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"Great Phone and at a great price!" on by pavvento
Pros: Price, Form Factor, Features, Ease of Set-up, Extras
Cons: No Windows OS, Requires extra packages to fully utilize
Summary: I am finally happy with a phone. After abusing my Audiovox SMT5600 (unreal phone)I was looking to upgrade. I tried the Ipaq 6515 and the Palm Treo 650. While I was pleased with the Ipaq I couldn't stand the squished buttoms of the Palm so I decided to go with something more spacious. With the non full QWERTY keyboard the keys are generously spaced and allow your fingers to move with ease.
I have never used a Blackberry before so I was very surprised with the ease in which my email was integrated. I am also very surprised with the SureType recognition system. Although it takes some getting used to, I think it will be very valuable.
The form factor is great, as it feels like a regular phone, and is surprisingly light, at times I almost wish it was heavier. There are tons of features such as the web browser which is very fast with EDGE, Email, Outlook Sync and many others. The Speakerphone works great and this is the first phone where the loudest ear piece is actually too loud!
I purchased Cingular's new Blackberry package, $29.99 for unlimited internet and blackberry connect. This is a great deal, especially with how quick browsing is with EDGE.
I have been looking for a while for a new phone, and even though I love the Windows OS, I think I will finally keep this one and send back the other two. -
"I was skeptical at first..." on by troybpi
Pros: Voice Quality, Battery Life, Email Push Capability, Speakerphone
Cons: Minor annoyance of creaking plastic when I pick it up.
Summary: I purchased the 7130c from Cingular two weeks ago.
I was skeptical at first...mainly because of the SureType technology and not having a true QWERTY keyboard.
But, I must tell you that using SureType is not a big deal. The secret is that you need to finish typing the entire word before making any corrections if needed. Also, I started typing words in the Memo pad such as family and friends names, places, names of products that I sell etc...and SureType learns these words. Kinda like building my own dictionary.
I've used every Treo product since the 600 and recently purchased the Treo 700p this past May. That's about 4 years of using Treos. I don't having any thing against the Treo except the 650 which kept locking up on me.
The bottom line for me was that I did not need all the features of the Treo. I was also tired of carrying the Treo.
What I needed was a phone with excellent call quality, robust email capability and small and light enough to fit comfortably in my pocket. 7130c fit the bill.
My Treo 700p was on Sprint's EVDO network which is a lot faster than Cingular's EDGE network. However, sending and receiving emails through the EDGE network is fast enough for me.
BTW, the 7130c's speakerphone is excellent.
The display needs to be just a bit brighter in my opinion.
Cingular now has a 30 day return policy. Give it a try. -
"Terrific Device!" on by rburke
Pros: Lite, quick, easy to use. SHARP screen. Intuitive menu.
Cons: All smartphones are a little too big. No iTunes.
Summary: Best phone I've used. Perfect call clarity. Fast internet connection. Easy email.
I've owned Windows mobile phones and the Palm Treo. This phone blows them away in function, price and form.
Only Apple could make a better phone than this. -
"Excellent phone - synchronization of contacts, calendar, etc." on by avikas
Pros: SureType, synchronization
Cons: No MP3 player
Summary: As a business user, I have been using this phone (and its predecessor) for over 2 years. After going through more than 10 phones over the past ten years, I am extremely happy with this phone.
For the business user who has the Blackberry Enterprise Server working with Exchange, there is no better choice on the market. Period!! The seamless synchronization of email, contacts, calendar wirelessly is unbeatable.
For the non-business user, the simple fact that you can synchronize your Contacts using a simple USB cable and not have to re-enter them every time you get a new phone is a blessing. I was so sick of the nonsense I had to go through with other phones just to sync my contacts and phone numbers (first purchase a cable for $30, then purchase their software for $50, then end up with this mash of outlook data shoehorned into a misaligned record), that being able to see all my records in a clean manner on the Blackberry was a blessing.
I had been skeptical of the SureType system since I had hated the traditional T9 system on most other types of phones, but quite honestly, after 2 days of using you will realize it is the best thing ever!! I recently purchased the 8900c which has a full keypad, but preferred the SureType method so much that I went back to the 7100 phone.
I would highly recommend it for everyone, at least until the rest of the phone manufacturers get their heads straight about their phone's user interface and menus (especially Motorola, which I now refuse to purchase because of their ancient user navigation and interface.
As for negatives, I think the phone looks a little too plain and business like- to appeal to the consumer it probably should be a little flashier and perhaps have an MP3 player (the new Blackberry Pearl seems to be more attractive, but seems like its missing the hallmark blackberry thumbwheel for some reason).Updated
As of this writing, Google has released two applications specifically for the Blackberry which you can download and install for free:
Google Maps: a handheld version of their maps.google.com which has become an inseparable part of my daily life. Talk about a killer application for the cellphone.
Google GMail: handheld version of their web based gmail.
Everyone I have come across with a Blackberry actively uses google maps on their handheld pretty actively, and it is an extremely useful tool.
P.S. I am NOT a Blackberry or Google employee or stockholder. -
"Great for those that like "cell phone feel"" on by mdsofky
Pros: Compact, bright screen, quick EDGE technology
Cons: No multimedia capability
Summary: Great device. I've used a 7100g, 8700c, 7290 and 7280. This is my favorite so far. Many of my colleagues prefer the 8700c for the full QWERTY keyboard (but it was just too wide for me to carry around and use as a phone). The SureType technology works just fine, and I would much rather live with it and have the smaller form factor. Really like the 7130c the best of what I've had.
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