[MW Forums]

RIM has debuted its BlackBerry 8800, the successor to its successful 8700 smartphone with media playing capabilities built on its Pearl unit. more

[Luis_Alejandro]

I'm deeply amazed of the flury of models that are coming out to rival the [unreleased] iPhone.
Apple, with a sole announcement [and a model showing] has stirred more movement in the cell phone industry that all the marketing analysis has done before.
(As a side effect for Apple, it also rises the level to attain)

[Peter Cohen]

I think you're attributing the release of new phones to the wrong source. This week marks 3GSM -- the world's largest exhibition for the mobile industry -- in Barcelona, Spain. Cell phone makers have led up to this week with many announcements and are springing many more in place this week.

[Argent]

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I'm deeply amazed of the flury of models that are coming out to rival the [unreleased] iPhone.

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The 8800 has nothing to do with the iPhoneit's been rumored for months.
Besides, the mobile phone industry isn't going to simply give up just because Apple's announced a non-shipping product.

[lhudd]

This is what i'll have to get because the iPhone is only available through Cingular (ATT) wireless. At least it's cool.

[Peter Cohen]

Heh. The ironic thing where you're concerned is that the 8800 is going to be available -- at least initially -- only through Cingular too.

[meta]

So what does this have to do with the Mac? Does the 8800 sync with the Mac? Is the Blackberry SDK available for the Mac?

[buddhistMonkey]

The iPhone makes all of these new smartphones look like artifacts from the Stonehenge era. I can easily imagine the 8800 unearthed beside some broken pottery and crude farm implements, with the lead archeologist explaining to his interns how early communications devices required more than three dozen tiny buttons to operate the ancient user interface.

[Peter Cohen]

I agree that the iPhone is awfully pretty looking, but as the saying goes, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. We're months away from being able to test one out to see how effective it is at e-mailing and Web surfing. As a BlackBerry 8700 user, I find the keyboard extremely comfortable to use. While the UI could use some work, I don't have any complaints about the hardware form factor.

[lhudd]

No irony. RIM always makes a t-mobile version available in a month or two. It'll be called the 8800t or something like that.... probably be a different color as well. The "consumer" blackberry products (8100, Pearl) always come out for t-mobile first and the business products (7290, 8700) come out on cingular first. I can wait a couple months.
Stupid Apple... why one provider..... ugh.... I might have been talked into going with Cingular... but it'll be a cold day in hell before i go with ATT/SBC for anything again. I was paying more for caller ID and call waiting alone with my land line than my ENTIRE monthly bill with Sunrocket.

[NTropy]

Countdown until some idiot asks what this has to do with Apple or Macs in 5...4...3...OOPS, too late. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
The syncing problem keeps me from buying it or any other Cra... err Blackberry. Having checked several forums, the consensus seems to be that the PocketMac sync is pretty much hit or miss and a Mark/Ware Missing Sync solution is still in beta.

[Peter Cohen]

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Mark/Ware Missing Sync

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Mark/Space. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[adobephile]

I remember "liking" the old telephone dials which were actually dials with finger holes which you used to spin the spring-loaded mechanical dial around so far for each number. For that matter, I remember talking to human operators and telling them the number. Our number was JUno4-5280.
The crucial issue related to the iPhone compared to the familiar mini keyboards is that softkeys will be potentially much more flexible and programmable. Done with keen attention to good UI design this could mean a far better UI than that currently afforded by physical keyboards.
Haven't you ever seen in restaurants which have the touchscreens how fast the wait staff can handle those "soft" UI's?
Given the power and flexibility of OS X and its API's for the iPhone, I'd say the hard key holdouts will join the ranks of the "ain't broke, why fix it?" cult.

[robertRoss]

Quote:

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I'm deeply amazed of the flury of models that are coming out to rival the [unreleased] iPhone.
Apple, with a sole announcement [and a model showing] has stirred more movement in the cell phone industry that all the marketing analysis has done before.
(As a side effect for Apple, it also rises the level to attain)

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I'm deeply amazed you believe that in such a short time, companies have come up with these new models in reaction to a product that isn't out yet, and was announced just a while ago.
I have a feeling that this model, and others, have been in the works for quite some time.
Are you also deeply amazed it's taken Apple this long to best the NeoNode, which was released in 2004? Version 2 has just been released.