[BallHawk3]

I prob should have added. Being a curve user (8300 to 8900) There was NO learning curve going to the 9700. A quick adjustment! Consdiering how I hated the 8800 and bold 9000 keyboard.

[clitrenta]

Originally Posted by nickj79

I just upgraded to the 9700 from the 8900. So far the phone seems like a winner. I do have a couple questions for others who purchased the 9700 who were coming from the 8900:

1. Side by side the 8900 is noticeably louder. 10 on the 9700 is equal to medium on 8900. 5 and lower on 9700 and you can barely hear it. (are you all noticing the same thing?)

2. I can't seem to get many of my old apps. (telenav, the free quickpull, etc....) I assume this is due to the new software and compatibility.

Telenav came on my 9700

[jbeek]

I came from an 8100 running OS 4.5 ... what an upgrade the 9700 is!

The trackpad, more memory, faster processor, Wi-Fi, the little utilities included in the OS now that weren't before (clock and timer, for example) ... all is good so far.

[BallHawk3]

just an update.

I've noticed more drop calls with this phone. It has to do with 3G. It's got issues with the 3G connection. 3G handoff to EDGE drops my calls normally.

WHat sucks is if i'm on a phone call, it normally drops out of 3G after a while then I can't use data until I hang up.

Grrrr

[nickj79]

Not crazy about this phone. Way too many quirks. Build quality is hit or miss. You'll either get a great one or a loose creaky one. The threaded messages is cool but phone has a tendency to delay opening up messages. Have had more than one and each one has done this. Phone has frozen up on me in the middle of phone calls. Many non-compatable applications that I use religiously ie. Telenav, Quickpull etc... 3g is nothing to wriite home about. I noticed that it opened up pages a little quicker than my 8900 but streaming video buffered every couple seconds on my Bold and rarely did on my 8900. Not as loud as 8900. I was really hoping this would be my favorite blackberry. I loved the initial feel and solid build but quickly came to find that my 8900 was just much more stable. Was really hoping the 9700 would be a huge jump from the 8900 and its not. Contemplating the jump to Android.

[elan19]

Switched from 8320 to 9700 a week ago, still with T-mobile. I strongly considered Android as I'm a heavy user of Google services but went with the 9700 as I got to keep my grandfathered Blackberry data plan pricing of $20/month, and get to do tethering.

I just posted a long review on the 9700 (with many comments on use of Google services) at AMZN, here:

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: BlackBerry Bold 9700 Phone (T-Mobile)

Since this is just a "First Impressions" thread, I'll just include my summary:

The Blackberry 9700 with T-mobile is a great phone and communication device that is also a pretty good pocket computer, all in an attractive, easy to hold and use form factor - all at a very reasonable monthly plan cost for the heavy phone and data user. It is a huge improvement over the 83xx series in almost every respect. The only significant disadvantages compared with other smartphones are a barely usable browser, a cumbersome setup for third-party apps, and the general complication of customizing the device. For those who value a browser and ease of use above all and are willing to pay for it, the iPhone is better - but for those who want a great smartphone on a budget - this is a great choice. 5 stars.