I've read a couple of outstanding reveiws that some of you have done on the 8800, but I haven't yet found a good thread comparing the 8700 with the 8300. I have an 8700, and I considered upgrading (?) to the 8800, but the reviews generally indicated the 8800 keyboard was more cramped and therefore not as good for emailing; so I kept the 8700. The phone function is certainly important to me, but I also do a lot of emailing and texting from it. I would be interested in a thorough comparison of the 8700 and the 8300, with particular emphasis on the typing comparisons.

Thank you very much!

I give you idea of these pictures:

Look at between the 8700g s keyboard and the 8300 keyboard.


the 8700g is wider than the Curve wide!

I actually returned it to att store few days ago for some reasons.. I better wait for the offical tmo curve hit on tmobile USA soon!

Not very good comparison. You should take more pictures, more angles, sides, etc.

It almost look like the 8300 is almost the same size as the 8700 which I know it's not.

The 8300 is smaller. It's even smaller than the 8800 especially the 8700.

If you are very concern about the typing on the keyboard, you may want to just keep the 8700. The phone may be too small for you.

Someone did a comparison of the size between the 8100 Pearl and 8300 Curve. I was amazed by how small the 8300 Curve is. It's just slightly bigger than the 8100 Pearl.

All three phones that you mention I own! And here's my take!
8700- Rock Solid, very reliable in all areas, great keyboard layout! However, it's a little out dated in my book. And I happen to be a big fan of the newer trackball!
8800- Work Horse in just about every area, fast downloads, unbelievable Screen color, real sexy looking device! But build quality has been the talk of town over the last couple of months (loose Rails)
and some people feel the keyboard is a little cramped.
Honestly, the keyboard never bothered me! I got used to it in no time.
Curve- unbelievable Form Factor, second to none in the PDA world right now when you talk about size and weight. Very comfortable keyboard, not as big a layout as an 8700, but very easy to type on. Decent camera on board, and pretty solid when you talk about build quality, way better then the 8800 series! Solid performer so far when you talk about speed, and probably the clearest and loudest blackberry to date. Some trouble with static was talked about with some units, but the one I have now is clear as a bell, and the speaker is nice and loud! Now since it's only been out about a week, the verdict is still not out for it being the king of the BB thrown! Some issues have been thrown out there ranging from OS Lag, slow trackball movement, slight creaks in the bottom of the unit, speaker phone issues, and static on the line! But, the one I have now (3rd one) is absolutely wonderful, none of the above issues! Guess I got a Gem, and I'm loving it so far! My advice is to give it a try, once you use it for a day you'll see just how much the Form Factor rules! Not to mention it's a great performer as well! Hope this helps, Good
Luck.

I will definitely get the curve, but I will be waiting for the T-Mobile version.

Yeah, how about this:



??

One problem< I returned the curve to att already. I can't take more pictures as more angle, sides..

I hope In forum, someone will take picture with some angles, sides better than mine.

A note to all members, pics really don't do justice for the Curve! The thing is real small, think Tmobile Dash small, with a better keyboard!
It's one of those devices that has to be held, can't be explained or really shot to get the point across! The shots are close up, that's why you can't really tell! But it's a lot smaller, and thinner then the 8700 series.
I loved the 8700 series in the past, But the Curve has the best Form Factor out of any Blackberry to date. No question, fits the hand like a glove!

Sean, I dislike T-Mobile Dash keyboard as 8800 keyboard. Umm Curve keyboard is the same 8700g.

I'm not sure that such a review would really be all that useful -- that is, unless you really wanted to know the reviewer's preference. Whether the keyboard is acceptable or not is entirely a matter of personal preference and you'd be better suited by trying out both devices in question. Personally, I'm happy with the 8800's keyboard. That's not to say that I wouldn't like the 8300's better but my point is that ask the next person and there's no telling what his/her opinion of the 8800's keyboard will be. There's no universal preference (or set of preferences) out there or else we'd all be using the same model Blackberry.

Photos won't tell you anything about the feel of a keyboard no matter how many are taken and regardless of the number of angles. ;) They might be useful for determining if the spacing is adequate but I'd be leery of relying on them. I mean, think about what else you shop for based solely on photos and without a real-world test drive.

I'm surprised no one asked Ed if he's using a fake name or if he is THE Ed Hochuli. Either way, I love my 8700 but am very excited for the Curve after testing it out in an ATT store. Gonna wait for it on TMO, though.

Hi!

It's a real problem! ;) :D

The Curve is way smaller than it looks on all those comparison shots. Really. I was impressed when I received my T-Mobile (Germany) device on Tuesday.

The 8800 (which I also love) feels like a Pizza-box compared to the Curve.

The touch and feel is very very good - the 8800 feels "edgier"...

My verdict: best BlackBerry so far (at least for my needs).

Greetings
plantagoo

Here are the exact sizes of the full qwerty BlackBerrys.

