[Dodge DeBoulet]

Folks, I ordered and received an 8703e from Verizon based on the recommendation of my boss, who is a heavy email user. As an email device, it's fine, but it's sorely lacking in some features that I find important. Its shortcomings:

• Lousy battery life in a 1XRTT area (much better in EVDO)
• Lacks voice dial
• Won't adjust display time to local time automatically
• Can't sync or tether via bluetooth
• Can't sort email display by sender/subject/date (wtf? Wasn't this thing designed for email?)

I've read that voice dial is a possibility with an upcoming OS release (although it won't be in 4.2, at least for the 8703e), and that would go a long way to making it more attractive. I had a Moto E815 before, and that has an amazing voice dial feature; anything remotely as useful as that on the BB would make its other shortcomings less objectionable.

I really want to like this thing; the screen is nice, the keyboard is pretty good, and web browsing is surprisingly usable. But I just can't get over the features I'm giving up by forgoing my Moto E815.

Now, I know that I'm giving up email by going back to a conventional phone (duh), but I'm considering ordering a Treo 700P to replace the BB (yes, I know it doesn't have voice dial either, but you can get software to do that from a 3rd party). I'm hearing conflicting stories on the Treo's stability, and I'm sure this forum is not the place to look for positive experiences with the Treo. But for those that switched from a 650 or 700P to a BB, what kept you from going back? And does the BB suffice as your cell phone too?

[pspiegel]

i switched from a treo 700p and use an 8703e as my voice phone/data phone... the treo i HATED for one reason.. it constantly froze/reset.. at least once a day when I was in the middle of something, the screen would shut off and restart... the battery life on it is horribly as well compared to the 8703e.. even in the evdo areas.. i could use the treo for maybe an hour and it would be 50% dead, i tried extended batteries, new batteries, etc, all of them were really poor..

as far as your concerns, the battery life of the 8703e should be fairly decent, however it is not as good as its GSM counterparts, the reason I was told that the battery gets eaten up in 1XRTT is because it is searching for EVDO constantly.. i am not sure if there is a way to turn that off and just force it to stay in 1XRTT and then force it to EVDO when you know you are in a coverage area..

voice dial.. like you said it is coming..

You can tether via bluetooth I believe, i have never done it though since I have a mac (however, a developer has just figured out how to do this for macs, it has not been released yet) the 8100 does have bluetooth DUN, and i believe i have heard it works on the 8700..

hope this helps... i would give the treo a positive rating if it deserved one, not because I have a blackberry.. i used the treo for about six months, and then i actually went back to my Razr until the 8703e came out.. the treo 700p was just that frustrating...

[d_fisher]

Originally Posted by pspiegel

You can tether via bluetooth I believe, i have never done it though since I have a mac (however, a developer has just figured out how to do this for macs, it has not been released yet) the 8100 does have bluetooth DUN, and i believe i have heard it works on the 8700..

You can not tether via Bluetooth at the moment. Maybe when OS V4.2 is released.

[takeshi]

However, you should be able to sync via Bluetooth though you'll need to read RIM's knowledgebase article on the subject to set it up properly (the big caveat being getting the MS BT driver installed instead of the OEM driver). I've never bothered as I sync wirelessly (BES).

[kmccarthy]

Dude, we dont have to convince you a darn thing. If you dont like it, return it. Nobody is holding a gun to your head

[Dodge DeBoulet]

Originally Posted by kmccarthy

Dude, we dont have to convince you a darn thing. If you dont like it, return it. Nobody is holding a gun to your head

True. But lots of people DO like it, and many have used alternative devices. I'm just trying to figure out what the attraction is.

Thanks for the help.

[kmccarthy]

The attraction is that it is an email guru, a phone, adress book, internet, memos, tasks, calendar, and an alarm. Whats not to love?

