Day #49 of the 81-day experiment, the BlackBerry 8700, more usability

The BlackBerry 8700 is keeping me well connected in the mountains near Munich. Even though I happen to have my laptop with me, I am able to rely on the BlackBerry 8700 to catch up on e-mail, to browse the Web, and to take notes using the MemoPad application.

More shortcuts with AutoText

Do you remember when I was using the Treo 700p earlier in the “81-day experiment” and I installed an add-on application called Textras? As a result, I was able to create text abbreviations for the most frequently used words and phrases.

The BlackBerry 8700 comes with this capability already built-in. It is called AutoText (but it is similar to AutoCorrect in Microsoft Word). Basically AutoText allows you to add your own abbreviations and it will expand them as you type. The example we use in the BlackBerry class is entering “RP” and have it expanded to “Regards, Pierre”. Another example is entering “ADV” and having it replaced by “Thanks in advance”, or entering “DRV” and having it replaced by “I am driving right now, and I will get back to you when I am arrive to my destination. Thanks, Pierre”.

The BlackBerry 8700 screen

One thing I keep noticing is that the BlackBerry screen is bright and the brightness adjusts automatically (supposedly based on the lighting conditions. When compared to the earlier BlackBerry models such as the 7230 which we used in our classes, the 8700 screen is much easier to read and the new colorful icons and backgrounds are more aesthetically appealing.

The BlackBerry 8700 is a robust device

The BlackBerry 8700 does what it does, and it does it well. It is not meant to be a comprehensive computing device such as the Treo or some of the Windows Mobile devices I used earlier. These devices offer almost everything that a computer offers, including the multi-media capabilities, and can server as laptop replacements. The BlackBerry 8700 is focused on the key ”business” functions (phone, e-mail, internet, calendar, contacts, and memos) and it does these functions extremely well.