Former Business 2.0 writer and Web 2.0 technology blog GigaOm founder Om Malik is not that big on the BlackBerry 8800.
The battery life is not all that great, and I really don’t care much for the new keyboard which feels cramped and lacks the tactile feedback of the older models such as the 8700.
Although Malik admits that the voice quality on the BlackBerry 8800 is much enhanced, his initial impressions of RIM’s new handheld aren’t all that good.
I know how Om Malik feels. I wasn’t all that impressed with the BlackBerry 8800 either when I took a look at it last weekend.
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GigaOm, Om Malik, BlackBerry 8800
I had the chance to play around with a BlackBerry 8800 for a few hours over the weekend and here is a brief summary of my initial thoughts:
The BlackBerry 8800 for the corporate business user is not a bad upgrade if you are coming from a device older than the BlackBerry 8700 and are already a Cingular subscriber. Outside of the BlackBerry Media Player and GPS, the 8800 doesn’t do much more than the 8700, however, has that sleek design to it that QWERTY BlackBerrys have been lacking until now.
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There seems to be bit of confusion surrounding BlackBerry Maps and if it is or is not available for the BlackBerry 8800. To be totally honest, I am a bit foggy about the whole thing myself. I can tell you, however, they if you don’t have BlackBerry Maps on your BlackBerry 8800, there is a walk through on how to install the pre 8800 version of BlackBerry maps over on BlackBerry Forums.
BlackBerry 8800, BlackBerry Maps
I read an article in the Globe and Mail today where Research in Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie said that the BlackBerry will soon become the music player of choice for consumers. I actually had to read his comment several times to make sure that I understood the context in which he was saying it and after doing so, realized he meant it pretty much like you read it in the title to of this post:
The BlackBerry will soon become the music player of choice for consumers…
I have one question for Jim Balsillie… Have you completely lost your mind?
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We have been hearing for a while now that a CDMA / GSM Verizon BlackBerry 8800 would be coming to Verizon sometime in Q2 and more rumors about the device have begun to surface.
According to new BlackBerry Forums member rianlu, Verizon will release their branded version of the BlackBerry 8800 which will be called the BlackBerry 8830 in the May / June time frame. Sprint will follow with their branded version of the BlackBerry 8830 shortly after Verizon.
Here is exactly what rianlu had to say about the BlackBerry 8830:
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The Boy Genius is reporting that the upcoming BlackBerry 8820 will have Wi-Fi. Leave it to BG to scrutinize the device.xlm file that comes with OS 4.2.0.109 from Cingular. Notice the highlighted section in the device.xml file above. You will notice that the os radio =”GPRS-WLAN”.
What does this mean? Well, while the details may not be completely clear and one hundred percent correct, but it shows that it will have a GPRS/WLAN radio stack, a first for BlackBerry devices, as well as the customary support for voice-activated dialing and push-to-talk capabilities. Unfortunately, one feature it does not list is the camera, so let’s rule out this device for that 8800 series CameraBerry model.. for now, of course.
So, in English, the BlackBerry 8820 will have Wi-Fi, won’t be 3G, and won’t have a camera. If I were going to get another cameraless BlackBerry on Cingular (no way in the world I would ever do this) I would hold of on the BlackBerry 8800 for a BlackBerry 8820.
BlackBerry 8800, BlackBerry 8820
A BlackBerry Cool tipster is reporting that Cingular will soon offer a BlackBerry Buy 3 promotion that will offer up to a $500 Visa rebate card to any customer buying 3 or more BlackBerry 8800 devices.
Customers must sign a 1 or 2-year service agreement, activate on a Blackberry data rate plan and be active on each line after the 30 day return period in order to qualify for the rebate.
Upgrades are eligible. Voice plan activation is not required. Customers may use BIS or BES as their BlackBerry email solution.
Limit of 15 total (Buy 15 and get $500 VISA rebate card)
Not sure that I understand the limit. Are you limited to buying 15 BlackBerry 8800 handsets and getting $500 gift card for every 3 8800s, or, do you only get a one gift card for every 3 to 15 8800s that you purchase?
We will definitely stay tuned to hear more on this one…
UPDATE: RIMarkable commenter J has cleard things up a bit. You get one $100 rebate for every three BlackBerry 8800s that you buy. The limit is $500 in gift cards.
It looks like Cingular may have just updated their web page. You can now order the BlackBerry 8800 on their site and they are offering free guaranteed overnight shipping.
I must say that I have been very critical in the passed past on Cingular’s BlackBerry launches, however, they are proving me wrong on this one. I am impressed.
Cingular BlackBerry 8800
Update: T-Mobile has just officially announced the BlackBerry 8800 in the United States…
I was just reading a couple of posts over on BlackBerry Cool that indicate that the BlackBerry 8800 is available on T-Mobile in Germany and that it will be available on T-Mobile here in the U.S. in April.
According to the T-Mobile Germany site it looks like the BlackBerry 8800 has been available on their site since Feb. 13th, the day that it was unveiled at the 3GSM World Congress. The German T-Mobile BlackBerry 8800 will cost EUR 179.95 with a 24-month contract on the Relax 100 rate.
As far as the U.S. goes, the T-Mobile BlackBerry 8800 will be available in April.
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