[lmc0434]

I love my 8703e. I am able to sync it via bluetooth all day long at home and the office, although bt tethering is not available

[cdd543]

Originally Posted by Dodge DeBoulet

Folks, I ordered and received an 8703e from Verizon based on the recommendation of my boss, who is a heavy email user. As an email device, it's fine, but it's sorely lacking in some features that I find important. Its shortcomings:

• Lousy battery life in a 1XRTT area (much better in EVDO)
• Lacks voice dial
• Won't adjust display time to local time automatically
• Can't sync or tether via bluetooth
• Can't sort email display by sender/subject/date (wtf? Wasn't this thing designed for email?)

I've read that voice dial is a possibility with an upcoming OS release (although it won't be in 4.2, at least for the 8703e), and that would go a long way to making it more attractive. I had a Moto E815 before, and that has an amazing voice dial feature; anything remotely as useful as that on the BB would make its other shortcomings less objectionable.

I really want to like this thing; the screen is nice, the keyboard is pretty good, and web browsing is surprisingly usable. But I just can't get over the features I'm giving up by forgoing my Moto E815.

Now, I know that I'm giving up email by going back to a conventional phone (duh), but I'm considering ordering a Treo 700P to replace the BB (yes, I know it doesn't have voice dial either, but you can get software to do that from a 3rd party). I'm hearing conflicting stories on the Treo's stability, and I'm sure this forum is not the place to look for positive experiences with the Treo. But for those that switched from a 650 or 700P to a BB, what kept you from going back? And does the BB suffice as your cell phone too?

I have a brand new 700p and am looking to move back to the 8703e. I prefer the simplicity of the blackberry and don't care for touch screens.

[kmccarthy]

Originally Posted by cdd543

I have a brand new 700p and am looking to move back to the 8703e. I prefer the simplicity of the blackberry and don't care for touch screens.

right on! I hate touchscreens with a passion. they take sooooo much more time and effort. ill stick with my good ol' bb, thanks

[rjw3000]

I tried the touchscreen and didn't like it either.

The Blackberry doesn't have a sort for Subject and Sender in the classic sense like a desktop email program, but in the Inbox you can move the wheel over a message and click the wheel and it gives you the choice of Search Sender and Search Subject. There's also the regular search as well.

[Dodge DeBoulet]

Originally Posted by cdd543

I have a brand new 700p and am looking to move back to the 8703e. I prefer the simplicity of the blackberry and don't care for touch screens.

See, now this is the sort of stuff that makes me rethink my current intentions to swap the BB for something else. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the 700P is the leading contender, but I hadn't considered that the touchscreen might be such an integral part of its operation.

Thinking back on it, the 700P I played with in the Verizon store was pretty hard to use without hauling the stylus out, and one handed operation would be an issue. Frankly, one handed operation (uh, think "driving" rather than "downloading pr0n," OK?) of the 8703e ain't exactly a piece of cake, but it's doable.

Alright . . . that's worthy of consideration. Thanks!

[Dodge DeBoulet]

Originally Posted by rjw3000

I tried the touchscreen and didn't like it either.

The Blackberry doesn't have a sort for Subject and Sender in the classic sense like a desktop email program, but in the Inbox you can move the wheel over a message and click the wheel and it gives you the choice of Search Sender and Search Subject. There's also the regular search as well.

As much as I've been playing with the BB, I had never given any thought to those two menu selections. That significantly enhances the usability of email, and pretty much eliminates the need for a sort feature.

Also worthy. Thanks!

[Dodge DeBoulet]

Originally Posted by kmccarthy

The attraction is that it is an email guru, a phone, adress book, internet, memos, tasks, calendar, and an alarm. Whats not to love?

What's not to love?

See post #1 in this thread . . . ;)

Seriously, as you can see, some of my concerns are being addressed. I'm not as disappointed in the 8703e as I was previously, having gotten a new spin on some of its features (and just as importantly, the shortcomings of the competition).

