BlackBerry 8820 Cell Phone Review - Software

Mark Brezinski
Published on October 11, 2007 Comment on this

OS (8.0)
As might be expected, the 8820 runs RIM's BlackBerry operating system. The BlackBerry OS is a very extensible Java-based platform that is very responsive, even while multitasking. The OS and trackball seem made for each other, as navigating around the 8820 is one of the better user experiences we've had. The multitasking is emphasized, as the "Switch Application" option is present in nearly every menu. The OS also has a very shallow learning curve, and is very intuitive.

Home Screen Score (5.5)
The home screen should be familiar to anyone who's owned an AT&T BlackBerry. The top part of the screen shows what the tops of phone screens usually show: signal strength, battery life, date, and time. Below this is the main icon array, which displays myriad programs and folders. You can move these around to your liking via the menu key. Of course, you can change the background image, but "background" only pertains to the background of the icon area, meaning you'll have to have a picture framed just right for it to look the way you want it to. The 8820 has a very solid home screen.

Extensibility (7.0)
Extensibility is one of the main reasons smart phones are great. The 8820, as a Java-based device, supports many native third-party applications. We'd recommend getting Opera Mini because — as you'll find out below — the browser isn't the best.

Customizability (6.0)
BlackBerry phones usually have a decent set of options for customization. As mentioned above, you can choose wallpaper for your home screen, as well as rearrange its icons. You can also change the global font and size. There are also a few themes to choose from, which changes the layout of the home screen as well as makes the background image a road under a cloud-covered blue sky.

OS Responsiveness (10.0)
The BlackBerry OS remains incredibly responsive. Launching applications and multitasking elicited virtually no lag. Other smart phone operating systems, such as Windows Mobile or Series 60 phones (that aren't stuffed to the rafters with RAM), seem sluggish in comparison to the quickness of the BlackBerry OS.

Browser Features (7.0)

The browser on the 8820 is just a notch or two above an average cell phone browser. It supports HTML, WAP, Javascript, images, frames, and cookies. You can save images or entire pages to the phone. This browser will be good for basic browsing, but pales in comparison to the Series 60 browser.

Browsing Interface (7.0)

The 8820 browser is virtually identical to the version the 8800 had. Font size and style can still be resized, which is nice because pages are reformatted for the small screen as a default. Desktop mode is still bad; since pages are shrunk down, all Desktop mode does is stretch out the shrunk images, which ruins the resolution. It also allows text to extend off the screen, which is a pain because the pointer moves much slower than it should. We wouldn't recommend this viewing mode. There is also a Page Overview mode, which brings up a mini map of the site for fast scrolling. For additional fast scrolling, the space bar acts as a page down key.

Browsing history is saved in a folder of that day's date. Items are further organized by site, which expand into the individual pages. You can opt to sort history by site name instead of date. You can also choose to bookmark sites from this screen. The bookmarks themselves have a similar organization. You can create your own file structure and reorganize your bookmarks however you'd like.

Again, the BlackBerry browser is a step above normal mobile browsers, but it exists in a world with the Series 60 browser, which is vastly superior. Again, we'd recommend you check out Opera Mini if you find yourself hating the browser.

Browser Access (5.71)
Unlike our other timing tests, here we measure in steps as opposed to time. Normally time is a good indicator of how complicated it is to get a program to open, but Internet connectivity can vary from various factors, such as your location or the weather. Therefore, we measure how many steps it takes to browse to a website. The 8820 can get a page up in seven steps. This is two more steps than phones usually require, but it most likely won't cause significantly slower times. Navigate the cursor to the browser icon, click, hit menu, scroll down to "Go to", click, type in the address, and click.

Cell Phone	Steps	Score
BlackBerry 8820	7	5.71
Nokia E90	10	4.00
Nokia N95	7	5.71
T-Mobile Wing	5	8.00
Palm Treo 750	8	5.00
Apple iPhone	4	10.00

Gaming (5.0)
The 8820 comes with BlackBerry's old gaming standby: BrickBreaker. It's a typical Breakout clone that offers a bit of fun for idle time. You might have to reset your trackball sensitivity settings, though. The game also has a fairly steep learning curve, as the ball moves very fast early on. It is a full version of the game, however, so all 34 levels are available to you. You can also download Java-based games.

Calculator (9.0)

The calculator on the 8820 is good. The key assignments are displayed on screen, which include such advanced functions as square root, inverse fraction, and memory buttons. You can use the keypad or the trackball to navigate the on-screen key map.

Alarm (2.0)

The 8800's bad alarm functionality survived to exist on the 8820, unfortunately. Only one alarm can be set at a time, and your only recurrence options are to have it ring daily or only on weekdays. Your alarm takes the week ends off apparently. You can toggle vibration, and set your alarm's tune, as well as the number of times it will ring. Unfortunately, the maximum number is three times. We would've liked to see better alarm functionality or at least the ability to set multiples.

Document Software (6.0)
The 8820 has a few upgrades in the document software department, namely that it can now edit Word and Excel files in addition to viewing them. You can still only view PDF and PowerPoint files.

Other Software (2.0)
The 8820 has a great PIM search program, which is featured on all BlackBerry devices. It also can manage your passwords.

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