114 x 66 x 14.0mm – 8800
110 x 70 x 19.5mm - 8700
106 x 60 x 15.5mm - 8300

It's truly a matter of personal preference. I have them all and they are all good. It's a simple as that. I don't buy into the "one is better than the other argument". They each have their strengths and most importantly to me, is that we are lucky to have the choices. Especially since we are all individuals with our own unique preferences. In my opinion the last 12 months have been a major milestone for RIM. They have opened up their field of vision and designed devices for not only the business market, but now the consumer market. They are on a roll, and doing all the right things going forward.

It is indeed impossible to please everyone. Or build a perfect device. So in lieu of that, they are doing the next best thing. Designing devices that are based on listening to their customers and the results show in the wonderful new lineup of devices that is not about to stop anytime soon.

There is a new Pearl right around the corner, as well as the 9xxx etc.

So I'm going to sit back, enjoy the BB's I have and celebrate the fact that we enjoy reliability, security and performance unheard of with other devices.

Cheers....

ummm... we don't use the metric system here... I thought you were in another country until I realized you are in USA.

ok... maybe there's still few things we use metric system like cars depending which car you get.

25.4mm = 1"

My first BB was an 8700 a little more than a year ago. I used it for about five months before it finally succumbed to the effects of water damage that I inflicted upon it. I loved that thing and hated the idea of using anything other than a BB. I felt like it was huge, though -- which is funny because when I first played with it I thought it wouldn't be wide enough -- so I decided to use a 7130c. That still felt like a brick to me, so I contemplated getting a Pearl, but when the early reviews of the Curve hit, I decided to wait and see. By the time it launched, I was sold on it.

I went to a store and held it in my hand. That was all I needed. I went home, ordered it with my upgrade, got it on Tuesday and sold my 7130c on Wednesday.

I love this device. Coming from an 8700 you'll have to adjust to using the trackball and BB logo menu button to do what the scroll wheel does on the 8700. And the Curve is not quite as wide and the buttons are a bit smaller. That's not subjective, that's fact, and depending on your hand size you may find it more difficult to type on or, like me, just adapt pretty easily. I won't lie, I misfire sometimes on this keyboard, but I've had it four days. It'll take a little time to adjust but not too much. The keyboard is really nice, IMO, as the keys are stiff and provide excellent tactile response. I really enjoy typing on it and it's actually very easy to type one handed on, something I found difficult to do on the 8700, which I would say has to do with the width of the Curve.

I have played with the 8800 repeatedly. There are three reasons I didn't purchase one based on my own preferences: no camera, too wide and the keyboard is mushy with no space between the keys.

Going from the 7130 to the Curve ... it was a huge upgrade for me. I particularly think RIM has come a long way in the past year in the OS and that's evident on the Curve.

I love mine. Did I already mention that? I have repeatedly thought to myself that the Curve is the phone I wanted when I first bought the 8700.

Thanks to all of you for the helpful and informative responses. I took your advice and bought an 8300, and I love it. I will throw in my 2 cents for others considering the Curve:

In a nutshell - after just one day, I'm sold - I like the 8300 much better than the 8700 or 8800. As others have said, it is much smaller, making it a much more comfortablle phone to use. It is also small enough to comfortable put in your pocket, which wasn't practical for the 8700. The feel in my hands is great.

I was worried about the keyboard and typing, as I do a lot of emailing. Although the keyboard is considerably smaller (more than a full row of keys smaller than the 8700), I actually make fewer typing mistakes. My son has an 8800, and I made more mis-hits on it than the 8700, and since the 8300 is even smaller than the 8800, I was very sceptical. But I found it takes a little more pressure on the keys to activate the 8300, so if the edge of your finger hits another key, you don't get a mis-hit.

I'm quickly getting used to the trackball and can already tell I will like it better than the wheel. The action or "quickness" of the trackball is adjustable, which is a good feature.

The unit has greater media capability, including the camera, music, video playback, as well as additional included applications. Good quality screen. The applications are easy to use.

My only complaint is the holster, which is like the 8800's. It's much easier to pop the 8700 in and out of the holster than to remove and move the magnetic "strap" on the 8300 holster. I'm tempted to cut that strap off, but the unit could then slip out of the holster. Has anyone found a good solution to this issue?

Well, those are my 2 cents. Thanks again for the input.

wish i would have read this before i bought my curve 2 days ago. oh well, i just had felt to bug to get a new bb. should have waited because 8700>8300!!! nothing compares to the 8700's functionality. everything on there was rock solid. the biggest and worst problem with the 8300 is the lag. everything lags, i mean everything!

i change from my 8700 to curve in 2 month, never buy products short after the first release.

You may simply have a bad Curve. I have both the 8700 and Curve and the Curve runs circles around the 8700c. I have a speedy 8300 and you should too.