task list, a memo pad, and a calculator.

Performance
We tested the dual-band (CDMA 850/1900; EV-DO) RIM BlackBerry 8703e in San Francisco using Verizon's network, and call quality was a bit of mixed bag. While our friends said they had no problems hearing us and were impressed by the clarity of the phone call, we thought they sounded a bit muffled and had some difficulties hearing our callers. On a brighter note, speakerphone quality was great on both ends of the conversation. We also had no problems pairing the phone with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset.

Armed with an Intel processor, the BlackBerry 8703e was responsive and speedy as we opened and worked on various apps. Also, thanks to the EV-DO speeds, the Web browsing experience was great as pages loaded quickly.

The 8703e's battery is rated for 3.3 hours of talk time and up to 8 days of standby time. In our battery drain tests, we were able to get a solid 5.2 hours of talk time before having to recharge. According to FCC radiation tests, the BlackBerry 8703e has a digital SAR rating of 1.44 watts per kilogram.