[IAmBBJosh]

As the topic says, I need to choose a new BlackBerry. My Pearl is slow and I want a fairly modern replacement.

My first thought was to get a new 8520, but it's a fairly old low spec phone, so I thought I'd get a better deal with an older but more specced up BB.

So, I want to know what you'd all recommend out of the 8520, 8900, or 9000. They're all about the same price on eBay so that isn't an issue.

I'm mainly going to use it for music (so it has to have a 3.5mm headphone jack I can plug normal headphones into), e-mail, and BMM. But I want it to be fast, I want a good QWERTY keyboard, and I'll probably use the browser to occasionally look things up (the Pearl's browser is useless, it can't even load Wikipedia). I'll probably also be bunging some social networking apps on there.

Last but not least, I want it to run some form of OS5.

Any suggestions are appreciated!

[RossyBoy92]

Well IMO I owned the 8900 which was my first BlackBerry and I loved it, never let me down and was fast, another plus side was that I thought it was one of the nicest looking BlackBerrys at the time. As for the 8520 I'm not a big fan my girlfriend has one and I would choose my old 8900 over it any day, and the fact the 8520 doesn't have flash with the camera it kinda seems like a step backwards. I cant comment on the 9000 as I've never played with one so cant tell, but its your choice as of what to go for

[anon(51467)]

If you can manage the limited ram on the Bold 9000, go for that. I am currently on a backup 8900 while waiting for a new battery for my Bold! I can't wait, the Bold is so much faster than the 8900 and it is 3G and that is huge. The 9000 and 8900 are "old" deviceS now, so maybe wait a little more time for the new Bold with trackpad AND touch screen. I am looking forward to that myself.

I cannot comment on the 8520 as I never used one. BTW, a Pearl was my intro to BlackBerry. It is a great device regardless of what some may say about it. I still ocassionally miss mine.

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[tkwolf]

my previous phone was 8520 and while it did the basic blackberry functions for me, the overall performance was just not pleasing. Phone was quite slow, battery life was not that good and the phone felt really cheap for me. less than a month later, i switched to 9780!

the 9000 and the 8900 are quite tricky. seems like 8900 has better RAM which means it may have a faster performance. maybe you can try looking for better deals with the newer devices like on the least, try the bold 9700 or better yet the 9780. Also, ive never really used the 9000 nor the 8900 but the i think i'd go for 9000 since i've always trusted the bold series

[IAmBBJosh]

I'd get a 9700 or 9780 if I could, but I can't afford one!

I have, however, seen some Pearl 3G 9105's going on eBay for under �100! If I can get one for that price, I think I'll go for it. No QWERTY but it's a modern BB which supports OS 6, so I can't complain!

If I'm not that lucky, I think I'll get the 9000. I'm used to juggling small amounts of RAM, and it sounds like it's still quite a solid device from what you've all said.

[anon(51467)]

That sounds good. The 9000 is the better choice over the 8900, even with its limited ram. I have both and the extra ram of the 8900 only allows more apps to be installed. I cannot tell you how many times I see the spinning clock on the 8900, never saw that on the 9000. Go for the 9000 over the 8900.

As for limited ram, I am going to Shrink A OS on the 9000 when I get the new battery for it(should be here any day). I already ran the shrink and cut the OS (most recent from AT&T) down by half; that should really be nice.

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[zensen]

if they are all roughly the same price, i'd go the 9000 just because of the nice keyboard. The curve might have more ram and that in itself is a great thing but apps aren't important to me. Yeah ram can be a bit of a nuisance on the 9000 esp on some os builds you'll see huge memory leaks. The newest os im using .1049 is really great esp if you shrink the os too. im constantly on about 20 megs with a lot more apps than I use to have previously.


it's a good stop gap and depending on the usage of the 9000 you may want to factor in a new battery too. after a year or so, RIM will certainly have another round of phones to show off and by then you can either upgrade to a OS 6 device or a device with OS 7 if and when thats available.

