[Illan]

hello there,

Ive been shopping for a smartphone for a while, i work and study and ive looking for something to keep me organized. My prof are sending e-mails and sometime i forget to check them. my current phone is a sony ericsson tm-550 which is great phone,but putting your homework on the number pad is frustating. I currently have a contract with t-mobile so i have to pay full retail price for my unit. At first i was checking the 8220(which i still like)but kept reading how much more powerful the bold was(but it was availible on At&t).November 2009 came and passed and the bold 2 arrived to t-mobile. all of the review say that the 9700 is awesome.

so do you guys have any suggestion to this future crackberry user?

[anon2917844]

Well, in your case I'd buy the 9700 !
It's the best blackberry device ever!

Okay but if you don't wanna spend a lot of money get the 8220..
BUT you won't have 3G and a 3,2 MP camera as well!

It's up to you!

[Tim Waddy]

If you are going to buy one, you may as well go for a 9700. Why go for one which isnt the best model? I love mine, it does everything I can think of.
When I researched smart phones, I checked which was the newest and best model for each company I looked at, 9700 was Blackberrys so I went for it.

[twistindadot]

9700!! my first blackberry and it was totally worth the $450 i had to pay for it, which in fact is the most i've ever spent on a phone in my life. if you can't afford it look for a dirt cheap used bold 9000 ($200-300) on craigslist and simply change the battery and housing if needed (100 or cheaper for both), load the newest operating system (which you will find in the 9000 forum) and you should be good to go.

the 8320 has no wifi, 3g and its over all a dull phone (sorry curve users).

another really good option would be the 8520 with the trackpad(makes a huuuge difference). my brother has it and its real cool. no 3g but its still quick on rogers' network.

[timd28]

Actually, the 8320 does have wifi and for a new blackberry user would be an excellent choice. Also, the 8520 has wifi and is a nice upgrade from your current phone and is a great entry level blackberry. If you have the extra money to spend, then by all means the 9700 is the best of the best, but the other 2 I mentioned should be more than capable of what you need them for.

[Oneshortsleeve]

The 8320 was my second blackberry. It was a great phone and probably my favorite keyboard of all devices. It also gave me the UMA calling feature that I needed. Where it lacked was memory size. After using it for a year I was getting a bit tired of having to limit the apps I needed for work, not to mention it was starting to act a bit sluggish.

Upgrading to the 9700 was the best move I could have made. With available apps growing every day, I can finally install something on my phone without 1) checking my available memory and 2) uninstalling another app to do so.

If apps are not your thing and you plan to use your device for calling and emailing only, I would suggest saving the $ and get the 8320. If you would like the full use of the BB with a much faster operating system, I say spend the money now and relieve yourself of the hassle a few months from now.

One last thing - I had a year left on my contract at Tmobile and was really wanting the 9700. I called customer service and kindly explained that the phone's UMA had been giving me issues and the dropped calls at the house was getting unbearable. They mentioned that I can either pay full price for the 9700 (over $400) or swap the 8320 out for another one. I explained that I felt the phone was outdated, and I would rather not go through the process of exchanges. Plus, I certainly did not want to pay $400 for a new phone.

I then asked how much it would cost to break my plan ($200). I explained that the better option would be to find a carrier with better signal at my house, pay $200 to break contract, and buy ATT's 9700 under a new customer plan.

I was immediately transferred to an account representative and purchased a 9700 for $129. It might be worth a shot for you.

[mad_eyes]

Sounds like the BlackBerry is the right phone for u. Unlike the people above, I don't see a problem purchasing an older BlackBerry. What you need to understand about the older BlackBerry models are that they have less application memory and slower processor. Granted the os is much nicer on the newer models, but don't feel pressured to purchase the 9700 just because it's the newest.

On another note, take a look at nexus one. It's cheapest on tmobile.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[noaim]

the 9700 is a amazing phone hands down..

[Illan]

Thank you for your kind suggestions,

i also have been keeping my eye on the curve since t'mobile in Puerto Rico hasnt deployed 3g yet.(Rumor has it that 3g will come this year).I love the nexus one but google isnt selling to Puerto Rico and if anything goes wrong with i will be having a nice looking brick.with tmobile i have the warranty and the insurance(yes its a $140 deductabile but beats buying a new one)in case murphy law goes into full effect.

[Jude526]

If you have to pay outright you should get what you want. You won't be happy with a 2nd choice. And you will have it for two yrs. So get what you want and be happy with it. I was going to get a Curve before I had gone into the store because of the price factor. But when I got to the store and played with it, I didn't like it.
I saw the Tour and played with it and decided hands down, it was my choice.
Yes, it cost more and I did get a 100 rebate and am glad for my decision. I will have this for two yrs even though I can upgrade yearly. I can't have 2nd best . I wouldn't be happy. So for a few bucks more I got what I want and am happy.
My device does all I need it to do it and am so pleased with it. And be sure to get insurance. You don't want to be without it on a BB If something were to happen to this device I would be out of luck if I didn't have insurance.
We insure our vehicles and it is important to insure our BB. I make ok money but paying over 500 for a device should anything happen would not be a good thing.

[Illan]

@ jude
i agree with you, i wanted a blackberry when i activated with tmobile but i was short on cash a needed a phone ASAP. because of that i have to pay full price for a blackberry.tmobile is throwing me $50 discount if i renew for 2 years....well see

[trunycflip]

pretty much everything said above but just giving my props to the 9700. I love gadgets, even more when they perform to their expectations.

+1 for the 9700

[Twiztid.Mando]

I'd go with the bold 9700. its a great phone dude. but its up to you =P

[dbone15]

Get the 9700. T-Mob will let you pay monthly for the phone with no interest. It will come out to twenty something dollars per month and will be included with your bill..you won't regret the 9700. Best BB I have ever used and I have used a lot of them.

[Armando175]

If money is not an issue, go with the 9700. It's an awesome device. The 8320 is a good device but it has limited memory and you won't be happy if you want to install some cool themes, apps, etc. Now if you're on a budget then look at the 8520 like others have mentioned. You can't beat the trackpad. Another option is the 8900 but for that you might as well get the 9700. Just get the 9700 and you won't regret it. We're very happy with ours, right guys?

Posted from my BlackBerry using BerryBlab

[pilsbury]

9700-you will not regret it

[SLVR6]

Go with the 9700, you won't regret it.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[redhot95]

My first bb was the 8520 on att. I kept the phone for three weeks before picking up the 9700. I only did so b/c the 8520 on att does not offer 3g, which I have really grown accustomed to for business and pleasure. Once again, as a new bb owner I really did like the 8520. The 8520 is to the 9700 what the Toyota is to the Lexus. Hope that helps.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[silentcmh]

Fellow T-Mobile user and student here: Got the 9700 last week, my first smartphone, and I love it.

I researched smartphones for hours on end, and I went with the BB 9700 because it's powerful, has all the options I want, and has a simple interface. I was looking for something professional as opposed to worrying about silly apps and games. I love being easily able to check my two hotmail accounts everywhere I go.

Plus T-Mobile just changed their smartphone upgrade plan. I was able to get it for $130 and it was well worth it. Give them a call to see when you're due for the upgrade price.