[HaTaX]

So I frequent both forums and while I understand there are a large number of users here who don't use their BlackBerry for voice, but there are also alot of users who do have the BlackBerry for one device convience and use the phone side..

That said, I don't want to double post so I will provide a link to another forum where I had started this. You can reply here if you have no account there as I am in no way endorsing anyone here. But input would be appreciated from voice users.

Link:
Forum Link

[rpvitale]

Best voice phone ive ever had. The GUI is outstanding as is voice quality. Ive have 7250, 7520, 8700c, 8703e and a 7230. The network will determine what kind of service you'll get. Here in NYC I feel Verizon is best. I've had BB's with T-mobile, Cingular, Nextel and Verizon.

[HaTaX]

Quality wasn't really an issue with me, it was call handling and management features that are just plain missing from CDMA. I do alot of incoming 3 way calls and incoming call management where I need to switch between conversations and have the phone inform me of who I am currently on the line with..

Severly lacking in the CDMA dept., at least when compared with other GSM and GSM like providers.

[jsuen]

And primitive roaming with a PRL... it's what you get when you design a standard to be compatible with analog phones... of course, GSM is clearly design by committee: SMS is compatible with ERMES, GPRS can handle serial data...

Somebody, Qualcomm I think, did propose to stick the CDMA air interface on GSM, I guess for the Southern American market which saw CDMA carriers lose customers for many of the same reasons.

[jgb@etree]

Originally Posted by HaTaX

Quality wasn't really an issue with me, it was call handling and management features that are just plain missing from CDMA. I do alot of incoming 3 way calls and incoming call management where I need to switch between conversations and have the phone inform me of who I am currently on the line with..

Severly lacking in the CDMA dept., at least when compared with other GSM and GSM like providers.

It sounds like you need a real phone. See the thread about people who carry both a Blackberry & a phone.... Sounds like you would fit into that category well as most of their justification for carring a dedicated phone is for increased phone functionality.

The BB is great for push email and it's PIM features, but pretty much everyone agrees that the phone isn't the world's most advanced. I've used my BB as a phone for the last 3-4 years, but I just need to place and receive calls - number of rings before voicemail, being able to drop a call when flashing to pickup another and joining a party who has just called me in with the person I was originally talking to aren't at all a concern for me. Btw, you can drop your original caller to pickup an incoming call - just say goodbye the person you are talking to, and hang up the phone. It will ring after you hang up, and you can answer the new incoming call. Not sure how often you need to conference someone calling you with someone you are already talking to, but if I ever have the need to do that I'll answer the incoming call while holding the original caller, greet the new caller and say 'Let me call you right back so I can conference you in with XXX'

[jsuen]

It has nothing to do with a phone and all to do with CDMA, and it is a major reason why I don't use CDMA. On GSM, I can make a 7-way conference call, take any arbitrary person and talk to them privately then join them back into the call or drop them.

If somebody is on call waiting, I have the option of talking to them individually or creating a new conference... This is exactly the case when we're in a conference and somebody's phone drops the call. I don't have to call the person I'm already connected to over again, which gets old quick.

My phone knows which calls were completed, and the exact time when answer supervision was detected. The phone log knows which calls I hung up on, and which numbers had a busy signal.

GSM can retreive and show you all of your call forwarding settings. Every feature code is standardized, including 911, and the IDD code, across every single carrier in the world. T-Mobile's USSD feature shows you your minutes immediately, without waiting for a SMS. Cingular uses the same thing to let you recharge a prepaid phone just by entering the card number.

This is all on my 8700, which supports almost every GSM call handling feature there is (I don't remember if it indicates when the other party puts you on hold), which not coincidentally, is what you get on an ISDN (or T1) PRI. On CDMA, they're, well, what you get on an analog line.

[jnyost]

I guess it all depends on what you need. Those GSM options don't matter to me. I'd rather have a network that works. GSM just doesn't have good enough coverage for me. Doesn't even work at my house....

Jared

[pnd4pnd]

Originally Posted by jnyost

I guess it all depends on what you need. Those GSM options don't matter to me. I'd rather have a network that works. GSM just doesn't have good enough coverage for me. Doesn't even work at my house....

Jared

hear, hear, all the call handling in the world doesn't mean a thing if you drop calls. none of the gsm providers in the bay area are even halfway decent. verizon rules here, hence why i use them.

eric

[jsuen]

That's not GSM's fault... In the Bay Area, Verizon is one big muddy overloaded mess, especially in places like Berkeley. You don't get busy signals, but you can't hear the other person either. EVRC was lousy to begin with, add the loss of spectrum to EVDO and natural network growth = nonexistent voice quality. Never had a problem on Cingular 850 (the AT&T network). The T-Mobile 1900 (ex-Cingular) network is pretty lousy, but still better than Sprint, IMO.

[Jace]

I'm a recent convert from Cingular GSM to Sprint CDMA (8700c to 8703e). This decision was mostly based on a cost savings and new corporate alliance. I am however very impressed with the Sprint network here in Chicago... I thought for sure moving to CDMA network was going to suck. I'm an average to moderately heavy voice user (1600+ min/month). The Sprint network seems to support all the call features I need, receive calls, send calls, SMS, 3way, drop/hold current call to answer another. I've been using my BB as a phone for nearly 3 years. I could never see myself carrying 2 devices ever again.