Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34931 in Cell Phone Accessories
• Color: Silver
• Brand: BlackBerry
• Model: 8830
• Released on: 2008-05-30

Features

• Dual-network Blackberry for access to Verizon's CDMA network in the US, and GSM networks when travelling abroad
• Fast 3G access using Verizon's EV-DO data network; GPS for VZ Navigator turn-by-turn direction service
• Bluetooth for communication headsets, MicroSD memory expansion up to 4 GB, integrated digital audio player
• Up to 220 minutes (3.7 hours) of talk time, up to 216 hours (9 days) of standby time; measures 4.5 x 2.6 x 0.55 inches (HxWxD)
• Includes: handset, rechargeable battery, travel charger, international travel charger adapters, USB cable, VZAccess Manager CD, printed documentation, quick start guide

Amazon.com Product Description
With the BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smartphone, you'll enjoy fast, clear communication from Verizon here in the United States as well as seamless voice connectivity as you roam the globe. It's the first CDMA BlackBerry smartphone capable of roaming globally on GSM/GPRS networks, so you can travel the world with full mobile voice and data coverage without having to change smartphones, phone numbers or email addresses.

This sleek and performance–driven smartphone has been redesigned with trackball navigation and a new backlit QWERTY keyboard. It also offers support for Verizon's high-speed EV-DO data network and built-in GPS so you can take advantage of Verizon's optional VZ Navigator turn-by-turn direction service. And it continues to offer all the communication features that you've come to expect from Blackberry smartphones, including email served up by the BlackBerry Internet Service and a full menu of messaging options (SMS, MMS, and IM). Other features include Bluetooth for communication headsets, MicroSD memory expansion up to 4 GB, and an integrated digital audio player.

Switch seamlessly between CDMA (in the US) and GSM (when abroad) to make calls and access email with the Blackberry 8830.

Dual Connectivity
Perfect for the fashionable world-traveling professional, the BlackBerry 8830 World Edition and Verizon Wireless' Global BlackBerry service allow customers to access e-mail and place and receive domestic and international calls in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and parts of Africa. When used at home here in the U.S., you'll connect to Verizon's 800/1900 MHz CDMA network, as well as its 1xEV-DO 3G high-speed data network--which offers download speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps and peak rates up to 2 Mbps. (Learn more about where EV-DO coverage is offered.)

But when you're traveling within a GSM network coverage area (900/1800 MHz) outside of the U.S. provided by Verizon Wireless' global roaming partners, the 8830 provides easy voice connectivity while roaming the globe. To use the 8830 outside of the U.S., customers should dial *611 from their Verizon Wireless phones to add global service to their calling plans before they leave home. You will also need a SIM card to use the phone on a foreign GSM network. (Note that you won't be able to access GSM here in the United States, as U.S. networks use the 850/1900 MHz GSM spectrum.)

Verizon Service Options
Getting on the Internet is easy using Verizon's Mobile Web 2.0 package, which allows you to read and send e-mails, exchange instant messages and view your favorite web content on your phone. Verizon's Get It Now wireless download service is also fully compatible with this phone. This pay-per-download service features application downloads, games and productivity tools. You can also personalize your handset with ringtone downloads using the Get It Now service.

With this GPS-enabled phone, you'll be able to access Verizon's VZ Navigator service (additional charges applicable) for voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions, heads-up alerts, local search of nearly 14 million points of interest in the US (such as landmarks, restaurants and ATMs), and detailed color maps.

With BroadbandAccess Connect (subscription required), you can use your smartphone as a modem for your notebook when you connect the two using a USB cable--or open a Bluetooth connection--enabling you to access the Internet or your company intranet. The tethered modem capability is ideal when you're traveling and need to use your notebook to check email, access corporate networks, or download large files like presentations and reports. And with BroadbandAccess Connect, you won't have to buy an extra PC Card or other devices.

Scroll and click through functions easily with the handy trackball navigation control, and quickly type email with the QWERTY keyboard.

Phone Features
The BlackBerry 8830 World Edition features a large high-resolution color display and intuitive trackball navigation to help you easily view e-mails, attachments, videos, and Web sites, and a back-lit QWERTY keyboard that makes it easy to send e-mail responses or instant messages with Mobile IM. The improved BlackBerry Browserhas a new "Page View" option that displays a full web page on the screen along with a magnifying glass that allows the user to quickly and accurately point and zoom in on a specific area of the web page.

The large screen has a 320 x 240-pixel resolution with support for up to 65K colors--plenty of real estate to view your e-mails, Web browser content, messaging sessions, and attachments. It comes with a 64 MB internal memory that can be expanded via optional MicroSD memory cards (up to 4 GB).

With a BlackBerry data plans from Verizon, you can receive e-mails instantaneously from up to 10 e-mail accounts (personal and enterprise). And with BlackBerry push technology, you don't need to retrieve your e-mail. BlackBerry devices are designed to remain on and continuously connected to the wireless network, allowing you to be discreetly notified as new e-mail arrives. Support is also built-in for viewing e-mail attachments (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, WordPerfect, and PDF formats).

The digital audio player lets you listen to your favorite tunes stored on optional MicroSD cards, as well as play video files in vivid color. Shuffle your songs or enjoy your favorite playlist while you reply to messages. It supports MP3, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, and WMA file formats. The Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity enables you to talk handsfree with a communication headset as well as use the phone wirelessly as a modem.

