Blackberry - 8800 Smartphone Cell Phone Review

In all of it's accessory functions, the BlackBerry performs like a champ.  It can handle multiple email accounts, and the keyboard is great for the now obligatory text messaging that comes your way.  Saving data, and receiving incoming attachments, terrific.  Sending attachments, very good.  Videos, great.  Searching the web......well, it's OK, sometimes tough to read, but where it really lacks for me is the notification that I have an unheard voice mail.  Sometimes the notification turns up the next day after my phone automatically comes alive again after shutting off the night before.  I'm not referring too receiving calls with the phone off, I mean when it's on.  Way too late to respond to something should you need. 

It's funny to me in the new age of smart phones, that what this model seems to do the most poorly at is acting like a phone.  Most all of the other phone functions work very well, and I do like the screen, the "mouse ball", and the way the menu can be organized for your needs, but......it's the notification aspect that bugs me. 

Do I like the phone? 

Hmmmm....I would have to say yes.  It's well constructed, and can take a bit of abuse. 

It is as user friendly as an IPhone?

I would have to say no, the IPhone is in a whole other league altogether, but where I live an IPhone would be unusable due to the lack of sufficient provider capabilities. (AT&T has minimal cell tower coverage in my area, and the coverage they do have is horrid). 

Of all the cell phones out there, is it your first choice?:

No.....but it's my second, and that's not bad.  The reception with or without Bluetooth has always been way above average, very crisp, very clear, and the phone has global capability with the addition of the proper chip.   The 8800 doesn't have a camera in it's current form, but I never really needed a camera on my cell phone anyway.  I don't do spy work, and my clandestine activities have dropped off substantially in the last couple of years. The newest rendition of the 8800 will have a camera attached, and be 2MB for those who do need a camera. 

I'm going on my third year of carrying a BlackBerry on my hip and have no complaints in regards to reliability, durability, versatility, or quality.   It's just that damn voice mail notification, or lack of it,  that gets to me. 

I give it 4 stars.  I wouldn't hesitate to buy another 8800 should the need arise, but it still could use a wee bit of tweaking.