I have a friend with a 7100 (NexTel) - he moved from a qwerty to it a while back, and he says that he is faster with suretype than he was with the qwerty, after a little practice. I'm sure it is less keystrokes, because if you type bla it gives blackberry as an option, then it's just a click on the thumbwheel to finish typing the word (as an example).

I played with it for a very short time last weekend, and I see it taking a lot of getting used to.

My plan is to go to a Cingular store and play with the qwerty version, then go to the Verizon store to play with the suretype version (tomorrow) - I'll try to make my decision then, so I might not have to wait for the 8703 (except for a possible price drop on the 7100 when the new one hits?) CRAP! Guess I'll still need to wait to do the deal....