Blackberry 8700 Cell Phone Review

Alerts (9.0)
Alerts on the 8703e are closely tied to profiles. Profiles are fully customizable and allow you to adjust the type of alerts you will receive from different programs, and even different types of incoming email messages. You can choose to get an audio alert, a blinking LED and/or a vibration. You also get a dialogue on the screen that indicates what the alert is for, allowing you to open the item or dismiss. By default, there is no snooze option, however, you can activate the snooze in the calendar’s options and choose from several presets for the length of the snooze. You cannot choose how long you want the snooze to be once you have gotten an alert.

If you miss the alert, you will see the on screen dialogue next time you wake your phone up. You can set alerts for tasks and calendar items. You can choose from 26 preset times ranging from none to 1 week for when the alert will go off, but you cannot enter a custom time. Overall, we were very happy with the alert functionality on the Blackberry 8703e. We were especially pleased with the array of options available for how alerts will be handled.

Over the Air PIM Sync (4.0)
The Blackberry 8703e can synchronize calendars and contacts over the air with either a Blackberry server or an Exchange server. There is no out of the box support for synchronization with things like Yahoo or Google Calendar. The 8703e is an enterprise device, and it works well with enterprise server products.

Address Book

Adding Contacts (5.59)
To test how easy it is to add a contact to a phone, we time how long it takes to go from standby to adding a contact name and phone number. We repeat this for five different test contacts with diverse names and take the average. The Blackberry 8703e took an average of 17.9 seconds to add a contact. This is a good time for all phones, but it's only average for a smart phone. The Motorola Razr V3m took significantly longer at 27.9 seconds, but the Treo 700p was very similar at 17.7 seconds. Overall, we were pleased at how easy it was to add a contact to the 8703e.

Sorting/Search (6.5)
The contacts list of the Blackberry 8703e displays first name, last name, and company. You can sort your contacts by any of these and also filter your contacts by category. You can search through your contacts using first/last name or company with the list being updated automatically as you type. The 700p provides sorting and searching options very similar to other smart phones like the Treo 750, although the Treo does not offer sorting by last name. We were very pleased with the sorting and searching options on the 8703e.

Fields (7.4)
The Blackberry 8703e has 37 different fields for contacts, including space for 8 different phone numbers, and up to 3 different email addresses, and a notes field. You can also add a custom ringtone for a contact, although you cannot add a contact photo, which is understandable for a phone without a camera. We were pleased with the fields available for contacts. It stacks up well with other smart phones, although it is missing the ability to create your own custom field as found on Series 60 devices.

Speed Dial/Voice tags/Voice command (2.3)
The Blackberry 8703e does not support voice tags or voice command. This is an unfortunate omission as most phones support voice tags at least, and this is a feature that can be especially useful to business users. You can assign speed dials to contacts using the 8703e, which will allow you to assign a phone number to any letter on the keyboard.

Calendar

Adding Calendar Items (9.01)
To test how easy it is to add a calendar item, we time how long it takes to enter a simple lunch appointment 5 times and then take the average. The Blackberry 8703e took an average of 11.1 seconds to add our test appointment. This is a very good time and is helped by the Blackberry’s simple and easy to use interface. It is much faster than most regular phones, for example, the Motorola Razr V3m took 22.6 seconds to add our test appointment. It is also faster than many other smart phones. Even the Treo 700p, which also has an easy to use interface, took longer at 12.2 seconds. Overall, we were very happy with how quick and easy it is to add calendar appointments to the 8703e.
           
Calendar Views (6.0)
The Blackberry 8703e has 4 different calendar views day, week, month, and an agenda view which lists out your appointments by date. The day view shows your working day (the times are adjustable) in hour increments with your appointments listed on the appropriate line with title and indicators for reminders and recurrence. A bracket to the left of the time shows how long the appointment is. You can scroll through the day and also scroll up to the top of the screen where you can change the day being viewed.

The weekly view also shows you your working day, but this time in a grid with all seven weekdays on display. You can change the starting date of the week, but you cannot choose between seven or five day weeks. Appointments are indicated with a block at the time and date that they are scheduled. You can scroll through the times using the scroll wheel, moving from the end of one day to the beginning of the other. When you scroll over an appointment, details are displayed at the bottom of the screen, but there are no indicators for reminders or recurrence.

The monthly view simply shows a single full month. Days when you have appointments are indicated with a small dot in the upper right hand corner of the day. No detailed information about the appointments on that day is available. If you select a day, you can choose “view appointments” from the menu and are switched to the daily view for that day.

The agenda view is a simple chronological list of appointments grouped into days. You see the starting time for the appointment, the title, and indicators or a reminder and recurrence. None of the views allow you to filter your views by category.

