BlackBerry 8700 Specs, Features & Reviews

My wife have had this phone for over 6 months already and other then network issues, this phone has shown to be more then expected. Not something I would ever consider for my self, but for sure something that my wife could count in getting things done when they counted the most.

DESIGN – In comparison to PALM, it seemed to be OK, but could get very confusing at times. Not very user friendly.

FEATURES – Plenty of everything on the phone, but no camera or 3G.

SOUND QUALITY – Sound quality was good as long as you were near good signal. No complaints at all.

RECEPTION – This part was carrier dependent. The phone seemed to performed very well in that department, not as good as our ATT phones, but heck, what can we ask for since this is a work provided phone.

VALUE FOR MONEY – FREE for my wife to use, but even if we had to pay for it, I would had asked my money back to get me a PALM or WM phone instead.

Well blackberry has nailed it, great little device!

Pros: Screen, keyboard, RF, Sound clarity, bluetooth, pictures, web browser, email, applications.

Cons: No blackberry as Modem, want to see cost for service come down more 45 dollars is alot per month.

Overall a great device, i am 19 almost 20 and need it for work, email and phone use and for this it works great. I don't need a Mp3 player, Camera etc. Teens would not like this device though..

I have had 80% of all phones that every service provider has from a simple clam shell to the Windows CE devices. The 8700c is by far the most complete and reliable device I've ever used. Quick run down on Pros and Cons.

PROS:
The Screen
Automatic Screen and Keyboard Light adjustment
Ease of use
Edge
TeleNav
Reliability
Size
Speaker
Push Email

Cons:
I wish it had the GPS receiver built in
Earpiece sweet spot a little small

My first Blackberry was the 7520 from Nextel. I really liked that phone, very stable and it had TeleNav with the GPS receiver built in. But it was missing the ability to send SMS and it was Nextel.

A friend of mine got the 8700c and I was helping her set it up, I was like wow I have to have that. Then I found out it could run TeleNav with one exception; you had to buy an external receiver for $132. I thought what the heck I'll give it a try. Once I had that, it made this device 100% for me.

The 8700c is such a great reliable device, I even bought my wife one who is somewhat technically challenged and she loves it. The Blackberrys are very intuitive even for those of you who shy away from converged devices.

The bottom line is this is an outstanding piece of technology. If you have any desire to get a Blackberry don't wait you won't be disappointed if you pick this one up!

Ok, well this is my first review on Phonescoop so I must like this phone enough to make the effort.

My previous phones include the MPx 220, Treo 650, SE P910i and most recently the HP Hw6515. So this should establish that I have been using "smartphones" for sometime.

I am now a solid blackberry believer. I had avoided the blackberry for a long time but I must say this phone is simply amazing. Great form and function, great phone, and all around nice product!

Pros-

Size
Screen
Call Quality
Ease of Use
Push Email
Internet Access(edge)
Easy Sync with Computer
Stable OS

Cons-
No expandable memory- (this is a big one)
No real MMS support- ( i think cingular disables it somehow because the BB site says its supported)
Lack of customization- ( I hate the fact that there are extra icons on the screen that I cant hide or get rid of.
Data plan overpriced in my opinion

All in all its a great phone and package. I think RIM really needs to get its act together though with expandable memory. How can you include MP3 and image support on a phone but have no expandable memory to store things on.....

I appreciate feedback and comments so do not hesitate to send those my way.

To start off, This is my 2nd blackberry. I'm a 15 year old who is fortunate enough to come from a family who can afford to buy me the best cell phone out. I originally had the BB 7290 and then when the treo 650 came out I right away switched to that. But about a month ago when the 8700c came out I knew I had to have it.

the 8700c is a great improvement for teens!

Pro's
-Great LCD Screen!
-Speaker-phone add-on is great!!!
-mp3 ring tones are available. its only a 20.00 application on www.handango.com
-Edge Technology!! surfing the web on a phone has never been easier!!
-doesn't reset every minute like the treo 650 does!
-smaller and easier to Use

Cons
Only one I can think of and thats the battery life is a little less but what can I say, I'm on this phone 24.7 chatting with friends.
O, and it would be nice if RIM would equip the next blackberry with a camera option

Again,
don't just think this phone should be used by corporate guys or people in a job. I have 10 friends who also have a blackberry and love it just as much as I do! yes, 45.00 extra a month for BB service for a teen is a lot but if you can afford it why not get it for you're son or daughter! think about it, you can always be in close contact with them via email or PIN!!!

thanks for taking your time to read my review
Hope I could help you all out!

