[knoxnonlabeled]

Ok, so, if you have read any of my previous post regarding my love for Blackberry�s and now my love for the Torch, you know that I have only good things to say. Having switched from a Berry a few years ago to an iPhone and now back to a Berry I am once again in love with the Berry OS and the options that one offers, especially compared to the iPhone. As mentioned in my previous post, I am not downing the Apple phone, it has been an excellent phone, having its issues at times, like any other device, but I just realized, especially with the release of the Torch, that I�m really a CrackBerry addict at heart.

Ok, so that brings me to my question, at least the first one. Having been with the iPhone for the past years and not having played or having owned the Bold, I kinda� feel as if I�ve missed out on something. I keep looking at the Bold online and reading the reviews from the past and for some reason am feeling like I would like to check it out. I expected once getting the Torch that I would use the onscreen keyboard 99.99% of the time. However, I find myself using the physical keyboard almost all the time, loving the feel of the keyboard and feeling the BB experience. Anyway�..so, for those of you who have owned the Bold and now the Torch, are the comparable? Aside from the OS6 what are the real differences, aside from the obvious?

This question brings me to my next question and one of the real reasons I am for some reason craving a try at the Bold. I had the Curve a few years back and loved the compact design and the keyboard. With the Torch I love the look and the option of having my choice of keyboards. BUT�(here it is, don�t anyone get upset, just my take on things) when using the Torch with the slider closed and using only the touch screen keyboard I get the feeling at times that the phone is unstable. When pressing the home keys you get that loose feeling, like the phone isn�t tight. I mean obviously with the slider there is a space between the two parts but I wish it could somehow be more �stiff� or �non wobbly� when pressing the home keys. I know this is nit picky but has anyone else felt this way? I�m sure I�m being over dramatic but I�m funny about the sturdiness and the hefty feel of my phone�.

So, anyone want to comment? Sorry for the length.

[ugahairydawgs]

I split my use between the on-screen keyboard and the physical keyboard about 50/50 (generally depends on the length of the message I need to type).

The thing that makes the Torch more appealing to me is the fact that with the touch screen you can point and select your choices instead of relying on the track pad. To me this is big in helping to make use of the device more time efficient. It was also one of my main sources of contention with the 9700 and probably the biggest reason why I switched to the iPhone for a while there before the Torch was released.

[knoxnonlabeled]

Interesting...thank you ugahairy. I think the word I was looking for when I was entering my post was "unstable." When I'm using the touch screen keyboard and have the phone slider closed, it feels a little unstable. Especially when using the home keys on either side of the track pad. With each press of a home key I can feel the top part of the phone give way...which to me makes it feel "unstable" , loose, or woobly. I know this is probably just my being to hard on the device but never the less it bothers me...

[CrownIsle]

The 9700 is their best phone yet...the 9800 nipping at its toes of course.

I've found a lag on the 9800 in contrast to my 9700

The camera is sub par in contrast to the 9700's camera

MY TRACKPAD isn't as great s my trackpad on my 9700

Having said that, those are just the things on my individual phone, which are so minimal anyway. I don't use my 9700 now that I've got the 9800, though the 9000 and 9700 were RIM's true "evergreens" if you will, in my opinion.

[hunoosh]

I tend to agree that the 9700 is the best bb with 9800 close second. I wanted the larger screen so that is the only reason I went to the Torch. Not a fan of touch screens. If you don't mind the screen size of 9700 then why not stick with that especially since it will be getting os6.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[TrueHappiness]

The 9700 is an awesome, solid, almost-all-bases-covered BB. I loved mine. However, I wanted to have a touchscreen phone for faster navigation than the trackpad can give, but would DIE without my BB keyboard. I have not parted with my 9700 for the simple fact that it was a great phone and if you are barely using the touch screen, you may as well get the 9700.

Just remember what you may be missing from the awesome touch screen experience that the 9800 brings.

[PineappleUnderTheSea]

I would play around with the 9700 first before putting down money on it. If you've come from an iPhone, you will find the browser on the 9700 to be, well, not a top performer, to put it nicely. OS6 should address some of that, assuming that it will run flawlessly on the 9700. The small screen is also irritating once you've gotten used to a bigger screen.

The 9800 is a nice phone, I would probably trade the 9700 for it down the line. However the sliding mechanism isn't as "solid" as the Motorola or other Droid offerings, as you've stated, but colleagues who have the Torch have gotten used to it quickly, and don't really complain about it (but they do complain about the Storm 2, it's hated throughout our company!)

[jcp007]

I had the 9700 and when comparing it to the Torch, I am so glad that I moved up. The new webkit browser in conjunction with the trackpad and the physical keyboard are a great interface combination. The slide is solid and works great. The pinch to zoom and swiping are effortless. The tabbed browsing is great. The setup menus and more customization options are a definite plus. I find it funny that the Torch has a 5MP camera and a video camera with a ton of shooting option and 9700 owners feel that the 9700 camera is better. The keyboard is way better than the 9700 or the 9000. I have had the 8310, 9000 and the 9700 so I can state this fact without hesitation.

[sallenthornton]

I had the 9700 and when comparing it to the Torch, I am so glad that I moved up. The new webkit browser in conjunction with the trackpad and the physical keyboard are a great interface combination. The slide is solid and works great. The pinch to zoom and swiping are effortless. The tabbed browsing is great. The setup menus and more customization options are a definite plus. I find it funny that the Torch has a 5MP camera and a video camera with a ton of shooting option and 9700 owners feel that the 9700 camera is better. The keyboard is way better than the 9700 or the 9000. I have had the 8310, 9000 and the 9700 so I can state this fact without hesitation.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I too owned the 8700,8300,8310,9000 and currently use the 9700, and have extensive time on the 9800; there is no way the 9800 keyboard compares to the 9000. It is a nice keyboard, but I would put it behind the 9000 and the 9700 for my preference.

[knoxnonlabeled]

Thanks everyone for your comments...and opinions. I'm still having a hard time trying to make up my mind. I went from the Curve to an iPhone (which I didnt regret but missed the BB OS and the additional functions that a BB offer) but I stuck with it thru my contact. Once my contract was up and I was trying to decide if I wanted to upgrade to the iPhone 4, I started hearing about lots of issues with the new phone and so I waited, then the Torch was released. I knew immediately that I was ready to switch back to a Berry. But, after getting the Torch, I started looking at other Berries and have read so many incredible things about the Bold 9700 that I think I may have missed out, having jumped back to the Berry and not making an educated choice between the Bold and the Torch. While using my Torch, I basically use the physical keyboard about all the time and even while navigating I find myself using the trackpad instead of the touchscreen. I also mentioned that I dont like the fact that the top portion of the Torch feels weak, unstable or "loose" especially when using the menu keys. However, I love the larger screen and the advanced camera and of course the OS6. I could live with the smaller screen I suppose as long as OS6 is working well on the Bold. Anyway, I still have about 17 days of my 30 day trail to make up my mind. I need to go in and play around with a Bold a little more and see. I wander if you purchase a new Bold 9700 directly from ATT if it will have OS6 installed or if I will have to update it once I get it home?............. Again, thanks everyone for you comments and opinions....keep 'em coming.