I am testing the 7130e(Bell) and the 8700r(Rogers) for our company. One important thing I have found is that the cramped 8700 keyboard effectively eliminates the typing advantage that the 7200/7700 series devices always held over the 7100 series handhelds.
I always recommended that if you used the device primarily for text - get the 7200 or 7700 machines and if you use it mostly as a phone get a 7100. Now because of the poor 8700 keyboard and the excellent 7130e keyboard - it's easier to type on a 7130e (even using Suretype)!
Also the 7130e has a nicer form-factor.
Plus the EV-DO is faster than EDGE for some tasks.