Dodge DeBoulet

Well, I've finally joined the ranks of Blackberry-toting type A's. I did it with an 8703e through my current carrier, Verizon. The research I'd done seemed to indicate that this model offered the best set of features for someone who needs convenient and flexible email access along with decent functionality as a phone.

I looked at the 7130e, but didn't care for the "abbreviated" keyboard. I also researched the Treo 700P, but it appears reliability issues still plague the hardware, and I don't need to deal with that . . .

Thoughts? Anyone else using this Blackberry (or a comparable) model?

iwebslinger

Did you see the pearl offered by T mobile. I almost got one yesterday unfortunately they had none in stock.

Dodge DeBoulet

Yeah . . . but it's got the same keyboard setup as the 7130e. While the small form factor is nice, I need something with a decent size screen and a keyboard layout that provides reasonably efficient text input.

bp888

I'm happy with my 8700g (T-Mo) except for battery life which sucks, lasting just over a day for a not-heavy mix of voice, email and web browsing, even with Bluetooth turned off. This is my first 'crackberry' and I now know from whence the term came. (Is the word 'from' in 'from whence' redundant?)

I've read all the rave reviews on the Pearl but I'm not sure I'll get used to the double-purpose keys so for now I think I'll stick with my 8700g.

As a Mac user I'm also quite happy with the recent release of PocketMac 4... long overdue. The synching of Entourage, Address Book and Blackberry appears to be work seamlessly although I always end up with some kind of an error message that I've never understood the meaning of. The .mac synchronization is horribly slow and utterly useless.

A feature that I think might be missing (and useful to me) is the ability to link/mark an email as a task or as a calendar entry? For example, if you get an email inviting you to an event, can you highlight words in the email and create a task or a calendar entry without having to cut-and-paste? Appreciate any help on this as this would be a time saver for me.

Spiff

Can't get enough of my 8700g. Am thinking about a second battery.

kingalien

I have a 8700 for two weeks and love it. Coworker got the pearl and though the keyboard takes a little getting used to, I really like the trackball. As for typing, it can sense the word you are typing with the two-letter keys, so while it will show gibberish on the screen it will more often than not show the correct word once you hit the space button. For now, I still favor the 8700 because of the larger screen.

Spyder

My 8700g does everything I ask it to do.

Quickly surfs the web,
I have three email aco....s set up on it,
I like having a full keyboard,
Phone, speaker, and bluetooth headset work great.

If I could figure out how to get it set up properly to serve as a dial-up modem for my laptop, I'd be 100% satisfied.

Btw, My wife is thinking about ditching her sidekick2 and getting an 8700.

Aggie Girl

i recently joined the ranks as well (8700c, here) and have found lots of good info at Blackberry Forums . These people are as nutty about their BBs as people here are about travel. Very helpful. I've already saved $15/month on my service plan w/Cingular. ^

Dodge DeBoulet

Thanks, Aggie Girl; I joined yesterday as a matter of fact (under a different ID, though). Excellent site for BB addicts!

ben1979

Bought the 8703e last week as well. Now I need to have my hosted Exchange service hook me up with BES

ben1979

I got a Pearl the first day it was out. By far the best phone I've used up until that point. Unfortunately I can't stand the SureType keyboard and EDGE is horribly slow (I've been spoiled by EVDO on VZW). Ended up returning it and got a VZW 8703e

themicah

I just got the 8703e from VZ. It's my first blackberry and I've been very happy with it (especially now that I figured out how to delete Brickbreaker so I can go back to working while at work).

Battery life is pretty lousy, but seems to be sufficient to get me through the day as long as I charge it once every day or two. And at least it recharges superfast.

robb

I'm sure you could find out more at Blackberry Forums, but it's my understanding that you cannot use it as a modem. The only Bluetooth devices I think it pairs with are headsets.

Having said that, though, I love my 8700, although I have no idea if there's a letter after that ). I cannot understand why people would get blackberries with partial keyboards. It seems to defeat the whole purpose. The screen size is great, the high-speed conection is blazing, and it does everything I need.

Plus, you know it must be secure. Everytime I see footage of Paris Hilton getting arrested or whatever, I notice that she's upgraded from her sidekick to an 8700.

Dodge DeBoulet

At least on Verizon, you can tether via USB with the unlimited data plan and a $15/mo. BroadbandAccess fee. Some of the bundled voice/data plans drop the $15 fee, too. Edit: Apparently, the BroadBandAccess fee is required regardless of the plan if you're going to tether. B@st@rds.

I'd prefer Bluetooth for future compatibility, but my laptop doesn't have it built-in, so I've got to plug something into the USB port regardless . . . might as well be a cable.

squid

I got a 8703e on Sprint last weekend.
Was cross shopping against a Palm 700p.

So far I am happy with the bb as a phone.
Have not yet explored web & e-mail much.

Like the bright screen, not too fond default theme
that's a mixture of an old arcade game and MS Windows
feelgood.