BlackBerry 8830
Average Ratings
Verizon 8830 world edition
Ok, this phone is really good. I use to have the 7280. The trackball the middle feels weird in beginning but after a day or two you get use to it. The phone fits well in your hand as well
Pros: speakerphone
auto-dimming
graphics
MAPS
Browser
Cons: Camera
Good All Around Business Tool
The Blackberry 8830 gets the job done for me. I find the operating system limiting when compared to the treo 650, however what the Blackberry 8830 does, it does well.
After several months' use I'm hooked on Blackberry's push technology. Receiving e-mails almost as soon as they are sent to me is much better than sitting at my computer for 30 min. everyday and sifting through messages.
My phone is my organizer, my agenda, my contacts manager etc... I also use it to monitor stocks throughout the day. I'm very happy with it.
PROS: decent reception, great battery life (2 *full* days atleast), replaces paper and pen organizer, very efficient means of communicating by e-mail, optional media player works ok
CONS: occasionally freezes, web browsing not consistently fast, screen is kind of small, the case is not that useful but better than nothing
Blackberry & Verizon
I purchased this phone two weeks ago at full price. I used the Motorola Q for a little over a year.
The BlackBerry 8830 is great as a phone (very clear reception) and a pda!!! The proprietary OS is somewhat difficult at first, but I have adjusted. I like that fact that I can sync my desktop & laptop all with this BlackBerry.
Great screen color, e-mails are usually delivered to BlackBerry before they arrive in my Outlook. Ringtones are softer than most, but not as annoying. The holster is great with its energy saving "powers."
The battery on this pda/phone is unbelievable. I use this phone all day e-mailing, txting & talking. . .and in the evening I have 1/2 battery left.
No Camera is not a big deal.
Am still learning so much about this phone. Next big project is to learn how to open documents, etc.
Would recommend to all who are looking for a pda/phone.
Global Capability Extremely Limited by Carrier(s)
It's a great phone with great features - even with no camera.
But, if you are truly a global traveler, then beware that depending on your carrier, this is **NOT** a globally capable phone.
I just returned from Sao Paulo, Parana, and Lima. I had NO email, data nor any INTERNET capability available - just voice roaming. Calling their 001- cust service line ended up giving me a "you cannot complete this call" message (in a foreign language). Sao Paulo happens to be like in the top 10 largest cities in the world, so my opinion is that it's a joke that certain carrier(s) are marketing this phone as "global."
Meanwhile, Brazil has just gone 3G, and the 8830's GSM cousin, the 8820, is being sold down there. Locking the 8830 phone's SIM card only adds insult to injury.
Want to be truly global? Stick with quad-band GSM phones and GSM carriers for now.
ALLTEL 8830
I bought this phone very recently, coming from the HTC PPC-6800. The HTC is a wonderful tool for business AND pleasure users, though you can't escape Windows Mobile and the problems therein. The pixel-burn issues, the lock ups, the OS freezing, and the rare self-reset... not fun. That being said, here's about the 8830:
Pros:
STABLE O.S.!!!
Simply the best Email support (though now hotmail.com requires outlook)
Attachment reader includes Office 2007 doc's
Very strong reception
Web Browser: Almost everyone rips on the default browser, but it can in fact emulate IE, Pocket IE, and netscape. It CAN access full myspace, for those who'd use it.
GPS*: It works, once you download Telenav.
Cons:
Google Maps is having a hard time with it.
That's about it.
This is a phone for a mild/moderate business user, or someone simply looking for a Government Spec phone (No cam, encryption strength). It's quite unlike any other non-RIM phone, so the UI takes some getting used to. Overall, excellent device!
Great PDA phone
I've been looking for a PDA phone for years now. As a palm PDA user for years, I really wanted a TREO. However, after hearing the horror stories about TREOs, I decided against one. I had an LG 9800 (the V), which I really liked. It was rock solid, had a great sound, and I like the keyboard. However, it's calendar and contact features are very limited. Plus there was no easy way to sync with the computer (yes I used bitpim but the phone truncated contact information).
Now on to the Blackberry. I never thought I'd be one of "those" people. However, now that I've had the phone for a month, I must say that I've never been more excited about one device than I am about this phone. It's great to be able to keep my calendar with me at all times and to always have all my contact information with me. Not just phone numbers, as in past phones, but the addresses notes. Before I got this phone, I'd rarely have my calendar, since I wasn't about to carry my phone and my palm pda.
One other feature that I didn't think I'd use but use constantly, is access to the internet. I've used the phone to access Google maps when traveling rural roads, have used Google to easily find movie listing and times, I've used the browser to find information while away from my home. And it integrates very easily with Yahoo mail. It's a bit ironic that the thing I wanted least on the phone the thing I'm most excited about: having access to the internet pretty much wherever I am.
Pros:
Calendar
Contacts
Password keeper
GPS feature
Easy to use interface (hasn't crashed once)
I gave it 4.5 stars because of the following cons:
The ringer is very quiet (even on the loudest setting).
People complain that I sound like I'm in a tunnel (but I am understandable).
The phone does not have a camera.
