The new BlackBerry 8820 for AT&T adds three varieties of Wi-Fi to an already great e-mail handheld. In fact, this communicator's other attributes are so good that after my testing period, I was left wondering what benefits Wi-Fi abilities really offer. Independent of the Wi-Fi, though, the 8820 should be on any business customer's short list.

Superficially, the 8820 looks and acts exactly like a BlackBerry 8800. It's the same 4.5 by 2.6 by 0.6 and 4.7 ounces, with the same sculpted (not separated) keys on the QWERTY keyboard. It shares the 8800's very good quad-band world phone performance, beautiful screen, and easy-to-use BlackBerry e-mail. The handset also shares the 8800's lack of 3G cellular networking, which might be frustrating for road warriors who want to use the 8820 as a laptop modem. The big new feature here is an option in the Network Connections menu that gives you the ability to turn on 802.11a, b, or g Wi-Fi.

Yes, that includes the little-used "a" version seen mostly on corporate campuses. This flavor of Wi-Fi is enterprise-ready, supporting WPA2 and CCX V3 security protocols and eight kinds of VPNs, including those from Cisco and Check Point. And true to the solid reputation of BlackBerry devices, the 8820's wireless networking is easy to use and works well. I connected to an unsecured 802.11a network and a WPA-secured 802.11g without a hitch.

The problem is, RIM has optimized its system for low-bandwidth networks so effectively that the 8820's Wi-Fi seems, well, superfluous. The BlackBerry system has always delivered e-mail promptly. In addition, the stripped-down BlackBerry Web browser discards design frills for direct text and simple images, and it delivers pages in an accelerated manner through the special BlackBerry proxy server. The result is that complex pages load almost as fast over EDGE as they do over Wi-Fi.

There are worthy applications for Wi-Fi on a handheld, but unfortunately, they aren't available for the BlackBerry platform. For example, there's no VoIP client, no streaming video solution, and no rich desktop-style Web browser. The on-board app that requires a lot of bandwidth, TeleNav GPS navigation, will most likely be used when you're out of Wi-Fi range.

There is one scenario where you'd end up needing the Wi-Fi: if you were working somewhere with a Wi-Fi network and received no AT&T signal. The 8820 seamlessly tunnels through any Internet connection to deliver your e-mail just as if you were connected to the cellular network. So even though you were not able to make phone calls because there's no cell signal, you'd still be able to communicate via e-mail. RIM also said that some vertical market software developers are working on apps that would transfer large files—such as medical dictionaries—over Wi-Fi to BlackBerrys.

I am obligated to mention that the 8820 also supports AT&T's push-to-talk system. I have never met anyone who actually uses it, though. (I'm sure both of those people will now click on the Comment link at the top of this review.)

If you haven't checked out a BlackBerry recently, you'll be quite pleased by the 8820's new media, desktop, and navigation applications. Those who have seen AT&T's BlackBerry Curve will recognize them as the same snazzy software tools introduced with that model. The 8820 comes with a music-playing application that supports WMA, MP3 and AAC files on any bit rate, including stuff purchased from iTunes Plus and eMusic, but not DRM-protected files. It also offers TeleNav GPS navigation and a video player that has no trouble with full-screen video. The 8800 lets you store your media on a microSD card under the back cover (but not under the battery). RIM says it supports SDHC cards (theoretically, up to 32GB), but I couldn't get cards larger than 2GB working on my slightly earlier than final phone.

The new BlackBerry desktop software borrows chunks of Roxio's Easy Media Creator 9, which automatically converts any unprotected music or video file you can play on your PC into BlackBerry-compatible format. This process isn't as smooth as true Windows Media syncing, but it's a huge step forward. As in the 8800 (but not the BlackBerry Curve), you have to listen to music with a wired headset: There's no stereo Bluetooth here.

Business customers with a BlackBerry habit might as well get the 8820 because it's the same price as the 8800: $299.99 with contract. That's like getting Wi-Fi for free! Individuals and non-Berrymongers, though, will probably be better served by other choices. The BlackBerry Curve costs $100 less and adds an excellent 2-megapixel camera, so that's my pick for mobile e-mailers. If you're interested in making the most of Wi-Fi and high-speed networks, check out the Samsung BlackJack and the Nokia E61i instead.

Benchmark Test Results
Continuous talk time: 13 hours 4 minutes

Compare the BlackBerry 8820 with several other mobile phones side by side.

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