Sprint Announcement

[RukRem]

8830 for Sprint....
by far the coollest looking BB on hte market come JULY...

see link: Sprint (http://www.sprint.com/8830)

WHO AGREES?

[paulbblc]

Nice, looks just like the 8800. Minus the obvious branding.

[juwaack68]

SWEET. It is SO hard for me to wait until then.....

[TreyS]

GPS too...damn VZW!!

[escapethematrix]

Does anyone know if this phone will have qchat so I can talk to my old nextel buddies on walkietalkie? I didn't see it listed on the page as a feature but a review of the at&t 8800series in the current laptop magazine they discuss the qchat feature.

[peterparker123]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8703e/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/104)

This is so awesome. I was almost thinking of getting the iphone but with the release of the 8830 I'm sticking with RIM. Nice that it will be unlocked.

[takeshi]

How would a CDMA phone be locked?

GPS too...damn VZW!!
Is that really surprising considering the 8703e?

[greggebhardt]

8830 for Sprint....
by far the coollest looking BB on hte market come JULY...

see link: Sprint (http://www.sprint.com/8830)

WHO AGREES?

JULY?

All the other carriers will have had the 83xx series for a few months!

[digitalextremes]

nice

[ArgonNJ]

Does anyone know if this phone will have qchat so I can talk to my old nextel buddies on walkietalkie? I didn't see it listed on the page as a feature but a review of the at&t 8800series in the current laptop magazine they discuss the qchat feature.

That would be a no.

[escapethematrix]

Well, since there's no qchat, i'm passing. I'll wait for the next phone.

[Tdaz250]

8830 for Sprint....
by far the coollest looking BB on hte market come JULY...

see link: Sprint (http://www.sprint.com/8830)

WHO AGREES?

well yeah, it is the coolest, but its been on cingular for a few months, sprint is just getting it later....i dont get why sprint is getting it in july when verizon is getting it in may...whats the 2 month delay sprint?(i have verizon anyways)

[cliffr39]

How would a CDMA phone be locked?

they have subsidy locks also, and verizon also has their system setup to not allow ESN's from out of their network (or so I've read).

[trojanvision]

How would a CDMA phone be locked?


Is that really surprising considering the 8703e?

Please see link posted by the original poster. Unlocked here refers to the SIM. Here, you could travel anywhere (outside the US) and insert any SIM and it will work. I am assuming Verizon's unit may be locked to Vodaphone and its partners.

[mas90guru]

Specs say you can tether to the Sprint Broadband Network which I'm wondering if that means fast EVDO?

[juwaack68]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8800/4.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

How would a CDMA phone be locked?


Is that really surprising considering the 8703e?

Please see link posted by the original poster. Unlocked here refers to the SIM. Here, you could travel anywhere (outside the US) and insert any SIM and it will work. I am assuming Verizon's unit may be locked to Vodaphone and its partners.

So this Sprint Blackberry will have a SIM? The other 2 Sprint devices don't have sim cards, nor do they have slots for them.

[RukRem]

So, yeah the Sprint 88xx: ...unlike the Cingular version can be used on CDMA and GSM networks [WORLD PHONE}, unlike the Verizon and Cingular versions it is UNLOCKED, unlike the Verizon version looks COOL (black versus flaky- Star Bright - aluminum), oh and has a GPS that works... Yes Cingular has had it longer (Yippe), but Sprint Users end up with the : 1) Better Phone and 2) Better Network...

[RukRem]

...Just because other Sprint phones did not have a SIM card does not mean this one will not. What kind of arguement is that. YES, the SPRINT 88XX will have a SIM card. Honestly, is that a legitimate question/ statement...?

[juwaack68]

...Just because other Sprint phones did not have a SIM card does not mean this one will not. What kind of arguement is that. YES, the SPRINT 88XX will have a SIM card. Honestly, is that a legitimate question/ statement...?

nevermind

[trojanvision]

Yes, this phone will have a SIM card in addition to the CDMA/EVDO radio. The Samsung i830 (on Windows Mobile) had a SIM card and I think another Samsung non-smartphone had one too for CDMA. This allows for a GPRS radio for international roaming and travelling. Most CDMA phones do not have SIM cards, as you are correct, but some do for "business" and corporate markets.

[trojanvision]

Yes, this phone will have a SIM card in addition to the CDMA/EVDO radio. The Samsung i830 (on Windows Mobile) had a SIM card and I think another Samsung non-smartphone had one too for CDMA. This allows for a GPRS radio for international roaming and travelling. Most CDMA phones do not have SIM cards, as you are correct, but some do for "business" and corporate markets.

[juwaack68]

Yes, this phone will have a SIM card in addition to the CDMA/EVDO radio. The Samsung i830 (on Windows Mobile) had a SIM card and I think another Samsung non-smartphone had one too for CDMA. This allows for a GPRS radio for international roaming and travelling. Most CDMA phones do not have SIM cards, as you are correct, but some do for "business" and corporate markets.

Thank you so much for you kind, non-sarcastic, response. I sincerly appreciate it.

To add to this, I received the following article from my Sprint rep after inquiring about the SIM card and unlocking of the Sprint device:

Verizon, Sprint Offer `world' BlackBerry Apr 25, 2007 9:12 AM EST NEW YORK - Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp. are introducing a BlackBerry e-mail phone that's compatible with the cellular technology more common in other countries in addition to the standard used on their own U.S. networks.

