Serious Review Needed -8800 First Impressions

[cairomerta]

Can anyone who has one please post a serious review and some overall pics for this new 8800. Thsi i am sure will help all the people who plan on getting it on wednesday make a good decision. This is one of the bad parts of getting it early... helping us all with our questions. Please post.

[greggebhardt]

I would like to hear more, too. BUT, unless the 8800 was exploding and people were loosing fingers, nothing would stop me from getting it on Monday or Tuesday.

[mortys11]

yes,

where is all the "love"

a few members got them and forgot about us already!

[acnst]

Check out these two (http://vowe.net/archives/008192.html) articles (http://vowe.net/archives/008200.html) from vowe dot net (http://vowe.net).

[jyamani]

My review on the 8800:-

Got mine yesterday morning. Gave Adam - GSMPS - a call as soon as I had the unit in hand to get it unlocked. Amazingly, he had the instructions and the code for me within 4 hours!

Put my TMO SIM inside. EDGE picked up right away. Transferred my BIS email service books from the PEARL to the new 8800 - worked like a charm.

The unit itself - Black with a blue tint on it, looks really nice. Its a bit heavier than the 8700G, and a bit wider, but for me that was good. The grip on the phone is a lot more stable.

Keyboard layout is a bit tight, but only takes a few minutes to get used to, and you're well on your way to typing at the same speeds as 8700G, if not faster. The keys have a little edge on them, which makes pressing each key easier.

The buttons, SEND, MENU, BACK, and END are very soft and easy to press, unlike PEARL. The trackball is the same size as PEARL, but the casing around the trackball kind of makes it seem a bit wide. Trackball is a lot more stable, and it feels firm, again, unlike PEARL.

So far, all the keys on the keyboard, and all the buttons on the phone are designed with perfection in mind.

The speaker phone on the 8800 is LOUD and CLEAR. No hiss or distortion. I read somewhere that the 8800's speakerphone is unlike the PEARL's or the 8700's. 8800 speakerphone has 2 vertical speakers built inside, rather than just 1.

The mic also works very well. I tested the mic with speakerphone from about 5 feet away, and the other person on line could hear me fine.

The screen is VERY sharp and crisp. The best screen so far on any of the BB's.

Unlocked on TMO works great. Service, BIS, Emails, GPS w/ BB Maps, BB Messenger, Google Talk, MMS, SMS, pretty much everything works well just the way it used to on my black TMO Pearl. The only thing that I don't like, and I know a fix of that is coming soon, is the Cingular theme. Its very annoying, and I hate it :)

Overall, I like the phone a lot. Even though its the same processor as the 8700, it seems to run a bit faster, and smoother. Keyboard is nice once you get used to typing on it.

The battery has been running fine since yesterday, and I've been using it full throttle. Its currently at 45%, which is AMAZING.

The only downside on the phone is that its kind of big. If you've used an 8700 and a Pearl in the past, you won't like this about the 8800 either. Its kind of bulky.

Hope this helps?

[cairomerta]

Hey,
Thank you very much for the review. One quick question. What exactly about the cingular theme that you dont like. Cant that be changed with the en theme or other pre loaded ones. Can you clear that up for me. Thnks.

[jyamani]

No problem

I'm just used to TMO themes and the ability to download different themes

The problem is that nothing is being supported right now on the 8800 from RIM, or Cingular, or Google (for google maps).

Even BlackBerry.com download section on the phone says "device not supported".

I am assuming that this is because the official release date if 21st, so that's when all the support will be put in place? I sure hope so.

[kasperapd]

Thanks for the review. Glad to hear it is working the way it is supposed to on T-Mobile. Makes me feel a little more at ease about getting one.

[nyc_dude]

Why buy a Cingular 8800C w/o WiFi and unlock it for T-Mobile when a T-Mobile version with WiFi and with/without a camera is coming soon....2-3 months?

Especially if you already have a BB Pearl?

Maybe a WiFi chip is hidden in the Cingular 8800 and can't be used yet.

You are indeed a BB 8800 Pimp

...but are unlikely to get laid based on your BB Bling, unless you have WiFi or 3G.

