8800 purchase

[smokeyone]

Hello

I have almost decided to go out and purchase an unlocked 8800 but just before I do I thought I would check with the forum on whether the 8800 is my best bet. GPS & speakerphone is at the top of my wish list followed by
folder storage. E-mails, surfing & camera are way down the list.

Does the GPS work fine because I have read it can be rather slow to find a fix and once I have bought the maps I need I assume there are no further expenses. I would need european maps in particular, France, Germany, Poland..

Thanks very much

[joginder]

GPS will only work if you have the data plan otherwise it will show you any coordinates. GPS works fine on 8800 and 8820. Speakerphone is standard and they are not dual speakers like other phones. But overall this is the best available in the market if you are looking for full keyb, gps but no wifi

[smokeyone]

Is there away around the data plan, suppose I cannot just purchase a third party software mapping like I use on my laptop....

Update, after doing a little more research, can I just purchase wayfinder
https://shop.wayfinder.com/productgroup_show.php?productid=44&catid=11

Would the mapping system just work like a Tom Tom then with no data plan...

[003402]

you will see many threads from folks trying to get around the data plan. You will find that is likely a futile effort. In my mind, a BB without a data plan is pretty useless. I would suggest getting one with unlimited data if you are going to be using a mapping program. My understanding is that you can by the 3rd party apps, but still need a data plan because the data resides elsewhere, not on your handheld. Not a 100% sure on that, but i think its close.

[JGBerry]

i don't understand people who try to skip around the data plans. what's the point? first off...the blackberry is designed around EMAIL. if you don't buy the data plan...you can forget email. many carriers won't even give you the discounted price unless you are on a qualified voice+data plan anyways, so you'll end up shelling out hundreds of dollars for it (as opposed to $100 or $150). if $$$ is the concern, then go on ebay and buy a used one, then go and get a data plan. tmobile is the cheapest that i know, as to add "unlimited email only" data plan to a voice plan is only an extra $10/month. to add unlimited data for all data is an extra $20/month. you can't beat that price...............

[FF2]

Trekbuddy can use the gps without a data plan. BUT you have to create the maps in advance. They can be stored on a sd card. Check the gps forum.

[Sydeshow MO]

I am still using an 8800 although im feeling the curve since its newer. The 8800 has been great to me. GPS w/ TeleNav is probably the best application for GPS imo. All I need in a phone is consistant email and voice calls. I think the speakerphone actually is full duplex because it just work flawlessly.

Recently I have been having trouble dropping calls in a certain part of my home but I think that more T-Mobile than my 8800. Im on my 3rd 8800 now as I have broken off the mini USB port twice. I finally realized that its been my car charger. The universal (iGo) type is what I use outs alot of vertical stress on the mini usb port since the freaking thing is on the side.