[flipkc]

Get the 9000 for sure since it's in your price range. Honestly though, I wouldn't bother with older generation phones, especially if you already have a phone that works.

Cheers.

[IAmBBJosh]

Get the 9000 for sure since it's in your price range. Honestly though, I wouldn't bother with older generation phones, especially if you already have a phone that works.

Cheers.

The BlackBerry I already have is even older, it'd be an upgrade as far as I'm concerned, and the 9000 has better specs than the "new" 8520 anyway.

[diegonei]

The BlackBerry I already have is even older, it'd be an upgrade as far as I'm concerned, and the 9000 has better specs than the "new" 8520 anyway.

Not quite.

9000
624hmz processor
128mb memory
1500 mAh battery
bigger screen, 480x320 res
GPS, Wi-Fi
2.0 mpx camera, flash
TrackBall

8900
512mhz processor
256mb memory
1380 mAh battery
480x360 res
GPS, Wi-Fi
3.2 mpx camera, flash
TrackBall

8520
512mhz processor
256mb memory
1150 mAh battery
480x360 res
Wi-Fi
2.0 mpx camera
TrackPad

So now that we know the 8520 will never see past OS 5.0, I'd say the 8900 is the best choise here. But I agree when they said you shouldn't worry about older devices at this point. When the new Bold, Curve and Touch devices (running 6.1) come out in a few months, both the 9700 and 9780 will have significant price drops.

[IAmBBJosh]

Would it be better to wait for the new touch BBs to come out then buy a used 9700 then?

[diegonei]

Would it be better to wait for the new touch BBs to come out then buy a used 9700 then?

Always BETTER to have the latest.

The question here is what you must/should do and that I cannot answer really... And btw, since you mentioned the 9700, capt. obvious moment here: It tops all the three I mentioned before.

EDIT: @pineypl on post #14, you got me there, I forgot about EDGE/3G. The 9000 wins that round no doubt, but if your 8900 is running slow, I'd suggest a fresh shrinked OS load. Even the CB crew agree (recently on one of the podcasts even) that the 8900 was superior to the 9000.

And do respectfully disagree more often!

On the wifi sidenote, my 9780's 3G is as fast as my 54mb wifi. Go figure...

[IAmBBJosh]

Fair enough

How long until the touch screen ones are rumoured to be released then? I'm impatient when it comes to new tech

[anon(51467)]

I'd say the 8900 is the best choise here. But I agree when they said you shouldn't worry about older devices at this point.

I respectfully disagree. I was running a Bold 9000 up until a few days ago (failed battery). I am now on an 8900 and the difference in ram in no way can make up for the slowness of CPU in the 8900 nor the lack of 3G.

As I stated previously, I see the clock all the time on the 8900, something I never saw on the 9000. Plus the 9000 keyboard cannot be beat. Similar to IAmBBJosh I went from a Pearl to the Bold, and it was fantastic. The change to a real qwerty keyboard was awesome and I can type on the Bold nearly as fast as a regular keyboard! The 8900 is a gret device if you are an app junkie.

And since IAmBBJosh said he does not use too many apps, the Bold using a shrunk OS should fit his needs well, especially since the 3G will be nice for web browsing and such. BTW, my 8900 on wifi is no faster than the Bold on 3G web browsing. And my wifi access is 54mb capable.

[karaya1]

I have an 8900 and never see the clock. Perhaps you need to reload the OS or something.
Both are great phones, i like the 8900 since 3g is not available where i am on any gsm carrier and i like the form factor and keyboard better. I use UMA frequently and that's another big factor.

[IAmBBJosh]

I see the clock all the time on my old Pearl, and the main thing frustrating me about it is the lack of speed, so the 9000 sounds like a good bet to me.

If I lose the Pearl 3G auction I'm currently winning, I'll go for a Bold 9000