As smartphones and enterprise devices get sleeker, RIM has of late been making determined efforts to shed the "efficient but ugly" tag associated with it. The Pearl represented a major step in this direction with its sleek form factor and multimedia features. And hot on its heels comes the 8120.

The 8120 does look sleek with its metallic side panels and compact form factor. The keys are laid out just as they were on the Pearl - in waves, rather than horizontal lines. And the keypad remains the half-QWERTY set-up with two letters on some keys, and supports RIM's SureType system. Getting used to it is just a matter of habit - the keys are well-designed and easy to use. RIM has also retained the smooth track ball for finding your way across the 2.2-inch bright display. Those addicted to full-fledged QWERTY keyboards might complain, but the smaller keypad does help in giving the 8120 its sleek appearance.



CONNECTIVITY AND MULTIMEDIA Although the 8120 comes with the standard array of enterprise applications that are the hallmark of most BlackBerry devices, what really marks it out are its multimedia features. Most notable of these is the 2.0-megapixel camera with a 5x zoom, which is a significant move up clear snaps even in the night and video clips were reasonably sharp. The device has support for playing MP3s and other popular media formats too - the sound is not likely to give Nokia or Sony Ericsson sleepless nights, but is more than adequate for those who want to take a break between mails. Bluetooth connectivity (A2DP is sup¬ported) is available and a welcome addition is the introduction of Wi-Fi, which gives users the option to browes the net and download mail at a pretty brisk rateat hot spots.And all these options do not seem to have affected the device for almost two days with a couple of hours of calling surfing andmusic every day.


ALL ABOUT EMAIL
But the core competence of any BlackBerry device remains its ability to access email. And the 8120 does not disappoint in this regard. We were able to set up accounts and receive, send and compose mails with minimum fuss. However, one area where RIM needs to do some serious thinking is an office suite - most enterprise devices today come with the option to create and edit MS Office files, but BlackBerry still does not venture beyond allowing one to view attachments. This places the device at a serious disadvantage against the smartphones based on windows mobile and sumbian operating sustems . , some user are also bond to quibble about the absence of GPS, although the device does comes with google maps. but if one is looking for email on the move on a device woeth flaunting wih good battery lifr and excellent hardware, the 8120 remains one the best option available out there.

ALTERNATIVELY
Those looking for a device with a QWERTY' keyboard and similar features could turn to the Nokia E61 i for Rs. 17,369 or the HTC S71 0 for
Rs 14,900. Semi-QWERTY' keypad users could look at the Sony Ericsson P1 i which comes with a 3.2-megapixel camera.

TECH SPECS:-

Weight: 91 grams .
Memory: 64 MB, Micro SD.
Battery: Li-ion, 900 mAh.
Screen: 65,536 colours.
Talktime/Standby: Up to 4 hoursl Up to 360 hours.
Bluetooth/lnfrared: Yes/No.
Phonebook Capacity: Shared memory Speakerphone: Yes.
Camera: 2.0-megapixel.
Frequency: GSM 8501 900/1800/1900.
Others: E-mail attachment viewer, Push Mail, music player, BlackBerry Browser, Wi-Fi.