Still a loyal fan after all these years :-)

[bbstoof]

Just a little fan story for the day: I bought an 8700c today (brand new in sealed box!! It took me months to find a new one!) I have had many, many models, as I am a bit of a Blackberry freak, (Storm, Curve, Bold 1, Bold 2...) I have a 9000 right now, after being so frustrated with the 9700- and I've always loved the 9000; I've had three of them, kept going back to them....but my all-time favourite is the 8700! You just can't argue with over a week of standby time! I had my first 8700 when they came out, and I went back twice to an 8700! My second was loaned out to my friend when I upgraded to a 9000, and she broke her phone...a year later returned it to me, absolutely falling apart, and I was pissed, because I'd actually planned to start using it again! I've been searching ever since, and am happy to downgrade!

In further favour of the 8700, my boss, who owns his own research company, is the president of the local hospital, and a very rich man, is to this day still using his 8700r, and refuses to give it up even when the other (iPhone wielding) doctors chide him.

[CASH]

+1 for the 8700 aficionados

[ronniebar]

I think the 8700 had one of the best keyboards... maybe even as good or better than the 9000 :O

[bbstoof]

I agree about the keyboard! One of the reasons I've gone through so many models was that none of the keyboards ever felt as "right" as the 8700, though the 9000 is a close second :-)

[jrmcferren]

Got my first Blackberry yesterday and I love it. I got none other than an 8700g (the eBay listing said it was 8700c though) unlocked. So far so good. Then again I'm comparing it to a Palm Centro which was my first smartphone. While on paper the Centro is better than the 8700, in reality the 8700 is the best of the two, especially price wise, I got mine for $31. I'm waiting on the holster to arrive in the mail today, that will make things a lot easier (no remembering to go to the app screen and press Alt-Enter).

[buru]

8700s are the last true corporate BlackBerries; all newer models are much more consumer-oriented in expense of the core BB features. That's why they still have a lot of loyal users, and that's why I'm still using 8700g as my main phone.
In comparison to newer models, 8700 has better battery life, better keyboard (IMHO), better voice quality, more solid/durable construction. Besides, it has cool retro design (I like it) and it's really snappy with OS 4.5 installed.

I wish RIM would release another device focused on the features BB is the best at. However, the market forces them to move in the opposite direction. So, I'm planning to buy a couple of replacement batteries to keep my 8700g alive for years

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com