RIM BlackBerry 7130e (Verizon Wireless)

CNET editors' review

Like the rest of the BlackBerry 7100 series, the RIM BlackBerry 7130e sports a design that's more cell phone than PDA. It resembles an oversize candy bar phone (4.6 by 2.2 by 0.9 inches), but it is relatively light (4.7 ounces) and feels good in the hand. The charcoal-gray and black casing is also quite attractive.

The real star of the RIM BlackBerry 7130e, however, is the display. Showing off 65,536 colors, the screen boasts a 240x260-pixel resolution that produces supersharp text and images, as well as vibrant colors. It's one of the better displays we've seen to date on a BlackBerry, alongside that of the RIM BlackBerry 8700c. You can change the font size, the style, and the type; turn antialiasing on and off; and change the backlight time. Below the display are the Talk and End keys, as well as a soft key, which you can customize to open an application of your choice.

Like all of the BlackBerry 7100 series, the 7130e has a modified keyboard and uses SureType technology.

The RIM BlackBerry 7130e sports the same modified keyboard found on all of the 7100 series, with each key sharing two letters aided by RIM's SureType word-recognition technology. On the right spine, you'll find the familiar jog dial and Esc key, while the headset jack and the USB port are on the left side.

The RIM BlackBerry 7130e is well appointed with phone and data features. The phone book is limited only by the available memory; the device comes with 64MB of flash memory and 16MB of SRAM. For each contact, you can store up to eight numbers, as well as home and work addresses, a Web URL, notes, and more. There's a speakerphone onboard for hands-free calls, although you can't activate the speakerphone until you're on a call. Alternatively, you can wirelessly connect to a Bluetooth headset, thanks to the 7130e's integrated Bluetooth. Other goodies include a WAP 2.0 Web browser, a calendar, a task list, a memo pad, an alarm clock, and a calculator.

Talk hands-free with the RIM BlackBerry 7130e's speakerphone.

E-mail has always been a forte of BlackBerrys, and the RIM BlackBerry 7130e isn't any different. Compatible with Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino, and Novell Groupwise, you can set up your device--with the help of your IT department--to receive corporate e-mail in real time. You can access up to 10 POP3/IMAP accounts and use the included Internet browser to check Web-based e-mail, such as Yahoo and Gmail. We set up our review unit to receive messages from our SBC Global account, and after going through the necessary steps, we started getting messages within 20 minutes, sometimes even before they hit our in-box at home. If you get attachments in your e-mail, no problem--the 7130e can handle it. You can open and view Word and Excel documents, PDFs, images, and more. In addition, with Verizon's BroadbandAccess Connect service and EV-DO network, you can use the BlackBerry 7130e as a modem, as well as connect to your laptop and download large documents at speeds of 400Kbps to 700Kbps.

Unfortunately, there isn't an instant-messaging client installed on the RIM BlackBerry 7130e, not even BlackBerry Messenger. That said, the phone does support text and multimedia messaging.

We tested the dual-band RIM BlackBerry 7130e (CDMA 800/1900, EV-DO) in the San Francisco area using Verizon's network. Call quality was good, both in regular calling mode and on speakerphone. Conversations were clear and loud, and our callers said the same, although they could tell we were using a cell phone. We also paired the 7130e with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset, at which point audio quality diminished slightly. On the upside, pairing the two devices was painless.

RIM promises 3 hours of talk time and up to eight days of standby time. In our tests, the BlackBerry 7130e exceeded the rated talk-time battery life by an extra hour and 30 minutes, and it met the rated standby time.