[Xjett]

Hey everyone. I currently have a Blackberry 8700c. Due to a rather unexpected dive in the pool it no longer works. I was looking to upgrade to the 8100 but I am hearing that the keyboard and predictive text are difficult to adjust to. But I am also hearing it's not hard to get used to. If any of you guys can give me some feedback that would be great, I plan to make a purchase on Friday.

[quillhill]

Well I can't speak to the Pearl's keyboard from daily use, but I can talk in general about going from the 8700 to a SureType phone. I had an 8700 die on me, too, last fall due to water damage. Oops.
I got a 7130c and I really like it. SureType took a few days of adjustment but once you get the hang of it, it's not bad. It's still head and shoulders smarter and faster than T9, which I loathe.
I am looking to get a Pearl, too, because the 8800 is too wide for my hand and I'm not sure the 8300 does it for me, though the keyboard on that looks great. Sigh.
I find that SureType is a matter of personal preference, so try it for a week and see what you think. If you hate it, return it.

[esbe02]

I've had my pearl for a little over a month and I love it. This is my first bb and it took me a little getting used to the typing with suretype but it only takes a few days to get used to. Its really not that bad at all. And as you mentioned... The 8800 looks cool but the pearl size is what makes the device set itself apart from the others.

[DNoble]

I had a QWERTY bb and switched to the Peal the SureType
I have adjusted pretty quick and now type pretty much as fast as I did with the QWERTY BB.

[vainterim]

I switched from a Treo 650 to the Pearl and am very happy with the Pearl in almost every way. It is a better phone even than previous Nokia's I have had and the Suretype keyboard, although it does take some getting used to, is quite nice. Once used to it one can type quite about as fast (maybe faster) than with the qwerty layout. The only drawback I observe after three months with the Pearl is occasionally when typing a name for the first time. Try it and see for yourself.

[dmeany]

Keyboard is fine and trutype is easier than my 7800. DO IT!

[pgab]

I'd say that the keyboard is not the hindering factor; it's the smaller screen that may not be as nice if you are coming from the 8700. They keyboard and SureType are both perfectly effective. I remember reading reviews about the Pearl that complained that the keys are so small. Really, the keys are not that small. They are very close together though. Still, the keys are large enough that I never have a problem with hitting an adjacent key.

If you don't mind the smaller screen, the Pearl's size far outweighs any inconvenience from learning the keyboard.

[churchill]

I came over to the Blackberry world, specifically to the 8100, from the windows mobile 5 world,from both a tmobile mda and dash. While HTC did a fine job making great hardware, especially the dash, WM 5.0 was the most frustrating user experience I've ever had. It was worse than having win 98 in your pocket. I finally got fed up and bought an 8100 on ebay, swapped the sim out of my dash, changed my plan and my life has improved 100%. I can now type on suretype amazingly fast, things set up without making you pull your hair out, I havent modified a registry in months and aside from the small mem leak that requires me to use soft reset about every other week, the phone is perfect. I like the form factor, even though its smaller, and the only criticism I can make is that the track ball assembly is slightly delicate so I would suggest you consider a case for it that covers the front if you are going to carry it in your pocket. Other than that its easily the best and easiest to use phone I've ever had.

[mayoke]

I went from a MDA to the 8100.
I LOVE it!

I think the suretype is actually easier than using a qwerty keyboard. I can type e-mails and texts with one hand and do it pretty fast.

Of course, everyone has different opinions. I was lucky. The IT guys at work had Pearls so I borrowed one of theirs to play with to see if I liked it enough. It gets a little better every day. (I keep finding new cool things for it.)

Your mileage may vary but I love mine.

[Xjett]

Cool thanks for the feedback guys. Friday I'm going to swing by the Cingular, I mean the AT&T store, and pick one up.

[zentient]

I've had my Pearl for 1.5 days. It is just to use until they swap it for an 8800 for me. If I were you, I would try typing on both the 8100 and 8800.

Suretype works really well, but I'm already quite used to it. What is bothering me is the keyboard. It's still very useable, but I find my thumbs wrestling more often than I'd like given that the keys, which are reasonably sized, are simply in a smaller, phone-sized space. I also find that my fingers/thumbs don't get enough traction on the keys.

I've tried the 8800 in-store for an hour or so. They keys are smaller, for sure, but after initially thinking it was awful (as I did in the first minutes with the 8100) I quickly got very comfortable with it. I found the ridged contour on each 8800 key really helped to hit the right key.

I have average-sized but not huge hands; I play classical guitar so my RH nails are longer and that's an extra challenge. On the 8100 I find I want to use both hands' nails to type correctly, whereas on the 8800 I adapted to typing with thumb-tips/pads (not nails) in that hour-or-so.

Hope this helps! I'd be interested to hear how you find it once you've taken the plunge.

[tobyw]

I too moved from a Treo 650. It certainly takes a while to get used to SureType. The main thing is having confidence in it getting the right word when you get to the end; i.e. you get used to it "looking" wrong but turning to the word you wanted when you finishing (if that makes sense!). I am almost as fast as I was with the qwerty Treo. However, this slight loss in speed is a small price to pay for being able to use the device one handed, not to mention the smaller form factor, fewer crashes etc. etc.

[LunkHead]

I have been a qwerty lover and user for quite some time.... I recently figured I would give the 8100 a try until the 8800 came out... I had it 2 days and sent it back!

Then about 2 months later I again figured I would give it a try and this time I told myself I would give it 2 weeks of exclusive use before deciding...

After a week I loved the little thing! Never sent it back and sold my 8700!

My issues the 1st time I had it was Suretype and keyboard size (I have big hands) The 1sr tine I had the 8100 I did not give it enough time for me to adjust from the larger device size of the 8700 and going from qwerty to suretype.

My suggestion is to give it a week or so before deciding.. I am glad I did the 2nd time around with the 8100 as I have even decided to skip the 8800 now as I am really enjoying the 8100!!!

Hope this helps!