Customer Reviews

RIM BlackBerry 7290 (T-Mobile)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I bought this about a month ago because:
1. I was getting creamed by my current Verizon minutes limits, and needed to change plans
2. I liked the idea of getting email and net access on the run
3. Storing info in one device made sense
As a 50 something, there was a learning curve, but not the hair pulling, tantrum inducing kind. The help menu is in the phone, not the manual, which makes more sense, and has been more readily accessible.
To start with, Amazon had the best deal I could find. I have had nothing but great service and excellent value in shopping there. DO NOT GO TO A PROVIDER (Verizon, TMobile, etc) TO GET YOUR PHONE! They are the highest of anyplace I shopped!?!?
The phone arrived promptly, ahead of schedule, charged and functioning. There was no wait to use it. Less secure, I suppose, but certainly more convenient for me. I also purchased a Motorola 850 bluetooth headset (on ebay).
The phone works quite well, the TMobile coverage has been better than Verizon's was, though that will probably vary by region. I'm in the central California valley, primarily between Sacramento and Modesto. I have been told Verizon was the best here, but my experience has been otherwise. Not that it was bad, but T-Mobile has just been a little better. I can't tell you anything about T-Mobile's customer service, because I haven't had a reason to contact them yet. I did like the fact that they offer a one year contract vs. everyone else's 2 year. Our biggest complaint with Verizon was the fact that they wanted to initiate a new 2 year contract for us to change our monthly minutes allotment.
Back to the phone. Clear voice, no static. Texting to other phones is made easier by the qwerty layout and slightly larger keypad. I was a little leery once I ordered it, having second thoughts about it being wider than the the other phones. I have fairly large hands, and the extra width has been a real plus. I use the email more than I thought I would, the net browsing less. I can send email updates 24/7 (necessary in a 24 hour biz) from anywhere, and receive them as well. I can check other accounts, such as yahoo mail. I have gps in my car, but if I'm with someone else, I can get driving directions.
The calendar is generic but functional. I find it helpful for keeping track of biz expenses.
The bluetooth headset is a must. No wires, crystal clear.
It has no camera, but I carry a small digital one anyway with far better resolution than the phones have. If they add a good camera down the road, I'd probably want it, but not at the level they are at now.
All things considered, it's working great for me!

I'd heard lots of complaints about the 72XX's abilities as a phone. It's definitely not an ideal form-factor, but it works. And with the hands-free device (included), you should have very, very few issues.

As an email and web-surfing device, it excels. While it may not have the full GUI of the "brick-style" (heavier and larger Windows Mobile) devices, you get most of what you really need without having to download entire attachments. That's right, the BlackBerry server will download and read the attachment and send only the fraction you need to see on your display. It works seamlessly and saves a lot of time and effort - there's no need to download an entire file when you just want to read the first page or two.

I've played with all the latest devices (even new Windows devices that haven't come out yet) and I wouldn't trade any of them for the BlackBerry 72XX. It's lighter, smaller, and easier to use. The convenience of the thumbwheel acting as a selector and the button next to it "escaping" out of any menu is something that 98% of all other devices haven't figured out yet.

A couple of nits to pick: the earpiece on the hands-free needs a better way to attach firmly to your ear. I haven't yet figured out how to keep my place on a web page and check my email (without backing out of the web page). Maybe there's a way, but no one I know has figured it out either. Other than that... great device. Highly recommended.

This Blackberry has everything a mobile professional needs. A little large, but you dont need to hold it up to your ear when you have bluetooth enabled. The email push system delivers mail very swiftly. Web Browsing is a breeze and T-Mobile coverage is perfect. I never have a problem with reception. Also, T-Mobile customer service was ranked #1 in Customer Service by JD Power and Associates. I can clearly see why. They're friendly and knowledgable. This is a very "business" device. Classy, sophisticated, simply amazing.
Unfortunately, I can only give 5 stars on Amazon but this sleek Blackberry deserves 10+!
Two thumbs up for 7290! Two thumbs up for T-Mobile!

I have the 7290 and use it with T-Mobile's service. For an extra $20.00 a month I can view my email anywhere in the US, I can SMS anyone and not worry about overage. I can use it as a phone and a PDA (limited but still useful), this is the best all around item that I own, a "Jack Of All Trade, Master Of None" type deal. The PDA is not spectacular but it does work well, the Web Browser isn't great but its okay and the phone isn't small and lightweight but it does work well and reception is good.

I also own the Razr and comparing the two are like comparing apple to burgers, one is all you need but the other has sooo much of what you want. I mean who doesn't want to check their email every hour? Who doesn't want to text a buddy about going out to dinner or a meeting.

That is what makes the Blackberry the Crackberry, the thing you want to do and what you really need it for.

I gave it four stars because I've had better phones, better PDAs and better email services, but I've never had it all in one unit. So overall the 7290 is almost great but just a step behind.

I had a blackberry 7100t for about a month. I switched to the 7290 now and wow I like this one a lot better. I use the phone more as a data device so having the full qwerty keyboard is a plus. I got used to the suretype feature on the 7100t, but there are some three letter words that it can NEVER get correct. So you need to check what you're typing. And for me i find that when I am typing with my thumbs I cant watch the screen. Also - i never figured out why - the I.M. program on the 7100t never worked. But it works FINE on the 7290. I can now do ICQ, MSN messenger and Yahoo messenger and AIM. The push mail feature is awesome. I like being able to reply immediately to important emails. No matter where I am.

