The Blackberry 8800 is trying to be the best of both worlds.

The first devices from the masters of 'push email' had easily accessible keyboards so typing emails was a cinch.

But they had dull screens and their wide bodies made them nasty for making phone calls.

Later models were narrower, like regular mobiles, so could be held to an ear more easily. But there wasn’t room for a full Qwerty keypad so they had two letters to most numbers and used a predictive text input system, which was very hard to master.

Gradual improvements followed, and the Blackberry 8800 is well-featured and a great compromise in terms of shape. It’s not as narrow as a mobile without a full Qwerty keypad, but it’s not much wider.

And every letter has its own key. They’re small keys but, because they have one rounded corner, there’s space enough in between to make them easily usable. The screen is bright, and there’s a music player built in, though no camera – this is aimed at the well-heeled business types, after all.

Blackberry diehards may regret the passing of the jog-wheel to navigate menus, but the glowing trackball (introduced on the earlier Blackberry Pearl) that has replaced it is excellent and a pleasure to use.

Of course, Blackberry’s menus are as individual as ever and bear no resemblance to anyone else’s system, but once mastered, they’re fine. And the 8800 continues Blackberry's title as the leader in push email (email on a mobile device).

At this, it’s as efficient and addictive as ever, with mail delivered fast and frequently. The facility to turn off the aerial means you can type messages when you’re aboard an aircraft and they’ll be sent the moment you land – very satisfying.

And the many shortcuts and automated typing quirks that the software offers means that you can complete those messages quickly. If there’s a fault it’s that it lacks 3G capabilities, which would have sped up internet surfing. That aside, this is, by a country mile, the best Blackberry yet.

Vista compatible: N/A