[rambo47]

I'm jumping on the camera-equipped 8800 just as fast as I can get my mitts on one. I love the Pearl, but video capture plus wifi plus qwerty plus bigger screen are features that make the jump worth it. As far as the 1.3 MP camera, I'm perfectly fine with that resolution. When it comes to phone cams, the optics quality is far more important than the megapixels. You could bump up the MPs and the only thing you'll get are bigger files if you don't shoot through a higher quality lens.

[archer6]

Originally Posted by billclark

I'm not saying I wouldn't (or don't) pay for Wi-Fi, all I'm getting at is who can afford to have an account with every hotspot company around? There are many that offer subscription service that don't have "roaming" agreements with other WiFi providers, and then there are those that have a pay-per-play type of service with no subscription option.

I'm not going to shell out $9.95 just to use WiFi for 45 minutes at an airport on my Blackberry, when I can just as easily grab my laptop, boot it up, and launch iPass and access the internet that way.

iPass is a company/software client that makes roaming agreements with thousands of hotspot operators and then sells their own service which integrates with a company's VPN system allowing "free to the end user" connections back to the corporate network. While I'm not paying for it out of pocket, my company has an enterprise account and pays for it for everyone. It doesn't support Blackberry at all, and there are no plans to as of yet.

You do make a very good point. One that I can certainly identify with as I carry a laptop everyday.

My question is how do you use your Pearl, as far as email is concerned? How many [per day] do you choose to process?

Also how to you like the keyboard?

I tried to get used to the keyboard on my pearl, and now I'm having second thoughts as everything else about it was exemplary. I'm thinking that perhaps I did not give it enough time. Especially since I truly like SureType as implemented on my 7130c.

Your feedback is appreciated.

Cheers
Via 7130c

[backbeat]

Originally Posted by archer6

We pay for cell phone service, why not WiFi?

Same as we should be paying for using a GPS signal, right?

[TheBigNewt]

I think I'll stick with the Pearl. For one thing I won't pay a cent for WiFi. It isn't worth it. The pearl keyboard works for me, I won't pay a cent for a wider QWERTY one. For 3g I may pay, but I'm not getting that the 8800 will have that. So I'll stick with what I've got and let y'all tell me about the 8800.

[marcfogel]

Originally Posted by Chinookman

I just spent a few minutes browsing over the 8800 specs and looking at the pics....absolutely sweet........

How can one NOT lust after one of these and still not look over your shoulder at the Pearl.....LOL........he..he...he......man now what to do......I was getting ready to go to TMO and get the Pearl but the 8800 w/camera AND wifi let's me hook up to campus network.....and not have to take the laptop........sweet.....

So anyway guy's-n-gals.....what's yah'll thoughts on one Vs the other.......

C-man

Not me, I switched from an 8703e to the Pearl. I am tired of the Brickberry.
I want smaller and sleeker.

[Aroc]

Originally Posted by archer6

I would hate to buy an 8800 only to find that less than a few months later a 3G model is announced.

I know you were just trying to make a point, but all information at this point suggests the 3G device will be a Q4 2007 or Q1 2008 release at the earliest, not a Q2 or Q3 2007 release. And one year between BB devices (Assuming one upgrades each year) isn't that bad of a time table. A year is a long time, really.

I was in a similar place about 12 months ago. The 8700 had just been released and it was rumored then that the fabled 3G device might see a Q1 2007 release. Well it's Q1 2007, and all we have is the 8100 Pearl and the soon-to-be released 8800 with no 3G. There was speculation that the 8700 would be software upgradable to 3G, but that too, appears to have been just wild speculation.

Being in the same place as you, I opted for a 2G model 7290 for $99 instead of the 2.5G model 8700c for $299. As the 7290 did everything I needed, as a far reduced cost. Truth of the matter is that I am sorely kicking myself. Although in your defense the 7290 is far less of a desireable device than the 8700 than the 7130 is compared to the 8100 Pearl or 8800. So really, you'd have less of an incentive to upgrade.

Had I not been exposed to the 8700c thru work (I have a 8700c from work, and 7290 for personal use) I might not be Jonesing as hard. But the screen and processing speed (UI feel) is leaps and bounds better. Plus I'm really going to like having a trackball rather than a scroll wheel (I've wanted that from day one) and the thinner size is a huge plus. My thumbs are already on the keyboard since I'm a home screen shortcut junkie. So having the pointing device (trackball) closer to the keyboard (rather than the inconveniently, distantly located thumbwheel) will be much more convenient.

When navigating these devices daily, I'm reminded of the idiocity of why teh pointing device isn't next to the keyboard. It seems obvious that it should be moved closer (slaps forehead, brilliant!).

Thanks RIM!

Aaron

[billclark]

Originally Posted by archer6

You do make a very good point. One that I can certainly identify with as I carry a laptop everyday.

My question is how do you use your Pearl, as far as email is concerned? How many [per day] do you choose to process?

Also how to you like the keyboard?

I tried to get used to the keyboard on my pearl, and now I'm having second thoughts as everything else about it was exemplary. I'm thinking that perhaps I did not give it enough time. Especially since I truly like SureType as implemented on my 7130c.

Your feedback is appreciated.