We would like to have seen more details available on the weekly and especially the monthly view, but otherwise, we feel that the 8703e’s views do a good job of presenting your calendar in through a clear and uncluttered interface. Compared to other calendar programs, especially those on smart phones, the 8703e calendar is a model of simplicity and efficiency.

Fields (12.0)
The Blackberry 8703e provides you with a great many fields to create your calendar appointments. All of the items we normally look for are present, including advanced items like recurrence, categories and notes. In addition, the Blackberry includes fields for privacy and time zone, both of which we considered significant enough to award points. The 8703e is a step above most other calendaring programs, even ones on smart phones like the Treo 700p.

To Do/Tasks

Adding ToDo/Task (6.33)
To measure how easy it is to add a to do or task, we time how long it takes to create a simple task. We repeat this five times and then take the average. The Blackbery 8703e took an average of 15.8 seconds to add our test task. Most regular phones do not support tasks, however one of the few that do the Sanyo M1 took only a little longer at 18 seconds on average. Another smart phone the Treo 700p took only 12.9 seconds to create a task, slightly faster than the 8703e. One thing that slows down the 8703e is that you must scroll through items on the screen in order to get to the program you want. The 700p in contrast allows you to jump to the application you want by hitting the letter that corresponds with the first letter of the program. We were pleased to see tasks support on the 8703e, but we wish it was just a little bit faster to create a new task.

ToDo/Task Sorting and Prioritizing (7.0)
The tasks program on the Blackberry 8703e allows you to filter your items by category and prioritize your tasks. In the options, you can choose to sort your tasks by subject, priority, due date, and status. We were pleased with the sorting and prioritizing options on the 8703e, they compare well with other smart phones like the Cingular 8525 and are better than those found on the Treo 700p.

Fields (7.5)
The Blackberry 8703e provides a good selection of fields when creating a new task. We found all of the fields we normally look for except for the option to create a recurring task and the ability to set a start date. The 8703e also includes the ability to set your task status and set a time zone for your due date, nice extras that are not found on most phones. Overall, we were very pleased with the fields offered by the 8703e.

Notes

Adding Notes (4.5)
To test how easy it is to add a note, we time how long it takes to go from standby to creating a new note with the following text: lunch 12pm tomorrow. We do this five times and take the average time. The Blackberry 8703e took an average of 11.1 seconds to add our test note. This score was not as good as the Treo 700p, which only 8.3 seconds on average. Again, the 8703e is hurt by the fact that you need to scroll through your programs to get to the one you want. It is also hurt by the fact that the main navigation interface, the scroll wheel, is distant from the keyboard. This means you need to shift your hands in order to start typing in your note. That being said, the 8703e was not slow by any means, and compared to a regular phone like the LG Chocolate which took 33.8 seconds to enter a note it is very good.

Note Interface (7.5)
The memo application on the Blackberry 8703e allows you to filter your list of notes by category. It also allows you to search through your notes by title, by entering text into the bar at the top of the interface. As with all other programs, on the 8703e you can access all of the important functions you need by pressing in on the scroll wheel and bringing up the context menu. The interface is very simple and easy to use, we were pleased to see the search function, which is missing from other smart phones (particularly  those based on Windows Mobile Professional). 

Note Formatting (0.0)
The Blackberry 8703e does not offer you any options to format the text in your notes. You can change the font and text size in the phone’s settings, but this applies to all the text on your phone, not just that in the memo program. There is no option to add bold, italics, underline, or change text color. You also cannot create hand drawn notes, like on devices with a touch screen interface like the Cingular 8525.

Voice Memo (0.0)
The Blackberry 8703e does not support voice memos. This is an unfortunate omission for a business oriented phone as voice memos can be quick and easy reminders when you are on the go. Most cell phones support voice memos including phones like the Sanyo M1 and smart phones like the Treo 700p.

[page title="Multimedia"]
Music and MP3

Accessing Music Software (0.0)
As a business oriented device the 8703e does not include music software. As such it will receive not score in most of these sections.

Dedicated Music Controls (0.0)
No music software.

Music Software Functionality and Organization (0.0)
No music software.

Online Song Downloading (1.0)
UPDATED: We previously believed that due to the lack of stand alone music software that the Blackberry 8703e could not download music. Thanks to a helpful comment however we learned that the 8703e's browser does allow you to download and listen to short mp3 music files. We were able to play and save as ringtones several mp3 ring tones from the site www.tuneusin.com.

Streaming (0.0)
No music software.

Podcast Support (0.0)
No music software.

Music Sync with PC (0.0)
No music software.

Music Formats and DRM (0.0)
No music software.

Music Interruption (0.0)
No music software.

Video

Video Software Access (0.0)
As a  business device, the Blackberry 8703e also lacks video software.

Video Controls (0.0)
No video software.
           
