Thinking of joining the Blackberry world

[richieg]

I am looking at my of gadgets and thinking about changing stuff. i ahve a w800i cell phone, ipaq 2210 PPC and ipod. I will be keeping the phone but thinking of upgrading the ipod to the possible forthcoming video ipod. This will be used for all multimedia; photos, music & video.
Now i'm looking at my PPC and all i use it for is PIM, RSS & news feed reading offline, unit & currency converter & password manager.
I got to thinking I would like something with a keyboard and the possibility of connecting to the net. Then i thought that a b'berry would work since it can do this as well as being fairly compact, light and with good battery life.
My question is am i right thinking the b'berry would be good for this?
I am looking at either 7290 or 8700. I don't have EDGE so is there any point getting 8700 and if so why? (i will be buying unlocked off ebay either way)
What software would you recommend for the above applications?

[REC]

I am a new BB user. (about 3 weeks) I came from using a cell phone along side my palm tungsten E. I was tires of carrying two devices everywhere and that was when i actually remembered to grab my Palm. I am hooked. i love the fact that I always have my calander/phone on my hip. I also like being able to recieve.respond to my emails on the go. it has elimiated the need for me to know every single wi-fi spot in Pittsburgh. I origanialy bought the 7100g and wasn't all that crazt about the keyboard. I ended up going with the 8700c and it is a great performer IMO. Battery life is great. I charge it every evening for about 1 or 2 hrs and I am good to go. I wish I had not wasted money on a car charger. The screen is bright and vibrant which is also nice. And lastly the phone is good too. Especially for a PDA device.

I have a post about my buying decision on my blog as well www.n-blog.net

Peace,

Bob

[richieg]

I will not be using it for email (well not yet anyways!) as I am in front of my Any recommendations for software for the above?

[lilnyc]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8700/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

I used to carry the Razr and my PPC. What a pain to juggle two items. And while both claim Internet access, neither did successfully.

With the blackberry, all of my contacts are with me. I sold my computer via Craigslist and was able to respond to buyers on the go. That was invaluable.

I could go on and on about the benefits, but I'll just say that I highly reccomend it.

[nsbalt]

Take the plunge - - you will not regret it. Even though you say email is not your main concern, once you see how easy and convenient receiving and sending email is on the BB, you will be hooked. The 8700c has an awesome screen and is extremely easy to sync to MS Outlook or any other PIM. Best of all, the BB is very reliable!! Good luck with your decision.

[Stinsonddog]

Take the plunge. Go! Jump!. You will find info on the apps you use at my tips site. Why don't you have EDGE? Are you in the burbs?

[richieg]

I am based in Ireland.
EDGE isn't that popular on networks here, its more 3G hence the new 8707V just launched. Good to see RIM starting to tailor their devices for different markets, hopefully next will be tailoring for different types of customers!!