Cheers
Via 7130c

To be honest, I came from an 8700 about 2 weeks ago. For the longest time, I swore I'd never, ever be able to get used to SureType and stayed away from the 7100g for the longest time. After deciding to jump ship to the Pearl, I got used to SureType within an hour or two, and can type almost as fast on my Pearl as I used to be able to on my 8700. I do love the size drop due to the keyboard, but there are some things I'm having trouble getting used to. For example, I use the Alarm app quite often (to remind myself to go switch my laundry--LOL!), and I usually type the numbers rather than click the pearl and roll to choose a time. With the back/escape key being on the front of the device now, I find myself opening the Camera app a lot rather than hitting escape to save my changes. That's more of an issue of coming from another device, and I'm sure will change in time.

Being an IT professional supporting the North Atlantic region of a Fortune 500, I'm constantly in touch via email outside of my normal office hours, so the Blackberry does come in handy for that. I process the bulk of my messages from my laptop, so I probably read 30-50 emails a day on the BB, replying to maybe 15 of them. The majority of that is short answer type of stuff.

I find that I use the BB more as a data device to keep myself organized when not in front of Outlook 2007 on my laptop. I don't really use the task manager much, but the calendar, address book, and PocketDay Lists have proven to be indispensable. I also use an open-source system monitoring package called Nagios, which has a WAP interface. This allows me to access Nagios from a text based interface to silence/acknowledge alerts, schedule system downtime, and just peek in on my infrastructure status at any time of the day from anywhere in the world via my BES. That feature alone (being able to hit servers on my private network from my BB via BES) will keep me from jumping to any other platform.

While I do admit, a QWERTY keyboard is a nice feature, I just don't use my BB at the office to process emails enough to use WiFi as a deciding factor on moving to the 8800. While at home, my laptop is usually online for most of the day, so living in an apartment, it's a quick walk to the laptop from anywhere.

[bossfan]

Originally Posted by archer6

I tried to get used to the keyboard on my pearl, and now I'm having second thoughts as everything else about it was exemplary. I'm thinking that perhaps I did not give it enough time. Especially since I truly like SureType as implemented on my 7130c.

Your feedback is appreciated.

Cheers
Via 7130c

I just got the Pearl last week, and was exteremely concerned about the Suretype, as virtually every word that I typed came out wrong, and I had been extremely pleased with the 7100. As it turned out, the input language on the Pearl was set to Afrikaan, which I suspect had something to do with the wrong spellings. I set it to US English, and the Suretype has been fine since.

[c13tay]

Ill be going to 8707 unless they release a pearl with 3G ! (need it to work in Japan !)

[backbeat]

Originally Posted by c13tay

Ill be going to 8707 unless they release a pearl with 3G ! (need it to work in Japan !)

Japan is W-CDMA, so it won't matter.

[tprime]

From what I see the 8800 is not really an upgrade over the pearl. I too like having the newest device but that would be the only reason for me to get an 8800. Really i dont yet have a pearl, my wife does. But since I've been .using it I really like it. I was waiting for the 8800 but from what I see its a dissappointment... Sorry QWERTY is not an upgrade to me. My first BB was a 7100t. I got the 8700g for more speed. The comparison of the 8100 to the8800 seems to me the same as the 7130 to the 8700, keypad style.

Also i like the smaller package. As for wifi I use my laptop. My wife had the tmo MDA before. It has wifi. We hardly used it. And its really was not that much faster on the mda. How much surfing the web will i do on my phone? 8800 or 8100 both still have tiny screens and not a true web experience. Built in GPS would be the only attention graber for me, but not a deal breaker. I think I'll wait for next round of devices.

[archer6]

Originally Posted by bossfan

I just got the Pearl last week, and was exteremely concerned about the Suretype, as virtually every word that I typed came out wrong, and I had been extremely pleased with the 7100. As it turned out, the input language on the Pearl was set to Afrikaan, which I suspect had something to do with the wrong spellings. I set it to US English, and the Suretype has been fine since.

Now that I've been using SureType for months on my 7130c it's not a concern. I truly enjoy SureType and I'm quite fast using it.

My concern with the Pearl: is the keyboard itself. Besides being small is the tactile feel of the keys.

The keys on a Pearl are mounted to a rubber membrane and are able to move in all directoins, not just up and down. That "uncertain feel" is what has bothered me in the past. That why I was asking others how they liked the keyboard itself.

It the keyboard was built in a conventional way like the 7130c, I would have no concern.

Anyone care to comment?
Cheers...

[archer6]

Originally Posted by billclark

I just don't use my BB at the office to process emails enough to use WiFi as a deciding factor on moving to the 8800. While at home, my laptop is usually online for most of the day, so living in an apartment, it's a quick walk to the laptop from anywhere.

In my line of work, I'm out of the office more than in, as I travel and my time is either on the road or in the plane, then with clients. Prior to having a BB, I handled all my mail on the laptop, just fine. Now, I find that its' so easy to share the email processing between the laptop and BB. The small form factor and portability of the BB makes it easy to read and respond while in a cab to the airport, or while waiting for a client etc. Now after a few months of BB use, I'm trying to decide how much mail i'm going to do on the laptop. Since I've learned SureType and really enjoy it, the type of keyboard (qwerty vs SureType) is less important. It's the size that now matters.

So as I change my workstyle / lifestye due to the convenience of the BB, I'm trying to get down to just one BB. Open to change and new ideas, I appreciate your detailed response of your usage patterns.

I do realize that one of the most effective solutions for me, (if I want to carry a Pearl) would be to do the majority of the email work on my computer and then I could probably live with the smaller keyboard of the 8100. Like you, what I find very compelling about the 8100 is the size. So, decisions, decisions...

Thanks Again, Bill!