BlackBerry Bold 9700 (T-Mobile)

Pros: best keyboard ever
decent camera
excellent screen
light weight
not too much thicker than the 8900
3g
short cut buttons easier to press than chrome ones on older models
smooth back is very easy to grip and not flimsy like on 8900

Cons: hate trackpad

Summary: This is probably the best blackberry out there. It has a decent camera, an excellent screen, a fantastic keyboard and the 5.0 OS. I also enjoy the 3G, so now I get way better coverage in most places I go. I had the 8900 recently and loved it except that EDGE is so crummy where I live. So the addition of the 3G was much needed. Stylistically, I like the 8900 better, but that doesn't matter so much because the keyboard on the 8900 wasn't nearly as good as the new Bold. Many people reported having problems with a wobbly keyboard on the 8900 and mine was no exception, which is why I'm loving the new Bold so far. Its so much easier to type and there's no wobble what so ever. The only thing that they could have done without is the stupid trackpad... I thought I could get used to it, but I'm just hating it. It functions exactly like a trackball, no doubt, but I really really miss the tactile feel of having a nice raised trackball with some slight friction. The trackpad kind of frustrates me because its so slippery so I often overshoot an icon I'm trying to press. Basically its just way too sensitive and its a little irritating in that respect. It makes the phone look a little better stylistically, but for me that doesn't matter if the features annoys me. Other times if I'm trying to go from one icon to the next, its not sensitive enough and won't go anywhere. HOWEVER, the trackpad does shine in that you can actually use it with gloves, unlike some touch screen phones out there. So I was kinda impressed with that. I kept thinking about how I could use my trackball on a cold day with gloves, and then I tried the trackpad with gloves and was pleasantly surprised. So very nice in that regard. Now I can type easier so I'm just happy about that. Perhaps I will get used to the quirks of the trackpad. but something tells me there are going to be days where I just don't like dealing with it.

I didn't really highlight any important software aspects of the phone because I doubt that's something an average user would pay attention to, so instead I highlighted the usability aspects. The OS runs way smoother than my old 8100 so if you are looking for an upgrade from a really old blackberry, this is certainly a very good buy, no denying that. If you're coming from a newish bb like the 8900 you might be thoroughly annoyed.