I would get the Curve if Verizon offered it, and I want a full keyboard so Pearl is not an option.
Anyone looking for a phone/PDA on Verizon won't be sorry with this phone.
Huge Improvement in Smartphone Technology
I tried a blackberry 8703e prior to having this 8830. I took the 8703 back because it had poor reception and was not a huge fan of the trackwheel. This 8830 is amazing. I try to learn one new thing about it each day. Kudos to phonescoop for making that easy, along with blackberry.com.
I travel quite a bit in the state of IL and this phone has proven itself to work where my previous phones would drop calls. I love the GPS navigation with US Cellular. Emails and contacts are easily accessible. Downloaded some software for it including the opera web browser. No reviews on opera yet. They finally included a case that was worth something to the businessman. That is a huge pet peeve that most include a plastic clip so you have to start out buying a different one right away -- not the case with this one!
Cons of this phone - it is too smart to learn all of its features in a day - unless you have all day to do it!
Would like to be able to see all applications on the home screen rather than just 6 on the left side. (this may be personalizable, I just have not found that option)
Ringer could be a bit louder but no missed calls yet.
More theme options
More Ringtones
Overall -- Excellent phone and am very happy with it.
Awsome
This phone is really cool.I have had it for a week now and it is really cool. I think i will stay with Alltel For All time.The little trackball is cool to play with
PROS:
GPS
EVDO
Great Reception
CONS:
Charger Port the only one I hit it in the car one day and it jammed and it wont charge right anymore.
Vzw BB 8830
For the past 2 years I have carried a Verizon Phone (moto razr) for Voice and a Tmobile Blackberry for email/data and to use for voice and data when traveling overseas. The most recent was a BB Curve.
My Vzw phone was damaged while on a domestic biz trip. In order to continue voice service I ported my Vzw number to Tmobile on the BB Curve. I planned on taking the $175 hit from VZw and stick with voice and data on the Curve.
Vzw offered me a free 8830 "World Phone" to come back plus a credit for the $175. Since I owned the Curve and my Tmo contract had expired, I could sell the curve and turn a $175 loss into a $550 gain and carry only one device.
Activating the phone with Vzw was multiple step process. Since it is new and different then other phones...meaning a different activation process. The SIM card for use outside the US did not come with the phone..requiring another call to VZW. When it arrived, it required another call to activate it. The unactivated SIM installed in the phone cause the phone to "fall off" the network and required reactivating 3X in order to receive data. Additionally, VZW had problems with their BB server and I could not activate any emails for 2 days (over a wkend).
The biggest issue is the phone is dual band GSM meaning it will not work in Countries that chose to band the spectrum in the US manner. So it will not work in some South American Countries (e.g. Argentina) where I travel. Making the phone useless for me. None of the VZW info mentions this.
For business use outside of No America and Europe you should stick to a QUAD Band GSM phone.
The phone itself is lacking compared to its cousin the Curve 8300. The 8830 is much bigger, the back lighting on the keyboard is hard to read and there is no camera which for some biz people is not an issue.
Bottom line for international and day to day use the Curve on TMO is superior to the 8830 on VZW.
After 5+ Months of Use
CARRIER: Sprint
LENGTH OF USE OF 8830: 5+ months
PREVIOUS PHONES: BB 8703e, Treo 650/700 p&w, Motorola Q, Samsung M610/A700, Sanyo 7500/7400/8100.
FORM FACTOR: Very appealing and sleek design. Plastic feels SLIGHTLY cheap, but I have dropped the phone several times and only have a few minor scratches. Smudges appear easily.
LCD: Very crisp and bright. No problems in daylight.
KEYPAD: Keys are small (WARNING for fat-fingers!), especially coming from the 8703e, but still very usable. One weakness though is switching between alpha and numeric typing.
MICROPHONE: The microphone (whether using the speaker phone or talking normally) is the biggest weakness of the 8830. Almost everyone I talk to can constantly hear background noise. *People can still hear me fine though.
SPEAKERPHONE: Loud and clear.
DATA/EMAIL: One of the biggest strengths. Internet browsing (Sprint's EV-DO) works very well and is extremely fast. PUSH email! When using as modem for my computer, speed is incredible.
MESSAGING: Very easy to use
SCROLL WHEEL: A step up from the side scroll wheel, but there is a slight delay and it is at times awkward to use. Sometimes it does not interact fluidly with some internet menus or downloaded programs (operates like the old side scroll wheel).
OS/MENUS/PROGRAMS: Not always user friendly. Editing profiles, changing ringers & screen savers took a bit of work. Takes TIME to get use to.
SYNCING: Desktop manager is not user-friendly and downloading additional themes/ringers/pictures and syncing takes a lot of patience. Additional programs/add-ons needed to do this.
OTHER STRENGTHS: great bluetooth, battery (heavy usage, lasts all day), viewing attachments from email (word, excel, etc.), great media player!
OTHER WEAKNESSES: Voice-dial, GPS Maps, signal strength/call clarity not always the best.
OVERALL: Very reliable, great for users who talk a lot and heavy users of data and email. Keypad warning, user-friendly warning.
