BlackBerry models of recent vintage are highly functional tools, offering instant e-mail access, long battery life and scheduling software. They’re justifiably popular with government chiefs—who, while “praying,” might just be asking that a pending patent lawsuit doesn’t cut off domestic service.

But assuming the patent dispute gets settled, users have something to look forward to. The newest BlackBerry, the 8700c, is a quantum leap forward. It can easily compete with any handheld device on the market in every area.

For one thing, it’s fast. When you execute a program, it loads and runs like lightning without any hint of a pause, something older BlackBerrys struggled to do on occasion.

There’s plenty of memory, too, so you can switch between programs quickly. For instance, if you are working on your schedule and suddenly get an e-mail, you can just flip over to the e-mail program using the scroll wheel and then go back to the exact spot on your schedule you were working on.

The device also is much smaller than older BlackBerrys. The 35-key QWERTY keyboard fits nicely and the buttons light up when you need to use the device in a dark area.

The screen on the 8700c is attractive and colorful, and enhanced by an electric eye that instantly adjusts the brightness of the screen to lighting conditions.

The 8700c also is a phone on the Cingular network, and you can use Cingular’s EDGE network to browse the Web. Pages load fast, with all their graphics and text. The 8700c is available in the U.S. exclusively through Cingular for about $300 with a two-year service agreement.

Cingular officials say government buyers going through government channels can expect a 15 percent discount.