BlackBerry Curve 8350i With Nextel Direct Connect Now Available

by Robb Dunewood on December 15, 2008 · 27 comments

We’ve been hearing rumors that the BlackBerry Curve 8350i was going to be released today and it looks like those rumors were right.  Nextel users who have been waiting several years for a new device to hit the network made famous by Dircect Connect for can now rejoice as the 8350i is now up on Sprint’s site.

The BlackBerry Curve 8350i will set you back $149.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and features:

  • Nextel Direct Connect®
  • Group Connect
  • GPS enabled
  • Slim and fashionable
  • Web, email capable
  • Built-in camera
  • Speakerphone
  • Bluetooth
  • External display
  • Memory card slot
  • Voice dialing

I am guessing that the BlackBerry Curve 8350i will do quite well over on Sprint or Nextel or whatever they are calling themselves these days.  I doubt, however, that it will do well enough to turn that sinking ship that is Sprint around.


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  • Nextel for Life

    Say what you will about Sprint but I’ve just put an order in for me, my wife, and my two teenagers who have been saying that they want this for Christmas.

  • Norman R.

    As bad as Sprint is doing, you can be almost certain that they aren’t going anywhere. With Verizon about to buy Alltell, they will be the only other CDMA carrier besides Verizon and they are still way bigger than T-Mobile.

  • Si

    I don’t understand why Nextel users are so excited to get BlackBerry that is going on 2 years old.

  • Norman R.

    It is all about the Direct Connect. RIM hasn’t released a Nextel BlackBerry since the 7100i. That has to be about 3 or 4 years ago.

    These days you rarely see a BlackBerry user that still carries two devices, however, when you do, there is a great chance that it is a Nextel subscriber with a newer model BlackBerry and a Direct Connect mobile phone.

  • michael

    @Si – yes it may be the Curve form factor but it runs OS 4.6.1. It packs the latest and greatest.

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  • J. B.

    to pile on to what michael said, the Curve, form factor is by far the best that RIM has ever come out with. I hear the the curve 2 is pretty keen, but nobody can get that in the states yet anyway

  • Krellen

    Correct me if I am wrong, but I beleive that the BlackBerry 8350i actually uses Sprint’s network for data and voice and only uses Nextel’s iDen network for Direct Connect.

    If this is true, it arguably could be the best BlackBerry out in terms of speed, OS, and form factor.

  • Confused

    My Nextel contract is up at the end of January and I was planning on moving to the Sprint BlackBerry Curve becasue I could use it as a modem for my laptop.

    Does anyone know if you will be able to do this with the Nextel one? I would definitely stay with them if you can but I need to be able to connect it to my laptop.

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  • bluehorseshoe

    @ krellen

    It’s all iDen. If it did have data on the Sprint network, along with voice and minus the q chat, this phone would be getting more publicity.

  • bluehorseshoe

    @ confused

    Unfortunately, this device will not utilize Sprints data network, just iDen. With that said, tethering would be useless on this device.

  • Confused

    Thanks… I think that I will just keep my plans of getting the regular BlackBerry Curve on Sprint.

  • DrewCSchultz

    Nextel is a joke. My girlfreind has one and I’m lucky if my calls get through 20% of the time. This is no exaggeration. “Please hold while the Nextel subscriber you are trying to reach is located.“. Are you serious?

  • http://www.rimarkable.com Robb Dunewood

    I don’t understand the fascination? It is like that chirp is like an addictive narcotic drug or something. I know a lot of Nextel subscribers that want to quit… They just can’t.

  • bluehorseshoe

    The chirp is an addiction. It’s just another alternative way of staying in touch, and to some, it’s fun. I can’t tell you how many times I was sending obnoxious noises (not going to be graphic) to my wife’s phone while she was on her way home on NJ Transit (love that speaker) during rush hour.

    It’s not strong enough for me coverage wise today as it once was several years ago since my travel has increased. I had the Renegade a few months ago, but the battery would drain after an hour on the phone. Serious issue for just casual use. But I will say this…Nextel will always remain dear to my heart. While in the mayhem of 9/11, my Nextel phone was the ONLY service working that day and I was able to get in touch with my wife, neighbor, and family outside of NY. People looked at me as to how I was able to use my cell phone…

    If the service covered a larger area regarding the ‘true’ Nextel service and not Qchat (QChat is also part of the reason for the battery drain aside from being a Motorola), I’d probably use it as a personal device. Nextel customers are some of the most loyal users out there.

  • michael

    @ Drew

    “Nextel is a joke. My girlfreind has one and I’m lucky if my calls get through 20% of the time. This is no exaggeration. “Please hold while the Nextel subscriber you are trying to reach is located.“. Are you serious?”

    That’s no different that the silence you hear with other carriers prior to the “ringing”.

  • Buddy

    I had Verizon, ATT and Nextel as my primary means of communication. What I can tell you by having all 3 at once neither stood out more than the other as far as reception goes. That being said I can’t seem to give up the direct connect feature. I dumped verizon and now have only two cells. ATT and Verizon. Buddy

  • DrewCSchultz

    @Drew
    Nextel is a joke. My girlfreind has one and I’m lucky if my calls get through 20% of the time. This is no exaggeration. “Please hold while the Nextel subscriber you are trying to reach is located.“. Are you serious?”

    That’s no different that the silence you hear with other carriers prior to the “ringing”.

    by michael on 2008-12-15 at 6:09 pm

    You may be right Michael, except that message is almost always followed by her voicemail message. Nextels network can’t locate her 80% of the time. Did I mention I live in one the largest cities in the country?

  • Yayita

    i had sprint and i choose to have a nextel connected to my account, and i used to have a blackberry, now that they are getting this to the market its super awesome, and you dont have to stay two more years if you dont want to, im having that phone right now in my hands, it was a long wait, but i think i have the money to fullfill my needs! thank god, well see you guys once again when another new model of a nextel blackberry comes out! =]

  • Nick

    so if you hear the “Please hold while the Nextel subscriber you are trying to reach is located.” does it ring at all on the other persons phone? and every so often the message will stop suddenly in the middle and go to the voicemail.

  • abraham

    This is truly the best phone i’ve had, and have i had phones. Its really nice, has a lot of features and the most important thing it looks like a GUY phone, BRAVO sprint!

  • kangix

    @Drew
    Nextel is a joke. My girlfreind has one and I’m lucky if my calls get through 20% of the time. This is no exaggeration. “Please hold while the Nextel subscriber you are trying to reach is located.“. Are you

    Obviously you dont use your phone for work where you use your phone often. Direct Connect is a blessing to many small and large companies. I use direct connect sometimes 100 times in a day. Mainly for less then 30 seconds. I just replaced the 7100i and all i can say is its much better. BTW i rarely have service issues with my iden phone. I travel the complete east coast.

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  • joshua perez

    say what you want about sprint but 95% of law enforcement, fire fighters, emt, security, have this phone and 95% of companys use nextel phones plus i have had a nextel for the last 5 years and they alway did me right

  • juan

    this new blackberry curve 8350i is a realy nice phone with this phone i don,t use my laptop any more and the gps works great i had many other smart phones but they were to slow now this one makes everything more easy thank you blackberry and Nextel

  • herman buspa

    I have Nextel Blackberry 8350i, it is good, but how can i use another card into this phone ? any one can help to open the lock?

    Thanx

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