RIM BlackBerry 6710 Wireless Handheld

Research In Motion's latest offerings for connecting wireless users to corporate messaging systems center on its improved BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Microsoft Exchange v. 3.6 ($4,999 direct). Add in one of the company's innovative voice/data devices—namely, the new BlackBerry 6710 Wireless Handheld ($499) that we tested—and you get a seamless enterprise solution that gives corporate users access to their business messaging systems and outside mailboxes.

On the server side, BlackBerry Server lets IT departments connect Microsoft Exchange (reviewed here) or Lotus Notes/ Domino servers to a wireless carrier. We installed the server product under both Exchange 5.5 and Exchange 2000. Having separate printed manuals for setting up each version is a plus here, since there are good number of prerequisites and tweaks for getting BlackBerry Server to run with Exchange correctly. After some trial and error and a few calls to RIM tech support, we were up and running with Exchange accounts for a department of 12 test users.

Managing your installation of BlackBerry Server in Windows is done through an impressive Microsoft Management Console (MMC) plug-in. The administration console is deep, with excellent control over setting policy-based defaults for your wireless users. A drop-down list with several dozen options let us set password, synchronization, and security options. For security, BlackBerry Server relies on Triple DES encryption while sending your data to carriers outside the corporate firewall.

Provisioning our test handhelds was also easy using the same utility. Basic options (such as user and password information) can be pushed to existing users. You can also deactivate a unit that's been lost or stolen, rendering it useless to unauthorized users.

Real-time monitoring of your wireless users is also impressive. You can build a custom status screen by choosing from more than a dozen fields in a spreadsheet-style grid. We like that you can filter messages to send to wireless users, including the ability to block messages of a certain size or type.

On the whole, the admin capabilities in BlackBerry Server will fit the needs of any IT organization. There's a good mix of out-of-the-box settings that work and lot of customizability if you need it.

On the client side, several recent BlackBerry models add to the repertoire of options for users. We tested the 6710, which offers integrated voice, SMS, and data capabilities. At 4.8 by 3.0 by 0.7 inches (HWD), it has the same basic form as the classic RIM 957 but is generally sleeker and feels more comfortable.

The backlit monochrome screen is easy to see, and we found the thumbable keyboard easier to type on than earlier BlackBerry models. A myriad of keyboard shortcuts are available as you dig into this interface to help speed up the way you work. Unlike on a typical PDA, you won't get a touch-sensitive screen here. Instead, an ingenious, clickable trackwheel lets you navigate through the BlackBerry user interface.

While corporate IT can provision the identities and basic options for new handhelds on the server, end users will need to set up their handhelds in a cradle to get started. By contrast, the BlackBerry's chief competitor, the GoodLink G100, from Good Technology, needs no cradle.

End users can synchronize both e-mail and calendar data in Exchange with their handhelds over the wire. Syncing Exchange's Task and Contact lists currently isn't supported. But a correctly configured BlackBerry Server on the back end will let users view Web pages as well as e-mail attachments (including Word, Excel, PDF, and text files).

For making phone calls, the 6710 worked just fine. Thanks to the built-in speaker and mic, you can speak directly into the unit or use the included headset, which lets you use the keyboard to reference information while talking. We liked that all activity—both e-mail and voice mail—was logged together on the interface. This makes it a cinch to track messages of both types, as well as retrieve and re-use numbers easily.

Version 3.6 of the Blackberry Desktop Manager client software includes the Intellisync utility, which lets you decide how to synchronize data between your handheld and desktop. In the case of conflicts, for example, you can decide whether the handheld or desktop versions should prevail.

But the most impressive feature of the client software is the ability to attach your PDA to corporate and noncorporate e-mail alike: Uniquely, the BlackBerry client can request mail from all your mailboxes (up to ten) at once, including those from your ISP—an extremely useful feature for real-world users who inevitably have personal mailboxes in other places besides Exchange.