Will this be a Cingular exclusive? If so, it would be interesting if T-mobile released the 4.2 OS around the same time. I really want 4.2 and will take it in the 8700g or 8800g format.

Jester

Cingular Exclusive, yes. And don't expect any carrier to release 4.2 with the looming 8800. They need something to set it apart dramatically.

After the release, carriers will probably roll it out to older devices.

Hmmm... must be why I'm not in marketing. If I was T-mobile, I would release the 8705g with 4.2 on the same day to steal Cingular's thunder and later release the camera version of the 8800. That would give them a competitive product at the same time and still have product separation for their version of the 8800.

Just my two cents.

Jester
^really wants 4.2 on a T-Mobile QWERTY BB

the perspective makes the 8800 look bigger then it is but I think this is the closest you will come to a side by side pic right now:

BlackBerryCool » BlackBerry 8800/8700 comparison photo

EDIT: also these Hands On: BlackBerry 8800! | The Boy Genius Report

Uh huh, blow the doors off.....whatever. That LS460 screams OLD person's car. You wouldn't catch me driving one of those. Plus, Lexus are targeting luxury, comfort, mainly old and retired people....BMW/Mercedes are aimed more towards luxury sports. For 61K-71K. For that much, a loaded 550i will out handle and out perform that LS460 anyday. You can get a new E-Class for that price too. Not too keen on the Mercedes, but the E63 and SL-Class are pretty fun, I do have to say so myself...we have one of each.

Plus, the BT capabilities are much easier, better, and cripser sounding in the BMWs from experience.

I'm excited that my T-Mobile version will have WiFi, it'll be worth the wait in March.

Now that we're completely hijacked on this thread, my truck will do the 1/4 in 10.1 seconds and has 650 ft of torque. It's also a diesel and pulls like a beast. At least when you go fast you might as well be comfortable. LOL.

Obviously someone here:

1) Has not seen the "New Agressively Styled LS460"

2) Has not driven & experienced the World-Class Performance this new LS provides.

3) Has no clue as to the amount of F-1 Racing Technology that has made it's way into this impressive vehicle.

4) Has failed to notice the continual decline in Mercedes quality, styling & reliablilty.

5) Has overlooked the dramatic decline in BMW styling which has put off enthusiasts world wide. Along with it's reliability due to overly complex electronics.

I speak from personal experience as I own several top of the line, fully spec'd brand new MBZ & BMW's. I buy new ones every year, being very involved in Motor Sports for years.

Interestingly, I just took delivery of my new LS 460 & I'm really impressed at what LEXUS has created. It's a milestone vehicle. My new favorite!

Cheers...

How would you know, the best you will ever do is park someone's and never own one. Say the LS460 is an old persons car reaks of jealousy from a 21 year old! As far as catching you driving a LS460, I bet not! The dealer you WORK for "may" provide you with much less than what you are dreaming of while arranging the financing for others! I paid cash for my "old mans car"!

You sound bitter and jealous! If you owned what you say you do, you must have a side job as I have a friend who does financing for one of the BMW dealers and he is less "fortunate" after being with them for over 5 years!

As far as you saying the BT sounds better on your BMW, not I am really thinking of trading!

Finding all new ways to hit new lows by the same supposed middle-aged success stories. Very sad.

/unsubscribed

Back on topic, guys.

Are there any side shots of this thing showing thickness compared to an 8700?

Also I purchased a Koenigsegg with cash yesterday but the BT wont pair up. Any ideas?

since this thread is getting side tracked anyway, ill join in!

my family has 2 benz e500s one is a 04 and one is an 05...both are piles of junk which are constantly in for service...faulty sensors, oil leaks, harmonic balancer falling off while driving, air suspension problems, side mirror motors failing...garbage! not to mention the crap service we receive from only having 1 benz dealership near us...they give us ford focus' as a loaner car!

we had 2 lexus' before (ls400 & is300 wagon) and we had about 1/16th the problems and we always got great service from the dealership and always got lexus loaner cars...a lexus ls460 and a gs430 will be replacing both mercedes.

Is the 8705 going to be released with 4.2? Will Cingular's 8800 have the SD slot as well as built-in GPS? If so, I wouldn't see the 8705 as competitive with the 8800 but I guess YMMV as there are those who wouldn't bother to upgrade to the 8800 from the 8700 anyway...

Sorry, will not comment off topic again.

Look for the new BG images. From what I can see on the side shots, the 8800 is not as thick as the 8700. The wideth looked about the same which help me to believe BG when he says the keyboard is excellent on the 8800. I got to read and answer 50+ emails in the field a day and I and my large hands need the QWERTY keyboard to really be good. I have no doubt it will work perfectly for my needs.