Cheers

BB 8100C

[happiicamper]

I got mine this morning... Two words... Love it!!! I have had every blackberry since and including the 7290... This one is awesome, finally a GPS... It has the same themes at the 8100... Telenav works great...the GPS has a very fast start time... I have berry411 on it and it also works fine... Newsclip, bbspell, weatherbug (awesome program), google maps 1.4.4, berry maps 1.0.70 all work also... and like previously stated google maps and berry maps are working with older versions...

it does seem faster... enterprise activation was easy... no problems... keyboard doesn't bother me... i kind of like it, especially after using the 8100...nice to be back to a full keyboard...

one other major note is the media player works ALOT better... i have a couple of one hour shows taken off my tivo and converted... on the 8100 the media player controls always lagged... drove me crazy... but on the 8800 absolutely no lag... when u hit pause it pauses.. you then hit play it immediately plays... same with using the scroll bar to forward the video...

If anyone has any questions don't hesitate to ask....

[jyamani]

nyc_dude, you have to understand that most people here are NUTS for BlackBerry's :) I, just like happiicamper, have had every blackberry out since the 7100 series.

Its like drugs. Except, a lot more expensive. And I have every intension to buy the TMO 8800 when it comes out with WiFi and maybe / maybe not camera.

I actually spoke to one of my very good friends, a developer at xda-developers.com and he pointed out that if there's a WiFi chip in this unit, he may be open it up and enable it. I just don't know if I want him to open up my 8800 and mess around with it just yet :) He's VERY GOOD at what he does though... so we'll see.

[Srwilliams]

Happiicamper:

Is the speakerphone really loud, because that is what I want. the 8700 speakerphone is plenty loud. I am hoping the 8800 is louder. What about the handset volume. Do you have to strain to hear the caller when not using the speakerphone.

I want to buy this phone, but everyone is reporting that the spacing of the keys is troublesome for typing.

Let me know something

Srwilliams

[bperkins]

Is there a reason they dropped the right side convenience key? This is almost a deal breaker for me since I use both of mine very frequently.

[kasperapd]

Why buy a Cingular 8800C w/o WiFi and unlock it for T-Mobile when a T-Mobile version with WiFi and with/without a camera is coming soon....2-3 months?

Especially if you already have a BB Pearl?

Maybe a WiFi chip is hidden in the Cingular 8800 and can't be used yet.

You are indeed a BB 8800 Pimp

...but are unlikely to get laid based on your BB Bling, unless you have WiFi or 3G.

Cheers

BB 8100C

Try to be a little more professional in your posts. You are too new here to start talking too much trash.

[Stinsonddog]

Try to be a little more professional in your posts. You are too new here to start talking too much trash.

I agree. Clean it up.

[justdonating]

Thanks for the review. Sure wish this was a 3G phone, but that still may not stop me from selling my Pearl and getting one. I just might wait.....who knows.

My review on the 8800:-

Got mine yesterday morning. Gave Adam - GSMPS - a call as soon as I had the unit in hand to get it unlocked. Amazingly, he had the instructions and the code for me within 4 hours!

Put my TMO SIM inside. EDGE picked up right away. Transferred my BIS email service books from the PEARL to the new 8800 - worked like a charm.

The unit itself - Black with a blue tint on it, looks really nice. Its a bit heavier than the 8700G, and a bit wider, but for me that was good. The grip on the phone is a lot more stable.

Keyboard layout is a bit tight, but only takes a few minutes to get used to, and you're well on your way to typing at the same speeds as 8700G, if not faster. The keys have a little edge on them, which makes pressing each key easier.

The buttons, SEND, MENU, BACK, and END are very soft and easy to press, unlike PEARL. The trackball is the same size as PEARL, but the casing around the trackball kind of makes it seem a bit wide. Trackball is a lot more stable, and it feels firm, again, unlike PEARL.

So far, all the keys on the keyboard, and all the buttons on the phone are designed with perfection in mind.

The speaker phone on the 8800 is LOUD and CLEAR. No hiss or distortion. I read somewhere that the 8800's speakerphone is unlike the PEARL's or the 8700's. 8800 speakerphone has 2 vertical speakers built inside, rather than just 1.

The mic also works very well. I tested the mic with speakerphone from about 5 feet away, and the other person on line could hear me fine.

The screen is VERY sharp and crisp. The best screen so far on any of the BB's.