This unit is a real step up for BlackBerry in terms of features and the display quality. The EDGE speeds for both the HTML and MediaNET browsers is great. Phone quality is very good and the speakerphone is amazingly clear and loud. Size is smaller than past 72xx models so it fits nice in your hand.

Bluetooth connectivity is great with multiple Motorola headsets and BMW factory Bluetooth (reports signal and status to dash display). Battery life is great so far.

The auto brightness feature is cool and works really good. There are many font options to suit most users. There is also auto keyboard lighting.

Signal strength is about the same as the RAZR I had. The BIS multiple-email account with push feature really rocks- you can collect up to 10 email accounts and have them pushed.

The keys are a bit close but I've adapted. The holster is so-so, waiting for OEM leather versions. Getting some dust under screen- could be an issue. Ringtones are OK but not the best. Some concerns about build quality.

One of the first things you'll noticed about this new BB is how it feels in your hand. It's visually and physically smaller than the 7290 and feels very comfortable in the hand. While its not as small as the 7100g, it nearly feels that way. The unit has a very pleasing design, mixing the form factor of the 7290 and look of the 7100g. I have only had this product for a few days so I'll go into some pros and cons

PRO's
The screen on this BB is absolutely GREAT! If you loved the 7100g's screen but hated everything else about it, then this is the BB for you. It's bright, clear and sharp. Text and photos are excellent and color reproduction is good. RIM has done good. It's even readable in sunlight.

The reception is great. It finds a signal very fast and holds on to it very well. I've had 20 min conversations with just one signal bar. Aside from Nokias, the only other phone I've had that had a comparable or better signal was my HP 6515.

EDGE, period. When I think about this it just makes sense...how I surfed without it seems so strange now. Granted, I've never used Verizons EV-DO, but EDGE makes a huge difference. I'd say this unit is faster than the Treo 650. Little things have been added such as how many pics are being loaded and if you select a pic, it will give you a progress bar with the KB's in total and how many are left to download.

Send and End buttons. Again something great from the 7100g. The middle key and the new left side key are user configurable. I have my address book assigned to the middle key and my profiles to the left key, making it more phone friendly than previous BB.

and now some cons...

CON's
The key pad is not great. It's cramped and the keys are very stiff. I have yet to adjust to it.
The ear piece has a very small sweet spot and becomes muddled at the highest volume.

Other than that, the new 8700 is a great improvement on the BB line. I am located in NYC using Cingular.

Great phone but there are two features in desperate need.

1.) Keyboard lock timer - automatically locks the keyboard after X number of minutes

2.) Cannot set it to vibrate and ring at the same time. Only vibrate then ring. This feature would be useful to differentiate between an incoming call and an email when then phone is in your pocket. If it rings and vibrates you know its a call. If it just vibrates you know its an email.

Keyboard is also too small, wish they just took the 7700 series and upgraded it with Bluetooth, speakerphone, automatic backlight, and all the other 8700 features. It has a much better keyboard than the 8700

Also the back battery cover seems to move a little bit, its always a little loose.

Carrier: AT&T

Well this is my first blackberry. I am coming from the moto razr and I have to say I like it. Great layout, clear screen, images are fantastic and the browser is ripping fast.

I would have to say that in accordance with the other users, I feel the same way about the cons. Wish it would play mp3 ringtones, voice dial, easier setup when using a personal exchange email account.

I do like having all my information in one spot. Still need to figure out how to append a signature to emails, other than that, its a great unit.

Pros: Physical keyboard, jog dial to scroll through apps, Ringtones and rings loudly

Cons: email set up, no ringtone support, no GPS

I had been using a Palm Treo for just a few weeks, with all of the latest updates, and suffering with constant "freezing" and "locking" at least several times each day. As much as I liked using it, I could not depend on it.
Then came the 8700c.
I have been using it about a week. Everything has worked flawlessly. Once getting used to not using a stylus, it has been easy to get used to and simple to understand. Using Cingular in metro Orlando area, signal is better, calls aren't dropping, email always appears on all of my accounts. That's a big plus, too - it checks all of my email accounts on each reconcile, where palm only checked the one I was logged into. The screen quality is great, bluetooth has worked flawlessly, even the intellisync software has done its job. The only downside that I have is, using the bluetooth all day, I will drain the battery in a normal day. So I bought a car charger - solved.