Blackberry Newb Help!
 

Hey guys,

So I've been out of the "Phone Market" loop for a very long time. I'm still using Motorola KRZR from ages ago, by now my phone has pretty much officially crapped out on me. The vibe only works when it feels like it at random times of the week so I end up missing quite a few calls. The reception is slowly getting worse and worse, areas where I used to get perfect reception are now distorting. Also freezes every once a while, getting the white screen of death when I try to end a call by pushing "End" & physically it's scratched beyond belief, etc the list goes on but I won't bore you any longer.

Point is, I think it's about time I get a new phone. Honestly I feel too lazy to try to learn all the new fancy shmancy features of these Smart Phones but to keep up with the times I don't think I have a choice anymore lol! So I was debating either to get an iPhone or Berry but I'm leaning towards the Berry since I'm more business orientated anyway and I don't think I will be using any of those features prevailent in the iPhone like the bagillion available Apps. I think the keyboard on the berry would be a lot more useful for me than the touch screen keyboard for typing emails and sending texts.

Basically I just need it to make calls and lots of text msgs, maybe start checking emails too as my old phone never got that feature. Sometimes play the oddball mini-game when I'm bored out of my mind waiting in line for something. Then there's that whole "PIN" addition which from what I heard is basically like MSN Messenger but for the phone which could come in handy.

So then I started surfing around the net for a Berry and was totally overwhelmed, there's like dozens of different kinds! WTF! My friend also suggested this phone called the E71 which is supposedly ideal for me as well? :confused:

What's the difference between all these like Bold/Curve/Storm/Flip/Blah versions of Berries?!
Any help or advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

~ D

Bold - 3G, qwerty keyboard, gps
Curve - EDGE, qwerty keyboard
Storm - Touchscreen, 3G, no qwerty keyboard, gps
Pearl - Suretype keyboard, EDGE, gps(flip cdma version)
Tour - 3G, qwerty keyboard, CDMA, gps

Get the bold 9700.

Most of that is like gibberish to me LOL ... what's the difference between Suretype and qwerty?
What's EDGE??

Is there one that's just generally the 'best' or better than the others?
Is GPS an add-on I would have to pay to use?
How about in everyone's personal opinion which one did you prefer? Which one are you using now and which ones have you owned before?

The Bold 9700 is the newest one right? Then there's different model numbers for each version too right? Do those mean anything?... *sigh*

qwerty is like a computer keyboard. each letter has its own key. suretype means each keyboard key is shared between 2 letters.
http://ae.blackberry.com/devices/features/df-st.jpg

EDGE is 2G. slower data speeds.

I would say the 9700 is the best overall.

GPS is included with the phone and would require data to work.

ive used the 7290, 8300, 9000 and 9700

Ah thanks for all the helpful information dude!
BTW haven't seen you for a while! :p

I would go for the Bold 9700. It's the most recent and most other Blackberry models will lack something but this one has everything. I just sold my Curve for an Iphone and I'm still debating whether I should pick up the Bold 9700. I feel like the iphone is the more superior phone but the touch screen keypad makes me miss my blackberry.

There's other models too like Onyx and Flip? :confused:

What's the difference between the Bold 9000 and the 9700?

9000 is the older generation of the BOLD. It has a mouse scroll ball, and is like much bigger then the 9700.

The 9700 has improved battery time has the same resolution in a smaller screen so it looks sharper and nicer, has a track pad ( no more non-responsive ball if it get's dirty) it's also smaller then the 9000. This is the newer one.

9700 is smaller, 3.2 auto focus camera, better battery life and trackpad.
Posted via RS Mobile

Should also mention that while the Tour is a great handset, it lacks wifi.

if you have a data plan, wifi is not as important unless you travel out of the country and cannot get data.

The only two berrys I would consider is the Bold 9700 or the Curve 8500

wifi is important to some extent. Not everyone wants to pony up for a 6gb plan (though entirely worth it) and wifi allows them to enjoy streaming media for instance.

