Verizon BlackBerry Curve Ships Friday

NYCamman
#2. May 5th, 2008, at 4:19 PM.

TO ALL:

As I was writing a response at 3:41pm EST under a different section of RIMarkable - The VZW agent called me with my FedEx tracking number!! Tomorrow, before 10:30am I will have my CURVE!!! No RUMOR, my oder number is confirmed and tracking number confirmed. Just went on the FedEx site and confirmed!! I think there are a handful of us that simply got lucky as far as getting it ordered and shipped before the masses. Now is AT&T or T-Mobile that good with their customer service????

DL
#3. May 5th, 2008, at 4:29 PM.

While I haven’t received my FedEx tracking number yet, I can tell you that I was able to place my phone order this morning as well. The rep told me that the SKU (BB8330c) is listed as “in stock and available” as of this a.m.

My order went through at 11am EST, I received a confirmation number, and it should arrive Wednesday, or Thursday at the latest.

The best part? $100 credit for upgrading to an advanced device, $100 credit for “Every 2 year” upgrade (my contract had already expired), and another $50 mail-in rebate. Post-rebate, pre-tax total: $69.00.

Kells
#4. May 5th, 2008, at 4:47 PM.

I would like to order a Curve today if I could. How did you guys go about ordering yours early? I don’t see it on Verizon’s site yet.

Ben U
#5. May 5th, 2008, at 4:54 PM.

NYCamman: doesn’t matter how good or bad everyone else’s customer service is. AT&T folks don’t have to wait a YEAR for the latest blackberries.

While you just got the curve we can look forward to the 9000 or some other more advanced blackberry. I don’t regret moving from VZW 7 months ago.

NYCamman
#6. May 5th, 2008, at 4:55 PM.

Kelly:

Follow this link and read the last 20 or 30 posts it will give you a good idea on how to order it successfully.

Best of luck!

http://www.rimarkable.com/how-long-will-it-take-verizon-to-release-the-blackberry-curve

GBVZ
#7. May 5th, 2008, at 4:59 PM.

Yup… I ordered mine last Thursday! Got it Saturday! Here’s some links to pictures!

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm59/GBVZ/VZ%20BlackBerry%20Curve/DSC03676.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm59/GBVZ/VZ%20BlackBerry%20Curve/DSC03667.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm59/GBVZ/VZ%20BlackBerry%20Curve/DSC03664.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm59/GBVZ/VZ%20BlackBerry%20Curve/DSC03666.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm59/GBVZ/VZ%20BlackBerry%20Curve/DSC03670.jpg

NYCamman
#8. May 5th, 2008, at 5:02 PM.

Ben,

Good for you. I happen to like VZW Customer Service and thier NETWORK. I travel all over the country and AT&T can’t compare coverage wise. I have had both.

And just to bring you up to speed . . . VZW is opening their network by the end of this year, so guess what that means . . . . NO MORE WAITING on phones. VZW has taken the approach of getting out of the vendor business and concentrating on subscribers. I guess that’s why they were the first to announce a totally unlimited plan for $99 and then AT&T followed right behind them, then Sprint, and T-Mobile. I would prefer a GSM network, but ONLY if it was reliable. It’s very spotty here in the states, it’s not as reliable as it is in Europe. What the heck good is it to get a great phone if it’s not going to work?

Best wishes with AT&T, glad they work out well with you.

DL
#9. May 5th, 2008, at 5:07 PM.

Kells,

I got my information from here:
http://forums.crackberry.com/f71/apparently-verizon-curves-available-now-33007/

I called 800-922-0204, said I would like to upgrade my handset, and told them I already knew the SKU of the model I would like to get (BB8330c). The guy asked if that was the Curve, I said yes, and he laughed, “I should really have memorized that SKU by now…we’ve started getting a lot of calls…”

The guy couldn’t have been nicer about the entire transaction, and knew the answer to all of my plan and equipment questions. Start to finish, the call took about 7 minutes, and that was with my quesitons.

FYI: If you’re upgrading to a Blackberry/data plan for the first time, the $29.99 plan claims to have unlimited data. The truth (from my rep) is that there’s a monthly max of 5 gigabytes of data transfer, which for most people is virtually unlimited. It’s meant to prevent unauthorized streaming media like SlingMedia. If you surpass this 5GB “limit”, VZW reserves the right to slow down data transmission from city speeds of ~1.4 megabytes per second down to ~200 kilobytes per second. I’m sure the VZW haters will welcome this ammunition, but just wanted to give you all of the details since most people don’t check the small print.