Unlocked on TMO works great. Service, BIS, Emails, GPS w/ BB Maps, BB Messenger, Google Talk, MMS, SMS, pretty much everything works well just the way it used to on my black TMO Pearl. The only thing that I don't like, and I know a fix of that is coming soon, is the Cingular theme. Its very annoying, and I hate it :)

Overall, I like the phone a lot. Even though its the same processor as the 8700, it seems to run a bit faster, and smoother. Keyboard is nice once you get used to typing on it.

The battery has been running fine since yesterday, and I've been using it full throttle. Its currently at 45%, which is AMAZING.

The only downside on the phone is that its kind of big. If you've used an 8700 and a Pearl in the past, you won't like this about the 8800 either. Its kind of bulky.

Hope this helps?

[ntegrt]

I got mine this morning... Two words... Love it!!! I have had every blackberry since and including the 7290... This one is awesome, finally a GPS... It has the same themes at the 8100... Telenav works great...the GPS has a very fast start time... I have berry411 on it ...video...

If anyone has any questions don't hesitate to ask....

happiicamper, you said you loaded Telenav and it works great...
tell me about that, did you ota that? Is it not sluggish at all?

[Stinsonddog]

happiicamper, you said you loaded Telenav and it works great...
tell me about that, did you ota that? Is it not sluggish at all?

I supsect this version of Telenav is awesome.

See my review Stinsonddog's Blackberry GPS Tips (http://home.comcast.net/~tamsterra/OP/Blackberry_GPS.htm)

I think 5.0 which is supposed to be on the 8800 adds tracking your route and finding POIs along the way. It' always been great on my 8700. In 5.1 I think they will add traffic reports.

[kankanman]

nyc_dude, you have to understand that most people here are NUTS for BlackBerry's :) I, just like happiicamper, have had every blackberry out since the 7100 series.

Its like drugs. Except, a lot more expensive. And I have every intension to buy the TMO 8800 when it comes out with WiFi and maybe / maybe not camera.

I actually spoke to one of my very good friends, a developer at xda-developers.com and he pointed out that if there's a WiFi chip in this unit, he may be open it up and enable it. I just don't know if I want him to open up my 8800 and mess around with it just yet :) He's VERY GOOD at what he does though... so we'll see.

its like drugs? oh man. i dont think i can get hooked on BB's. a phone is a phone is a phone. im guessing the term "everything in moderation" doesnt apply here since you're gonna keep buying different versions of the same phone.

but on the up and up, very nice review for the 8800.

[happiicamper]

the speaker is a lot louder... especially using the alarm this morning... it's a lot more full sounding... Boy Genius also noticed that, i think, on some of his earlier findings at his site....

Telenav works very good... I have used it from the 8700 to the 8100 and now to the 8800... i used it on the 8100 on Saturday, before i got the 8800,to go to a farm up in north east Texas. I worked great, it knew were the small county roads were, I was impressed! it's really the next best thing to having a standalone GPS... I will have to say i can't wait to google maps with gps support works with the 8800... google maps it the best program, easy to use...but right now no gps support on the blackberry.

I used the ota download... it's version 4.7.0.18. (I'll have to see about finding the 5.0 version) Telenav uses navtec which i personally like the best.

the 8800 seems to be more responsive than the 8700 and for sure the 8100...
The gps starts up fast...

[happiicamper]

concerning the quick keys on the side....

yes i wish it had both also... newsclips on the left and berry411 on the right!!!

[Stinsonddog]

Re Telenav
I used the ota download... it's version 4.7.0.18. (I'll have to see about finding the 5.0 version) Telenav uses navtec which i personally like the best.

the 8800 seems to be more responsive than the 8700 and for sure the 8100...
The gps starts up fast...

You should have had 5.0 preinstalled- did you you device manager to switch devices. I am wondering about using device manager. I am not going to take any chances and going to compare what's on the 8800 and take if off my 8700 first.

[guinda35]

concerning the quick keys on the side....

yes i wish it had both also... newsclips on the left and berry411 on the right!!!
What does the 8800 have on the side given that it's buried the trackwheel (rats!) and removed the quick keys.

[happiicamper]

Re Telenav

You should have had 5.0 preinstalled- did you you device manager to switch devices. I am wondering about using device manager. I am not going to take any chances and going to compare what's on the 8800 and take if off my 8700 first.


