[dmk11]

So, I was set on getting a 8120 to replace my 8100, then I read the reviews at Amazon. Not good reviews.

But I figured you guys are experts, I trust your opinion more. What do you think?

TECHNICALLY, 8120 is definitely better.. I'm talking about the "other" stuff here...

[PaulMdx]

I don't know enough about the 8120 to comment, but a question for you - do you need any of the functionality that the 8120 offers?

[penguin3107]

Originally Posted by dmk11

So, I was set on getting a 8120 to replace my 8100, then I read the reviews at Amazon. Not good reviews.

But I figured you guys are experts, I trust your opinion more. What do you think?

TECHNICALLY, 8120 is definitely better.. I'm talking about the "other" stuff here...

Yes, the 8120 is definitely "better" than the 8100.
That is what I think... but it doesn't really matter.

What matters is what you think, and more importantly, what you need.
What "other" stuff are you talking about?

[The BlackBerry Kid]

i wish i had waited longer tget a new phone
when i went to "The Mobile Solution", a tmobile only authorized dealer, who sells more than the tmobile carts, one guy had no clue it had even came out, and the other just said that they didn't have it, so it would problbly be a month before they get it, they wait a while to make sure the bugs out of it first, so i have the 8100.

any how, the 8120 has wifi, better camera, external memory holder, better keyboard. too bad it doesn't come in black or blue for tmobile yet, but a whole slew of new colors will be out by the end of the summer, i like the titanium anyways.

for anybody who is wondering:get the 8120 over 8100. yes deffinately

[ezrunner]

Wirelessly posted (my new touch button BB)

You went to "the mobile solution"?

That company is filled with crooks!

They activated an older lady one time she came into a indirect store I was working in selling tmo as well. She had a problem after looking into here acct they had activated her on a family plan and only gave her one phone!

Wish I could say it was an isolated incident but it wasn't!

Anytime I can I stop by their booth and mess with them

[ezrunner]

Wirelessly posted (my new touch button BB)

And yes I have an 8100 and mess with and 8110 or 8120 daily
Get the 8120!!!!!!

Definitely a step forward

[vhato]

Oh yes. If money isn't an issue, the 8110 and 8120 have the subtle hardware improvements listed a few steps above. Even as fantastic as the 8100 was, RIM listened and made the minor improvements everyone wanted. I loved my 8100, I adore my 8120.

[The BlackBerry Kid]

Wirelessly posted

Originally Posted by ezrunner

Wirelessly posted (my new touch button BB)

You went to "the mobile solution"?

That company is filled with crooks!

They activated an older lady one time she came into a indirect store I was working in selling tmo as well. She had a problem after looking into here acct they had activated her on a family plan and only gave her one phone!

Wish I could say it was an isolated incident but it wasn't!

Anytime I can I stop by their booth and mess with them

I have had tmobile since 2005 and have used the mobile solution 3 times and love them. They are way better than the tmobile carts where they try to badger you into a whole new Plan and phone number. They are always very helpful with my needs and my whole family. I will always go to them.

[ezrunner]

I am certainly glad you have a good experience with them

I know in my area they have many complaints with the Better Business Bureau

perhaps it is their leadership here in this area that is the problem.

[dmk11]

Let me quote you what one Amazon reviewer said:

I got this phone through T-mobile's upgrade service. The first unit they sent me seemed to have a lot of problems, so I sent it back and received another one. The second unit had the exact same problems, which tells me that the phone is defective and it wasn't just a bum unit. Again, these problems existed on TWO brand new pearl 8120s, so it wasn't a fluke:

Show-stopping problems:
- The battery cover is loose! The cover does not sit snugly on the back of the phone, and it rattles around when you hold the phone to your ear. People on the other end of the line complained about hearing a rattling noise.
- Wi-Fi interferes with your phone call. I was very excited that this phone could connect to Wi-Fi, but it turned out to be a drag. Any time the phone was downloading data (new Emails, messages, etc), if you were talking on the phone at the same time, the voice on the other end would sputter and lag until the data transfer was done. This could last up to a minute or more each time.
- The operating system is unstable. The very first day I had this phone, I was on a conference call for work and had the unit on speakerphone. A couple of minutes into the call, the phone crashed and rebooted itself! And this phone takes several minutes to boot up, so I missed a lot of my conference call. The phone crashed/rebooted about once a day for the entire time I had it.

