I’ve had the BlackBerry 9780 for a few days now, running on Mobilicity’s 3G network in the Greater Toronto area, and so far I’ve been impressed. BIS is not a service people really appreciate until it stops working, and today, with the outage over North America, it brought back to peoples’ attention just how many BlackBerry devices are out there.

RIM is still a serious competitor in the mobile market, and it shows with the recent comments from Dave Dobbin, Mobilicity’s CEO, who said that he’s incredibly happy with the BlackBerry sales coming out of last quarter. There are a number of reasonably-priced devices, like the Curve 3G 9300 for $299, and the Bold 9700 for $449. With the Bold 9780 situated at the top of the food chain, for $499, the lineup offers a good amount of choice for the average no-contract consumer.

Since customers are not getting the phone for a subsidized price, or less so, for the tradeoff of not signing a contract, one has to be pretty sure that the phone is right for him or her. The BlackBerry seems to be a device that people have no problem paying an outright price, as, to some extent, even older models maintain their functionality well into their lifespan. Because the core function of the phone doesn’t change, namely quick messaging/BBM/push email, older BlackBerry model work very well for most people. These are devices passed down through families, usually from husband to wife, or older brother to younger.

Back to Mobilicity’s 9780: the device, launched earlier this year, is the pinnacle of BlackBerry utilitarianism. It’s small with a huge battery, wonderful keyboard, tons of memory, a great camera, and chugs along at a good clip compared to its predecessor. BlackBerry 6 is a nice overhaul of the OS while staying familiar to the average old-hat, and the web browser FINALLY allows for a decent web experience, even on a 2.4″ screen. The network seems to be handling the influx of smartphone users exceptionally well. Whereas I wouldn’t be able to get a Mobilicity signal in my basement on an Android device, the antenna in the Bold 9780 is outstanding, and I am able to make clear phone calls, and download files at high speeds.

BlackBerries are usually associated with high-priced corporate accounts, or with $100+ monthly bills. Mobilicity allows one unlimited calls and data for less than one would typically pay for a feature phone plan without data on one of the Big Three carriers.

I’m not endorsing Mobilicity, nor do I think they’re the only viable company with whom to do BlackBerry business. Wind offers its BlackBerry 9780 for $50 less than Mobilicity, and competes quite well in monthly plan pricing. But Mobilicity seems to have a better grasp on how to woo customers by offering better phones, initiating innovative pricing plans, and marketing schemes that are actually making a difference in the industry.