[...]
I am still really happy with the 7290. I own a Macintosh computer and wanted to add that there is third party software out there that enables Macintosh owners to sync their Blackberry with their Macintosh computers.[...]

One thing that amazes me about the blackberry is that it just never freezes or locks up on me. And I am a pretty heavy user of the device. I leave the chat client going all the time and am always switching back and forth between chat and email during the day. The operating system is a multi-tasking OS. If you are in the web browser, you can switch over to the chat program and wait for a web page to load, then go back to the web page, etc.

Rather than write a typical review, I'll simply print my letter to RIM, the makers of Blackberry:

I recently purchased a 7290. Today, I'm returning it...

When a menu Option has only two choices (e.g., "confirm delete?: Yes, No") -- you have to click Confirm Delete, then click again, then click again to change the option, then click AGAIN to confirm it. Doesn't that seem awfully silly? Why not just a Yes/No toggle option?

When I go into a memo and click the title of the memo, I shouldn't have to click it AGAIN to view it -- viewing should be the default.

I need to specifiy a title for a memo? Just automatically utilize the first line as the title -- like the Palm does! save me some time rather than wasting it.

Speed Dials are hard to get to. Let me say that again SPEED dials are not SPEEDY to get to.

When scrolling on the menu page, i should be able to get to the VERY LAST icon by scrolling UPWARDS if I'm at the top, rather than spinning & spinning the wheel 3 or 4 times (this goes for all menus). This issue is terribly frustrating.

There's no numeral pad on the screen -- so if i have to call a number that's like 310-Save-Lot, I'm scr_wed.

If I'm on vibrate and several SMS messages come in, i can't tell if it's ringing or just alerting me to messages -- and nothing pops up on the screen to tell me.

It's built solidly. The keyboard is nice and big (although too big to type with one hand [and I can palm a basketball]), and the screen is big and the battery life is great. But the navigation is so terribly UN-intuitive that I'm left feeling this thing is, simply, cr@p.

My Treo 180, which is 4 or 5 years old is a much "smarter" device, with better navigation, and buttons and shrotcuts that are much more intuitive. The only thing you guys did better was the keyboard and the ease to input symbols. Everything else about this products is truly awful.

1) highest volume setting not loud enough to be heard with the slightest amount of background noise

2) no speaker phone

3) no voice dialing

4) backlighting does not always come on when you start hitting keys.


bottom line, if you're a traveling buiseness man, this sorry phone lacks the most important features. Yea it's my fault for not researchihng more thuroughly, but I never imagined a product designed for business professionals would be lacking in the most obvious and essential features. What a disappointment.

YOU SHOULD ONLY GET THE BLACKBERRY if you enjoy losing clients with constant calls being dropped or you accidently hit the Mute button, which is located right where you hold the phone (brilliant design!). Try answering the phone on the go and instead of connecting you, many calls go to voicemail because the wheel is too sensitive.

If your hands the size of oven mitts, then this is the phone for you. Otherwise, you'll probably develop cramps over time. The phone is overly large and heavy. Don't believe me? Try it yourself.

It will lock up on you, just when you need to place or answer an important call. Don't waste your time looking up a number in the address book. It requires so many steps, you might as well reach for your own phone book.

You should be able to look up a name and call it with minimal steps. But not with the blackberry.. It has you scrolling past 'View', 'Edit' or 'Delete' commands before you get to 'Call'. Doesn't it make more sense to put the most used functions first? How often to you have to edit someone's phone number?

Too many people settle for mediocore service and thinks its 'great'. Do yourself a favor, don't settle for any blackberry product. They could care less about you.

I received this phone as a free promotion for staying overnight @ a inexpensive Marriott Hotel. I was really baffled when I didn't receive a detailed instruction booklet in the brand new, unopened box. It took me approx. 2-3 days to get the entire phone and its capabilities figured out after downloading an approx. 250 pg. manual online. I'm a RN, not a business person @ all, but it did become very much a "crackberry" for me after I figured it out. I only used the phone for texting and regular telephone usage. Txting is oh so very easy with the qwerty keyboard. I can't complain about that @ all. I never had any problems sending/receiving txt. I took the internet access (that I was paying $35/mo.) off of the phone because it pulled-up way too slow for what I was used to, and of course trying to view the web on the tiny screen wasn't worth the headache. I also didn't like the fact that you couldn't assign or download ringtones, and there is no speakerphone. Crunchberry? Somehow I damaged the screen & it bled.... I don't even really know it happened.? I think I inadverently smushed it while it was in the protective leather case, in my coat pocket. Very disappointing, as Cingular Wireless doesn't insure Blackberries and other expensive counterparts. RIM will repair the phone for $180. But now I want the 8700, and has only had the 7290 for 4 months. Just be very careful with your probably uninsured Blackberry so it doesn't become a crunchberry for you as well.

If you bay any Blackbery device you also buy a problem. This is good if you make no change and only use to send mails. They do not provide online help or a mail account to make questions. The Desktop software has pour logic and usually makes what is not expected. The help always referrer to the Administrator or to the manual! So, what happen if you would like to do something by your self? Probably you have to spend lot of time reading the whole book. What happen if you do not have an administrator? This shows you the lake of respect for the costumers. This is definitely not a company oriented to final customers, their target is B2B, and so you have to be careful.