One key difference between the Verizon and Sprint versions of the new BlackBerry 8830 is that Sprint's will be "unlocked," enabling customers who take the device abroad to buy wireless service in other countries through other carriers. Verizon's 8830 is locked so that it can only be used overseas through Verizon's roaming service.

The new phone is a variant of the 8800 line introduced in February by BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. through AT&T Inc.

The list price is $400, but Verizon will be offering it starting next month for as little as $200 for customers who sign up for both voice and data service with a two-year commitment. Sprint, which won't start selling its 8830 until July, didn't disclose pricing. A spokeswoman said it will be competitive with Verizon's device.

The BlackBerry is being rolled out by Verizon with an international data plan costing $20 per month for unlimited e-mail access in about 60 countries on top of the regular BlackBerry subscription fee of $45 to $50 a month. Occasional travelers can opt to pay as they go for their data usage. The device also can be used as a phone in more than 150 countries at a cost of $1.29 or $2.49 per minute, depending on the market.

RIM developed the dual-mode capability to suit Verizon's and Sprint's circumstances.

Both companies use what some experts consider a superior wireless technology known as CDMA. But the vast majority of the world's cellular networks run on a standard called GSM.

As a result, where GSM-based carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile USA can easily offer phones that work overseas, Verizon and Sprint haven't had many options for their customers who travel abroad.

Though a dual-mode phone is an obvious solution, the drawback is the cost of adding more complex components and the engineering challenge of jamming them into a handheld device without making it bulky.

RIM overcame the second hurdle, squeezing in the dual capabilities without increasing the 8800's size.

Verizon, meanwhile, appears to have addressed the cost problem by offering a steep discount - a point driven home by its decision to "lock" the device, preventing users from using it with a rival carrier's service abroad.

It's undisclosed how much RIM is charging Verizon for each device. But after the assorted discounts, Verizon's 8830 is being offered for $100 less than AT&T's GSM-only version. In fact, the 8830 from Verizon and Sprint is also equipped with a speedier technology for wireless Internet access than AT&T's version.

Verizon said it locked the new BlackBerry as part of its emphasis on ensuring network quality for customers, this time outside the United States.

But that policy disables one of the most popular attributes of GSM phones, all of which feature a slot for a removable, postage-stamp sized card that stores a user's account information.

The ability to remove that card, called a SIM, enables a user to buy multiple GSM phones and use whichever one suits the occasion.

More importantly in this case, GSM also enables a traveler to use a single phone, but buy wireless service from different providers in different countries. Then, by slipping the appropriate SIM into the phone in a given country, the user can cut back on the steep international roaming fees charged by carriers.

Vodafone Group PLC, which owns 45 percent of Verizon Wireless, will be providing much of the overseas roaming service for Verizon's 8830. So by locking the BlackBerry 8830 to only work with a Verizon SIM, those two companies will be sure to capture the revenue from any calls made with the device from another country.

[Micpip]

Sprint Launch Date Scheduled For 6/18/07

[scottwal]

Sprint Launch Date Scheduled For 6/18/07

What is your source? Any reason why it is a month earlier than the July date that they have been spreading?

I hope you are right, right now I have a 7105t on T-Mo, and today I went to a Sprint store to play with their 3G mobile broadband speeds. Man, those are so RIDICULOUSLY fast compared to slow (not even EDGE) GSM... wow. Since my area won't have EDGE even for probably another year, and it has full coverage of Sprint mobile broadband right now, I think I'm going to jump ship from T-Mo and get the 8830 on a SERO plan as soon as it is released. Any hidden drawbacks to Sprint that anyone wants to share?

Again, so amazed how fast their 3G network was in comparison... blew my mind.

[juwaack68]

Sprint Launch Date Scheduled For 6/18/07

Can you verify your source? My national account rep told me July. Would be nice if it came out sooner, though!

[bikedogrun]

What is your source? Any reason why it is a month earlier than the July date that they have been spreading? I hope you are right, right now I have a 7105t on T-Mo, and today I went to a Sprint store to play with their 3G mobile broadband speeds. Man, those are so RIDICULOUSLY fast compared to slow (not even EDGE) GSM... wow. Since my area won't have EDGE even for probably another year, and it has full coverage of Sprint mobile broadband right now, I think I'm going to jump ship from T-Mo and get the 8830 on a SERO plan as soon as it is released. Any hidden drawbacks to Sprint that anyone wants to share?

Again, so amazed how fast their 3G network was in comparison... blew my mind.It really is true! I made this same move a few months back (but by hedging my bets) ... my Pearl is still on TMO while I'm enjoying the awesome EVDO speeds with a Sanyo 8400. Most of my calling minutes are also on Sprint. Such clear, crisp calls on Sprint (for me) compared to TMO.

I really was hoping for a CDMA Pearl, may have to resign myself to an 8830 though (if I have to) as there is just no date horizon at all for a CDMA Pearl in the offing ... :cry:

/BD 8-)

[Micpip]

My Source is Sprint Corp. I work for a sprint dealer and we get 3 month launch plans. Not sure if the 6/18/07 is just for business customers or for everyone......Also 6/18/07 ic902 (Hybrid w/EVDO camera and mp3 player) will also launch...

PS AIM was to be on Sprint on 4/22/07 but they had to delay it not sure why but they have yet to release a new launch date....

PPC6800 on 5/14/07 and Treo 755p on 5/14/07

Again these are all target dates...they are subject to change as they say

[tintin_bb]

Any ideas on the exact launch date?