BlackBerry will release the 7100t Bluetooth Phone through T-Mobile soon. Many many features including GSM, "Push" e-mail for up to 10 accounts and an HTML browser. Price will be around $200. Designed to compete with the Treo 600. You can check it out at www.blackberry.com or www.t-mobile.com. I do not know if it will sync with HFL. It should. I ask the first person to get it to let us know. If it syncs I plan to sell my Treo 600 on Ebay and dump Sprint. Looks like it will be a gem.

 

New BB 7100t will be available on 9/30 (according to T-mobile).
I will let you know how it works, as I have 1 on order.

 

I'm very interested in how the Bluetooth works with a "locked" Blackberry. Our company policy is to have it auto lock after 10 min of non-use. When you are testing please let me know if you can still receive/make calls if the BB is locked. Look forward to your review.

 

Hey what's going on guys? I am new to the board, I just bought my TL and will have it on Saturday (can't wait)! I'm getting the blackberry 7100t tomorrow so I can post on saturday how it will perform. Hopefully it should work without any problems.

 

Looks like Cingular is going to have a HFL compatible Blackberry soon. I found this info on PhoneScoop dot com:
Research In Motion (RIM) today announced the BlackBerry 7290. The 7290 is similar to previous 7200-series models, but adds Bluetooth support (headset and handsfree profiles), quad-band GSM, a brighter color display, and increased memory. The new model also features a tweaked keyboard with slightly larger keys and easier-to-read number keys for dialing. The 7290 is expected to be available from Cingular in early October

 

Just picked up the 7100t. Excellent graphics and phone quality.
T-mobile rep said that the BlueTooth system is only compatible with the wireless ear piece.
He did not know about the TL's compatibility.
Will let you know if the car recognizes and syncs with the 7100t.

 

snax i've learned that tmobile reps don't know what the hell they're talking about (pardon my french). When i ran around NYC today looking for the new BB, a couple reps told me 1) there were no new data plans released and 2) the phone was 299 with no rebate. I finally found a store that knew what's going on and got the phone for 199 and a great new service contract. I won't have my car until saturday, but the manual blatantly states it works with all car kits as well as headpieces.

 

The coast is clear...
7100t easily installed and synced with the TL.

 

Pairing is good, but does it answer incoming calls? What indicatiors show up on the HFL? After my v600 / v710 experiences I am more than a little gun shy of this stuff!

Thanks.

 

Works great with inbound and outbound calls.
With my Non-nav screen it show up on both displays. If the number / name is programed into the system as a voice command, it also shows up. Also has signal bars, battery strength and number dialed. Like I said... it works good for me... but my mojo has been positive lately.

 

If the Blackberry is locked can it still receive calls? Can it make outgoing calls through the bluetooth without unlocking?

Does the name from the 7100 directory show up on the caller id? Or just the phone number?

Thanks.

 

I should be getting one of these soon. The company I work for got boughtout earlier this year and the new parent company is forcing everyone to switch to Cingular. So, even though I lose my Verizon service , the person in our company dealing with the cellphones did say that they will be getting 7290's for those that they give out blcakberry's to.

I'll report back when I get mine and let everyone know how well it works (or doesn't)

 

BTW, the Cingular website lists a ship date of 10/5/2004 (today!) for the 7290. So, unlike the V710, it's looking like there won't be massive delays in the initial release date.

 

Hey, snax. Any update on how your 7100t is doing? I _almost_ ordered one through my company today. I have to get a BlackBerry anyway, so why not get one that synch with HFL? I called Acura to find out the company line. The guy told me flat out that it did not. I don't know if that's just because they haven't had a chance to conduct testing and write up the instructions for the site, or if it was the result of incompatibilities with the phone/car.

This process is sort of amusing... It's like having to call the office Help Desk to see if they "support" a new gadget or software app. Having worked on that side of IT for a while, I know how mgmt puts in place "official" statements. Sometimes, it just takes getting to the right person that will tell the truth. Are things still working out? I'd appreciate any additional insights.

 

my brother just got the 7100t from T-mobile, I guess i could try to pair it with the TL and see if it works

 

works perfectly! all icons show up in MID and it activates HFL as soon as i turn on the engine.

 

Just tried the 7290 from Cingualr, all icons showeed on the MID and Radio screen and worked correctly.

 

Seems like most T-mobile and Acura reps are not up to date on the latest Blackberry offerings. As I said, the 7100t syncs and performs just like any other BB phone. The only thing you need to do is 'accept' the sync once the car is started. The 7100t verifies that you want to start the HFL. You then get a Blue LED on the 7100t to verify the connection.
BTW, the graphics are excellent however the web browser is a little slow depending on the signal strength. Now if it only had WiFi....

 

Do you have to "accept" this connection everytime you start the car? That can get a bit annoying. With my v600 I only had to accept the connection during the initial pairing process and now it automatically connects to my car whenever I enter it. I got my hands on a motorola MPX, but alas it does not work with the TL. It pairs, but neither incoming or outgoing calls work with it.

I have a couple of questions about the 7100t other than the connection process. 1) are you required to subscribe to a specific plan in order to use the data features of the BB 2) can I configure it to work with my existing POP3 accounts, and forego using blackberry's service?

The reason I ask is that I currently have t-mobile's 39.99 plan with 1000 anytime minutes and unlimited nights/weekends, with t-zones for an additional 4.99$. With my treo 600 i'm able to browse the web, access my pop email accounts and make phone calls to my heart's content. The only thing I can't do is connect with my TL. (argggggh, that's why I sprung for a prototype MPX). If i can use the 7100T with my current plan, and merely use it to browse the web and access pop mail that would be ideal and i'll buy one immediately.

 

Csunracer -- I have the 7100t and no, you can make it so that everytime the car starts it automatically accepts the connection. One time i got into my car with my phone in its holster on my belt, and the phone rang as soon as i started the engine! It just shows a screen on the phone saying that the hands free profile has been activated for me. pop3 and imap work fine on the BB, and i have the new 19.99 unlimited data plan, so i can't really tell you how it works with t-zones. I know the browser can be a little on the slow side, but the graphics are so nice i can't complain (it loads websites beautifully). You will certainly enjoy it.