I talked to Telenav and they said that right now 4.7.... is the latest for blackberry... they have a 5.0 version but that is for devices that have a more rebust processor...

The 8800 came with Telenav maps... I deleted it before i loaded Telenav navigation on... He said it is a scaled back software that times out in 15 days and you have to buy the full version, but again it is just maps and such...

[bollar]

Re Telenav

You should have had 5.0 preinstalled- did you you device manager to switch devices. I am wondering about using device manager. I am not going to take any chances and going to compare what's on the 8800 and take if off my 8700 first.

Interesting hypothesis. I used the device manager and I don't have Telenav. I have the other voice dialing and voice memo applications, though.

[Sophist]

There seems to be a good number of reviews/comments from those who came to the 8800 from the 8100. What I'd love to hear, and forgive me if this has been addressed somewhere else, is a comparison with respect to the keyboard between the 8800 and the 8700.

Ultimately, I'm wondering what the benefits of the 8800 are over the 8700 if one isn't interested in expanded memory, media-playing functionality, or GPS. Is it more pleasant to talk on? Is it easier to hold? Is it less conspicuous in a front pocket? Most important, of course, is whether it is (or can become) easier to type with, but perhaps it's too soon to tell.

[bollar]

There seems to be a good number of reviews/comments from those who came to the 8800 from the 8100. What I'd love to hear, and forgive me if this has been addressed somewhere else, is a comparison with respect to the keyboard between the 8800 and the 8700.

The 8800 is harder to type with than the 8700 (and the 7700). To me, there's less tactile information, which makes it harder to touch-type. I assume I can adapt to it, but there's definitely a learning curve -- my e-mails are currently riddled with misspellings.

[Srwilliams]

Sophist hit the critical questions I need answered as an 8700 owner. I do not need navigation and a radio. I really want to know how the phone functions in comparison to the 8700, which includes the keys. Bollar provides some good insight on this above. Thanks

[Sophist]

The 8800 is harder to type with than the 8700 (and the 7700). To me, there's less tactile information, which makes it harder to touch-type. I assume I can adapt to it, but there's definitely a learning curve -- my e-mails are currently riddled with misspellings.

Thanks for that info.

Of course, one can ultimately adapt to almost any input method, even Suretype, if you commit yourself to it. But would you want to? The question I submit to you, Bollar, is whether you think the marginal benefits of the 8800 outweigh its drawbacks. Given the issues you raised, would you keep the device over the 8700? Is it worth adapting to the keyboard for some other feature(s) you deem worthwhile? I realize this is a very subjective question, but I would appreciate your thoughts.

[jetspeedz]

The 8800 is harder to type with than the 8700 (and the 7700). To me, there's less tactile information, which makes it harder to touch-type. I assume I can adapt to it, but there's definitely a learning curve -- my e-mails are currently riddled with misspellings.


+1 , it is also heavier, and longer... i dont care for watching video or listenting to music on my bb so the medial player does me no good, i have an mp3 for that and 60 inch plasma hooked to my pc...

bottom line if you use your bb for emails i think you will find it difficult going from 72xx to 8700 and now this type of keypad...

if you've had a pearl i think you will love it as keypad spacing is virtually the same and im sure other with the 8700 will like it to.. for me its not going to work...

Try it out yourself, no opinion will matter until you try it...

[bollar]

+1 , it is also heavier, and longer...

It's slightly less than 0.1 oz heavier than the 8700c and it is longer, but also thinner. I actually like the dense feel.

[bollar]

Thanks for that info.

Of course, one can ultimately adapt to almost any input method, even Suretype, if you commit yourself to it. But would you want to? The question I submit to you, Bollar, is whether you think the marginal benefits of the 8800 outweigh its drawbacks. Given the issues you raised, would you keep the device over the 8700? Is it worth adapting to the keyboard for some other feature(s) you deem worthwhile? I realize this is a very subjective question, but I would appreciate your thoughts.

I'm very interested in the GPS, so that's why I have one. That and the MicroSD are the reasons I upgraded. The media player, browser upgrade, et al are no where near good enough to be reasons for me to upgrade.

The slight PIM upgrades and the improvement to the wonderful Dimension Zen theme are upgrade bonuses.