Other features include:

• Phone as Modem Capable: Use the included USB cable to connect to laptops for a wireless modem, or choose to run this capability via Bluetooth with no USB cable requirement.
• Bluetooth version 2.0 with the following profiles: HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), DUN (dial-up networking), OPP (object push for business cards, calendar items, and pictures), PBA (transfer contacts)
• Dual–band 800/1900 Mhz 1xEV–DO networks
• Dual–band 900/1800 Mhz GSM/GPRS (outside North America)
• 64 MB Flash Memory/32 MB RAM
• BlackBerry 4.2 Desktop Software
• Ringtones: Polyphonic (MP3, MIDI) + vibrate
• Password protection and keyboard lock
• 2.5mm headset jack
• Hearing Aid Compatibility = M4/T4

Vital Statistics
The BlackBerry 8830 weighs 4.6 ounces and measures 4.5 x 2.6 x 0.55 inches. Its 1400 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 220 minutes of talk time, and up to 216 hours of standby time on CDMA networks. When on international GSM networks, the phone provides up to 300 minutes of talk time and up to 384 hours of standby time. It runs on the 800/1900 MHz CDMA frequencies and is compatible with the EV-DO data network when on the Verizon network in the US; in international territories, it's compatible with 900/1800 MHz GSM/GPRS networks.

Customer Reviews

BlackBerry Got It Right With This Phone!
FINALLY! A SmartPhone that keeps you productive and doesn't hassle you with malfunctions!
As you can probably surmise, I'm coming over from the Windows Mobile platform. After several years of wrestling with those units (especially Treos), I decided to give the BlackBerry 8830 a try, and am I glad that I did. I've had the opportunity to own/use this unit for several months now. There is just no comparison. The 8830 lives up to its promises, and is actually enjoyable to use.

This model is
- Reliable: It just works, and it keeps working. No hiccups, malfunctions or resetting.
- A Great Business Tool: As a PDA power user, I need a unit that reliably synchs wirelessly with our mail server to keep my email, calendar, contacts, tasks and notes current. The 8830 does this real-time without getting bogged down and crashing. It excels in this area.
- Readable: You can change the default screen font in the Options settings to enlarge and/or embolden the display text across all functions.
- Call clarity: Conversations are clear and audible on both ends.
- Smart: RIM built in some nice behavior that changes the display brightness with environmental lighting and also changes the ring mode when the unit is holstered.
- The keyboard offers excellent tactile feedback.
- The blue-tooth has worked with headsets and hands-free speakers nicely.
- Robust: I dropped the unit a few times (once on a marble floor), and it still works great.

I've found several minor drawbacks:
- The ringer, even when loudest, isn't quite loud enough in noisier environments. Often, I won't hear the ringer in the car.
- There is only 1 alarm. I've been accustomed to having the ability to simultaneously set alarms that ring during the week, on weekends, etc. The 8830 offers these modes, but not concurrently.
- The speakerphone volume isn't very loud. Honestly, this seems to apply to most of the phones that I've owned.
- I've had problems with the voice-command accuracy.

Recommendation:
This is likley the best SmartPhone I've ever owned. Its very functional and very reliable. I highly recommend it.

Excellent phone
I got this as a corporate replacement for a Verizon XV-6700. What a difference! Blackberry sets the standard for smartphone design & engineering, and it shows.

Pros:
+ great battery life (4+ hours of talk time & 80+ hours standby time)
+ great coverage in my area (YMMV)
+ integrated clear screen protection to minimize breakage
+ integrated trackball for fast navigation without touchscreen
+ internal Mini-SD slot to minimize loss
+ lightweight and flat-profile makes carrying easy
+ Bluetooth works well
+ solid Outlook integration (Mail, Calendar, Address, Tasks, Notes)
+ actual keyboard and buttons for dialing
+ standard mini-USB plug for charging and data connection

Cons:
- Voice Dialing button active by default (remapped to Keylock)
- frequent re-crypt is an annoyance
- Blackberry Enterprise Server required for Outlook 2007 (MS broke)
- Verizon disables GPS to sell their stupid service

Overall, the Pros solidly outweigh the Cons. Blackberry makes a good phone, and I recommend it.

Horrible for Voice. H
The audio quality on the Blackberry 8830 is horrible. The audio sounds muffled and most of the time it's very hard to make out what the person on the other line is saying. The effect gets more pronounced when the person on the other end also has a Blackberry. It's so bad, I am now seriously considering replacing it with something else after trying to convince myself for the last four months that it's me and not the phone.

I do love everything else about this phone. Especially it's ability to sync with my Google calendar and deliver (after about a 10 minute lag) all my hotmail/gmail emails to my phone (Only if you have the Blackberry data service package). I also downloaded google maps on to it, which is free and helps me locate approximately where I am and I can use it to search for any businesses in my area. So for example, if I am in the city and feel like Italian, I can search for Italian restaurants and it will show me a map with all the nearby Italian restaurants, their hours, and the phone number, which I can then auto dial right from the map.

But the audio is the sticking point. It is REALLY REALLY bad. I have good hearing and it's so difficult to make out what others are saying. My friend recently got the Blackberry Pearl, and when he talks to me, sometimes whole sentences come out as a muffled blur. It's like constantly talking to someone who has a pillow in front of their mouth.

If audio quality is important to you, pass on this phone. Or if you have poor hearing, definitely skip this phone. I've come to find out that Consumer Reports also noted this phone for it's poor audio quality. I really do want to love it for it's data and time management software, but it doesn't deliver in the one area that a phone is mainly used for - helping one hold a conversation. I had a four year old LG phone before this, and that trumps the 8830 for clarity and quality of the audio.

Battery life is also very short. It can only go one day before needing a charge if you talk more than an hour, or two days if you don't. I have never gotten more than two days without a charge.

It also has what must be the worst voice recognition software known to man. For example I just said "Call Dad" and it asks me if I want to call Jenny, Lynn, or Allan.

If I had to choose again, I would go with another phone that is rated better for audio quality. I hate using this phone now to talk to anyone because I am constantly asking people to repeat themselves.

Get this phone and your new favorite phrase will be "Can you say that again?"