Other cons:
- Weak battery life. With mixed web browsing and talking, the battery lasted just over a day.
- Web browsing. Even when using my wireless internet and NOT EDGE, the browser would time-out or stall when loading web pages. It often took me two or three attempts to load web pages.
- Poor choices for ring tones / wall papers / themes.
- Phone feels weak and flimsy to the touch. If you drop it, you can kiss your new phone goodbye.
- The 2 MP camera took mediocre pictures even in direct sunlight. Also, E-mailing those pictures (when taken at full resolution) essentially disables your phone until the Email upload is complete. The phone becomes unresponsive and all you see is the hourglass waiting icon, for several minutes per picture.

Pros:
- Very light phone
- T-mobile didn't hassle me about returning both units when I was very unhappy with my new phone.
- Good voice quality (when not interfered by Wi-Fi or incoming messages)
- The SureType technology was nice for sending messages.

The cons FAR OUTWEIGH the pros. I was extremely disappointed by this phone because I heard such great things about the previous version, the Pearl 8100. The 8120 is flimsy, has manufacturing defects, and is very unreliable. I'll never buy another blackberry again.

[penguin3107]

dmk11, you need to make up your own mind.
Head down to a store, and play with an 8120.
If it suits your needs, and you're happy with its features, then go ahead and buy it.
If your 8100 suits your needs and you don't need the added features of the 8120... then keep your 8100.

Only you can make this choice. You can read all the reviews you want, and get all of the input from other people that you can stomach... but in the end, the decision is yours.

[Hillary327]

I too recently made the switch from the 8100 to the 8120. I really like the fact that the microSD is no longer hidden under the battery. The video option is a great feature. I did have some memory problems at first with sms, and call logs being deleted. But that was cured with a bigger SD card. The bigger buttons on the keyboard are sweet! Good luck.

[alslsb]

I am a power Blackberry user and love the improvements of the 8120!!!

[djdoug]

Been an 8100 user since day 1. My 8100 is an amazing piece of machinery. Just purchased my 8120 and it is leaps and bounds better than my 8100. The only thing I would leave my 8120 for would be the bold..or perhaps Angelina Jolie.

[penguin3107]

Machinery?

[alslsb]

Originally Posted by djdoug

Been an 8100 user since day 1. My 8100 is an amazing piece of machinery. Just purchased my 8120 and it is leaps and bounds better than my 8100. The only thing I would leave my 8120 for would be the bold..or perhaps Angelina Jolie.

... or Megan Fox (from Transformers)

[vhato]

Many of the reviewers miss the point. I "assume" the 8120 is being reviewed by writers and not by users. At the end of the day my Blackberry provides two major services:

1. E-mail
2. Telephone

The addition of WiFi is a great business asset. I cannot count how many times the device is "Searching for Network" but WiFi has delivered E-mail. For me its not about increasing the speed, its about providing another avenue for data delivery when others have failed. Add UMA or SiP and the device is flawless.

I even added "linksys", "netgear" and "dlink" as SSIDs since so many people have unsecured wireless. It finds WiFi and auto connects.

The 8120 makes me proud when others in meetings show dissappointment at their devices inability to get cell service and deliver content while I am typing away!!!

I also see the reviewer was dissappointed with WiFi calls. I assume they were using T-Mobile. Though I cannot detemerine if the drops outs were due to the device or not I would like to defend the phone and say, too many other variables exist in the TCP/IP world we now live in. Without QoS (Quality of Service) which isn't widely supported on internet connected networks your voice over WiFi is treated no different than the guy next to you downloading porn or playing World of World Craft. Add to that everyone else connected to the WiFi Access Point or using the 2.4ghz spectrum, the speed of the local internet connection followed by the usual ".net congestion" and you may hear the occasional chopyness or drop out.

[kjdoug]

Originally Posted by alslsb

... or Megan Fox (from Transformers)

All I can say is wow..i would leave my 8120 for her too. lol

[dmk11]

Well, I got my 8120 and I definitely like the new OS...
I see what the guy means about the battery cover - it's not tight and moves around, but doesn't bother me much.
Camera/video is nice.

The only thing that I think is worse is how slow it is. Seems like it's not as responsive as the 8100. For example, after I "unlock", it takes awhile before I see the menu while it's thinking. Not sure yet what's causing it.

EDIT: I figured out that the reason why my BB was so slow is because I installed a whole bunch of apps. Once I deleted the useless apps and have at least 10MB free, it was fine.

[li2327]

Wirelessly posted (7130e)

I switched to the 8120 and I'm glad I did. There are to many new perks not to like it better than the 8100. Glad you got it and I'm glad you like it.