c|net paired the BlackBerry 8800 up against the BlackJack from Samsung in a 5 round Prize Fight where the two mobile devices went head to head in different categories. Unfortunately for RIM, the BlackBerry didn’t put up much of a fight winning none of the rounds losing 4 out of the 5.
I have never really been a fan of the BlackBerry 8800. From the looks of it, the c|net reviewers aren’t big fans of it either.
Cnet reviews are such a joke and always have been. She makes light of the 8800’s keyboard not having much spacing but, then calls the BJ keyboard “roomy”? And no mention of the BJ’s horrible d-pad?
Secondly, I understand the 8800 has no 3G support but, at least the PTT and GPS features are usable everywhere cingy has service. 3G is nice but, with cingy’s diminutive 3G footprint, I don’t see how HSDPA support makes connectivity so cut and dry.
Third, what about RF performance? The BJ is a dog when it comes to fringe areas while the 8800 is a stellar performer that you’ve come to expect from RIM. Yeah, nevermind reviewing the features that matter, “sexiness” and 1.3mp cameras are what’s important.
How about operating system? Battery life? i feel like that prize fight was fixed.
What a joke. the 8800 is a great device. the bloated features of these other devices look great, until you get to day to day use, reliablity, and ease. it’s why the blackberry is like crack, while windows mobile is like, hmmm….can’t complete my analogy.
My Two Cents:
I’ve never used a BlackJack so I can’t compare the 8800 to it, however, I can compare the 8800 to the 8700 and I have to say that I am not that impressed. In fact I am kind of disappointed.
The keyboard is horrible if you have large hands and after you use the device for a while the buttons get all mushy. The media player is a joke compared to my iPod (may not be a fair comparison but it is what it is) and I have found that I haven’t needed to use the expandable memory beyond media files (I would, however, if I used it longer)
The 8800 series keyboard really is a step backward for a Blackberry.
“The media player is a joke compared to my iPod”
Well that’s not comparing apples to oranges, is it? I’ve used both devices extensively and the BJ just doesn’t measure up.
Weak battery life
Poor fringe area reception
Slow processor (the BJ actually cannot keep up when typing messages quickly)
Disgustingly poor d-pad (The d-pad is so poor that people have decided to put tape on top of it to make it usable)
Horribly designed Micro SD and USB ports. (The covers on these ports break off very easily)
Poor keyboard design (what’s with the spacing between numeric keys?)
Yeah, this thing destroys the 8800.
You know ceebz, the more I think about it, the more I think that the comparison is fair. Like it or not, the iPod is the standard for how a MP3 player should work.
The Media Player in the Pearl and the BlackBerry 8800 is mediocre at best in my opinion and as much as I love the BlackBerry, RIM gets no reprieve because it is their first go roud at MP3 playing BlackBerrys.
I like love the BlackBerry becasue they build a superior product (usually), however, I won’t rationalize features and functionality that aren’t up to par because of my love for the BlackBerry.
I demand excellence and the BlackBerry 8800, in my opinion, is not an excellent device.
I absoulutely love my BlackBerry 8800 and think that it is the best device out of the 4 that I have had. I agree with the author on one point. The BlackBerry 8800, although can play MP3s, has not replaced my iPod.
Needless to say, I didn’t buy the 8800 to listen to music but if I did I would be upset because it is really not that good for it.
Since Verizon models come out later do they tend to improve upon some of the flaws mentioned above?
This comparison is a total waste of time not to mention lame. I’ve used a BJ and I can tell you it’s one of the worst phones I’ve ever used. Call volume was horrid, the keys were stiff and difficult to press, Windows Mobile(I won’t even get started on this), and the battery life was atrocious. No wonder it came with two batteries.
I switched to a BB and it’s the most amazing phone I’ve ever used.
i had the black jack for two weeks. The software was horrible. It was slow it couldnt even keep up with my typing. It wasnt all that great playing mps and the keyboard was lame. It felt cheap. I wont even mention the battery life. I wont even give it to my 14year old and I thought about it instead I just returned it and got him better phone/mp3 player. Oh yeah the camera blurs everything at the slightlest movement dont know why they bothered. Missing a lot of bells and whistles in the software department where as blackberries and treo have a lot of added goodies.