Video Software Score (0.0)
No video software.

Video Sync with PC (0.0)
No video software.

Video Formats (0.0)
No video software.

Video DRM (0.0)
No video software.

Video Organization (0.0)
No video software.

Video Playback Smoothness (0.0)
No video software.

Online Video Downloading (0.0)
No video software.

Video Streaming (unscored)
No video software.

[page title="Software"]OS (8.0)
The Blackberry 8703e runs RIM’s own Blackberry operating system. This is an easy to use and intuitive operating system. It is also open for development so you can address many of the shortfalls of the Blackberry platform by installing third party software. The interface can be navigated easily using the scroll wheel and back button. Although, this sometimes results in several button clicks to access the function you want, the fact that you don’t have to move your hand at all to get through menus or access programs means that it is very quick. The one issue that we had with the Blackberry OS is that multitasking is not fully supported. This means that you can’t go into the web browser, look up a webpage, go back to the menu, look something up in the address book, and then go back to the web browser at the same point you left it. Most Blackberry programs do remember where they were the last time you left them so you won't typically loose data shifting between programs. 

Home Screen Score (5.0)
The home screen on the Blackberry 8703e displays the basic information you would expect to see from any mobile phone. This includes time and date, battery, and signal strength. There are also icons that indicate Bluetooth activity, unread messages, voice mail, and other items of interest. These are all arranged in the top quarter of the screen. The bottom three fourths are taken up by program icons. These can be navigated easily by scrolling up and down on the scroll wheel. The icons change to indicate that they have been selected, and the name of the application is indicated at the bottom of the screen.

As with many things on the 8703e, the interface is simple and easy to use. Unfortunately, it does have some drawbacks when compared to other smart phone platforms. For example, both Windows Mobile and Series 60 devices provide users with a home screen that can list upcoming appointments, more detailed task and message lists and other useful information. Overall, we found the home screen on the Blackberry 8703e to be usable, but we wish we had more options to customize the screen to meet individual needs.

Extensibility (7.0)
The Blackberry operating system is an open platform and has a good array of third party programs available that will run natively on the device. You can also install java programs such as the opera mini web browser. We like that the Java platform runs natively in the operating system so we don’t have to launch a separate program to access Java midlets like on many Windows Mobile devices. Native programs can be installed either through a direct download to the device or using the included synchronization software. Overall, we were very pleased with the extensibility options on the Blackberry 8703e. Although, the software catalog is not as large as Windows Mobile or Series 60, you still have hundreds of different programs to choose from.

Customizability (6.0)
The Blackberry 8703e provides users with several options to customize the look and feel of the device. You can assign any picture on the device to be your background. You can also change the device theme whch can change the look of the home screen significantly. More important for business users is the ability to globally change the font type, size, and style. This allows users to make sure that text on the 8703e meets their needs. Include the ability to add third party programs to meet your specific needs and the 8703e is an eminently customizable platform.

OS Responsivness (10.0)
The Blackberry 8703e’s operating system is extremely responsive. In our use of the device, the only time we noticed lag was when waiting for network services or when changing the device theme. This is one area where the 8703e and other Blackberry devices shine compared to other smart phones where lag is a fact of life. We found that the 8703e is even more responsive than Palm, which we praised for its responsiveness.

Gaming (4.0)
The Blackberry 8703e from Sprint only comes with a single game installed, BrickBreaker. This game uses a paddle and a ball with the goal of breaking the bricks that are arranged above you. Although it is certainly not a dynamo, it is distracting, easy to play, and (in our opinion) fun. We also appreciated that the 8703e shipped with at least one full version game, something we didn’t get in phones like the Motorola Razr V3m and the Sanyo M1.

If you are interested in obtaining additional games for the 8703e, you can choose from an array of native games, we found 80 titles at handango.com. Although, we were unable to verify this; the Blackberry 8703e should also support many Java games. Unfortunately, whatever game you are playing, you will find the controls on the 8703e to be very limiting. A scroll wheel and a back button simply can’t compare to a good joystick or directional pad like that found on the Treo 700p.

Overall, we liked the fact that the 8703e gave us options for games, but as a business device, it was not optimized for game play.

Browser Features (7.0)
The Blackberry 8703e has a better than average web browser. You can view both WAP and HTML web pages. Javascript is supported as is viewing of images, encryption and cookies. You can also save images or whole web pages to your device. More advanced features like Flash, rss feeds, and automatically filling in fields is not supported. We were pleased with the features on the 8703e’s web browser. Although not as fully featured as the browser found on Symbian Series 60 devices or the new iPhone, it compares well with the browser found on Windows Mobile and Palm OS smart phones. It is a step above the browsers found on regular phones like the Motorola Razr V3m or the Sanyo M1.

