T-Mobile is offering the BlackBerry 8820 and giving the phone a new trick. This business-first messaging phone has a full keyboard and a quad-band radio for calling while overseas. But it also includes the T-Mobile Hotspot@Home technology that lets you make calls from anywhere in the world over Wi-Fi networks.
Hotspot@Home, a $10 add-on to your T-Mobile bill, was ostensibly created so subscribers with poor cell reception could make calls over their home Wi-Fi routers. But it also lets business travelers make and receive unlimited calls to numbers in the United States from overseas.
The phone, which costs $350 with a two-year contract, lasts up to 22 days on standby — depending on use — and for up to five hours of talk time.
The 8820 includes an e-mail wizard for setting up almost any type of e-mail account, along with BlackBerry Messenger for instant messaging. There is a built-in Web browser and G.P.S. location tracking. The phone does not have a camera, which will make security-conscious tech departments happy. JOHN BIGGS