[topspeedtop]

keep it

[Dodge DeBoulet]

Originally Posted by pspiegel

i switched from a treo 700p and use an 8703e as my voice phone/data phone... the treo i HATED for one reason.. it constantly froze/reset.. at least once a day when I was in the middle of something, the screen would shut off and restart... the battery life on it is horribly as well compared to the 8703e.. even in the evdo areas.. i could use the treo for maybe an hour and it would be 50% dead, i tried extended batteries, new batteries, etc, all of them were really poor..

Excellent, real world information. Thanks, pspiegel. As I mentioned, I've heard both raves and rants about the 700P; it's either a love or hate relationship. Either the thing is miraculously problem free and does everything except handle your personal hygiene needs, or it's a constant threat to your sanity.

As far as battery life is concerned: My home area (southern coastal Maine) is 1XRTT, and my battery goes dead in 24 hours with light use. In an EVDO area, it'll drop maybe a bar a day; I'm in Milwaukee at the moment, where I get a strong EVDO signal in most areas . . . and the battery life is equal to, if not better than my Moto E815.

I travel 2-3 times a month to multiple regions in the U.S., and seem to be in an EVDO area more often than not when away from home. It's those times where battery life is most important, so that's a significant consideration too.

Thanks again.

[orbitz]

I have a Treo 650 and 700p...and a ppc 6700. For fun and games the Treo and/or the 6700 are much more powerful... but for rock solid stability, email, contact management and a great all around phone the BB is very difficult to beat. Like others here, once you have used models with touch sceens and without you will know what works best for you...for me the touch screen is a definate negative for everday use. Since moving to the BB, I haven't picked up either the Treo or 6700...never missed them.

I do understand your complaint about how email messages are handled...I didn't like this too much either at first but once I used it for a few weeks it really is second nature to move through emails and such...it is still much much more effecient then having to pull out a stylus to do have the things you need to do with the device.

[Nickster248]

I had a Treo 650, and still have my iPAQ 4700, but the draw to the BB for me was the stability and the push email. Now I know there are other devices out there that claim they too have top notch push email, but I will stick with the BB 8703e for the moment...switching to the 8800 Crimson when it comes out.

I still carry my iPAQ around with me because it has all my medical programs on there, which is impossible with the BB, but I 'use' my BB much more often than the iPAQ. My BB allows me to stay in touch with everything that is going on in my life, and so I plan on staying with the BB for some time to come.

[dhendriksen]

I have used/owned just about every smartphone/pda/pocket pc out there. They blackberry is so great because it is simple, stable, and compact. I hate touchscreens because the stylus plain sucks, and using you thumb/fingernail get fingerprints all over the screen. The blackberry is also compact compared to these other devices. I use an 8700g with T-mobile, and just love everything about it. The push email is top-notch. I had push email programs on my last MDA, but they were unreliable. This just works all the time - no crashes, no sluggish OS, it is just clean and easy.

Oh, and on the battery life, as long as it gets you through one business day who cares? I am sure everynight you go sleep somewhere that has an electrical outlet!

Keep the blackberry, and it will grow on you. Its simplicity bugged me at first and made the device seem primative, but that is its beauty, and thurough use will prove that. Not to mention, this is rock solid. No other smartphone has lived up to the abuse this baby has seen!

I love my BB!

I am typing this post on it as we speak.

Oh, and read these forums often. I learn cool new stuff everyday!

[Horseshoe]

Like many have mentioned before, I like the BB (I have an 8703e, Verizon) due to its simplicity.

One of the real downfalls of the Treo 700 was the fact that I constantly had to use 2 hands to operate it, whereas with the trackwheel, navigating through the BB interface with one hand is very very convenient and easy.

I suggest you get a 700p and try it for 15 or 30 days and see which you prefer - we all have our own needs (some like the flashy stuff the Treo's have to offer over the BB) and re-evaluate which you'd rather carry.. No matter how much we convince you here, if you aren't satisfied and have some doubts, you'll have them in the future. Go try the Treo, I'm confident you'll be back in 2 weeks asking for your BB back.

If your priorities lie within the realm of what BB's have to offer, their isn't a device better than the BB that will deliver what you need (email, browser, phone).

Hope this helps.