I was one of those early Blackberry users and loved it. Over time, however, I became tired of carrying both a pager/PDA and a mobile phone, so a few years ago I switched to the Palm Treo 600 and then the 650. But I always missed the unlimited push email that Blackberry provides. Running a POP3 or IMAP client on a cellphone isn’t even close. I’m planning some foreign travel this Spring, and since my Sprint (CDMA) Treo won’t work there, I decided it was time to shop.

As good luck and timing would have it, Cingular recently started selling the Blackberry 8700c for only $299 after rebates. You have to buy monthly plans for both voice and Blackberry (data), but you can get unlimited email and browser access.

In short, the 8700c is brilliant. I picked up a Jabra Blutooth headset (works great) and the superb PocketMac for Blackberry (free!) that synchs calendar, contacts, etc., with my Powebook. This is the best phone/PDA/email combo I’ve seen, and I find the costs to be quite reasonable. Push email is alive and well once again.