Chapter 9. BlackBerry As the Ultimate Mobile Phone

IN THIS CHAPTER:

54 About the BlackBerry Phone

55 Make and Receive Phone Calls

56 Make a Conference Call

57 Forward Calls

58 Manage the Speed Dial List

59 Take Advantage of Smart Dialing

60 Work with Call Logs

61 Tweak Phone Options

62 Access a 411 Phone Directory

The BlackBerry 7100 series of devices represents an important shift in the way BlackBerry devices are used and perceived. The 7100 series devices add mobile phone functionality in a slim form factor to the already popular text-messaging features of the BlackBerry product line. Text messaging and tight email integration have long been the strong suit of all BlackBerry devices, but it's only with the 7100 series that users can now forego carrying around two devices for mobile phone and text-messaging features.

Because the BlackBerry 7100 series devices are designed with relatively large screens and a full-featured graphical user interface, the phone facet of the devices is in many ways more advanced than that of single-purpose mobile phones. The BlackBerry 7100 manages to carefully walk the line between handheld computer and mobile phone and does a decent job in the process. You would perhaps expect the device to be weak on phone features because its legacy is text messaging, but I've found the BlackBerry phone to be intuitive. And being able to use synchronized contacts from Microsoft Outlook to initiate calls is a real luxury.