Browsing Interface (6.0)
The Blackberry 8703e only has limited browsing controls available. You can only change the font by changing it globally in the phone settings. Pages are automatically formatted for small screens and rendered in single column view. You cannot zoom in or view pages as they would appear on a desktop.

   

Bookmarks on the Blackberry 8703e provide good functionality. Although you cannot change the top level bookmark folders, you can create new subfolders. You can also edit existing bookmarks as well as copy or move it to another folder. History is less impressive. For starters, you lose your history between browsing session, which of course means that you cannot control how long your history stays around. You cannot search either your bookmarks or history.

The menu interface on the 8703e’s browser is its usual simple self. You push in on the scroll wheel to get access to the context menu. The browser options are extensive, allowing you to turn certain technologies on or off such as Javascript. You can also clear your history and cache manually.

Advanced features like a mini map, tabbed browsing, and screen rotation are missing from the 8703e’s browser; however, the extensive preferences available put it a step above basic browsers found on phones like the Motorola Razr V3m. It is not as functional, however, as the advanced browser found on Series 60 smart phones like the Nokia E62.

Browser Access Speed (5.71)
To test how easy it is to access the browser, we count the number of steps it takes to go from standby to our own website. We count steps instead of doing a timed test in this situation to control variance in network conditions. Entering the web address is counted as single step. The Blackberry 8703e took 7 steps to access our site. This is an average score for a smart phone, with the Motorola Q coming in at 6 steps and the Palm Treo 700p at 5. The 8703e is helped by the fact that the front shortcut key is mapped to the browser by default. This performance is much better than many regular phones, for example, the Motorola Razr V3m took 13 steps to access our website.

Calculator (9.0)
The calculator on the Blackberry 8703e provides very good functionality for a cell phone calculator. The 8703e gets around the lack of a directional pad by using the keyboard for most calculator options. There is an on screen map that shows you what the key functions are. Thankfully, the number keys map to numbers and the basic calculations map to their standard symbols on the keyboard. More esoteric commands like controlling memory or percentages are mapped to keys that are slightly less obvious. The 8703e handled all of our test calculations, including taking the square root of a number. In addition, the 8703e’s calculator can act as a conversion tool to and from the metric system. This is accessed through the context menu and is a nice added feature.

Alarm (2.0)
We were disappointed by the alarm program on the 8703e. It allows you to set a snooze option and turn the alarm off on weekends as well as choose your alert type. You cannot however create alarms with more advanced recurrences and most disappointing you can only set a single alarm at a time. Obviously, with a smart phone like the 8703e, you can create calendar appointments to act as alarms, but often you don’t want/need that level of detail for a simple alarm. Other smart phones like the Cingular 8525 can set up to 3 and each one can be turned on or off for any given day of the week.

Document Software (3.0)
The Blackberry 8703e does not allow you to edit documents, but it does include document viewers so you can look at attachments that you receive. According to the documentation, this support is contingent on being connected to a Blackberry Enterprise Server. Although we were not connected to such a server in our tests, we found that we were able to view Excel, Powerpoint and PDF files. Surprisingly, we were unable to view Word documents. Document viewing is an important function for a smart phone, and we are disappointed that the 8703e’s document viewing capabilities are contingent on server side support. Other smart phones like the Cingular 8525 or Treo 700p come not only with document viewing but also editing capabilities.

Additional Software (2.0)
In addition to the standard software we have covered already, the Blackberry 8703e comes with a few additional programs, including a program to take advantage of the 8703e’s location based capabilities. The only item we found to be of significant value however is the search application, which allows you to search through your messages, calendar items, address book, memos, and tasks. This is invaluable when you need to find an item quickly. You can search for titles or for text within items as well. A program like this is invaluable on a smart device where you might have hundreds or even thousands of items stored.

[page title="Battery Life"]Call Time (6.46)
To test call time, we make a phone call to the device using Skype and run an audio book over the connection to simulate a conversation. The Blackberry 8703e lasted an impressive 5 hours and 23 minutes on our call test. This is significantly longer than the stated talk time of 4 hours and 30 minutes. Blackberries are well known for having good talk time and the 8703e did not let that reputation down. The 8703e left other smart phones like the Treo 700p (with a talk time of4 hours and 15minutes) and the Motorola Q (3 hours 49 minutes) in the dust.

Music Playback (0.0)
The Blackberry 8703e does not support music playback and as such we were unable to run this battery test.

Web Browsing (5.5)
To test the drain on the battery from browsing the web, we set the device to access an automatically refreshing web page, and use a device that presses a button every few seconds. This simulates someone sitting there browsing the web, and it is a serious drain on the battery. The 8703e held on for 4 hours and 35 minutes, until the battery was nearly exhausted. It is also interesting to note that the device did not suddenly shut down; instead, it disabled the radio when it had just a bit of charge left, which would allow you to save the documents you were working on before it shut down completely.

