Yellowknife (Feb 28/05) - If you are relatively new to Yellowknife and find your BlackBerry device staring blankly back at you, giving it a shake won't help in the least.

Ryan MacPhail, a sales associate at the Yk Centre Radio Shack in Yellowknife, says the popular device used in southern provinces does not yet have the telephone service needed for its use here in the North.

"The BlackBerry uses Bluetooth technology, which we don't yet have. We don't have the phone service necessary," MacPhail said.

"It's expensive to bring the service up here in the North. There is more demand for it in the larger city centres."

The BlackBerry is one of the latest hand-held devices that combines the cellular, Palm Pilot and Internet services.

Averaging several hundred dollars in cost, the convenient device is one of the latest technologies, but in Yellowknife, it is the Palm Pilot that is the most popular device.

MacPhail said the Palm Pilot, readily on the market since about 1999, begins with the basic, stand-alone monochrome screen model which costs less than $200.

The next step up from that version is the colour screen model which also features a built-in camera, an MP3 player and connection access to the Internet.

It also has Bluetooth technology capabilities.

The high-end version of the Palm Pilot has a convenient plug-in and full use of the Internet, including software such as PowerPoint and Outlook.

"The devices are good for travellers," MacPhail said.

Several of the models also have the capability to attach small keyboards and record voices.

But now that Bell Mobility has arrived in the North, the Treo, an all-in-one device that provides e-mail, an organizer, a camera and messaging, is gaining in popularity.

"We've gone from selling one every couple of weeks or months to every couple of days," MacPhail said of the device, which also costs several hundred dollars.

With technology similar to the BlackBerry, the Treo has many similar capabilities, with the exception of accessing the Internet here in the North, MacPhail said. But with the advance of technology showing no signs of slowing down, MacPhail said it is definitely the consumer who wins.

"As we get more technology, there is never a decrease in quality. It becomes more readily available to consumers."