OK , I know what most of you might think after reading this but its my experience with the Curve vs. the 8700c. So , after 3 days with the Curve I have to return to the 8700c ! I got an excellent deal on the Curve through Cingular's Premier site ( 58.00 ) shipped but I just can't get used to the Curve's trackball . I'm a trackwheel type man and the fact that I can do all with the trackwheel vs. the trackball and menu deal just isn't appealing to me . overall I must say the Curve is an excellent device and blackberry hit its mark with it. unfortunitely its mark isn't me.

I didn't think I would get used to/like the rollerball, but its actually quite nice in a couple spots, editing and correcting for sure.. was sort of natural for me..

Sam

Total opposite for me. Love being able to go right, left, up, and down without having to use the alt key etc.

are you kidding - the trackball is the way to go - all the control is right there on your thumb. Much quicker IMHO to navigate than the wheel.

I think I had the same reservations around the ball vs. wheel issue.

Mainly, because when composing a letter, i need to move my thumb off the keyboard to scroll down from the To: to Subj: to body. Also for selecting items within the To: drop box as my addressbook gets filtered.

With the wheel, I could scroll with my index finger while typing with thumbs. Felt more efficient.

Also, i feel like the ball will "click" but not move sometimes. I figure this might be because I'm rolling diagonally - and so it isn't clear which way to scroll. So to get across the 5 icons in my homepage menu, it takes me two swipes across instead of the one swipe I'd like. Or wrap around might be nice.

Still, i wanted a phone with a camera (2 year old boy!) that was a blackberry with a full keyboard, so this is the situation I'll adapt too. 8700 with camera would be my preference, but I understand the need to satisfy more of the "consumer" market.

I'm a huge click wheel fan. Once I got used to working with it on my first Blackberry (7230) nothing has come close since. I wish other smartphone manufacturers would use the click wheel. Put that on my Nokia E61i and I'd be in heaven.

I understand this, actually, because the first day I had my Curve coming from a 7130 the trackball frustrated me immensely. Once I got the hang of it and how it works in tandem with the menu button, I like it now, but I can see how some people may just not be able to adapt. It's a pretty significant change and the scroll wheel likely just feels more intuitive for some folks.

trackball all the way my friend. sooner or later you are going to have to get used to it because the trackwheel is obsolete my friend

The thing that worried me most about going from my Treo 680 to my first BlackBerry (8300) was the trackball. I tried the Pearl for an overnight session a while back...and for some reason, I detested the trackball then (among other things). So...I bought the 8300 with some degree of hesitation.

But...I have grown to love the trackball, which is suprising since I was a die-hard 5-way/d-pad guy for a long time...although I have no experience with the trackwheel (except on the Samsung Blackjack...and I disliked it on that device). It is quick and easy to use, and has been super reliable to me. My paticular phones trackball clicks decidedly, and gives great feedback...and I really like that. Overall...I am a convert. Pure and simple.

I love the trackball, became a fan of it when it was on the Sidekick 3 (first, i might add)

I must say that I love the 8300 but I would love it even more if it had the track wheel. I have gotten used to the track ball but if given the choice I would go with the track ball on the right side of the device. It is about the location of it for me. I would take the directional track ball on the side if given the option.