I was talking about the comparison between the BlackBerry and the iPod from ceebz’ comment.
If figured that the BlackJack was inferior to the BlackBerry simply because it runs Windows Mobile.
The 8800 is the best phone ev er its not even compairable to any other device on the market I dont understand what else do you want from this phone is a blow job.
Until I viewed this CNET review, I was naive enough to think CNET really knew technology. This review was nothing more than a beauty contest. As others have already remarked, the vast majority of what matters with these sorts of phones is how well the OS is designed and works. I have had multiple Blackberrys and all worked intuitively, (relatively) quickly, and without errors – very simple and no frustration. Even the predictive text on my bb 7105 works really well. Prior to the BBs, I owned all sorts of “smart phones” including the ridiculously bad Motorola MPx200 with Windows Mobile. All of these phones – and primarily the OS thereon – sucked. Until the designers of these phone – including the BJ – figure out how to make a phone with email capabilities work well, BB will continue to eat their lunch.
I returned my Blackjack to cingular after 3 days because i had to charge it 2 times a day, even when switching out batteries. The damn windows os locked up all the time and the only cure was a reboot. I’ve had my 8800 now for over a week and i’m in love. CNET, you are retarded.
I own a Treo 650, a Cingular 8525, and now a BB8800. I use them mainly for corporate email and personal email, some web browsing, and occasionally as a tethered modem. The problem with Windows Mobile platforms is the usability – I don’t really want to carry a PC around with me, I need a communication device I can use with one hand, that lasts an 18-hour work day without a charge, that doesn’t miss phone calls, and that I can pound out a 2-line email to a co-worker while I’m running for a flight. The Treo platform is slow and aging poorly but the usability was great. The 8525 was a disappointment. The slider design requires 2-handed typing, it’s too fat, and especially if you want a battery that lasts more than 5 hours. It’s super-speedy, but the usability just didn’t cut it. The BB8800 took some getting used to, but especially with the GPS feature, it’s the perfect corporate tool for those who travel. I never used the wifi because my corporate network is VPN secured and the HSDPA network would give me 700-800kb/s which was plenty. I never used the camera, and it didn’t replace my ipod. This is why I didn’t wait for the 8300 or 8820, and am not waiting for the iPhone (which is bound to have glitches as a first-gen platform).
So far, the BB8800 is the best platform I’ve used.
Blackberry’s success totally blows my mind. They have a horrific OS, Constant Sync, Issues, a total lack of applications, and are ugly as sin and clunky.
Blackberry’s are for total noobs. Remember 10 years ago when you could check your email and some crappy fake web on your little flip phone. Well if you do remember that then you probably know that a blackberry is trash. It’s for people who didn’t realize that this technology is ancient. Yes the push email is the “Best” in the business. But only because they have a monopoly over the technology.
Blackberrys fail in every other regard.
A windows phone gives you faster speeds, more memory, better media capabilities, a ton of 3rd party software, games, Emulators, Multiple email accounts, POP3/IMAP access, Ability to check OWA, streaming music, etc. on and on.
Blackberry’s email isn’t actually that great. Yes you can get your work email but it looks like crap. I feel like I’m reading a dos screen when I look at a blackberry.
In short if you think the blackberry is a good phone you know less then nothing about Cellular technology and are a sheep.
Hopefully the only people who have blackberry’s are forced by their company.
They are awful. Stay away and stop praising technology that Windows Phones mastered years ago.
I’m afraid you are mistaken. The BB is only improving, especially with the release of OS 4.5 (which I am running on my 8800, which I am also using to type this) and the newest 4.6 on newer devices. No mobile professional wants all of the extra junk that comes with a windows operated phone. Until I got my 8800 I jave never had a phone/PDA as fast/stable as this with the exception of the OLD palm OS on my tungten E lol. The 8800 does everything I need it to, without crashing, and without a new update from M$ every two days. In fact I have not had to reset or even so much as power off my device yet with the exception of installing the new OS. And on a side note, with the exception of te iphone, who really uses their phone as their primary MP3/video player anyway? It only takes away from much needed battery life when charging access is limited while on the go.And need I mention all the google apps made for the BB? Anything that windows mobile has can be downloaded from google, for free might I add. Keep your windows powered phone I say. While I’m still functining, ill watch you continuously reset your phone.