I was curious if any current 9700 users had the 8900 prior to this phone... Can you leave me some feedback? Was the upgrade well worth it or does it not feel much different? I want to upgrade my 8900 as I've had it for over 2 years now but I really don't feel like I'll be getting anything much different other than 3G support... I don't know whether to go for the 9700 or wait until something else comes out later down the road....
8900 is a nice phone and it suits my needs well so I'm trying to figure out if I really should upgrade or not and just wait...
I moved from the 8900 to the 9700 and I absolutely love the switch. The trackpad is a lot better then the ball and just the overall feel is better. if you have the upgrade i say do it.
Also someone correct me if I'm wrong, you will not be able to run 6.0 on the 8900. but you will be able to on the 9700
I made the switch less than a month ago; i had my 8900 since December of 2009.
Basically, they are the same phone...EXCEPT FOR
1) 3g: I use wifi 98% of the time, so i really dont care about EDGE vs 3G speeds. Sure, 3g is nice, but i can totally live w/o it.
2) 124 mhz faster processor. THIS IS WORTH IT ALONE! the faster processor is *exactly* why i upgraded. everything is faster, i almost never see the pinwheel or get random hangups. the phone boots in about 60 seconds, and after a fresh OS install, a reboot can take as little as 45 seconds.
Even with the *same* hybrids that i run on my 9700, my 8900 just couldn't keep up. I cut the same extraneous files and slimmed down the OS in the *exact* same way, but my 8900 was always slower. the faster processor makes *all the difference in the world* I recommend the upgrade for *this sole reason!*
3) the trackpad: yeah, its nice. i can live w/o it though. it took me a few hours to get used to it, but once i did, i have enjoyed it. It never clogs up ( i had to clean my 8900 trackball about once a week)
although, when my hands are particularly sweaty or greasy, the trackpad sometimes doesn't work or barely works. i just wash my hands and wipe te front of the device off and i'm set.
---------- the reason why i ditched my 8900 was for OS 6. the 8900 probably wont ever run OS6 due to the different processor. I wanted os 6, so i picked up my 9700 used.
Thanks for the feedback thus far.. I was reading on another forum there will be a Blackberry 9780 Bold out soon? I wonder if T-Mobile will get it... 512 MB RAM and 5 MP camera is appealing to me.... Perhaps I will wait a bit...
Do yourself a huge favor & wait. I loved my 8900, I dislike my 9700 & can't wait to get rid of it. If I didn't use it for email it wouldn't be so bad, but handling about forty emails per day is rough with it's cramped keyboard. It was a breeze on the 8900. I learned the hard way how much keyshape and spacing means for speed. Even my old 8310 had a better keyboard than the 9700. The rest of the differences don't make up for the diff in price either. Wait, I'm sure their will be better choices coming up.
I did the same (all on T-mobile).. Got the 9700 as soon as it was out so I didn't feel like I had the 8900 for too long, but I do remember feeling like I was settling for what had become shoddy quality handsets by Blackberry ever since they got deeper and deeper into the consumer market... but once I had the 9700 my faith was restored because it is a solid, solid device. It's hard for me to hold on to a device for too long but the 9700 in my opinion is the best device RIM has made (haven't dealt with the Torch yet but AT&T already degrades it's pull for me). The 9700 has also dealt with quite a few hard drops and there still isn't a loose part yet. Even tried escaping crackberries to an iPhone 3GS this past winter but came back to the 9700 after 2 months and been going strong since.
Anyone go from 8900 to 9700? Feedback Please
New phones will be out and probably worth your time/upgrade.
