We have to admit that something does peeve us about the BlackBerry. It advertises instant messaging, but that’s really limited to BlackBerry Messenger. There’s nothing wrong with it, really, it’s just that when we hear “instant messaging” we tend to think MSN, Yahoo, or AIM. After all, most of our friends use it, so to have access from our BlackBerry would be pretty sweet. Alas, we’re left wanting in that area. But those crazy cats at Sprint are ready to deliver what we’ve been looking for.
Yes, they will be the first BlackBerry carrier to supply AOL Instant Messenger to their subscribers. This will be a Java-based application, so we remain skeptical about its overall functionality, but it’s still an excellent idea that will help Sprint boost its BlackBerry sales.
This feature will be available on the following CDMA units: 7130e, 8703e, and of course the 8830. It will also be available on the iDEN units 7520 and 7100i. This comes at no additional cost to the BlackBerry subscriber.
The only quibble we have right now is that it advertises “virtual real-time message exchange.” Okay. We don’t like the word “virtual” next to the phrase “real-time,” only because “virtual” is one of the most ambiguous terms ever. We’ll see if we can find some reviews of the service in the coming weeks.
Does anyone have a BlackBerry with Sprint service? We’re quite curious to know how well it operates on the whole. Because really this is a neat-o feature. We wonder how long it will be before the other carriers pick it up.
