T-Mobile BlackBerry 7290

The real beauty of Research In Motion (RIM) BlackBerry devices is their simplicity, and in that regard, the 7290 for T-Mobile hits the nail on the head. Nowhere as flashy as many of the Windows Mobile devices we've reviewed -- or the Palm Treo 650, for that matter -- the RIM BlackBerry 7290 is a simple and sleek interpretation of what the BlackBerry is all about. At about £200 (inc. VAT), the BlackBerry 7290 is fairly priced for a smartphone. That said, users looking for a more affordable T-Mobile option may want to check out the RIM BlackBerry 7100t.

Design
The BlackBerry 7290 looks like a more traditional handheld-style BlackBerry device than its slimmer cousin, the 7100t. That said, the 7290 is on the smaller side (7.5cm by 11.3cm by 2.2cm; 139g) and styled in an attractive metallic blue; we had no problem fitting the 7290 in either a shirt or trouser pocket. The sharp 240 by 160-pixel display supports 16-bit colour with clear icons and text, but the backlit display has a strangely muted appearance. Fortunately, this doesn't negatively affect its readability. Additionally, the screen on the 7290 is smaller than that of other BlackBerry devices. You'll notice that it shows only three rows of icons while many other BlackBerry devices show four. This isn't necessarily a problem, as it contributes to the device's overall compactness. Like more traditional handheld-style BlackBerry devices, the 7290 has a full QWERTY keyboard that, like the display itself, is backlit. Depending on your power-consumption needs, you can change the backlighting to anywhere from 10 seconds to 2 minutes. The keyboard on the 7290 is easy to use. The keys are widely spaced enough that even the most ham-fisted user shouldn't have a problem with typos and misdials. Also, when you're at the home screen, entering any of the number key automatically takes you to the phone dialler. In addition to the QWERTY keyboard, on the right spine of the device is a scroll wheel as well as a Back button that backs out of the menu system one step at a time. On the left spine is the mini-jack for the included wired headset and the USB port for charging the device and syncing it with your PC. On the top of the device, you'll find the infrared port and a dedicated button to retrieve your Latest Calls list.

Features
The BlackBerry 7290's address book is limited by the available memory, and the device comes with 32MB of flash memory plus 4MB of RAM. Each contact holds up to eight phone numbers, an email address and two postal addresses; additional names can be stored on the SIM card. Furthermore, you can enter Web pages, personal information and notes under each name. The 7290 also includes a calendar, a memo pad, a task list, an alarm clock, 32 polyphonic ring tones and a vibrate mode. Like other BlackBerry devices, the 7290 lacks an expansion slot. We are disappointed that the 7290 lacks a speakerphone, but are pleased to see that it has integrated Bluetooth. However, this can only be used to connect with a headset, not to synchronise with other devices. Like all other BlackBerry devices, the 7290 is a business product, so it's straightforward to connect it to Microsoft Exchange and BlackBerry servers, as well as Lotus Notes/Domino servers using the desktop redirector software. Unlike many Windows Mobile 2003 SE devices, the BlackBerry 7290 delivers email in real time, and both messages and the calendar can be synced to the device. If you don't work for a company that has the BlackBerry Enterprise Server installed, you can opt for BlackBerry Web client, which is included in the T-Mobile package. With the Web client, you can have email messages forwarded to the 7290 from up to 10 POP3 or IMAP4 accounts every 15 minutes. Primarily a business device, the RIM BlackBerry 7290 lacks multimedia options. There's a picture viewer and nothing else. The 7290 doesn't play MP3s, and like the 7100t, it ships with one Java (J2ME) game, BrickBreaker. As a T-Mobile device, the BlackBerry 7290 lets you download third-party applications or access T-zones for ring tones and games, as well as to browse through news, weather and sports scores. The 7290 ships with a limited selection of wallpaper, but you can get more from T-Mobile or import your own photos.

Performance
The quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS) BlackBerry 7290's sound quality varied when holding the handheld to the ear. It's often difficult to find the sweet spot for both the earpiece and microphone. But since the 7290 has Bluetooth support, we found ourselves using a wireless headset more often than not, and we got the impression that the device was designed with this in mind. We tested the phone with Logitech's Mobile Freedom Bluetooth headset. Connecting the headset to the device was simple, and we never lost our connection. Battery life is satisfactory: RIM promises four hours of talk time and up to nine days of standby time.

Specifications