Blackberry 7290

Having all your email accounts come to one central location is a huge convenience. It will save you a lot of time reading and replying to emails at home but you won't lose the ability to check mail at home because emails go to both locations. It's also great having the power of the internet at your finger tips. I can get directions, use information for free and check my sports scores from anywhere. They also have great resell value so if you decide to upgrade or go back to your old phone its easy and inexpensive. Others feedback says the address book is hard to use but it couldn't be easier. You can store multiple numbers under one name and when you click on their name it gives you a choice of calling home, work, mobile, email, text etc. With T-Mobile internet I get unlimited internet usage and emails for $20. Emailing has replaced texting and has saved me a lot of money for that cost.

I purchased this phone for a friend of mine because he wanted a phone to be able to access email and write messages easier. I have to say he loves it. It works great with blue tooth, allows him to read and write email. Have had no problems with it. Before purchasing this product we looked at different models and others similar to it out there and found that they were all about the same just a different model number. Although this is a little older of a model it diffenately works just as good as the newer ones.

I was issued this PDA for my job and have been using this handy little device for about 2 months. Of course, this device serves as a mobile phone, but what has been most useful to me is the ability to send & check e-mails and access my calendar on the go. One of the best features is that it links (and syncs) back to your PC's e-mail, calendar and address book. For example, when you receive an e-mail on your PC, it also appears on your Blackberry. Conversely, when you send or delete a message on your Blackberry it reflects that same information on your PC.

This has completely changed how productive I can be and has made my life much easier. Prior to having this, I had no way of checking e-mails or confirming my schedule unless I was sitting at a PC. This was, obviously, a problem if I was out of the office for an extended time during the day. Simply put, with this PDA you always have all the information you need (as if you were sitting in your office at your PC) and it's in real time so there's no laspe.

Typing is not as difficult as you may think. You get used to it rather quickly. Most people use their thumbs - almost like a child playing a Gameboy - but it's the fastest and easiest way.

The Blackberry also includes a web browser - which I don't really use that often. Many websites now have a PDA version that is a somewhat scaled-down version of their site that makes connection and loading faster.

You use a flywheel (spinning control) on the side for most navigation and access. The Blackberry is cleverly designed and very intuitive. For example, when you use the wheel to look at e-mails, a option menu appears, and the "open" feature is already pre-selected. You will notice you can also easily navigate down to "Delete" or "Reply" ...but, since more than likely your first action (as the receiver) would be to "open" it makes that your first option. This sounds like a small thing, but it makes it so easy to just hit a button a couple of butten and go from having a blackberry in your pocket to reading an important message... all with no typing.

What I don't care for (and these are all minor things):

The "off" button is the last icon displayed and there's no short-cut so you have to scroll through all the other items to get to it.

When you return from "Lock Mode" you have to be careful not to inadvertently select "Call for Help" - I haven't done this yet, but I've come close many times.

..and those are my only two complaints! If you travel, get a lot of e-mails, make a lot of calls, and go to a lot of meetings...this device is for you.

I purchased the 7290 for two reasons: funcitonality and price. Knowing that this was an older generation PDA phone was not a concern as long as the unit had the functions that I needed; bluetooth, email, SMS etc. It does have those functions and it performs well. The discomfort of using the unit is the lack of human logic to the controls. Unlike later models whose operational functions have been designed much more logically, the 7290 requires you to learn (memorize) the functions, and there are many, and then the handling of the unit is easy. But expect ot become a lttle frustrated while you are getting acquainted. The screen is rather anoying at times. It has three brightness levels and doesn't remain at the brightest level for long. This is a way to conserve power. The color is not great but beats black and white. Later models are greatly improved if you want to display photos. The keys are large for this size of unit and are easy to operate. The sound quality is good once you know how to position it on your ear; I recommend using a bluetooth headset. Get a case for it! Putting it in your pocket always inadvertantly pushes buttons. You may get surprised when someone mistakenly dialed hears ALL your conversation! In conclusion, price was right, quality is there, and functionality is a learning ezperience.