As far as WiFi, I can't see I would need it. If Cingular chooses to have WiFi and a Camera on a later model, do not know if it would get me to switch, but time will tell.

Just real glad the 8800 is getting near. Hope the T-Mo customers get one at the same time

But if I change the thread title from launch to lunch, then what?

Who knows? It may never be released. If it was released with 4.2, that would help diferentiate it from the 8700 and bring it closer (though not even) with the 8800. That would give them a "new" product that is closer in comparison to the competition. New products get press releases. Press releases at/around your competition will help you and diminish their new products. It's similar to market dilution except for advertising.

It won't be as good, but it might be enough to sate the current Tmo customers and keep them from jumping ship. As I said, that is what I would do if I was T-mobile. Once the exclucivity period expired, I would then release a camera phone version. That way I would have a device that was "almost" as good during the exclusivity period and then I would have a device that was "better" once that period was over.

Jester

I would take you to lunch!

So what is this thing with GPS? Does it actually let you track yourself on the phone and/or give you directions? I had the Cingular one for 1 week and I had no idea how the GPS worked, kinda slow really.

Oops....sorry.

Just a slip: my passion for MotorSport/Racing/Enthusiast Cars.

Ahem... yes back on topic. Ya gotta love those BlackBerrys.......

I'm hoping that we'll see the GPS pass along your location to Google Maps or be able to have Berry411 type applications use GPS rather than a fixed address. This would be the only reason I'd upgrade from my 8700c from everything I've read. The lack of 3g was the deal breaker for me.

Regards-Michael G.

Would be good for Navigation. Street by street directions to get where you wanted if subscribed to the service. Many would like but it does not make of break it for me.

I felt compelled to chime in on this obviously off-topic subject to raise one salient point: For Toyota to truly succeed with the Lexus brand (i.e., succeed to the point of dethroning BMW/MB once and for all in the US market), it's imperative that they stop making the exterior/interior designs of their Lexus vehicles look like glossed-over Toyotas. For example, when you see a new Camry, and then look at the new ES350, it's blatantly obvious that the latter is built around the frame and design of the former. It gets even worse when you sit inside the ES and realize that everything from the seat and steering wheel design to the dash layout are all virtually identical to a nicely equipped Camry. My parents own an ES, and as nice as it is, I can't help but think of a Camry whenever I sit inside it (albeit a posh Camry). The same goes for the RX and the Highlander. My wife has an RX400h, and yet when we rented a Highlander on a recent trip, you realize how much they look (and drive) alike. A little too much, if you know what I mean. You would think that for the amount of money Lexus asks for the top-of-the-line RX, they would at incorporate some original design elements to the interior and exterior. The same applies to the GX, which also obviously uses Camry parts. And to add insult to injury, when you open the doors on most (if not all) Lexus vehicles, you'll see "Toyota" imprinted into the side door sills, reflecting the origin of the parts and the manufacturer. I recently leased a Infiniti FX35, and I know I'm really driving a glorified Nissan Murano. This problem isn't limited just to Toyota/Lexus.

I don't meant to sound snobbish about this -- there's absolutely nothing wrong with driving a Lexus with Toyota parts or design elements. But if that is to be the case, then Lexus shouldn't cost as much as it does. If I pay over $50K for a luxury car, I don't want it to look or drive like a sub $30K one; if I did, I would just buy the less-expensive nameplate. That is why I feel that the Lexus/Infiniti/Acura are mostly pretense and less substance, wheras as Toyota/Nissan/Honda are the opposite. And now that you see Nissan and Toyota incorporate features and options that were once only to be found in their luxury nameplates to their non-luxury models, you begin to question what, exactly, you're paying such a premium for.

Say what you want to about BMW and MB, but when you sit in those vehicles, you know you're not getting a glorified version of a "lesser" name plate (no offense to Toyota, Nissan, or Honda owners -- they're all fine vehicles). BMWs, for example, are all BMWs, not composites of something else, pieced together with parts from another make and then spruced up to add the "luxury" element. I think it's great that Toyota incorporates new technology and performance enhancements in their high-end Lexus models, and in many ways I think they surpass those of their German counterparts. However, until the Japanese makers begin to really differentiate their luxury brands from their non-luxury ones, I believe that they will fail to adequately challenge the German makers with regards to cachet of quality, class, and elegance. And this is coming from someone who has Lexus and Infiniti vehicles in the family.

** Sorry for the off-topic comment, but I just had to share it.

This thread has gone so far off-topic that it is hereby CLOSED.