I just looked it up, the 9700 is like $200+ more than the 9000, so is it worth it for the featured enhancements??... that being said, Fido only has the Pearl available? Does that mean I have to go to another shop to get an unlocked version?

I'm in a similar position as obsideon on fido so my options are open. my 2g iphone battery won't last a whole day on a full charge with my data plan but i have used it for 2 years now. For those of you who have used iphones and blackberry's which one do you prefer? I like the ease of use and all the third party apps that I have on my iphone, but I also want the button keyboard. But I definitely need a new phone. At the current rate I'll be getting a 3gs next week from fido retentions and then I'll go from there. Might choose to sell the 3gs for a 9700 but not sure if I'll like the blackberry as much.

But also want to wait for the next gen iphone

decisions decisions decisions !!! >.<

Is the 8900 curve any good seen them around $250 for used ones which seems like a pretty good deal to me. I've just been using edge the whole time anyways

9700 is very very similiar to the 9000, only differences off the top of my head are:
size
trackpad instead of trackball
slightly quicker processor
tiny bit more on board memory

if you want to have the hot thing and are willing to pay more, go for the 9700 but getting the 9000 you'll be able to do anything you can with the 9700 just as good
everything thing such as the curve,tour etc is a step or 2 down from the bold lineup
you will wonder why you didnt get a blackberry earlier when you realize how much this helps you in everyday life

Which one of these Berries is the lowest price/best value?
Another question would be "Why" would you take for example like the Pearl over the Curve or Tour over Storm? Is it just personal preference? Does one do something better than another or is it more for just the style and look?
Don't they all have similar functions other than the main points TRD pointed out?
Do they all come with WiFi enabled too?

Don't even think about storm, the storm is so undeveloped , it isn't even worth getting.
One of the reasons why people buy a blackberry is the sole purpose of the qwerty keyboard not some gross as on screen bullshit. That's why i went blackberry, i was tired of my diamond and iphone.

The Curve 8900 is probably the best value phone. I had one. The Curve has wi-fi but the Tour doesn't. The tour does have a newer key board with bigger buttons than the Curve. I don't think it makes a difference. I'm not sure about the pearl but it's so old I wouldnt bother unless you like a really small phone. And it doesn't have a full querty keyboard.

I had an Iphone 3GS for 9 days now I'm trying to sell it. I love the phone to death and I think it's amazing but the battery will barely last you an entire day. I just really prefer the keyboard because I'm so used to having a Blackberry. Using the Iphone makes the Blackberry seem so ghetto sometimes.

Deon, if you're looking for berries, there are a bunch of things to consider.

One: tier.

Pearl is an entry level model, and is a "berry for people who don't want berries". The screen sucks, the keyboard bites, and it's slow and laggy as hell. Inaii and raid3n both use the pearl and both bitch about it nonstop.

The 89xx are decent berries, but they're the last generation. They are snower than the bolds, and while each of them specializes in different things (some have a 3.2mp camera, some have the trackpad) they are all old news. They won't use 3G (the fastest method of data transmission) and they lag 'cause they're using the old processors.

Storm, I can't comment on, but I hate touchscreen phones--no feedback, that's why I like having a real keyboard.

Bold. This will be your BB of choice. The 9000 is a nice phone but it suffers from some minor issues (2mp camera, battery life is ABOUT a day if you're using data copiously), and some of our fellow RSers have found that the trackball has a tendency towards sticking. I personally haven't, but whatever.

the 9700 has fixed pretty much all of these, and is in a much more phone-sized form factor (did I mention the 9000 is a huge beast of a phone? Trackpad is nice, keyboard is sweet (I borrowed a buddy's to try it out), and battery life is much improved over the 9000.


As far as learning all the "new fandanglies" it's not as hard as it seems, just think of it less as a fancy phone and more of a dumbed-down computer.

Also, in the battle of Berry vs E71, I think it boils down to brand preference. Lots of people like Nokia and stick witht he E71. Personally, I absolutely LOVE my berry. I've got a 9000 and will be upgrading to a 9700 shortly.

If you have multiple email addresses and need to run a tight personal and professional schedule, the berry can definitely help you do that.