TMO has really been on top of the new device market. First with the 6315 and now this. If I were inclined toward BB devices, this would be on my "must have" list.

It looks a lot like a Sony Ericsson P900, and the keyboard looks like early samples of the MPx. Those are two devices I would have not expected to have mentioned in the same sentence with Blackberry.

The thing is, however, rumors are that there will be Palm and Pocket PC devices carrying the Blackberry client software later this year. Will this device be able to compete with them. I don't know....

I would say software would be a key issue there. Blackberry is way down on the list when it comes to 3rd party apps. I would have tried one of the new BB devices if I'd only been able to find an ebook reader for it. However, I still think this type of device can survive in a PPC/Palm world, since so many end users just want access to email and light web browsing on the road in a compact device that doesn't need a lot of tweeking.

for the past few months, i have seen an onslought of new pdas being launched (hp 6315, sidekick II, RIM 7100t). which would be the better one assuming i wont be able to use it for email, IM or net browsing! my needs would be size, battery life, ease of use, sync with outlook and blue tooth. any suggestions...??

I agree. If I wasn't so dependent on Vindigo for my day to day living, I would switch to the BB platform immediately. I'm not sure how many "killer apps" there are for Palm anymore, but Vindigo is definitely up there for me. Probably a couple of the more addictive games too. However, my office is moving off of traditional imap e-mail to Outlook, so I think my palmOS days are numbered

A big unknown in my mind is the new keyboard. There are only 14 keys and each key will represent two letters. Combined with this is new "SureType" software that decides which letter the user intended, based on the word being typed. It remains to be seen how well that works.

I just used a live model of the 7100 at the T-Mobile store and I was very impressed with it.

The obvious: The keyboard will take some getting used to. I spend about 30 min with the device, mailing typing notes and emails to get a feel for the keyboard. I was able to type at about 3/4 of the speed that I can on the 7750, but there was a HUGE slow down in typing in a USE ONCE email address on the device. I had to type a letter, then use the NAV button to scroll across to the correct combination. It took me a bit to type in one simple address, but in fairness, it was the first time that I used the device and I'm confident that with a little practice, and perhaps figuring out some "shortcut's" to the SureType, it won't be a problem.

The only other complaint, which is VERY minor, was the font used by the text. It was the same Comic font that is the default on Outlook Notes. However, I noticed a Themes setting in the Options menu so I'm hopeful that the screen font can be changed. Those are the only two things I can pick at thus far and they are really very minor.

I was VERY impressed with both the form factor and the screen of this device. The screen is very sharp and has excellent color depth. This felt VERY good in my hand and the voice calls on both the handset and speaker phone were clear and the volume was loud and crystal clear. Wow and I impressed.

The weight is also great. It's light but without the "cheap" feel. The curved sides feel very good in the hand and using this as a phone doesn't feel akward in the least. I had full signal bars inside the TMO store even without an external antenna. Last time I was in the same store with my 6315, I actually had no signal until I moved near the windows. As a man with a small spare tire around the middle (a spare TRUCK tire) I'm not going to be missing those antenna stubs. The price on this baby is amazing. As low as $149 with new service is a bargain. I expected to be disapointed in a converged device that can be gotten for $149 but trust me, this is a steal.

Based on just the 30 minutes of use on this phone, I would highly recommend it. It's an excellent combination of fashion and function. My only hesitation at this point is giving up the vast coverage of VZW and going back to the good but spotty coverage of TMO.

Oh, and so far, no surprise pricing plans for this device. The BB service is still only $29.95 per month for unlimted data. Oh, and it will send attachments via the GPRS.

I have been using the BB 6230 for almost a year now.
I live by the keyboard on this device to send emails,type notes (while on the phone) and to type details of appointments. The 7100 looks very promising with the exeption of the keyboard. I also have key words set in auto text that I also cant live without now.

Can anyone here tell me about the keyboard?