Todd Sarett
#10. May 5th, 2008, at 5:25 PM.

How do I order the phone before the 9th? Been waiting months and need to ditch the treo and the Q.

Naor
#11. May 5th, 2008, at 8:32 PM.

Does anybody know what the news is on the Black VZW Curve? We saw that advertisement but didnt know if it was real / fake. If it is, I am definitely waiting.

jhp2
#12. May 5th, 2008, at 8:47 PM.

No love here. The VZW rep on the phone said that the phone ws not available to order. Guess i will wait..or go to Alltel.

Jay C.
#13. May 5th, 2008, at 9:09 PM.

I received mine today - ordered it last week over the phone. We have a business account, so that might be the reason why we were able to….???

Diz
#14. May 5th, 2008, at 11:07 PM.

I have ATT curve today (its a global phone). Very very poor service (no kidding - embarassed to talk with clients on my phone. eccos, noise, dropped calls.. And i live 50 miles north of NYC) Switchng back to Vz. Glad to see the Vz curve announced. Major question… Will the Vz 8330 be a Global phone? Its not in the specs. I travel extensively.

NY Camman.. You seem to have the answers.
Thank you

Nate
#15. May 5th, 2008, at 11:27 PM.

You would go to Alltel so you can get a phone 4 days earlier??

A.K.
#16. May 6th, 2008, at 3:21 AM.

Diz - Glad to hear you’re coming back to Verizon. In answer to your question, the BB8330 will NOT be a global phone. The only phone Verizon (and Sprint) carries which allows you to roam internationally is the BB8830 World Edition Phone. This has been confirmed by numerous sources, including VZW not advertising GSM capabilities, which they highly tout on their 8830 model.

Naor - As far as the information channels go, VZW will only have a silver Curve upon release, with Sprint getting a black model. There’s a good chance both companies will have different colors in the near future. For anyone who got to see the Curve on the VZW website Sunday, you might have noticed the EXTENSIVE collection of silicone, hard plastic, and fabric cases (in various colors) that were available as accessories. I can’t wait to see what my shiny silver Curve will look like in that matte-black, fitted hard case…

PRE-ORDERS! - Those of you wondering about how you can pre-order- you can’t anymore. While VZW did take orders this weekend, the Curve has been removed from the list of phones that VZW Telesales agents have- as I learned today, from a very helpful agent who said if I could get her the order/tracking # from someone who ordered this weekend she would match any deals/promotions. But, as of today she couldn’t even sell me a phone at full-price if I wanted because her system didn’t list the phone for sale, just like VZW retail stores haven’t been authorized to sell it yet. Anyways, if we’ve made it this far another day or two won’t kill anyone, patience is golden.

NYCamman is most likely asleep and dreaming about the new VZW Curve that’s about to arrive at his doorstep which I’m sure we’ll all be hearing about soon…

NYCamMan
#17. May 6th, 2008, at 8:31 AM.

DIZ: So glad I could help!

I also live about 50 miles of NYC (where about are you?) and can’t stand AT&T’s coverage up here (not to mention the NY Metro area).

Hope you haven’t been with AT&T for long, hopefully you’ll be able to leave and just re-open an account with VZW.

To echo what A.K. already answered it will NOT be a global phone. I must ad this though. I have a Blackberry 8830 World Phone. Just getting back from a job this past week in England and all the hassle it was to have Verizon make it “World Capable” via the sim card, was not worth the efforts or the money. The sim card you insert is what turns the CDMA functional phone into a GSM phone. Here’s the catch: SURE it works as a global phone. But to the tune of $1.26 PER MINUTE. No free texting (.20 for incoming and .35 for outgoing) and you have to purchase the sim card ($70) and a Tier One or Tier Two calling plan that allows data (E-mail) and calling. There is a Data (E-mail) only plan for about $70 ($69.99) but what’s the point of that. My solution to that was . . . when I got to England (Manchester to be exact) I went to a Curry’s (equivilent to our Circuit City) bought a GSM Phone (pay as you go) for about 30 pounds($60.00) Then I got an international SIM card that can be recharged with minutes at virtually ANY petrol (gas) station or ATM. The SIM card I got was from a company called TALK MOBILE. charged it up with about 750 minutes for another 30 pounds. The rate to call the US was 4p a minute (roughly .08 cents in US dollars) but the good part is since you bought the card and paid in pounds it only comes off the card at the 4p a minute rate. So, it turns out to be VERY inexpensive and you can keep the phone and if you so desire put in a US SIM card when you get home and the phone will work here as well. Just a suggestion of what I did to avoid a costly cell phone bill back here.

