About to make the 8800 plunge - 3 questions

[jbischke]

On a 7290 and been waiting to make the 8800 plunge for a while now. I think tomorrow will be the day. Have a few q's first...

1. Is there any other phones I should consider first? In terms of a solid business device with a full keyboard it seems like the 8800 might be the perfect phone. Have already wiped the Q, Blackjack and the Pearl from my radar. Am I missing anything?

2. Any recommendations on a good hands-free device for the 8800? I'm currently on a corded ear-bud piece and really don't mind the cord. Had some problems before with a bluetooth and always remembering to charge it was a pain...so any recos on a good corded hands-free device?

3. Should I just head down to the local Cingular store and buy it or it there a better way to do it? I'm probably just looking at a basic set-up in terms of the phone and my plan. Any ways to get a good deal here?

Thanks in advance for any help!

[mas90guru]

amazon.com has the lowest prices (usually). Am not sure they are in stock there yet.

Blackberry is the device if your primary needs are email.

[greggebhardt]

I 2nd the vote for the 8800 is email is a high priority for your device. I have used the 8800 for a little over a week and it is going to be my favorite for sure. Excellent phone capability and the email, well is is Blackberry email and could not be better.

The build quality of the 8800 is first rate and you should not be unhappy. I was on Nextel for near 10 years but have not looked back after migrating to Cingular. I do not even remember when I had my last dropped call. This depends on your service and your location may vary so make SURE you have good coverage within the area you will be using your BB. If not return within the alotted time.

The 8800 is perfect for me!

[VolvoGrrrr]

Have you looked at the Nokia E62? It's another option for you. Full QWERTY keyboard and decent phone as well.

For a good corded headset, I reccomend Shure headsets (www.shure.com). Good sound quality on both ends.

[pjh]

8800 is the perfect blend of old (8700) and new (Pearl)...very slick and very functional...I've done a ton of research and in my view, the 8800 is the perfect package. Had some kinks to be ironed out when I first got it, but that's all been resolved.

On the question of Bluetooth, the perfect combination for me in that I do most of my hands-free in the car, has been the Motorola IHF1000 bluetooth with speaker phone. No need to worry about something sticking in your ear and finding one that's comfortable, no messy wires and runs through the car stereo so that I get terrific quality audio. It's almost like you're speaking to someone sitting in the car right next to you.

The system fires up the second you start up your car, uses noise cancellation technology similar to Bose headsets, never a need to charge anything, is voice activated, meaning I can load all my contacts just by speaking their names and numbers, then say for example "call Home" and it instantly confirms and then dials that number...true hands free, no hassles and pure fun!

[takeshi]

Had some problems before with a bluetooth and always remembering to charge it was a pain...so any recos on a good corded hands-free device?

[jbischke]

This is great feedback. Here are my only hesitations in terms of moving to the 8800.

Scrollwheel - Love love love the scrollwheel on my 7290. Although some people seem to like the trackball it seems like a lot of people really miss the scrollwheel. I have a feeling I'll be one of them. :)

Keyboard - I've heard the smaller keyboard does cause problems for some people (because the keys touch). I guess this is going to be one of those things that I'll just have to try out in person to get my take.

GPS - When I first heard about the 8800 I thought GPS came with it but now my understanding is that although the machine is GPS-enabled you have to pay an extra monthly fee and buy a GPS receiver(?). I'm using Google Maps on my 7290 and for the most part don't need GPS because I can almost always figure out a cross street to end up getting directions from. It would have been nice if this were included for free but not sure what to do since it isn't.

Otherwise 8800 looks sweet. And I'm so excited to get a phone that has web browsing capabilites because my 7290 has been horrible for that...

[bollar]

This is great feedback. Here are my only hesitations in terms of moving to the 8800.

Scrollwheel - Love love love the scrollwheel on my 7290. Although some people seem to like the trackball it seems like a lot of people really miss the scrollwheel. I have a feeling I'll be one of them. :)

Keyboard - I've heard the smaller keyboard does cause problems for some people (because the keys touch). I guess this is going to be one of those things that I'll just have to try out in person to get my take.

