Questions about typing w/ the 8220...
 

I’m thinking about getting a 8220 flip since it covers mybasic needs: a quad band with wi-fi (which I can use ad hoc), good phone quality (from what I’ve heard), smart phone applications with a keyboard…sort of. I don’t use phones to do a lot of texting and for other app’s. But I want some kind of keyboard that would offer the option of doing more typing when I need to use it.

I tried typing on the 8220 in a store and found it incredibly tedious, but have been told it gets much easier over time. I'm wondering how others felt aboutit… Does it get better? Is it satisfactory or aggravating?

And can you type phone number by feel – that is, w/o looking at the phone’s keypad (i.e., while multi-tasking). I heard that there are actually some sort of plastic bumps one can buy and place on the pearl-like RIM phones so that you can feel which keys are the number keys. Does anyone know about this? Thanks!

Suretype is awesome. The keys on the 8220 are much larger than any other PDA style phone and it is MUCH easier to dial phone numbers then full qwerty keyboard phones. I have used many other PDA phones and a number of other BB. The 8220 is my favorite to date for ease of use in typing and great phone call and reception quality.

Wirelessly posted

You'll have no problem with it once you get a handle on it. It took me about a week to get to the same speed as my curve, it has a learning curve just like any other typing device.

I had a 7130 for about a year then went back to a regular cell phone, I got good at T9 on a regular phone and for about the first 3 days really had a hard time with suretype, not because it is hard to use, but because my fingers were trained on the location of the letters.

Thank you all very much for all of your help and insight -- I greatly appreciate it. I'm feeling more inclined to buy it now (though I wish the 8220 didn't emit so such high SAR levels, but that's a different topic).

Quick follow up questions: What do you do when you have to spell someone's name for an automated greeting service designed for T9 phones (i.e., press 4 for the letter G, etc.)?

Given that there aren't any bumps or depressions on the phone for the numbers, would it be useful to buy an kind of tactile bumps for those keys? I heard that there are actually some sort of plastic bumps one can buy and place on the pearl-like RIM phones so that you can feel which keys are the number keys, and it might be easier to dial calls while not having to look at the phone (i.e., while multi-tasking). Thought? Does anyone know about these "keypad bumps" that one can stick on? I have no idea what to call them... Thanks!

Even though this is separate from the topic, how is the phone quality? I heard that it has very good audio quality...

you barrow a normal phone from somebody and figure it out. or you have to start on number two and count your ABC's

I wish there a better solution than that!

In suretype mode if it picks a letter you don't want, backspace and press it again and it will go to the next.

(Oops nevermind i understand what you meant now. For like spelling words over an automated phone system and such.)

Just called Blackberry, and they thought there might be some 3rd party software that helps remind users the letters that correspond w/ T9 keypads (when you have to dial someone's last name in an automated serve) or maybe even some small adhesive stickers of the grouped for the number keys (though that sends less desirable). Anyone know of anything...?

. . . hit 0 (zero) for the operator?

Any other 3rd party software that helps remind users the letters that correspond w/ T9 keypads or even some small adhesive stickers of the grouped for the number keys?

Any other ideas...? Suggestions...? Thanks!

Thoughts?

dial as usual. when you get to the letters, hit the alt key before dialing your letter. if it's the second letter on the key, hold the alt key down and hit the number key twice.

Thanks! But what does that do exactly? Is there any kind of screen that pops up and shows which letters correspond with a T9 keypad?

the letters will pop up on the screen.

Wow! Thanks, man. Not even Blackberry's tech support folks could produce an answer for me! Now if I could only figure out how to record phone calls... Can't even find 3rd party software for this! Any ideas...? Thanks again.

Wouldn't the issue you're talking about occur with any regular cell phone, not just the flip? How would you enter the letter C on a regular cell phone when you're in a phone directory or something? Doesn't seem like it's a BB problem...

Yup. It's true.

Hi guys...
I know this exchange is a bit dated now, but I recently followed TeritaM's advice and...sadly I found that it doesnt' work. Any other suggestions? Am I missing a step? Thanks again for your help.

Take care.