PC World has just come out with it’s list of the 100 Best Products of 2007 and somehow the BlackBerry 8800 was rated #5 just after the Nintendo Wii at #3 and Verizon’s FiOS at #4.
I must say that I am scratching my head on this one. I don’t think that the BlackBerry 8800 is the 5th best BlackBerry out right now let alone the 5th best product. I do admit, however, that I have very large hands which makes using the BlackBerry 8800 keyboard very difficult. When I tested the 8800 I found myself wishing that it had a stylus. My impressions of the BlackBerry 8800 pretty much went down hill from there.
The Intel Core 2 Duo at #2 and Google Apps Premier Edition at #1 round out the top 5. You can see the entire list here.
I understand that you are a Verizon user, I am also a Verizon customer, but switched to Cingular/AT&T because of the 8800 and to some extent the possibility of the iPhone. If you have any hope to get a new blackberry device in an acceptable time frame, (an you seem to be a lover) then you must switch, because CDMA carriers wil always be last. Keep in mind that when the 8830 ships for Sprint and Verizon, it will have far dimenished battery life then its GSM counterpart, simply because there is a something about the way that these phones radios talk to CDMA networks that uses more power. I was also a Motorola Q user until I found out very quickly that making intiate EV-DO to check email accounts (not talk) gave me about a four hour battery life, no BS. I have personaly found the 8800 to be a wonderful device, and frankly would rather you use the word “opinion” more often when talking about it. It has awsome battery life, GPS works really well (i.e. intergration of Telenav winth address book etc.), its small, sleek compact and my only complaint would be the compressed keyboard as I too have large hands, however if I have to take wide versus ciompressed I will take compressed all day long. The curves on the keys take some getting used to but once you do, its a dream. A camera would be nice, but picking between the GPS i.e BB Curve is not even questionable, I know GPS for me would be used far more. So get off Verizon already and get yourself a Curve, or an 8800 and see the benefits yourself of have a phone that works anywhere, that will always get much better battery life, and in the case of AT&T it lets you talk to 62 million other subscribers for free. The choice is yours.
Although I disagree with some of them, good points Jay. I did, however, stick this post into the opinion category and said “I think” when giving my opinion.
Battery life on the Q has much more to do with the Q than with CDMA networks.
By the way, I have tested every BlackBerry available in North America since the BlackBerry 7100T on T-Mobile and it is my opinion, the BlackBerry 8800 keyboard is not just the worst, but, by far the worst of the lot of them.
As far as the GPS goes, I find it a bit slow and choppy when on the highway and outside of large metropolitan areas.
If AT&T gave me the the network and the speed that I get with Verizon, I would switch in a heartbeat, but, they just don’t fit the bill. If I travel abroad, I have a track phone that I use and just check email on my laptop. When in the U.S. however, I need to know that my BlackBerry will work everywhere I go and that is why I stick with Verizon.
It amazes me how Verizon has been able to brain-wash so many people into thinking that their network is so much better and faster and charges them more for it on top of all that. I use T-Mobile and generally get the latest Blackberries first if not soon after they come out and my service costs half what it did when I was on Verizon.
Pick a city with a subway and see if your T-Mobile phone works while your on it.
My city doesn’t have a subway so why would I care if it worked in one? Verizon is best known for the crippling of key phone components like bluetooth and gps. No reason to go with them ever.
i held a verizon world phone dummy in my hand today and it felt good except for the keyboard. I must confess at first glance it sucks at first feel too. maybe i could get used to it i dont know. the rep i talked to told me that verizon would not be getting the curve or the pearl and he called the pearl a piece of crap… is it? I rember having sprint and the old cellular one and not being able to talk when i was in an elevator or a steal roof whare house I don’t have that problem with verizon thats why people stay with verizon cause they know that it works when others wont. for those of you that live in a city without a subway and stay in one place then more power to you if i were you there is no way i would have verizon and put up with waiting a year or so for new tech but for those of us that get around a little we need to know that our service is going to work (for the most part nobodys perfect) having said that I WANT ME A CURVE. BUT i just may have to settle for the world phone for now. darn
it is true> the blackberry pearl is garbage. i probably shouldnt be saying this since i do tech support for the new at&t. This made me a bit worried when i concidered purchasing a blackberry 8800, but ill tell anyone i know that it should be in 5th place. this is one of the most user friendly devices you will ever purchase. not only that but errors are so easy to fix…remove the battery, wait 5 secs. and thats it!!! dont just take it from me. i hear this every single day form different customers telling me how much they trust this device. and dont even try to compare it to the samsung blackjack….but that another horror story…
I just got my BB 8830 from Verizon last week and I love it. I upgraded from a Treo 650 which I had for well over two of years. I loved my Treo and it was more or less stable until recently when I dropped it and my refurb replacement started crashing all the time.
First off let me say that I can’t understand why people don’t like the BB 8830 keyboard. The Treo keyboard rocks and after a short time I find I like the 8830 keyboard better. Several of my coworkers have the Curve and that keyboard feels little cramped after using the 8830.
Second, I’m becoming a BB convert. I didn’t think I could ever leave the Treo but most of my friends who have them gave up long before I did – too many problems with stability. My 8830 just works. The email is great, the web renders pages much better than my 650 ever did and the call quality is great. Sure I miss my Treo’s touch screen and customizable interface but if I don’t have to restore my phone from my SD card a few times a week then I’m happy. My complaint so far is that the ringer and vibrations are too soft. Otherwise the device is great.
As for Verizon, I am bummed that they diabled the GPS but in Los Angeles their network seems better. What other carrier works well in the Silver Lake hills? I wish AT&T had coverage in the places I need it but such is life sometimes.
BB 8830 -great device.