Hi I currently am a proud user of an 8700c but am getting tired of the bulkiness of the device. Like the compact size of the pearl but I am hesitant to switch from full keyboard style. Any words of wisdom to make my decision to switch a little easier? Much appreciated
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Suretype isn't as bad as some people make it out to be. I got a pearl just based on the size. It has all the capabilities of the other BBs and the size of the device is great. I'd say do it.
The pearl is wicked, I am actually thinking of getting a curve though! lol Just because I want the full keyboard and the bigger screen....but the pearl is a great small phone with alot of POWER! lol
Since I have no experience with BBs other than my 8330 I can't say much. But what I can say is that all non smartphones io have had with multitap and/or predictive text entry it bothered me when on occation it didn't write the word I wanted. And multitaping to type words take longer than I desire to type out even short amounts. So to me getting a device without a qwerty wasn't an option. I think the curve is a comfortable size. I don't know how the different models compare in size but if you can find a local store with a good selection of BBs you can put them next to each other and see what one will feel the best for you.
The Pearl is a great device. Compact, yet gets the job done. The only "negative" thing I have heard is that it is relatively difficult to go from qwerty to SureType. On the flip side, I've heard it's super easy to go from SureType to qwerty. I had no problem getting used to the SureType on my old Pearl, but I had never used a full qwerty keyboard before. Then when I switched to my Curve, I learned I loooooved the qwerty feature much more! It's all personal preference...
I would go play around with one in the store before making any final decisions.
I have owned nothing but qwerty keyboard phones, and I was using a co-workers pearl the other night and hated every keystroke. For me the screen was small, and I did not like the SureType.
I don't think suretype is that bad. It took me less than a day to get used to it. I absolutely love my pearl...although I'm really giving thought to grabbing a Bold when it come out!
SureType is great providing you give it a little bit of time. For the most part it'll allow you to just type away on it like a you would on a full QWERTY keyboard. I went from a RAZR2 to the Pearl, so I can't really comment on how easy or hard the transition from full keyboard to SureType would be, but it was definately easy going from a regular phonepad to SureType. I picked up the 8130 for it's phone-like form factor yet maintaining all the Blackberry goodness RIM is known for. If you must have the larger screen and QWERTY, then consider the Curve - it is wider than the Pearl but still a fairly comfortable size. Head to the store and play with both - good luck!