Idle Time (not scored)
We test how long the battery lasts with the phone on but not connected or calling. According to manufacturers RIM, the rated standby time for the Blackberry 8703e is eight days (192 hours).

[page title="Connectivity"]Cellular Bands (4.0)
As a CDMA device that works on Sprint’s network, the Blackberry 8703e supports the CDMA 800 and 1900 bands. CDMA networks are not very prevalent outside of the United States. If you are looking for a phone that provides world roaming, we suggest you either consider a GSM carrier or look into the Sprint Worldwide service that allows you to lease a cell phone that will work overseas.

Data Support Score (6.0)
The Blackberry 8703e supports Sprint’s high speed EVDO network. According to Sprint, this provides average data speeds of 400-700 kbps with burst speeds up to 2 Mbps. When not in EVDO range, you can fall back on Sprint’s slower 1XRTT data network. The 8703e does not support Sprint’s newer EVDO Rev A network. For users that stay in the United States, EVDO provides fast data access across most metropolitan areas. World travelers will find that EVDO is not supported in most other countries.

Bluetooth (5.0)
The Blackberry 8703e supports Bluetooth . It is capable of headset, handsfree and dial up networking profiles. In addition, it can be used in concert with the Blackberry desktop software to synchronize your device wirelessly. To test how easy it is to pair with another device, we paired the Blackberry 8703e with a Bluetooth headset. We were able to quickly and easily partner with our test headset.

WiFi (0.0)
The Blackberry 8703e does not support Wi-Fi. This is an unfortunate omission for a business device as many corporate services like VOIP are available to devices that support Wi-Fi.

Infrared (0.0)
The Blackberry 8703e does not support infrared connectivity.

[page title="Hardware"]
Keypad (4 scores)

Text Words Per Minute (8.38)
To test how easy it is to enter text on the Blackberry 8703e, we timed how long it took to enter a simple phrase in a text editor using two hands. We repeated this test five times and then took the average. As expected, the 8703e posted an excellent score with taking an average of 22.9 seconds to type out our sample text. This works out to 41.9 words per minute, an excellent score for a phone. The Treo 700p and Motorola Q, two other QWERTY equipped smart phones scored 38.5 and 39.6 words per minute respectively. The 8703e’s keyboard contributes to this excellent score with its clearly delineated keys, good tactile feedback and spacious keyboard.

T9 and Auto Complete (0.0)
As a QWERTY equipped phone, the Blackberry 8703e does not support T9. Unfortunately, it does not support auto completion. This is an unfortunate omission as auto completion can make finishing those long words easier. That being said, given the 8703e’s fast typing speed, auto completion may be redundant.

One Hand Usability (5.16)
To find out how easy it is to text one-handed, we repeated our words per minute test single handedly. The Blackberry 8703e took an average of 37.23 seconds to enter our sample text. This works out to 25.8 words per minute. This is significantly worse than our score using two hands. We found that when using only a single hand, the size of the keyboard worked against us. We also found it difficult to balance the phone in our hand while getting access to all of the keys. Several times, we had to readjust our grip to get to the key we wanted to reach. Individuals with larger hands may not find this as difficult to do. Most QWERTY devices see a significant drop moving from two to one handed usage, for example the Treo 700p went from 38.5 WPM to 23.5.

Keypad Backlighting (6.0)
The Blackberry 8703e has a backlit keyboard that adjusts automatically using a light sensor. You also have the option to turn off automatic adjustments and set manual timing controls. The keyboard backlight is tied to the screen backlight, so you cannot adjust the settings independently. Backlighting on the 8703e is even and clearly illuminates all of the characters, but even at the highest setting, we found it a little dim.

Controls (6 scores)

D-Pad/Joystick (0.0)
The Blackberry 8703e does not have a directional pad or joystick.

Touch Screen (0.0)
The Blackberry 8703e does not have a touch screen.

Jog Dial (9.0)
Like most Blackbery devices, the primary tool for interacting with the 8703e’s interface is the scroll wheel. This wheel is not like many jog dials that only move up or down but rotates completely. The wheel is placed comfortably near the top of the right side of the device; right where you thumb is placed when cradling the phone in your hand. The wheel provides excellent tactile feedback as you move it up and down and similarly gives a clear and comfortable click when pushed in. Our only concern about the scroll wheel on the 8703e is that other than the back key and the shortcut key that sits comfortable next to your finger on the other side of the phone, most of the other controls are out of reach when using the scroll wheel. Although many other phones, such as the Motorola Q, have begun to imitate Blackberry’s scroll wheel, we found the one on the 8703e to still be amongst the best.