The other good thing about having a locally purchased phone while your overseas is that any clientele you deal with (over there) would rather call a “local” number . . . than to have to dial up the states to call you when you might be right across the street from them. Make sense? If you were to activate your VZW or AT&T phone . . . they have to call a US Number.

Also with land line and VOIP calling plans being so international now a lot of phone companies here in the US include European calling plans for a few extra dollors a month or in some cases it’s free. (Vonage - depending on what part of Europe you call). SO, if people back here needed to call you on your “Euro Cell” it wouldn’t cost them much either (if anything at all).

Now you may not have to go to these lengths if the company you work for foots your cell phone bill, but I’m a freelancer and even though I could write off my entire overseas bill, who wants to incur such charges? AT&T does have an international plan as well and will activate your roaming if you call them before leaving (as I was told by a co-worker I was there with who’s from the Philly area) but the prices aren’t much better. He said about $1.15 per minute plus a daily international access fee (whether you use your phone or not) which is $2.95 a day.

Hopes this helps you ease your mind about the CDMA Curve not being a global phone.

My CURVE should be at my doorstep sometime soon!!

AS A.K. said . . . I’ll let you all know when it arrives!

irishchick
#18. May 6th, 2008, at 8:52 AM.

Is it true that the VZN Curve won’t be Wi-Fi enabled? That is the only thing holding be back and going to T-Mobile for the Curve.

Marcus Aurelius
#19. May 6th, 2008, at 10:03 AM.

I got my Curve Saturday and it is all set up and working (except for MMS which is not being supported until the official release date apparently).

Love it. Well worth the wait.

Thanks to all the HoFo VZW experts who got us inside dope to order the phone early.

Thanks to you Robb for the info on this site that kept our hopes alive while waiting.

Marcus

NYCamMan
#20. May 6th, 2008, at 10:25 AM.

10:03 am — MY CURVE HAS ARRIVED!!

Going through contents and charging as I type this post.

Thanks to all who have replied to my posts, but also thanks to Rob & RIMarkable for starting such an informative site!

Stay tuned . . . . .

Dalton
#21. May 6th, 2008, at 10:41 AM.

Anybody have a price breakdown? I am not due for an upgrade for a long time, so what would people in my situation be paying. I don’t mind signing a new 2-year contract.

Tom Levine
#22. May 6th, 2008, at 11:04 AM.

I have my BB Curve in hand, recieved it via Fedex yesterday! Yipee! it is lighter than I anticipated.

RIck NC
#23. May 6th, 2008, at 12:12 PM.

I just ordered my Curve and I would like to say it has been fun coming back on this board all this time and reading the post.

Also I would like to say, I tried ordering it through the regular 1-800… customer service channels but I had no luck after calling 5 times yestreday. I only had luch after I called a Sales Rep in NY and I was able to order then. He told me since I worked with a corporation and on the corporate account I could order it but it would not be available to the “public” until Friday. But if I were you I would try to chance it and get some numbers of some Sales Rep.

One sales rep’s # I saw was on the howardforum:

Also you can

Gary
866-745-4679 x9460

Let me know if this work, if not I can give you the guy’s number I talk to in NY this morning, even though he is a sales rep for corporate accounts you can see if he will be able to do something for you.

I hope this helps

Ben U
#24. May 6th, 2008, at 12:22 PM.

Sorry, but vzw won’t be “open” as they claim. Secondly, RIM would have to actually release a non GSM phone for VZW to get it early. It has nothing to do with open versus closed.

I also could care less who was “first” to release an unlimited plan as I don’t even use the 450 minutes i have with at&t while I had to have a higher plan when I was with VZW.

Also, VZW customer for 8 years before switching. I know them quite well.

NYCamMan
#25. May 6th, 2008, at 1:04 PM.

Ben U:

Good for you! If your so happy then why be on this blog at all? Sounds like you’re quite content in your little corner of the universe. Point being . . . people have a choice and opinion of what network works best for them. If AT&T is best for you then SUPER! Have at it, . . . use some of those 450 minutes to spread the word about how phenomenal AT&T is and how you never have to wait for new phones. Do you think anyone is going to really care? Obviously this is a majority VZW/CDMA type of blog, so I don’t know what your point or purpose is to be searching for an argument.

