Reviewed: O2 Blackberry 8700g

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Email access is like lifeblood to some misguided individuals. They are called businesspeople, and Blackberry has been exploiting their addiction for the last few years. Now, thanks to the 8700g, they can get more email more quickly and seamlessly than ever before.

Blackberry is positioning the 8700g as a kinda hybrid of the 7100 – he of the famed two-character-per-button keypad – and the classic 7290 QWERTY shape. Surprisingly, it combines the talents of the pair to yield the finest Blackberry to date.

As well as a keyboard you can type easily on, the 8700g is blessed with a to-die-for QVGA screen and dedicated call answering buttons, cruelly lacking from the 7290 device. The other big enhancement is the new 312MHz Intel processor it packs, which allows it to tear through tasks other Blackberrys would have struggled or completely failed to complete. Other nice touches include:

Functionality that remains from previous Blackberrys includes support for 10 personal and corporate email accounts, with the now legendary Push technology. This provides instant wireless access to your email as soon as it lands in your inbox. Business travellers will love the 8700g’s quad-band network support, too, and its PIM functionality is as solid as ever.

But like other Blackberry device, the 8700g isn’t for everyone:

Of course, this is the kind of functionality average business bods won’t miss. The bottom line is: if you want something with multimedia pedigree, look elsewhere. If you’re after a portable email device, the 8700g is as good as it currently gets.

Pop to O2 for more info.