[rickthornton]

I gave in to the pressure of smaller, thinner, can do more. Loved the idea of mp3s, video, camera, etc. I really liked the idea of not having a toaster strapped to my hip.

That said, going in I really liked my 8700c. It feels solid, is intuitive to navigate, basically it does what it does exceptionally well in my opinion.

I gave the Pearl a week of heavy usage, and at the end of the day I found the screen was too small for my liking especially for browsing. The screen resolution was beautiful, it was bright, it looked great, but side by side, the difference in screen size is significant. The suretype was ok for most things, but when it went bad, it was cumbersome to fix and I thought it was terrible for names, urls, email addresses, etc.

With Qwerty, what you type is what you get. Another thing I noticed is on misspellings with suretype, they would typically be so far off that BBCorrector was clueless, where with the 8700, most of the time BBCorrector is going to find the correct word for you. When I was typing regular type of text, I think I was just as fast with the suretype, but again one missed key would screw up everything. Overall, suretype is a huge improvement in my opinion over other predictive entry methods, but its not Qwerty.

I was getting used to the trackball, but for me the combination of the trackwheel and keyboard shortcuts still seems to be a quicker and more efficient way to navigate.

I guess I didn't realize how dependent I have become on shortcuts and the limited options of the Pearl definitely slowed me down.

The camera was nice, it worked well enough for a cell phone camera, and I never really got around to messing with video or mp3s, because I was concentrating on the core applications first.

I'm not an engineer, but the Pearl really does seem fragile compared to the 8700. Whether that translates into problems or not, I don't know, but it doesn't have that "industrial" feel that most BBs have to me.

I really wanted to like the Pearl well enough to put the 8700 out to pasture, but it wasn't meant to be, at least not for me.

[John Clark]

Give it a couple weeks and the 8800 should be out. That might be the device for you.

[ilya]

truly, pearl sux

[takeshi]

Originally Posted by rickthornton

I'm not an engineer, but the Pearl really does seem fragile compared to the 8700. Whether that translates into problems or not, I don't know, but it doesn't have that "industrial" feel that most BBs have to me.

Funny... replace Pearl with 8700 and 8700 with 7290 and it's exactly what people said when the 8700 came out.

[greggebhardt]

Been there and did that months ago. Do not like the track ball but looks like I will have to get used to it. No tatile feedback like the wheel!

SureType was the breaker for me. I was never so glad to get back to my 8700c and it wonderful keyboard!

Waiting on the 8800!

[ChairmanKaga]

I just went from a regular cell phone to a Pearl, so thats a big step in the right direction. No email and internet vs. yes email and internet is a big deal.

I too would prefer real qwerty, but the Pearl's qwerty is a close second. Haven't tried Suretype or whatever it is, and likely won't. Would also like video, though thats no biggy. Solid feel and perceived build quality got the short end of the stick with the Pearl, and Mrs. Kaga's Treo is built like a bank vault in comparison.

Mostly, its the size that brought me to the Pearl, which outweighed its shortcomings. I carry a good deal of stuff already - mini Sharpie, Fenix P1D flashlight, swiss army knife, on and on (see edcforums.com to join that addiction) - so the bulk of a larger BB was not good.

yo

[mdonders]

Originally Posted by ChairmanKaga

I too would prefer real qwerty, but the Pearl's qwerty is a close second. Haven't tried Suretype or whatever it is, and likely won't. Would also like video, though thats no biggy. Solid feel and perceived build quality got the short end of the stick with the Pearl, and Mrs. Kaga's Treo is built like a bank vault in comparison.

Just thought I would let you know that SureType is the input method used on the Pearls.

I love my 8700 and am going to stick to it until RIM releases a BB with the features of the 8800 and the sidewheel. That trackball thing is terrible.

[ Donders ]

[maskman]

i carried my 8707 and 8100 daily ... so far so good and love them both.
why both:
8707 is my main mail and chat device, while
8100 is very much as a main phone and a backup storing device.

[ChairmanKaga]

Originally Posted by mdonders

Just thought I would let you know that SureType is the input method used on the Pearls.

"Multitap" is also available on the Pearl, which is the regular qwerty-flavored input method.

cheers

[albiesf]

Isn't the 8800 supposed to have a trackball too and no trackwheel?! That's one thing that really worries me about the 8800, although I'm sure I'll get it when it comes out. I'm on Verizon so it'll be close to 2010 before that happens. The trackwheel has always made the BB the best device outside of the email push technology, and no one has done a good job emulating the BB when it comes to that.

I do hope the build quality improves. Both the 8700 and the Pearl seem to be a step back for RIMM when it comes to build compared to previous models.

[allenranger2]

Originally Posted by albiesf

...I'm on Verizon so it'll be close to 2010 before that happens.

Are you sure? Looks like they're ready...almost...

New BlackBerry appears on Verizon's radar - Engadget Mobile

[albiesf]

Originally Posted by allenranger2

Are you sure? Looks like they're ready...almost...

New BlackBerry appears on Verizon's radar - Engadget Mobile

I guess my guarded sarcasm didn't come through

[allenranger2]

Wirelessly posted (8700g: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0) BlackBerry8700/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

Originally Posted by albiesf

I guess my guarded sarcasm didn't come through

Hehe sorry I am aware it takes a year for Verizon to play catch-up normally, but seems like they're actually coming out with 8800 THIS year. Crazy lol!

[XBGM3R]

I like the bulk of a larger BB is that great! I really prefer real qwerty keyboard, but the Pearl's suretype, offically is not full-qwerty keyboard. because my hand is large...

Is 8700 device that terrible? Heck No! I already fell in love my 8700, gonna stick to it!

[canonbomb1987]

I like the fact that i can type on the 8100 with just one hand. It is a little slower than the 8700 but in the time saved by multitasking is well worth it. The media player is also a great addition.