And VZW will be open, and it has everything to do with a closed or OPEN network, as VZW WILL be able to support GSM phones in the very near future. I suggest you read a little about what’s coming down the road before you spout off.

Perhaps your headed for a career with AT&T’s public relations/ marketing department . . . sales should now SKYROCKET for them, bravo!

Glad your happy with AT&T . . . best wishes.

NYCamMan is still lame.
#26. May 6th, 2008, at 1:59 PM.

The name says it all.

Jodi
#27. May 6th, 2008, at 2:48 PM.

I ordered 2 Curves this am.

I asked the woman, she gave me all the yada yada about it not being avail. yet and I told her in a joking voice, “you’re lying!! The woman in the next cubicle just got a fedex with one” She laughed, and said, “Ok if you are willing to be my guinea pig, bare with me let’s see if these codes work” Voila….26 min. later I upgraded my husband and myself.

I had each phone overnighted for an additional 14.00. Should have it by 10:30am tomorrow! I am so excited!

matt
#28. May 6th, 2008, at 3:37 PM.

i just called verizon and was about to give them the skew number, but they wouldnt even look it up.. said it wasnt avaliable until the 9th and she wouldnt sell me one until then.. or she could loose her job… bummer, verizon isnt so nice to me i guess…..

Victor
#29. May 6th, 2008, at 4:43 PM.

hmm… the Curve is appearing on the VerizonWireless website right now, May 6 at 1:45pm Pacific.

Jack
#30. May 6th, 2008, at 4:44 PM.

Robb,

It is available now to order off of Verizons website.

Go get them!

BB_Smurf
#31. May 6th, 2008, at 7:21 PM.

Good News! I just ordered my BB Curve from Verizon’s website 30 minutes ago. The receipt says that it will ship when the item becomes available but when I checked the status of the order (10 mins. later) it was due to arrive in 2-3 business days. So at the very least, you can pre-order your Curve.

The full price was 319.99, but I got -$100 for a 2-yr plan and another -$50 for my 2-yr upgrade. If you are an existing Verizon customer it is better to log into your account and buy through the “upgrade my phone” link. So my total came out to $206.39 after taxes. There is also a $50 mail-in rebate, but I can’t process it until the unit arrives.

As for monthly fees, I am using the 450 anytime mins for $39.99/month with the $29.99/month add-on for blackberry e-mail & unlimited web access. The rep said that unless you were using it for corporate e-mail and network that was the best plan.

JHP2
#32. May 6th, 2008, at 9:55 PM.

BB Curve appeared tonight on VZW.com. I was able to order and got the advanced device credit, new every two, online discount and the mail in rebate, which I can take advantage of later. Total tonight, $119.99. Once I process mail in rebate, $69.99. That was a key factor in my decision to chose VZW.

bluehorseshoe
#33. May 7th, 2008, at 12:11 AM.

I saw the same earlier. It’s up and running. Happy Curve shopping to all.

PS - I guess this means they beat Sprint to market.

JMart
#34. May 7th, 2008, at 1:43 AM.

Add me to the list… I spoke to a very pleasant VZW rep earlier in the evening through *611 and figured out which plan made the most sense as I was scheduled for an upgrade and could take advantage of the new every two and of course the mail in rebate. Order went through as I then went back onto the Net and ordered it (great deal online), then got a text within twenty seconds thanking me for my upgrade and telling me to enjoy the Curve. It could not have been easier. The rep did mention that some stores may have special offers but that the Internet deal with the rebate on top of the new every two was very difficult to pass up. I agreed. I know some people rip Verizon and I’ll admit sometimes the charges seem a little excessive compared to others, but I have always had service when I needed it, I always deal with intelligent customer service people, and I feel that I have a service I can trust… and NOW, finally, a phone I have pined after for a long time. I could care less that it came out a while back… for me, it’s brand new and it will be my first Blackberry, and I’m pretty excited about it!

NV
#35. May 7th, 2008, at 2:54 AM.

Of course they beat Sprint to the market! Hahaha.

Anyway, the time is finally here and I’m so excited for the curve. I was going to order my curve early along with all the other lucky customers but decided to wait it out until this weekend. The problem is, that I’m not eligible for any upgrades. The best i could do is get the ADC and MIR, and off of the full retail price that’s still a high price to pay.

