[AntiqueCarNut]

I had a BB 7520 for Nextel for a couple of weeks and I just returned it within the allotted evaluation period. With their rebate and discount thru my company's plan with Nextel, the BB essentially cost me zero. I currently have a Verizon Motorola V710 cell phone and although not perfect, I've been pretty happy with Verizon's cell service for the past six years. I do travel on business often, sometimes in remote areas, so having excellent roaming phone coverage is very important to me; more important than continuous data coverage.

Nearly everyone that I speak with, says that Nextel's phone service is marginal everywhere and that they keep it only on account of the Direct Connect feature. That's why i decided to return the Nextel BB and continue my quest.

After using the BB for two weeks, and the good integration with BES, I've decided to retire my recently purchased Palm T5 and combined my phone, BB and Palm into a single device, if that makes sense.

So, now I'm trying to sort out which service provider and whether to get a 72xx or 71xx style BB.

I'm considering Cingular, TMobile and Verizon. I live New England and at least looking at the regional and national coverage maps, it seems that Verizon has the most digital phone coverage. This would not be a concern to me if the BB also had analog phone capability.

All that said, I'm seeking input on which carrier to use and whether you like using the 72xx series as a phone and what using the SureType keyboard on the 71xx is like. Comments about battery life on either series, when using it as a phone, would be appreciated. It seems that GSM is lower power than Verizon's CDMA so I'm wondering how that affects the terrain here, which could be rather varied. Any comments about the 71xx as compared to a 72xx if you've used both and why you like one over the other would be helpful.

TIA.

[jacobsaa]

T-Mobile has by far the best plans for the money. YOu can get 1000 minutes, and unlimited data, email and text message for only 60 per month. It will cost you a lot more anywhere else. I also recommentd the 7290 when its released. 32mb of memory w/ the good keyboard.

[blkberryboy]

I would only add to look for a free nights and weekend plan. The 7100t is a nice break from the traditional BB look, however the 7290 is "One bad motha"...."Watch your mouth!!!"

[AntiqueCarNut]

Thanks. TMobile's coverage in New England is pretty sparse - that's a big concern. I'll pay more to get the best coverage (I think). I hardly use any night and weekend minutes, but would surely go for a plan that has them.

[PhilMax]

Just got the Cingular 7100g and, from what I understand, the key size and the fact that they are raised give it a "thumbs up" vs the 7100t for typing. This adaptive typing works really well for emails and messages (just don't look at the display as it is being typed). It is a little more problematic to type passwords and the like, however. Another nice feature about the 7100 is the speakerphone. The display is awesome indoors, but difficult to read outdoors and almost impossible to see in direct sunlight. I have no previous experience with BB so I can't be a good judge of this unit vs a more traditional BB. So far, however, I really like the 7100g even with the few drawbacks it has.

Cingular may be a little more expensive (don't know the specifics as my corporate is paying for it), but I think their coverage is better than the others. Looking at who and why to use a BB, it is to keep "in touch" via phone, SMS and email when not in the office and when a computer is not available. I don't know enough about how roaming might work with the BBs so this might be a moot point, but our sales and marketing people travel to a number of small markets and pretty remote areas visiting customers. If the coverage isn't there what good is the unit? I don't need the coverage when I'm in the office; it is when I'm travelling that I get the benefits of the BB.

[Coupdetat]

I personally like Nextel and my 7520. I have been a long time nextel user and they are the only ones with a unlimited minutes plan (I use the phone alot). They are a bit expensive, I believe it is $199 for the voice and $44 for the data (corporate account pays it).