The latest Blackberry smartphone from Research in
Motion, the 8800, features a global positioning system and
omni-directional trackball navigation.
It is also thinner, offers a full Qwerty keyboard and provides a
media player and a microSD expandable memory slot which allows the
user to store data. But like most of its predecessors, the device
has no built-in camera or Wi-Fi capability, analysts said.
GPS support was one of the most requested enhancements voted for
on the International Blackberry User Group's
website.
"RIM retains its market lead based mostly on technical merits,
namely robust security, excellent manageability and long battery
life," said Todd Kort, principal research analyst at Gartner. But
he questioned whether the data speed of the device was
sufficient.
"Despite the inclusion of older Enhanced Data Rates for Global
Evolution (Edge) technology, which limits the speed of data
transmissions to a maximum of about 180 Kbps, the 8800 is fine for
wireless e-mail however, it may be slower than other,
third-generation (3G) models for browsing the web on some
networks."
He added, "Despite RIM's upgrades, competitors are narrowing the
gap in terms of ergonomics. The T-Mobile Dash, for example, is less
boxy than the 8800, though it uses displays of similar
quality."
Gartner said it expects to see a model of the BlackBerry 8800
that combines Wi-Fi and cellular, with faster high speed downlink
packet access mobile technology, and more PBX integration resulting
from RIM's acquisition of Ascendant.
Kort said that devices based on Microsoft's latest Windows
Mobile 6 operating system will offer "stiff competition" to the
Blackberry later this year.
International Blackberry User Group:
www.ibbug.org
Comment on this article:
computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk