which BB to Buy?

[sgrey]

Hello:

I've been asked by my boss to figure out which Blackberry to purchase. So far we've narrowed things down to a couple of important criteria:

(1) she really doesn't care much about the cell phone functionality, since she already has a cell and won't activate the phone features of the BB (although I am guessing she might consider doing so in the future).

(2) she would prefer to have a QWERTY keyboard as opposed to one that's on a cell-phone.

(3) email is the most important function for which she'll be using the device.

We're a small office and this will be the only BB in it, at least for now. We plan just to synch the BB to her computer running Windows XP.

A couple other things that I'm thinking (not my boss per se):

(4) Probably the longer the battery life, the better, all things being equal.

(5) I can see her demands for the device growing as she gets comfortable with it and learns all that it can do. So it probably shouldn't be a very basic device, if such exists.

Can you provide some recommendations?

Thank you!

[roofus]

Probably best to wait for the 8700 which is the latest model about to be released unless you are using a CDMA/1X provider in which case you should get the 7250

[Mark Rejhon]

If with Cingular/AT&T or Rogers, I suggest the new 8700 which is coming out by end of the month for both. It is very easy on the eyes, and more likely to be used as a phone later on.

If with Verizon (US recommended), Sprint, Telus or Bell Canada, I suggest the 7250. New models either use SureType (not full QWERTY) or are not coming out for another 6 months.

If with Nextel and you need DC, I suggest the 7520. It's very bulky though. The 7100i would solve some of this, but it uses SureType (not full QWERTY).

At the end, I would strongly recommend the 8700c (US) with Cingular, or 8700r (Canada) with Rogers, if you have good reception where the boss works and lives.

[juwaack68]

Before considering any cell device, make sure you know which carrier has the best coverage where you boss will be the most (in the office, traveling around, etc).

Coverage maps for the different carriers can be a start, but I sure wouldn't place bets on 100% accuracy. Ask around, or go with the vendor she already has.