by Greg Schwartz

Created on: November 28, 2009

The BlackBerry, developed by Research In Motion, has quickly become one of the dominant brands of handheld multifunctional wireless devices on the market. Many different BlackBerry models have been manufactured and sold over the years, and one of the earlier ones - which is slightly outdated now but still available - is the BlackBerry 8703e.

The 8703e is rather bulky compared to newer devices such as the Droid or the BlackBerry Tour. It measures about four inches by three inches, and it weighs just under five ounces. However, the screen is big enough that you don't have to squint to read it, and it has a full QWERTY keyboard. Navigation is accomplished by a track wheel, nicely located on the right side of the device almost exactly where your thumb would rest anyway.

As a cell phone, the 8703e rates about average. I had mine for about two years, and over that time I certainly experienced my share of dropped calls and static. Every now and then the device would get stubborn and refuse to make outbound calls, and I would have to call it from another phone to knock it out of its funk. Overall the reception quality was not bad, and the speakerphone always worked nicely.

The BlackBerry 8703e comes with 65 MB of memory, plenty of built-in applications (such as a calendar, note pad, calculator, and email client), BrickBreaker (for short breaks), and a serviceable web browser. The 8703e is Bluetooth-compatible and can be tethered to a laptop or other computer and used as a modem. (The transfer speed falls somewhere between dial-up and broadband, but the tether feature can come in very handy when you need to get online and there are no wireless hot spots anywhere nearby.)

The 8703e has two available convenience keys, one on the front of the device and one on the side, that can be programmed for quick access to any application. The appearance is easily customizable, whether you want to change the font, text size, or general theme. You can also download new themes, applications, and ringtones online.

A quick search with Yahoo! Shopping reveals used BlackBerry 8703e phones selling for $89-159, and a new one currently on sale for $279. You might be able to find better prices on eBay or another site. As a brand new unit, the 8703e comes with a wall charger, belt holster, and USB tether cable.

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