Was excited about the 8800, and waiting for it to come to T-Mobile. Walked in a Cingular store to try it twice, and I cannot believe how difficult to type it is on this thing!

Have had no problems on an 8700, but the keys on this thing are jammed so close together it takes me 3-4x as long to type out a message. Thumbs are pretty normal-sized too.

Curious to hear from users:
-How have people found adjusting to the 8800 keyboard?
-Does it get better over time?
-Is it just much slower than the 8700?

Thanks so much!

did you try a working unit or a dummy ? BIG DIFFERENCE

i was bashing the 8800 too, then i caved and bought one. i have adjusted in 3 days...the whole form factor was an adjustment from 8700...(thinner, track ball, small keys etc)

but now iam quite comfortable with it

it defiantely gets better over time, atleast it did for me. The best thing I've done is started sliding my fingers on the keys rather than lifting them. I actually think i'm going faster now, but their is definately some time required to get used to it.

fyi I upgraded from the 7290

Ditto to the above two.

Agreed the 8800 was terrible compared to the natural feel of the 8700 for me. However, over time the 8800 was actually better than the 8700... call it muscle memory I guess

1 week and i am used to it.
I used an 8700 yesterday and now wonder how i managed without the trackball, how shallow is that.

Same here--going from a Nokia E62 (big keyboard) to the 8800 was quite a change. I adapted in just a few days--now I can't stay away from the thing...

Tried a working unit.

Wow, thanks everyone for the thoughts. I'm amazed that people are finding it faster once they get used to it.

Feel like it's a toss up now between the 8800 and 8300

I'm definitely used to it. You can't always trust the initial feel of such things...

I have had 3 qwerty keyboard PDAs in the last 4yrs. The best typing experience was on a sidekick II. The XV6700 was not a fun experience. I have started to like the 8800, have it for 3 weeks and my typing speed is definitely improving.

I am way over the 8700 now. 8800 works fine for now, and if in doubt, get a spell checker.

Kewl! Mine is scheduled for delivery tomorrow..... A shiny new BB to play with, love, take care of...... Oh, better go get a BSE for it....

I am a user of the sliding technique, keeping the fingers on the keyboard and sliding them into the grooves at the top of the keys.

Why?

My experience with the 8800 has been fantastic. Unlike a lot of people on the forum, I dreaded the 8700c keyboard. It just did not work for me. I had no speed or confidence after giving myself a very long time to adjust to it.

Then I got the 8800 and from the very first day I was able to type at the speed I'm used to on a qwerty keyboard. I find the size and shape of the keys just right for me and I have rather large hands.

These posts actually make me want to give the 8800 a third try. I so want to like typing on it...everything else is excellent.
One other question though: for a guy with average hands, doesn't the 8700 feel more solid?

Here's my take for what it's worth.

I was a big qwerty fan until I bought my 8700c.

I made a _huge_ mistake, as I purchased it from Cingular over the phone, assuming it would have a great keyboard since that was the consensus on the forum. I didn't even give the keyboard a second thought until I got it.

Upon unpacking my new 8700c, I tried using it and I was grossly disappointed. The shape of the keys are rather odd and tapered on the inside edges thereby reducing the amount of contact area that your finger touches when pressing the keys. I found it cramped as the keys are smaller and closer together than my past qwerty devices. The keys are part of the styling element on the 8700 as opposed to being designed for speed and accuracy as the keys were on the earlier BBs such as the 7200 series. My 7290 had the best keyboard of all. Terrific keys, really solid, easy to use and very fast.

The moment I heard about the 8800 I could not wait to get one. I got mine on the very first day they had them in stock and I could not be happier. The keyboard on the 8800 is very well laid out and the keys are optimized for fast typing. There is less resistance than the 8700 presents, therefore the keys respond faster and my typing speed is much faster. Accuracy is also greater as they are just so smooth with great tactile feedback.

So what does all this mean? Just that we are all different and until you give it a good try for yourself there is no telling what is the best for you.

Going forward I certainly will not make that mistake again, I will always take a wait and see approach until I've had a chance to evaluate it by using it myself.

Cheers...