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| Product: RIM Inter@active Pager 950 |
Company: Research in Motion (RIM) |
| Web: www.rim.net |
Phone: 519-888-7465 |
| Platform: Your belt |
SRP: US$$359 (to buy)
See below.
Street Price: same |
Cred Rating: | Special Award: |
Two-way pagers are nothing new, but so far, they've had a few problems: the keyboards have been hard to use, they've been large and cumbersome, battery life is often short, and the unit costs and service fees have been high. Research in Motion's Inter@active Pager 950 addresses a number of these issues with real panache.
First off, it's small and lightweight, weighing in at 4.9 ounces (including the AA battery) and measuring 3.5" x 2.5" x .93". Where other two-way pagers have employed a chunky clamshell design that opens to reveal a screen and keyboard, the Pager 950 looks like a conventional pager with a teeny QWERTY keyboard squeezed onto the front. It may look impossible to do any real typing on this thing, but I was amazed at how fast I could type after only a few minutes of practice. The user interface on the backlit LCD screen is as well-designed as the keyboard. I figured out all of the major functions without ever having to crack open the manual (always a good sign). Where other two-way pagers are known for getting less than a week out of a battery, the Pager 950 can get much more. The manual claims it can get up to 500 hours on one AA, but I remain skeptical. I only got a few days each on some used batteries I had lying around. The current battery, a fresh one, has been in for about seven days now (with the unit on about 18 hours each day), and so far, the battery indicator is still at full strength.
The Pager 950 allows you to send and receive conventional email and two-way pages, send faxes and even send text-to-voice messages. For text-to-voice messaging, you compose your message in the usual way, send it to the phone number of the person you wish to reach and a synthesized voice reads your message to the recipient. It's like having Stephen J. Hawking as your personal secretary! One drawback to this. If you cold send a message to someone (who isn't expecting a text-to-voice message), they may hang up. This happened when I sent messages to several people. They heard that cheesy synth voice and thought it was a robo-ad. The Pager 950 can hold over 500 names and contact information.
The one thing this impressive new wireless communications device has not been able to address is the high price of two-way paging. The unit costs US$359 if you buy it outright, plus the monthly service fees which start at $29.95/month. You can also rent the pager for six months, starting at $25.95/month. A dizzying array of options (including leasing) are available. Check out the BellSouth Wireless site for service plan information.
- Gareth Branwyn [2/25/99]
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