[jasonmaxey]

I'm in the market for a new phone for my wife. I have a Curve 8330 and I love it (finally a Verizon phone that's completely customizable).

Firstly, how easy is SureType? Is it intuitive enough to pick it up in day or two? She does a fair amount of texting.

Secondly, would it be over equipped for someone who primarily texts and IMs with little need for true browser-based web access?

Any input would be terrific. I'm trying to surprise her without buying her something she could potentially hate learning to use.

[skullgame45]

Suretype is a great feature available on the Pearl. The BB will actually adjust to how you type, which I think is awesome!

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[asp13]

SureType is fairly easy to learn the key is to not pay attention to what the screen is spelling till you are done typing the word in. I think that your wife would prefer the pearl over some of the other BB's and I don't think that it would be overly equipped for what she would use it for.

[m11stephen]

The pearl sounds perfect. The pearl is perfect for the casual Blackberry user.

[nartac]

lots of people love SureType but I hate it so I turned it off. For me, when I used it with epocrates, it took me more time to get what I want than having it off. (I have BB 8120 btw)

I don't text so not sure if you use it purely for typing out text, it works wonders and lots of people like it. But there are some people, including me, hate it.

If you think she would like the 8130, I would suggest to get it since if it turns out Suretype is not for her, you can always turn it off and it will work just fine.

[ManiacSC]

I have the pearl and all I do is text and IM. I love it! I wasn't too fond of surtype myself..but most people love it. The pearl is just right

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[cain0013]

Suretype is great for texting. I love the predictive text. Sometimes my curve gets on my nerves because it doesn't have it. Lol I love my pearl. It is still my favorite BB..

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[crs7088]

I use my pearl all day every day sometimes even in my sleep. The texting is fine better and easier than some of my other phones Ive had in the past. If she dont like it you could always take it back...but....Im sure she will like it.

[amazinglygraceless]

Suretype is great for texting. I love the predictive text. Sometimes my curve gets on my nerves because it doesn't have it. Lol I love my pearl. It is still my favorite BB..

I am in complete agreement with this. As great as my Curve is, it is no match
with respect for serious typing to the Pearl and SureType.

And I am by no stretch a casual user.

[StarDestroyer]

The great thing about SureType are that it allows the phone to be smaller while allowing the individual buttons to be bigger. I have the Pearl myself but we have an AT&T curve we pass around for International travel. I have to set it up every time somebody goes overseas and I the smaller buttons makes it a bit of a pain to type on (if I used it every day, I'm sure I'd get used to it). If your wife does a lot of texting on a normal phone than she's probably used to predictive text (T9). The concept between T9 and SureType is pretty much the same, but I think SureType is a bit more accurate (being that each button only has two letters instead of 3/4).

It took me a little bit of time to get used to the QWERTY layout. I know that sounds strange being that the keyboard I type on everyday with my computer is QWERTY, but something in me had a hard time finding the keys on the Pearl at first. I think it may have been expecting the smaller keypad to have the same layout as T9. I got over that pretty quick, though, and can type OK with SureType now (I still prefer to send long emails at the computer on a full size keyboard ).

[Pre-dawn raid]

I agree with what most posters have said. It takes about 2 days of txting and after that SureType is 98% accurate with picking the correct words. I can bang out a SMS or email faster than my friends using full QWERTY keyboards.

Get it for her, she'll love it. Plus you two can communicate thru BB Messenger which rocks.

[Valbuhdee]

When I first got my pearl, I HATED SureType, but after a few days I loveddd it!
The trick is to not pay attention to the screen because in the end, the word you want will be right there in front of you! =)

[Reparkable]

I'm using my pearl right now with SureType and love it! The pearl is the perfect size fitting in my pocket. And bbm is great to have with friends and clients. I recommend the pearl.

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[vndlewis]

I also have a pearl and love SureType.

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[m11stephen]

As stated above, the keys on the Pearl are a great size. I actually prefer it so some of the full qwerty keyboards because the keys on some of those are so small I accidentally hit the wrong button quite frequently. Some people love suretype, some hate it. I love the 8120 and prefer it to some of the full keyboard devices like the Tmobile Dash.

[maxaudet]

+1 for suretype. I've been using it for over a month...
Been using an HTC Touch for a year and I have to say I really enjoy having a real keyboard even if it's a suretype one.

I type pretty fast now

[SevereDeceit]

The only thing you have to be concerned about is the dreaded memory issue that the Pearls suffer from. That can be corrected by removing the preloaded junk that comes on the device when you get it...

[kidtchr3]

I am completely thrilled with my pearl and I love the surtype

[ksm62]

Just got this phone yesterday this is my first time with Suretype, I was afraid to try it until I read the tip not to look at the screen which was great, sent some texts and it's not to bad, it took me a minute to reply, but was able to do it without to much frustration, but need more practice, I also have a curve, big, big difference between keyboards, but I like the phone so far.

[08stratguy]

I love my Pearl. Except for my son's name (Nick with always comes out buck) Suretype works perfect for me. I got another Pearl 3 weeks after getting my first, not going back to a regular cell phone.

[vndlewis]

I love my Pearl. Except for my son's name (Nick with always comes out buck) Suretype works perfect for me. I got another Pearl 3 weeks after getting my first, not going back to a regular cell phone.

Adding Nick to autotext or your custom dictionary would help with that.