Soft Button (0.0)
The Blackberry 8703e does not have soft keys. Soft keys are usually used on phones to activate on screen options or menus.

Volume Control (1.0)
The 8703e does not have a dedicated volume key. There is a key on the top of the device that activates mute. Other than that, the only way to adjust the volume during most operations is through the software profiles. While on a call however, you can use the jog dial to adjust the volume, which is comfortable and easy to use. Although we would have like to see dedicated volume keys on the 8703e, we did find that the profiles and the mute key fulfilled most of our needs once we had the profiles configured.

Power and Standby (6.0)
The power key on the Blackberry 8703e is located on the top left. It is slightly recessed so it is not easy to hit by accident. When the phone is in standby a single press of this button will wake it up, although if you have key lock enabled you will need to unlock the phone. When the phone is on you need two key presses to put the phone into standby mode. We found the key to be slightly squishy when pushed, but it was firm enough that accidental key presses are unlikely.

Other Buttons (4.0)
In addition to the keys already discussed, the Blackberry 8703e has two shortcut keys, called convenience keys in the options. One of these keys is placed between the screen and keyboard centered between the send and end keys. This key is assigned to the internet browser by default. The second key is located on the left side of the phone where it can be accessed easily while using the scroll wheel. It is assigned to profiles by default. Both keys can be reassigned in options. We found the front key to be small and difficult to access when using the scroll wheel. The button on the left side is easy to find by feel due to the three raised pips. When pressed, it is squishy with not a lot of tactile feedback. We also appreciate having hardware keys that can be reassigned, but we found the front key to be of limited utility.

Display (8 scores)

Primary Screen Gross Resolution (8.0)
The Blackberry 8703e has a landscape QVGA (320 x 240 pixel) resolution screen. This screen might have been a distinguishing feature in the times of yore, but today, it has become a standard for mid to high-end phones. Other smart phones sporting QVGA screens include the Motorola Q and Samsung Blackjack.

Primary Screen Pixels per Inch (7.8)
The Blackberry 8703e packs 155 pixels per inch into its 2.5” diagonal QVGA display. This is a high pixel density and helps the 8703e display rich colors and a high level of detail. Phones with lower pixel densities like the iPaq HW6900 series phones can often seem washed out when compared with phones that have a higher pixel density.

Screen Physical Size (6.25)
The Blackberry 8703e sports a 2.5” diagonal landscape oriented screen. This is a large screen for a cell phone, and even for a smart phone, it is a good size. For example, the Cingular 3125 sports a 2.1” screen, while the Treo 700p sports a slightly smaller 2.4” screen, albeit it is square rather than the 8703e’s 4:3 dimensions.

Screen Brightness (7.65)
To test screen brightness, we set the phone’s brightness to maximum and navigate to a blank white web page. We then measure the brightness in lumens from two inches away. The Blackberry 8703e scored 63 lumens. This is a very bright screen. Thankfully, for those with sensitive eyes, the 8703e’s screen brightness can be adjusted manually to one of 10 levels. Alternatively, you can set it to adjust itself manually using its ambient light sensor. We were pleased to see a bright screen on the 8703e and even more pleased to see the ability to adjust it to suit your needs.

Screen Bright Light Performance (3.0)
To test a phone’s bright light performance, we place it under an incandescent light set to give off 3000 lux, which is equivalent to bright sunlight. We found the Blackberry 8703e’s screen to be very difficult to read under such conditions, but we could still make out the icons on the home screen. Although we have seen worse, we recommend you go looking for shade if you need to use your 8703e in bright sunshine.

Color Depth (6.0)
The Blackberry 8703e screen displays 65,000 colors. This level of color depth has become standardized for many smart phones, the Motorola Q, Cingular 8525 for example. However, even some mid range phones like the Sanyo M1 have moved up to 262,000 colors, allowing the screen to reproduce color more realistically. 65,000 colors however is good enough that you will probably have no problem with the quality of colors on the 8703e. Certainly we were pleased with the colors displayed as we browsed through the pictures program on the phone.

Ports & Storage (4 Scores)

Power & Data Ports (9.0)
The Blackberry 8703e uses a standard mini USB port for both power and data, located on the left side of the device near the top. In addition, it supports USB charging when connected to you computer. We are pleased that RIM has chosen to use mini USB for data and power, we wish more manufacturers would follow their lead.

Headphone Jack and Compatibility (2.0)
The Blackberry 8703e has a standard 2.5mm headset port located on the left side of the device just below above the mini USB port. 2.5mm has become a standard for many cell phones. Although we normally prefer a 3.5mm headset jack on a phone without multimedia capabilities, we don’t feel its absence. We are relieved that RIM did not choose to go with a proprietary jack.

