The Blackberry's on the way

By PAUL BRISLEN

Vodafone will offer the famous Blackberry email device in New Zealand from the middle of next month.

The Canadian company's product, which gives users access to their electronic mail on their employer's network, has taken the corporate world by storm in the US and Europe.

Vodafone head of business Russell Stanners said its "pager on speed" approach to telecommunications made it the perfect device for the business executive.

"You don't have to carry your laptop around with you to just get your email. It's got a great user interface that makes it simple to use so it's ideal for the busy executives or business managers."

Though plenty of devices and services allow users to receive email remotely, Blackberry's claim to fame is it sends email from the corporate network to the device as it arrives.

Rather than having to dial in to the email service to check for messages, users are sent the first few lines of the email automatically and can download the remainder if they wish. Stanners says even attachments, such as documents or spreadsheets, are delivered to the device.

"It formats them to fit the screen which is a great idea."

The models Vodafone will be selling are also able to carry voice calls, unlike the early models of the Blackberry which were data-only.

Initially the Blackberry will be launched for major corporates with the necessary computer infrastructure. Smaller companies will have to wait for a couple of months for the small-business version.

Stanners says more devices will be launched this year and companies such as Sony Ericsson, which already have Blackberry-enabled cellphones, will be added to the service by the year's end.