So when LP was equipped with a new Blackberry 7130g by a corporate we thought it would be rude not to get his take on blackberry ownership over a month long test. To set things straight this 7130g model on review is not a pocket calculator and is one of the slimmer Blackberry models. That said all things are relative and it's a bit like saying this is the slimmest member of the rolypolys!

RIM have managed to squeeze this 7130 down to an almost acceptable size by making a large compromise and one that was to taint every aspect of our Blackberry experience over the next 4 weeks. Where as most blackberries boast a full (if not small) QWERTY keypad the 7130g opts of a shared key system. This isn't a mobile phone 9 key pad but a 20 key pad which allocates 2 letters to each key and relies on predictive text to help you out.

However our first steps in week one were hindered by learning this new input method which is a cross between normal mobile phone predictive text, and a qwerty keypad. In truth you will get there but for the first week it's a bit like patting your head while rubbing your tummy. But persevering is worth it as the other plentiful features of the 7130 berry should provide ample reward for learning the new trick.

The 7130 measures a much slimmer 56 x 115 x 18mm which is about the same size and a Sony Ericsson P990i or Nokia E61, it weighs 120 grams and most importantly has a large and very attractive 2.4" inch 240 x 260 pixel screen. The main keypad despite its new 2 keys per button layout is well spaced and the customary blackberry roller wheel sits on the right hand side alongside the back or cancel button. The menu system is very clear and something of a surprise that this latest generation of software is so useable. It is also highly customisable and you can easily select what you want on your home screen, although we suspect most users will opt for a dedicated list of new emails.

Of course that is where the 7130g excels, email is the natural stomping ground for this device and the new model does not disappoint with a clear layout and range of alter types from sounds like a submarine ping, vibration and flashing lights. By using the roller control you can munch through even lengthy emails sent via the blackberry push email system, these are displayed in date order and you have a variety of choices when it comes to how you want to synchronise them and purge read email. The only quirk is that the time on the email is not the time sent but the time received on the blackberry, this can catch you off guard if you have been out of coverage for a while.

This model has a good level of Microsoft office integration beyond just the calendar and contacts list, you can also open and view word / excel and PDF documents, although you can expect more than your fair share of scrolling in order to see even a small spreadsheet. The corporate IT department will also love your device as they can lock it down so tight it'll squeak, for example it can be set to delete all email and sensitive data if you enter the password too many times or if it is sent a control message through the network. Data using either GSM or 3G can be transferred safely to the device as there are few ways to get into or out of it, even the Bluetooth 2.0 has had the file transfer mode disabled!

RIM have added a few nice extras which make surprising business sense like Google earth being pre loaded, ideal if you need to find your way to a meeting and don't have a map. Then there is messenger so you can ping a short message to colleagues, sadly though Blackberry have gone with Yahoo over MSN so this is unnecessarily limiting. Both of these features can be removed by over zealous corporate IT nazi's it just depends how short sighted you organisation is.

Owning a 7130g really comes into your own when you are out of the office for a long period and don't have easy laptop access. Here the quad band phone comes into its own with access to multiple networks for both voice and data (although you have to watch costs on the latter), plus the blackberry browser is ideal for pulling up WAP sites like BBC news and sport.

The battery life claims are perhaps a little cheeky suggesting 18 days standby, but you will see a week of mostly email transfer with limited calls before needing a charge. Charging is via the mini USB jack, either through the supplied adaptor or via a host PC or Mac. Changing times do seem to be lengthy and it needs a good overnight run to get a full battery, sadly the battery indicator isn't the best and you need to use the status menu to really see how much juice you have.

Another quirk with the blackberry is just how many users take to wearing them in some 1980's esque holster, this hasn't really been acceptable for normal mobiles or Smartphones for over a decade but this hasn't seemed to have gotten through to the blackberry fraternity.

A month with the 7130g on review has seen us learn SureType and now master the dual key keypad and we do appreciate the reduction in size from the previous pocket calculator versions. It does make us wonder if we will ever see a normal sized phone with email as good as the blackberry, all this talk of convergence and we still wear a wannabe roly poly on our belts!

The Blackberry 7130g is available on most UK networks and your company should have easy access to a good corporate deal should it wish you to join the Blackberry Borg.

Published - 26/11/2006

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