Internal Storage (1.0)
The Blackberry 8703e has 64mb of built in storage that is used for all the data on the phone. The 8703e helpfully includes information about the size of your various databases in its options to help you manager your memory more effectively. 64mb should be sufficient storage for most users, especially as there is no need to store large multimedia files on the business oriented Blackberry.

Expansion Slot and Format (0.0)
The Blackberry 8703e does not have expandable storage. Expansion slots are usually used to provide storage for multimedia files, which is why you are starting to see them on newer Blackberry models such as the Pearl, however the 8703e’s lack of multimedia functions make an expansion slot of limited use.

[page title="Other Features"]

Tethered Modem (3.75)
The Blackberry 8703e can act as a modem for your computer via USB cable. To enable this support, you must install the Blackberry
Desktop software on your PC. This will install the device driver. You can then create a dial up networking profile to dial into Sprint's data network. To use the connection you must have the 8703e connected to your computer and it must be recognized by the desktop software. Overall setup is quick and easy. Unfortunately, we were unable to connect via Bluetooth, which disappointed us. Before you begin using your Blackberry as a dial up modem, you should check with Sprint to ensure that your data plan supports it.

GPS (5.0)
The Blackberry 8703e is GPS capable but does not include any built in software to use this capability. There are several third party applications available to take advantage of the GPS capabilities, and you can also use it with several Sprint services.

[page title="Value & Comparisons"]Value (6.0)
The Blackberry 8703e is available from Sprint for $149.99 with a two year contract. This includes a $100 mail in rebate. You can purchase the phone without a contract for $449.99. The two year contract price for the 8703e is a solid value for a business user looking for a very good messaging device. With the imminent release of updated Blackberries, this might be a good time to get a good deal on the 8703e. The non- contract price is a little excessive for a device that is beginning to show its age a little. $449 will buy you a newer and more capable unlocked smart phone from many online retailers. Of course, because Sprint is a CDMA network, finding compatible unlocked phones is more difficult than if you were willing to use a GSM network.

Comparisons

Treo 750 - The Treo 750 and Blackberry 8703e are two smartphones that take a different approach to user needs. The 750 attempts to be a jack of all trades, doing almost anything you would want and handling most things adequately. In contrast, the Blackberry 8703e focuses on a few key functions and does them very well. I don't think anyone can argue that the 8703e is a simpler device, and a lot of times, the simplest answer is the best. Of course, for everyone out there that wants more than simplicity, the 750 is just waiting for you.

Treo 700p - The 700p is another competitor from Palm that brings a slightly different set of functions to the table than the 750. The 700p is almost as easy to learn and use and the Blackberry, and it includes many of the extra features that the 8703e lacks. In this case, its probably less about how much complexity you want in your device but what you need. If all you want is a strict business device, or if that's all your company will support the 8703e is for you. If you want a little bit extra, you might want to give the 700p a hard look.

Motorola Q - When it was released last year many talked about the Q as a Blackberry killer. With a year's hindsight we can safely say that the Q is a diferrent type of device. It's almost the 750 light, a device that offers broader functionality than the functionality but sacrifices some power and usability. If your looking for a strict messaging device the Q simply isn't as good as the 8703e, but if you want a smartphone that also does email passing well, then the Q might be for you.

[page title="Conclusions"]Who’s It For
Business user – The Blackberry 8703e is an excellent choice for a business user looking for a no nonsense messaging and PIM device.
Budget callers – Budget callers who want a smart phone may want to consider the Blackberyy 8703e, but most budget callers will be better of with a regular phone for free or a little more.
Chatty teenager – The Blackberry 8703e is probably not a device that a chatty teenager will enjoy very much; the lack of multimedia functionality and less than appealing looks will probably send them looking for something else.
Media maven – The Blackberry 8703e is definitely not the phone for a media maven. There are plenty of media centric smart phones out there such as the Nokia N73 With the 8703e, no camera, no music and no video add up to no sale.

Conclusion
The Blackberry 8703e is a good example of RIM’s philosophy for phones. Make things simple, make things dependable. Although the 8703e is beaten out by many phones on individual features, even including things like messaging, the overall package makes for a strong business device. Our low score for the 8703e reflects the lack of multimedia features that are found on regular handsets. But, for a business oriented handset , the lack of these features could be considered a bonus. For someone looking for a solid messaging device that integrates easily with their corporate environment, few other choices can match up with the 8703e.