Luckily, my boyfriend is planning on switching to Verizon this week so he’s going to sign up for a 2 yr. agreement with the curve and then just swap phones with me and we will change our plans accordingly. So I will have my curve by this Saturday at the latest. It’s hard waiting knowing that it’s finally here and some people have theirs, but it will all be worth it when I get my hands on that little sucker.

Best of luck to you all with the new toy!

Thank you Robb for all your blogs which helped to keep us informed and give us something to talk and/or argue about over the last few months.

It really has been a pleasure.

Victor
#36. May 7th, 2008, at 4:37 AM.

yes, it’s really available now. After posting my own comment here, i went back to vzw.com and ordered the curve. By the time i got home (several hours later), i received an email from internetorders@hq.verizonwireless.com with a FedEx tracking number that I, of course, looked up on FedEx.com… and… it confirms that the pkg will be here tomorrow, May 7, by 3pm Pacific. sweet!

this just makes me wonder why VZ hadn’t made the Curve’s immediate availability on their web store more widely known. and why would they even mention the May 9th date at all?

Ben U
#37. May 7th, 2008, at 9:29 AM.

GSM/3G will not work with CDMA/Edge. Period.

LTE is years away and if this was such a CDMA board then why bother writing about any blackberry phones on the horizon. You won’t be seeing them for a year.

mnphoneman
#38. May 7th, 2008, at 10:34 AM.

I ordered my phone on Monday night should be here thursday. I paid a whooping 54 bucks for it. NE2 -100, advance credit -100, MIR -50, 22% corp discount.

Bill
#39. May 8th, 2008, at 3:07 PM.

FedEx delivered mine today…full retail @ $439.99 but a huge upgrade from the 8703.

docfinder
#40. May 8th, 2008, at 8:14 PM.

Got my VZW curve tonight! Got it all set up..no problem…but then I looked and there isn’t an icon for VZNavigator?? There is something called “maps” but that is more like a mapquest, not a GPS function. Anyone know if this icon will mysteriously appear once the phone is officially launched tomorrow?

I called tech support and they are clueless as well. They could only say, “It should be there”

Ian
#41. May 9th, 2008, at 1:46 PM.

When does the “store” get the blackberry curve???
for verizon.

Is it today the May 9th

tommy smith
#42. May 11th, 2008, at 5:21 PM.

Will the curve be able to be set up on a VPN so that I can access my office / server based email account?

Does anyone have the answer on GPS capabilities?

NV
#43. May 11th, 2008, at 8:49 PM.

Docfinder… The VZ navigator, i was told, would not be functional until the actual release which would have been friday the 9th or possibly tomorrow (monday the 12th).

So I was able to order mine last thursday night. Turns out the first rep I spoke to had no idea what he was talking about when he said I wasn’t eligible for any upgrades of discounts. I ordered and the whole thing with taxes and shipping came to $189.65 plus the $50 MIR will make it $139.65. Once I sell my LG and accessories for $100…I’m paying a total of $40.

Good luck to everyone on their curves and be sure to come back and give your experiences and thoughts on the phone. I should have mine tomorrow and I’m really looking forward to it.

NYCamMan
#44. May 12th, 2008, at 9:51 AM.

IAN:

As far as “When does the store get the BB Curve”.

That must depend on area, I went into my VZW store (NY Area) on Saturday (5/10) to look for possible accessories and they had the phone out on display. I went and looked at the phone and the battery was dead on it so I imagine they must have had it out since Friday.

Should definately be in stores today though. Good luck!

Eric
#45. May 13th, 2008, at 11:27 AM.

As of May 13, the Blackberry Curve is NOT available at third party resellers such as our local franchise-owned Radio Shack. They say they are not getting any information about availability, and that this is a constant problem with Verizon, which hoards new releases for their online store or their company stores. Does anyone have any information on availability at resellers?

Duke
#46. May 15th, 2008, at 10:30 AM.

Just yesterday, I won a Sprint Blackberry Curve 8330 as part of a Sprint-sponsored event we competed in here in Charlotte. I have to email Sprint directly and have it shipped to me.

But I already have Verizon service on a Razor phone currently and like their coverage, but the Curve is a sleek phone for sure. Since the 8330 is available on both Sprint and Verizon, will I be able to take the box to the Verizon store and have them activate it on their network?