The term "3G" has become a generic term for 3rd Generation mobiles and no longer can be really linked to a particular cellular network technology. What we might call "true" 3G services then fall into two branches.
TELSTRA will undermine the federal Government's much-vaunted media reforms by offering its customers up to 12 pay-TV channels delivered straight to their mobile phones from as early as next month...
Update (4/08/06): RIM has just released an incremental upgrade to the 8700, dubbed the 8707. It's identical to the model reviewed here, with the exception of added 3G network support.
Head out to buy a BlackBerry and you'll be confronted with two distinct types of design. The first is the slim phone-oriented shape (as seen on the 7130e), which is less dorky to hold up to your ear for calls but at the same time is less suited to rapid-fire emailing since two letters share each key.
Conversely, the data-oriented design used by the 8700g is wider and flatter, and offers a full 35-key QWERTY keyboard. We've tested both, and can confirm that the 8700g is significantly faster for data entry. We found that the same e-mail typed out on the 7130e and the 8700v takes roughly half the time on the latter.
The device measures 6.95 x 1.95 x 11.0 cm and weighs in at 134g, which makes it only 4 grams heavier than the phone-shaped 7130e. It's noticeably wider, but this is a necessary evil given the inclusion of a 35-key keyboard. If the 8700g doubles as your regular mobile phone, the fashion conscious will undoubtedly want to purchase a Bluetooth headset, as this is far from a glamour device.