Dimension
Height	4.30
Carrier	Sprint
Type	Traditional QWERTY
Low Price	0.00
Width	2.70
Depth	0.77
Weight (including battery)	4.70
Physical
Number of Screens	1
Main Screen Dimensions
Main Screen Resolution
Main Screen Colors	0
Main Screen Type
Secondary Screen Dimensions
Secondary Screen Resolution
Secondary Screen Colors	0
Secondary Screen Type
Keys
Number Keys Type	Physical
QWERTY
QWERTY Keyboard Type
Other Control Keys
Internal Components
Processor	Qualcomm MSM 6500
RAM Memory	0
Flash ROM Memory	64
Memory Card Slot
Jacks & Ports
Microphone Jack
Headphone/Mic Jack	2.5
USB Port
Dock Port
Radios
Bands	Dual
Bluetooth 1.2
802.11 b wifi
GSM 850
GSM 900
GSM 1800
GSM 1900
CDMA 800
CDMA 1900
Bluetooth 1.1
Bluetooth 2.0
802.11g WiFi
External Antenna Port
SAR at Ear	0
SAR on Body	0
Flight Mode
Data Standards
GPRS
EDGE
1XRTT
EVDO
EVDO Rev A
HSDPA
UMTS
Battery
Standard Battery Type	Lithium-Ion
Standard Battery Capacity	0.00
Standard Battery Model
Vendor Quoted Standby Time	0.00
Vendor Quoted Talk Time	4.50
Camera
Maximum Native Still Resolution
Image Sensor Type
Megapixels	0.00
Optical Zoom
Digital Zoom
Built-In Flash
Focus Type
Aperture Range
Shutter Speed Range
Focus Range
Exposure Modes
Exposure Compensation
White Balance Modes
Scene Modes
Video Capture
Video Resolution
Video Frame Rate	0
Video Format
Maximum Video Clip Length
Audio with Movies
Audio Format
Software
OS	Blackberry OS
PIM Software
Max Number of Address Book Entries	0
Max Number of Appointments	0
Included Business Software
Included Leisure Software
Included Syncing Software
Other Software of Note
Calling Features
Address Book Type
Address Book Photos
Alternative Ring Types
Speakerphone
Can work as PC Modem?
Customization
Ring Tone Formats
Individual Caller Ring Tones
Skins for Look & Feel
Messaging (built-in clients only)
SMS
Yahoo! Messenger
MMS
POP3
Exchange
IMAP
AOL Mail
Blackberry Mail
Good Mail
AIM
ICQ
MSN Messenger
SMS Message Capacity	0
Web Browsing
Web Browser	Blackberry Version 4.1
Music
Music Playback
Music Player
Music File Formats Supported
Downloadable Music Service
Video
Video Player
Video Formats Supported
Downloadable Video Service
Bluetooth Profiles
Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)
Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP)
Basic Imaging Profile (BIP)
Basic Printing Profile (BPP)
Cordless Telephony Profile (CTP)
Device ID Profile (DID)
Dial-up Networking Profile (DUN)
Fax Profile (FAX)
File Transfer Profile (FTP)
General Audio/Video Distribution Profile (GAVDP)
Generic Access Profile (GAP)
Generic Object Exchange Profile (GOEP)
Hands-Free Profile (HFP)
Human Interface Device Profile (HID)
Headset Profile (HSP)
Intercom Profile (ICP)
Object Push Profile (OPP)
Personal Area Networking Profile (PAN)
Phone Book Access Profile (PBAP)
Serial Port Profile (SPP)
Service Discovery Application Profile (SDAP)
SIM Access Profile (SAP,SIM)
Synchronisation Profile (synch)
Video Distribution Profile (vdp)
Wireless Application Protocol Bearer (WAPB)
Audio Quality Ratings
Handset Side Tone	5.30
Sound Recieve Frequency Response	8.07
Sound Receive Distortion	0.00
Sound Receive Speaker Volume	0.00
Sound Send Frequency Response	6.34
Sound Send Distortion	0.00
Speakerphone Sound Receive Frequency Response	0.00
Speakerphone Sound Receive Distortion	0.00
Speakerphone Sound Receive Speaker Volume	0.00
Speakerphone Sound Send Frequency Response	0.00
Speakerphone Sound Send Distortion	0.00
Headset Sound Receive Frequency Response	0.00
Headset Sound Receive Distortion	0.00
Headset Sound Receive Speaker Volume	0.00
Headset Sound Send Frequency Response	0.00
Headset Sound Send Distortion	0.00
Headset Pickup Ability	0.00
Imaging Ratings
Resolution	0.00
Color	0.00
Noise	0.00
Live Preview	0.00
Unlocked Standby to First Shot	0.00
Shot to Shot Time	0.00
Shutter to Shot Time	0.00
Interface	0.00
Photo Album Software Internal	2.00
Manual Control	0.00
Zoom	0.00
Focus	0.00
Flash	0.00
Metering	0.00
White Balance	0.00
Image Handling	0.00
Video Overall Score	0.00
Video Resolution	0.00
Video Compression	0.00
Video Interface	0.00
Video Manual Control	0.00
Video Zoom	0.00
Video Editing	0.00
Video Modes	0.00