Opinions on Blackberries...

So I'm kinda bored of my LG Dare, and texting is becoming a real pain in the ass for me on the thing *i have fat thumbs*

I just got my Dare replaced by Verizon today because the warranty expires next month, and mine was pretty banged up. When I was there, I was playing around with some of their phones, one in particular, the Flip Blackberry Pearl. I was planning on upgrading to a Blackberry Tour (new Curve) when it comes out next week, but here's the pros and cons for each phone...

BB Tour pros:
-Raved as best Blackberry ever made by many reputable sites
-3.2 MP camera with flash
-Newest and fastest OS
-Looks pretty good
-High screen resolution

BB Tour cons:
-Heavy, bulky
-Bare keyboard would be a problem for me, even my Dare accidentally dials numbers in my pocket
-MUCH more expensive (I'd be paying more than $200 since I'm not yet eligible for an upgrade)
-Keys look too small for my fat fingers


BB Flip pros:
-Much lighter, sleeker
-Flip phone seems much more stealth and more practical for me
-Bigger keys, and much much easier for dialing numbers
-Does all the same things as regular Blackberries
-MUCH cheaper. I think it was either $60 or $80

BB Flip cons:
-Pearl style keyboard (2 letters on each key, would take forever to get used to)
-Only a 2.0 MP camera
-Some people say it can be sluggish if it's being overworked
-Same style OS, but I guess it's a couple of updates behind
-Lower screen res


Keep in mind this will be the first time I'll ever have a BB. The Flip seemed much more practical and much more appealing to me than the regular style BB phones. I'm not a business man, so I don't need to be glued to my phone for email every damn second, but I'd love to have access to internet, Facebook, forums on the go, and other apps, so I definitely want a BB. Most reviewers say that the Flip is great for a first time Blackberry owner, so I'm leaning towards it. Has anyone had experience with the Pearl style keyboard? That is being the biggest issue for me. At the store, it seemed awkward, but is it something that is easy to get over?

Any opinions would be nice

Some pics of the phones in question:

Go big or go home. Just got an iPhone, and I surprisingly really enjoy the bar style phone, and also that flip phone looks like it would be painful to type on...

Dont get the flip, every person i've talked to about it hates on it (even store managers)
It has the same problem as the peral does.

The flip is just a sad excuse of Blackberry attempting to appeal to the teenage crowd. I would buy a cheaper flip phone before I bought practically the same phone and payed extra for the Blackberry name.

I'm not going to recommend another phone as you're just asking about the two phone. If I were to buy one of them it would be the Tour. I like it because it feels like there's actually a phone. It has some weight and doesn't feel like some cheap plastic piece of crap. You can always lock the buttons so they don't call someone in your pocket.

I'd get the one with the full keyboard non-flip. I'm not sure if there is any lag associated with either of those models though. (My Samsung blackjack 2 sucks for texting. If you go too fast, it'll skip letters, especially if they're double letters)

I just got the Curve to replace my old LG Glimmer. I absolutely love it. It has great quality of sound and the keyboard is easy to use. I have big fingers too but i usually dont have much of a problem.

As for the dialing while in your pocket, the curve can be locked manually. It also comes with a sleeve that has a magnet or sensor of some kind in it and when you put the phone in it pretty muck locks it and all you have to do is pull it out and its ready to go.

Lock your blackberry, with a password. Just in case you lose it. My lock screen reads.

Matthew Mosman
(Street Address)
(Home Phone)
If found please call.
$$ Reward