I picked up the 8700c last week, and after trying out for a few days it's easy to see how the BB has such a loyal following. I am particularly impressed with:

- E-mail (obviously); just amazingly easy, crisp, fast, etc.
- Screen (beautiful)
- Keyboard (feels great)
- Intuitive; easy to navigate

However, in spite of these positives I just can't get past the following:

- Form factor; as others have noted, it feels like I'm holding a calculator to my ear
- Phone/speaker quality; Sometimes it's decent, but man, sometimes I just can't hear a thing on the other end. They can usually hear me OK, but not vice versa. And if I'm outside, forget it. No way I can live with this, and I have no desire (in fact, I refuse) to walk around wearing a headset.
- Limited navigation; Yes, I know there are the "shortcuts", and if the the form factor/speaker quality wasn't an issue then I might take the time to sit down and learn them. In fact I would have to, because I started getting the "Blackberry thumb" feeling after just a couple of hours on the first day. The jog dial concept I think is outstanding, but I'd like to see other navigational options as well (e.g. via a touchscreen or 5-way nav-pad). My bet is that future versions of the BB will in fact have one or both of these.

Bottom-line, my feeling is that if e-mail is your #1 thing then the 8700 is definitely the device you want to have (perhaps paired up with a Razr for phone). And I can't imagine why previous BB owners would even consider another device, because it really is very slick. But for those like me who are looking for a phone first with integrated calendar/contacts, and e-mail second, I would look elsewhere.

Thanks to all who provided their tips and experiences during my evaluation of the 8700c. This really is a great site.

Chris

The feeling goes away after a day or two.

Try the 7130C out, might fit your bill better.

Navigation - go see my tips doc before you give up. I fly around the BB using keyboard shortcuts. Usually faster than a nav-pad. Give it a go first.

one day i'll figure out what this blackberry thumb thing is... i'm starting to think its an urban legend

Mine are numb...so they don't hurt any more

i actually have blackberry index finger because both my thumbs are on the thumboard. ;)