4. Size Matters: Dinky Doesn't Work

The 7250 is the longest and widest. The Motorola V557 is the thickest. At 10.5 cubic inches the Blackberry takes up the most space. The V557 comes in second in the volume race at 6.27 cubic inches and the Razr V3 occupies only 3.92 cubic inches.

Note that the Blackberry's volume comes not from its thickness, but from its length and width. So, what does RIM pack into the 7250's nearly 3 by 5 inches?

First, the display offers over a square inch (41%) more area than the Razr V3 and 1.72 square inches (96%) more area than the V557. All that extra display area gives the 7250 a real advantage over the micro-mini-screened smart phones. It's possible to present more information on the Blackberry's display and that makes a very big difference. For example, the Blackberry organizes my email in a very user friendly way, showing the day and full date, the time each message was received, the sender and the subject. My Motorola V557 displays a list of emails showing only the sender's email address.

Second, the extra length and width of the Blackberry gives me a really big alphanumeric keyboard compared to the tiny often unreadable numeric keypads on the smart phones. The Blackberry's keyboard is 94% larger than the numeric keypad on the Razr V3 and 76% greater than the V557's numeric keypad.

In the photo below each keypad/keyboard is shown at nearly actual size. Notice that there are relatively small spaces between the V557's raised keys. There's also very little horizontal space and an unclear amount of vertical space between the more or less flat numeric keys on the Razr V3. The keys on the two smart phones are big as all get out, but I still can't hit the right one most of the time because the small spaces between the keys make it more difficult to feel your way around the keyboard. The Blackberry's alphanumeric keys are smaller, but they have spaces between them that make it pretty easy to type fairly quickly with your thumbs, even if you have oversized thumbs like mine.

From left to right: the Motorola V557 keypad, the Motorola Razr V3 keypad and the RIM Blackberry 7250 keyboard.

While you're looking at the above photo, note how the Razr's metallic gray surface makes it difficult to see the slightly grayish white numbers and letters on the keypad. It's easier to see the numbers and letters when the keyboard backlight is on, but the cut out lines forming the letters are so thin it can be hard to make out the letters even with the backlight turned on. The white-on-gray V557 keys are easier to see especially when the backlight is on. However, the Blackberry's keys with black letters on silver are easy to see in bright or dim light or in the dark with the backlight on.

The Blackberry 7250 PDA is the heaviest of the three devices, tipping the scales at a very modest 5 ounces. The V557 is 0.8 ounces lighter and the Razr weighs 1.60 ounces less than the 7250. Unless you're a very delicate individual, I can't imagine these weight differences will drive you to one or the other of the three devices.