GPS - When I first heard about the 8800 I thought GPS came with it but now my understanding is that although the machine is GPS-enabled you have to pay an extra monthly fee and buy a GPS receiver(?). I'm using Google Maps on my 7290 and for the most part don't need GPS because I can almost always figure out a cross street to end up getting directions from. It would have been nice if this were included for free but not sure what to do since it isn't.

Otherwise 8800 looks sweet. And I'm so excited to get a phone that has web browsing capabilites because my 7290 has been horrible for that...

1. The migration from scrollwheel to trackball was easier than I expected. It does make some things, like editing messages (or playing Sudoku :) ) much easier. However, there were some things on the 8700 that I knew the number of clicks it would take to do it -- and I miss that.

2. After a week, I still find the keyboard harder to use than the 8700.

3. A GPS is included, but a mapping application is not. There is a workaround to load BBMaps, which is free, onto the device and it works. Telenav, arguably the the most powerful solution, is not free.

[BryanHarig]

On a 7290 and been waiting to make the 8800 plunge for a while now. I think tomorrow will be the day. Have a few q's first...

...

2. Any recommendations on a good hands-free device for the 8800? I'm currently on a corded ear-bud piece and really don't mind the cord. Had some problems before with a bluetooth and always remembering to charge it was a pain...so any recos on a good corded hands-free device?

...

Thanks in advance for any help!

The top 3 corded headsets are:

1: TheBoom v4 - It's big, ugly and expensive but it is the best available.

2: Ety.com headset - Smaller, cheaper and much much nicer looking. Not as good at blocking out wind noise as theboom, even with a windsock on the ety theboom is better.

3: Sure Quietspot (QSHB3): very similar to the ety.com headset, but not as good in my experience.


One thing that all these headsets lack is an inline answer/end button. This is universal on cheap crappy headsets and it drives me crazy that I dont have it with a good headset! :) Does anyone know of a way to add an inline anser/end button without soldering?

[jbischke]

So after a good amount of research today I'm down to two possibilities: The 8800 and the 8703e.

Reasons to get the 8800:

-Smaller form factor (small +)
-Trackball (not sure if this is a positive or negative)
-Plays mp3 files (small +)
-GPS (not sure how big of a deal this is for me)

Reasons to get the 8703:

-Cheaper price (small +)
-Better network for voice (in LA where Verizon is generally thought to be better than Cingular)
-Scrollwheel (not sure if this is a positive or negative)
-Better/bigger keyboard

I'm not sure who has the better data network/web browsing capabilities. I'm guessing Verizon but not sure.

Anything I'm missing in my comparison here?

[jbischke]

P.S. If I wanted to occasionally use the phone as a modem for my laptop which phone would be better?

[nef]

I also found the transition from the wheel to the trackball easier than I thought, but still find myself grabbing the phone and trying to scroll the nonexistant wheel. GPS with telenav although for pay has been worth it in my case. Phone-wise the 8800 sounds (on both ends) much better. I also get slightly better reception on the 8800 than I did with my 8700. Coming from a 7100 series device I think you will be ultimately happier with the 8800. That's my $.01 (adjusted for inflation)

[jbischke]

I'm definitely leaning towards the 8703 and it has more to do with the service than the phone. I think the phone is a toss-up right now but the fact is that Verizon's service is better than Cingular's in LA. In addition, if I want to use my phone as a modem then it costs only $15 extra on Verizon and $60 extra on Cingular. I'm not extremely price-sensitive but that difference seems kinda ridiculous.

The "nice to haves" on the 8800 (slimmer form factor, GPS, MP3) don't seem to outweigh the things on the 8703 that I definitely think I'd enjoy (better network, modem access, scrollwheel).

[mas90guru]

Without good network coverage you won't be happy. So go with the best network and enjoy.

[Outrigger]

Agreed. You can have a phone that rubs your feet and mowns your lawn, but if the network is crappy, then all the bells and whistles won't make a difference.