The keyboard use will be the deal breaker or maker for me.

this is thousandgrand speaking,
i bought the 7100t a few days ago. it is hot! but it is still a toss up with my older nokia 6600. the nokia is more powerful and can do most of what the blackberry does, but typing on the nokia sucks.
problems with the 7100t:
the blue tooth is only for headsets, not data transfer.
cannot email pictures or view picture attachments with the regular blackberry package (not the corporate package for 29.99)
loses all formatting when viewing attachment (pdf or doc)
short battery life when using it to surf the net for 4 hours
only one ring tone for all contacts
some websites do not allow the blackberry browser (gmail)
the IM features cost extra money
no expandable memory

overall, it is a toss up. it was the only phone worth buying that had the full internet and it was only 200 which is cheap, but the fun of the nokia 6600 was up there really high. being able to take a picture of some stupid person and then send it to all my friends with a funny caption was very hot. the mmc cards are getting up to 1 gig so that is more memory than anyone needs. i was able to pimp out my nokia with tons of apps from warez sites and such, about 50 ring tones, 50 themes, 20 games in 1 week. nothing on the blackberry yet though, still searching.
in all, i am happy with it, but waiting for more apps to come out. the internet never gets old!

this is thousandgrand speaking:
the keyboard is not bad at all. after you get used to the sure type thing, you can really haul through some text. of course it is not as good as a computer keyboard, typing well over 50 words per minute, but it beats the hell out of the nokia system. the sure type will add a word to the dictionary about the 3rd time you type it so it learns very quickly. the only complaint i have is my big ass hands.

I had been using a Nextel BB and reception was not good at my boss's house. He decided to try the Verizon BB and the service was awful. While the Verizon BB did not have speakerphone, it was nice to have a thinner BB than the Nextel thing. Boss still could not get calls at his house. We now are trying the 7100t through T-Mobile. He still cannot get calls at home, but agrees with me that this is the form factor that BB's should always have always had.

I have owned almost every ipaq made from even the B&W ones and finally Compaq/HP got it right with the 4150 and I have had no need for another.

Now RIM or someone got it just about right with the 7100t. Sure there are a few things to get used to, but that is the way with much every new device.

Voice clarity is excellent and the screen with text is outstanding. Pictures are beautiful. I just don't know how to get them on the phone. I still don't know how to put the @ symbol in an email address when asked as part of web service login.

I need to try some car bluetooth kits now.

I would like to purchase the 7100T, Tmobile is roaming in my area via either Cingular or Einstein can't confirm which. Does anyone know if I lose functionality when I roam? The area's are listed as covered by Tmobile.

I am in Sheboygan Wisconsin, halfway between Milwaukee and GreenBay.

Thanks,

Dave

The 7100t is most likely the best device I have used. The reception in my office actually improved when i switched from the V300. I used to also use the sidekick and the sidekick is a joke compared to the 7100t. Sidekick had too many bugs, so far after setting up many of the functions of the 7100t, no problems or bugs..

Looking for feedback on the Blackberry 7100T. Some
people have complained of sound problems. Is this a problem?
Others of T-Mobile coverage issues? Please let me know
what you think. Thanks.

MT

Loving every minute of it....

I have had my 7100T for over two months now and it is great! It was my first BB device. I tried it after I almost killed myself while using the HP iPAQ device with the phone built in...bit of advice, don' try to dial and drve with that one. The Jog Wheel on the BB is awesome and reminds me of a lot of the early cool stuff Sony put out years ago when they were into the cell market more. The sound quality is poor for the listner when used at the ear, but I am a Bluetooth junkie so 98% of my calls go through my Jabra 250 wireless headset, so it is a bit of a wash.

The only other drawbacks as far as I can tell is no MP3 player or true picture capability. All of my three previous HP iPAQ's had that function and suprsingly, I used them a lot. I am a crackberry adict now when it comes to the email and SMS capability which is simply outstanding. Would be nice to have a bit of a spam filter....as I have both my work and personal email coming in.

Last gripe and if anyone has any suggestions I am all ears, my company uses Lotus Notes for corporate email (don't ask me why) and I have had no luck in finding a sync tool so my contacts and calander can be brought from my desktop to the phone.

we also have the new 7290 that has bluetooth as well in case any one hates the 7100t typing style. the only thing on the 7100t that i have found when doing trouble shooting is java errors are very common with that device.

i'm a newbie and i have a 7100g. i've been successful e-mailing .jpgs to myself to use as backgrounds, but i have no idea what to do about ringtones. the cingular website doesn't even offer any downloads to any blackberry. help!
devon

I just purchased one on EBay, and the seller claimed the device was unlocked by T Mobile. It wasn't and i have been trying to find a way to unlock it. The usual garbage from TMobile - you need to be a customer, etc ($$$).
I have seen a few ads from people who claim to be able to unlock - has anyone had luck so far?
I live outside TMobiule area, and wouldn't recommend them for support..
Thx

If you have access to webpages (usually your isp provider provides some space) you can upload the items and then create links in an html document.

THen...access the html page from your bb and viola...you can save the tones on your phone!