any better or worse than the 8100?

RIM told me tonight that the 8800 has better voice quality than the 8100 in addition to the full keyboard. Also the battery life sucks on the 8100

I am with T-Mobile and to give back the Pearl and get an 8800 would mean porting over my phone number to ATT/Cingular....

Is this a Good move or bad one......is the 8800 better? Is ATT better?

Thank you

Elliot

You could get an unlocked 8800. I think carrier choice depends on where you get the best signal from the carrier.

I've had both and like the 8800 better cause of the full size keyboard.

I agree. I liked my 8100 until the firmware update eliminated the ability to turn auto backlight levels on/off. Too bad that something so minor can change one's perception of a device.

The 8100 had excellent sound quality, voice dialing, contacts quick find, camera, etc... I purchased a Cingular 8800 2 weeks ago and had it unlocked for use on T-Mobile. It is as good if not better, than the 8100 was. Love the QWERTY but it took a week or so to get aclimated to the wider size of the device. I flip flop between my unbranded/unlocked Treo 750 and the 8800. I always seem to migrate back to the 8800. It is just a nice machine.

I have them both. The 8100 worked very well. The only issue is the lack of a fully qwerty keyboard on the 8100. If you send a lot of emails, you're going to want a full keyboard. That's where the 8800 enters the picture.

So far the only embarrassment about the 8800 is the squeaky sides, which for some bizarre reason those "unpaid" bloggers who ranted and raved about the beauty and sex appeal of the 8800 seemed to miss reporting on.

What is 'the squeaky sides' issue of which you speak?

Not significantly. They're mostly just designed to fit different niches. The 8800 doesn't have the camera that the Pearl does but the Pearl doesn't have built-in GPS either... A device in the 8XXX family should have a camera at some (undetermined) point in the future. No word yet on a GPS-equipped Pearl though.

It's never a good idea to switch carriers solely based on a particular device. Select your carrier first based on coverage. In this particular case, TMO will be releasing the 8800. You can also buy and unlock the at&t 8800 for use on TMO. No carrier is universally "better" except to the carrier fanboys. Again, coverage is the most important feature of any carrier -- assuming that your intent is to place and receive calls and/or use data services rather than just look cool. Coverage not only varies from market to market but from location to location. One of the carriers will be better for you but it's something that you really need to determine by using the trial period of any new carrier you're looking into.

Not necessarily. The keyboard is really just a matter of personal preference. I know plenty of heavy emailers/texters that prefer SureType. Personally, I can't stand it. To each his own...

One of my sides squeaks but I have to squeeze it at the top left corner in a fashion that I would never do under normal circumstances. I agree that it shouldn't squeak at all but you make it sound like a tragic flaw or something when it's really just a nitpicker's issue (at the moment ayway -- we'll see if it develops into something bigger over time).

the silver sides squeak. but mainly the left one with the USB.

doesn't seem to be a show stopper though !

Are you on a BES plan with T-mo? I also have a 750 that I keep but right now, I'm using the 8800 with cingular. If I were to pop the sim card from the BB to the treo, can I use the treo even though I'm on a BES plan?

Excellent input....thank you.

True about switching carriers because of a phone....Cingular/ATT is not as good as TMO in my area.

I have a feeling that I should keep the 8100 and when TMO has the 8800 see if I still want to change.

The idea about doing less e-mail away from the computer appeals to me as I get 300-400 a day and only 125 "real messages" of which 30-50 need to be answered quickly but not necessarily with anything long.

Regards

Elliot

I am on the BIS plan through T-Mo as well as thier unlimited Internet plan which allows me access to non-BB email. I just pop my SIM into whichever device and run with it. I have to admit, the Treo 750 has nice form factor but the Windows OS is it's usual qwirky (sp?) self. Too bad. If they could ever figure it out, the form factor and OS combination could be a real BB killer. But for now, I am sticking with my 8800.

I too have a Treo (700wx) and a 8800. I love the Treo for some things, and creating or editing Excel filed (in particular) or Word files in native format is something that the BB just doesn't do (without a very expensive app and subscription). And the connection speed is much faster on the Treo for large downloads or data intensive apps like weather radar. There are many more apps for the Treo that just aren't available for BB that I use regularly.

But, when the email alert goes off -- usually always first on the BB -- I always find myself reaching for the 8800. That wasn't the case with the previous BB's. (I have the same email accounts set up on both). Couldn't stand the SureType on the 7100.

Now, the squeaky sides on the 8800 ...... definitely not a show stopper, just a little annoying. The good news is the squeaking went away totally when I put the full ShieldZone on the 8800.

I can't put the 8800 down. Sound quality is great, better than the Treo, bluetooth works MUCH better on the 8800, reboot ratio is 100:1 more frequent on the Treo, display quality is much better on the 8800. 8800 is hands-down favorite.

I have both because I can't have a camera in my work environment.