[TheBigNewt]

Someone posted (yesterday I think) that they could install/use Google Maps on their 8800. Do a search, I don't have time to find it right now. You enter something in the browser and it installs and works with GPS.

[veks]

is anyone using the ptt feature?

[gutter]

What....No sidekey? That is a dealbreaker.

[bollar]

What....No sidekey? That is a dealbreaker.

The 8800 has one convenience key on the left side, in a similar location as the 7700.

[underskybb]

I will post a serious review tonight. Right now I have some mixed feedback:
Good: Tying is not that worse than 8700c. Screen and EDGE are still nice. Battery life is great. Form factor is very pretty.
Bad: OS is slower. Short-cuts are gone. Track ball is a bit awkward.
Finger cross: Media card, GPS, AOL IM...
More later.

----------------------------
8700c, Feb 06-Feb 07: The best mobile phone ever made in the history of mankind.
8800, Feb 07-Present: Full review coming tonight.

[fkjr2]

My review on the 8800:-

Got mine yesterday morning. Gave Adam - GSMPS - a call as soon as I had the unit in hand to get it unlocked. Amazingly, he had the instructions and the code for me within 4 hours!

Put my TMO SIM inside. EDGE picked up right away. Transferred my BIS email service books from the PEARL to the new 8800 - worked like a charm.

The unit itself - Black with a blue tint on it, looks really nice. Its a bit heavier than the 8700G, and a bit wider, but for me that was good. The grip on the phone is a lot more stable.

Keyboard layout is a bit tight, but only takes a few minutes to get used to, and you're well on your way to typing at the same speeds as 8700G, if not faster. The keys have a little edge on them, which makes pressing each key easier.

The buttons, SEND, MENU, BACK, and END are very soft and easy to press, unlike PEARL. The trackball is the same size as PEARL, but the casing around the trackball kind of makes it seem a bit wide. Trackball is a lot more stable, and it feels firm, again, unlike PEARL.

So far, all the keys on the keyboard, and all the buttons on the phone are designed with perfection in mind.

The speaker phone on the 8800 is LOUD and CLEAR. No hiss or distortion. I read somewhere that the 8800's speakerphone is unlike the PEARL's or the 8700's. 8800 speakerphone has 2 vertical speakers built inside, rather than just 1.

The mic also works very well. I tested the mic with speakerphone from about 5 feet away, and the other person on line could hear me fine.

The screen is VERY sharp and crisp. The best screen so far on any of the BB's.

Unlocked on TMO works great. Service, BIS, Emails, GPS w/ BB Maps, BB Messenger, Google Talk, MMS, SMS, pretty much everything works well just the way it used to on my black TMO Pearl. The only thing that I don't like, and I know a fix of that is coming soon, is the Cingular theme. Its very annoying, and I hate it :)

Overall, I like the phone a lot. Even though its the same processor as the 8700, it seems to run a bit faster, and smoother. Keyboard is nice once you get used to typing on it.

The battery has been running fine since yesterday, and I've been using it full throttle. Its currently at 45%, which is AMAZING.

The only downside on the phone is that its kind of big. If you've used an 8700 and a Pearl in the past, you won't like this about the 8800 either. Its kind of bulky.

Hope this helps?

Bid how - big like Treo 680 big or big like Pearl x 2 big?

thanks

[BryanHarig]

I will post a serious review tonight. Right now I have some mixed feedback:
Good: Tying is not that worse than 8700c. Screen and EDGE are still nice. Battery life is great. Form factor is very pretty.
Bad: OS is slower. Short-cuts are gone. Track ball is a bit awkward.
Finger cross: Media card, GPS, AOL IM...
More later.

----------------------------
8700c, Feb 06-Feb 07: The best mobile phone ever made in the history of mankind.
8800, Feb 07-Present: Full review coming tonight.

By shortcuts are gone you mean you can no longer turn off dial from home screen and hit 'a' for addressbook, 'L' for calander etc? That would be a real bummer if true, I use those constantly.

[mortys11]

no

those still work....please confirm

[Stinsonddog]

By shortcuts are gone you mean you can no longer turn off dial from home screen and hit 'a' for addressbook, 'L' for calander etc? That would be a real bummer if true, I use those constantly.

Not true, just turn off dial from home screen. It's in the manual.