SureTyping
With SureType, you hit each key only once. The device uses a built-in dictionary of the 35,000 most often used English words plus all the place and people names in your address book, along with some very clever predictive software to deduce which word or name you're typing.

It works something like the automated phone attendant systems that let you key in an employee's name using the number keys on your phone to get to the correct extension, except its much more sophisticated. SureType can learn new words or proper names and add them to its dictionary, for example.

As you type, the 7100's screen displays the words that could be formed by the letter combinations you've typed so far. At the end, if there is more than one valid word or proper name, you can use the Blackberry's thumbwheel to scroll through them and select the correct one. If you pressed the E/R, A/S and T/Y keys, for example, the intended word could be 'eat,' 'ray' or 'rat'.

          SureType In Action

During testing, I rarely had to select from alternate words or names, as there usually was only one possibility. In the few cases where there was more than one, the correct word was almost always the first one in the list. So simply hitting the space key—conveniently positioned at the bottom center (just like on a real QWERTY keyboard)—automatically selected it.

Another nice keyboard feature is the dedicated Start and End call keys, with familiar green and red handset icons—just like most other mobile handsets.Hitting the Start key from anywhere puts the unit into phone mode.

Besides the keyboard itself, the physical interface is similar to other Blackberries, with a thumbwheel and multi-function Back button on the right edge of the device—both easily manipulated with your thumb.

Phone
As a phone, the 7100t works very nicely. In our test calls, mainly from a location where reception on the Rogers Wireless network (we were testing the unit in roaming mode) is not its strongest, voices were still clear and loud enough.

People at the other end did, in a few cases, complain of some electronic hiss and the hint of an echo. This was almost certainly more a function of the connection at that particular location than of either the phone or the network in general.

The unit offers two excellent hands-free options. The built-in speaker works better than most mobile speakerphone features I've tried—very loud and clear—and it works well whether you place the phone face up or face down (the speaker is on the back).


Rear View with Spearkerphone

You can also use a Bluetooth wireless headset with the 7100. I tested it with the Mobile Bluetooth Headset from Logitech. Pairing and set-up were problem free, which is more than can be said for my attempts to use this headset with other phones. Volume level was a tad lower than I would have liked, but otherwise it generally worked very well.

Battery life, as with most Blackberrys, is a major strength. The company claims four hours talk time and eight days in standby mode. Testing did nothing to dispell those numbers.

Applications
As a Blackberry, the 7100 series work much the same as other BlackBerry handhelds. You can integrate up to 10 e-mail accounts, including corporate MS Exchange accounts through a Blackberry Enterprise Server, and ISP e-mail accounts through the Blackberry Internet Service (formerly Blackberry Web client.) Blackberry supports POP3/ISP, IMAP, AOL Mail, Outlook, Notes and other mail systems.

The huge advantage of the Blackberry is its e-mail 'push' technology. You never have to dial up or log on to collect your mail. It's sent to you automatically as soon as it's received at an Enterprise Server or the Blackberry Internet service. E-mail push, though no longer an exclusive, is the feature that has made this platform as successful as it is.


         On Screen Interface

Our experience synchronizing Outlook data into the Blackberry personal information management (PIM) applets was all positive. It worked flawlessly the first time with minimum set up required.

Moving data—there's a lot in my case as I have a phone book with over 2,500 names—took less time than with other handheld synch systems I've tested.

Caveats
A few quibbles, none deal killers:

Most important is the absence of a flash memory card slot. Mind you, given that this device does not have a camera (no great loss in my opinion) and doesn't play MP3s, storage may not be a huge issue anyway. And the 7100t does integrage 32MB of flash memory plus 4MB of SRAM, which is good for a BlackBerry.

Another quibble: MSN Messenger is conspicuously absent from the list of instant messaging services (AOL, Yahoo and ICQ) supported by device. It's probably not a huge problem, but there are certainly a lot of MSN Messenger users out there.

Finally, Blackberry does not provide native support for synchronizing with the Apple Macintosh, though a new third-party product, PocketMac for Blackberry from Information Appliance Associates, does the trick.

Bottom Line
If you've been holding off buying a Blackberry because you didn't like the boxy form factor, this product should change your mind. Even current Blackberry users will find it very attractive product, although they'll find the new keyboard takes a little getting used to.