[stin]

I am currently a 7520 user through Nextel and I love the blackberry, but I am not impressed by the Nextel coverage in my area. My company also has a contract with verizon so I am going to switch to them. Looks like my options are going to be either the 7250 or the 7130e phones. I have read reviews of both and now I am looking for some opinions from current users of those models as to which I should choose. I will be using it for email, of course, ssh connections with the app from Idokorro in case of emergency and probably as a modem connected to my laptop when I am in a bind. I am also interested on comments about getting used to the keyboard on the 7130e.

[tobenning]

Originally Posted by stin

I am currently a 7520 user through Nextel and I love the blackberry, but I am not impressed by the Nextel coverage in my area. My company also has a contract with verizon so I am going to switch to them. Looks like my options are going to be either the 7250 or the 7130e phones. I have read reviews of both and now I am looking for some opinions from current users of those models as to which I should choose. I will be using it for email, of course, ssh connections with the app from Idokorro in case of emergency and probably as a modem connected to my laptop when I am in a bind. I am also interested on comments about getting used to the keyboard on the 7130e.

If you like the 7520, go with the 7250. Sounds like typing will be a big part of your day and the 7250 is better suited for that. Go with what you already like.

[Jeff d]

I went from 7250 to 7130e and you'd have to pay me quite a bit to switch back.

SureType took a couple of days to get used to but now I prefer it to a full keyboard.

The phone fnctionality is light years ahead of the 7250. It's easier to dial, speakerphone, dedicated send & end buttons, better ringers, etc.

[BassKozz]

\/\/\/

[BassKozz]

Are there any differences in these two models besides the whole keyboard thing (Qwerty vs. Suretype)...

i.e. CPU speed, Memory size, battery duration, etc...

[unboringuy]

Don't hold me to this, but I believe the 7130e has more memory. And users report that the battery life is substantially better on the 7250. I've read reports that the 7130e has to be charged daily, even with only modest use, while the 7250 will last several days.

[whsbuss]

Yes, the 7130 has 64MB of memory.

[Jeff d]

Originally Posted by unboringuy

...And users report that the battery life is substantially better on the 7250. I've read reports that the 7130e has to be charged daily, even with only modest use, while the 7250 will last several days.

Yep, my 7250 could easily go 2 days with heavy use on a single recharge. My 7130e will not make it through the second day with the same use. It really hasn't been a problem, I just plug it into the charger on my nightstand every night before I go to bed.

It makes sense though. The 7130e battery is about half the size of the 7250 (physically) and it has to run a much brighter screen. The 7130e screen will light up a room and can be used as a flashlight but the 7250 wasn't bright enough for that.

[whsbuss]

Originally Posted by Jeff d

Yep, my 7250 could easily go 2 days with heavy use on a single recharge. My 7130e will not make it through the second day with the same use. It really hasn't been a problem, I just plug it into the charger on my nightstand every night before I go to bed.

It makes sense though. The 7130e battery is about half the size of the 7250 (physically) and it has to run a much brighter screen. The 7130e screen will light up a room and can be used as a flashlight but the 7250 wasn't bright enough for that.

I get about the same battery life. It really depends on EVDO signal being present and the number of emails/calls I make each day. The only saving grace is when tethering (or just plugged in) the USB cable charges the battery.