The 8800 is a gorgeous device. RIM has taken the business-style Blackberry, given it a swanky makeover and some multimedia hoops, opened up email access to the masses then put it out through standard retail channels. This makes it a great purchase for small businesses, and die-hard Crackberry addicts will find that this gives them an even more enticing and appealing dose of their drug of choice. The GPS and Maps software isn't quite there, but we can hope that a firmware and software update improves this in the future. For now, the 8800 is undoubtedly the email device of choice for anyone that wants push messaging - and the stunning good looks are just an added bonus.
Earlier this month, we took a look at one of the newest phones in Blackberry's line up - the Pearl. This was one for the consumers - a Blackberry that came in a sleek, candy bar form factor, had a two-letters-per-key SureType keyboard and featured easy setup for web-based email, such as Google Mail.
The compadre to the 8100 Pearl is the new 8800. It has the same design stylings as the Pearl - the glossy piano black, the metal accents - but resembles the Blackberries of old far closer. It's the latest device for businesses, and its got a few tricks up its sleeve. But can it dethrone the 8700 as king of the pocket email devices?
Let's compare the new 8800 to the previous generation 8700. What's different? Well, the form factor has altered. The screen is still the same resolution - 320 x 240, the same as most Windows Smartphones - but the physical dimensions are a little smaller, making for a slightly crisper image. The smaller screen is one of the things that goes into making the 8800 significantly thinner than the previous gen, with a notable difference in thickness between the two (the 8800 is 14mm thick, the 8700 is 19.5mm). However, partly to ensure that all the electronics gubbins get squeezed in, the 8800 is slightly longer (114mm v 110mm), making it look more extruded compared to the chunky-monkey 8700.
