Doh! My faithful 7290 kicked the bucket this morning. Of course I haven’t synched in a few weeks. Oh well. Hopefully I’ll be able to upgrade to the 8700C or the Pearl. So my question to yall…
In your opinion, what do you find to be the most valuable features of each?
I’m thinking the Pearl has the camera & the IR port, but the retarded keyboard. At least it would retard the typing of someone like myself. What are your experiences with these features?
The 8700C looks like my trusty old 7290, so I gotta say my heart is probably leaning towards it. And it should fit my leather holster that I already have. But I’ll take some advice from all of you 1st.
Also regarding OSes, do either of theses devices support OSes that can uniquely traffic incoming phone calls depending on the caller? OR at least offer unique ring-tones for different callers.
If you like the full QWERTY, you'll probably be happier with the 8800.
However, as a big fan of the Pearl, I have say you might want to give it a try. Yes, the Suretype keyboard takes time to get used to. I got used to it in a couple of days, and now I can type as fast if not faster than I ever did on my other phones.
It has the same functionality as the 8700 and 8800. 8800 has GPS navi if you need/like that. Otherwise the Pearl has Telenav, which is essentially a mapquest-ish style direction finder.
I got the Pearl instead of the 8800 because of the fact that it doesn't look like a blackberry until you pick it up. My VZW friends that have BBs are pretty jealous every time they pick it up.
I have no regrets at all over choosing the Pearl over the 8800.
Hold out another week, and get the Curve/8300. Ha! Now you're stuck!
I used the 8700 for a year, and hands down loved it. Nothing about it I didnt like. The full keyboard, from the home screen, you dont ever need to use the menu. Things like that make it very fast to use after awhile!
Needing to try the next one I got the 8100, and again, I love it but it does lack the full keyboard and it just isnt as durable... I am a heavy user and the 8700 I had lasted me a year, and had no signs of quitting. Ive had 4 8100's so far... 2 with failed trackballs, keys, and one that had a bad side button. If it werent under warranty I would be pissed!
I had an 8800, for about a day. The keyboard isnt for me, the piano keys and the overall look of it... the screen seems to small for the body, I will likely wait for an 8300. Back to the pearl! Now the camera on the pearl, and the fact my gf has one too and we use the camera heavily on bb messenger is the reason Im still using it... with 4.2 on the 8700 I like the improvement, may jump back to it until the 8300 comes out...
hope that helps
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my office? 9700 tethered to my MBAir
Also regarding OSes, do either of theses devices support OSes that can uniquely traffic incoming phone calls depending on the caller? OR at least offer unique ring-tones for different callers.
8700C vs. Pearl - Requesting YOUR Input!!! =)
What OS are you using on the smartphone? Please vote! 
