hey all-

i just did the case swap a few days ago, and ive noticed that some of the keyboard buttons dont feel quite right...

they all work, but the buttons on the top left, like "qwer" and the "green phone" button are really squishy and dont really *click*.

is there anything i can do about this? any adjustments to be made?

thanks!

just did mine with the black shell and keyboard.....LOOKS AMAZING!!! I think this is a must do project for you others that are contemplating the swap. I ordered it on sunday night and got it today. pretty fast delivery from Hong Kong to Florida ;)

Mine feel better then the OEM pad. Could it be installed wrong?

Just go with Att cheaper plans and you get the black 8820 without and modifications.

i guess it _could_ be installed wrong, but it works...
im kind of looking for suggestions on what to look for (troubleshoot)...
for instance, "check the little plastic clip under the 'z' key", or something like that.

I checked my "QWER" keys and I agree with you, they work fine, but they don't have the crisp clicky feel that I have with the other keys. It seems to affect the "QW" keys on mine, as well as the "P" on the top right corner. It's subtle and I don't know if I would have noticed if you hadn't mentioned it, but it's there. The keys don't feel squishy on mine, but they don't have a good click.

The only thing I noticed that might help is that the clickiness was better when I hit the key a little higher on the button. Otherwise, they work as they are supposed to and like I said, I hadn't noticed it until I read your post.

I don't want to go through switching back to the silver keyboard to check, but I wonder if the silver had the same thing and I just didn't notice it.

Other than those few keys, I find the new black keyboard to have a better feel than the silver keyboard. FWIW, I don't think the black keyboard is installed incorrectly.

just got my keyboard! cant find a torx that small, what size? i see in the past posts-4-5-6? going to the store soon?!

For the Verizon 8830 WE, I used the T4 and it seemed to be the perfect fit.

thanks for the fast reply!

i used a t5 it worked fine. what a big improvement! it was very easy to do,i recommend it.

Not a bad idea, if AT&T didn't absolutely suck monkey balls.

The reason why every person in this thread is on Verizon Wireless is because AT&T sucks so bad. In my humble opinion, there is no better cellular service out there than Verizon.

Like all cellular carriers, they're not perfect--but their coverage, call clarity, and reliability sure as hell are.

Or because this thread is called "Black shell for the Verizon 8830."

Touché; point taken... I admit that I might have just a little personal bias against AT&T...

Not a cheap upgrade, but you get great, OEM quality parts with the 2 needed tools included, making for a very easy install. Just follow the online videos, don't overtighten the screws when reinstalling and you can't go wrong. You'll be done in 10-15 mins tops. I checked original screw tightness when I was disassembling, and they had been tightened just a touch past the point where you feel resistance--no more than that.

Looks even better than I expected because the black has somewhat of a matte finish to it which will show fingerprints much less than a gloss black. FINALLY I'm done with the frustration of that unreadable silver keyboard with the blue backlight! Plus, I'd say the new keyboard has an even better feel than the silver one. Tested all keys after reading post #246 above, and they all have a nice crisp "clicky" feel to them.

My only regret is that I didn't do this long ago.

Those of you with a black shell from CNN - check this out!!

I just replaced my VZW 8830WE with a black shell from cnn.cn - it looks superb! But, one day, I was cleaning off the screen and saw something that made me laugh out loud. Give the bottom of your phone (just under the keyboard) a good breath of hot air and tilt it just right....you'll see something quite interesting...a new logo. at&t will be written on the bottom panel of the phone, although, it's only viewable in the right light and a breath of hot air.

Regardless of this - my 'new' black VZW 8830WE phone looks awesome with it's new skin! Hope your experience is a similar one...

Tried it twice, didn't see anything. Blowing hot moist air into my electronic device is probably not good...

Did u remember to peel the clear back film on the screen b4 the install ? if not that lil flap at the corner WILL mess up ur keyboard, it happend to me.

DAMN it's so much nicer in BLACK

Hey Gang!

I just got an 8330 Curve the other day, so I don't need my black 8830 anymore!

If you want it, come and bid on it here!

If I'm violating some term of service or have offended anyone by offering a product up for sale in the forums, PM me and I'll take it down. I promise.

I did the black case swap and I love it as well!

Not to mention, instead of a big ugly $20 case, I now know I can easily swap pieces out if they become too scratched. Worth it just so I can keep my phone looking new in a year

This is also handy for those who buy a used/ebay phone. You can save by getting a scratched up (but working) phone rather than the $500 "NEW IN BOX NEVER TOUCHED" type, then ordering a $50 shell

So how would you compare the Curve to the 8830? How is it better/worse?

Well, the curve is definitely smaller--yet the display is still the same size. I like that. I also like the keyboard on the Curve better, too--far more tactile and "crunchy".

But what I really missed on my phone was a camera. That's the main reason I got the Curve--because of the camera. The camera on the Curve is fantastic.

ordered mine last sunday, left honk kong saturday, hopefully will be here by the end of the week, can't wait!

Mine took about 6 working days to get to my house.

PIUSG - auction is a little misleading - "In fact, this is one of the very small handful of black Verizon Wireless 8830s ever made and the only one you'll find on eBay." Didn't know Verizon ever made ANY in black...

quick question. do the smoke chrome rails come with all the black cases? i've seen them on some, just didn't know if people weren't using them or if you had to order them separate. i ordered the full black shell + black keyboard.

For all of you who purchased black housings from CNN.cn:

Does your battery cover have the "Qualcomm/3G/CDMA" logo on the bottom?

Nope, mine says something in French about radiation when making calls lol.

I came across a 8830 for cheap on craigslist with a scratch on the screen, if I order a new black case from cnn, a new screen is part of the kit, right?

8830 is better for tethering...it is faster.

Yes it does.

If you order the housing kit it comes with the side rails, case, battery door and tools (torx and rail remover). When you put the new rails on make sure slide the rail on the top of the case first then snap the bottom part of the rails on. You can watch a disassembly video on youtube also.

Yes, or you can buy the front cover. Unless you have really good instructions on disassembly, I would recommend buying the whole kit becase the old rails will probably get damaged during removal.

PICS OR BAN!

thanks for the info, but was wondering about the "smoke chrome rails" emphasis on "smoke" i've seen those and the regular chrome and heard mention of "extra sets of smoke chrome rails" i guess they are a little darker than the shiny chrome

man, ordered on the 8th just processed in NY today at 1pm! guess mine came by ship! looks like it'll be next week

hmmm, I had the verizon silver 8830 and replaced with the black case and smoke chrome rails and didn't notice any difference between the side rails. maybe they just seem darker next to the black housing vs the silver housing?

id have to agree...
i swapped the silver parts of my 8830 to black and re-used the original rails.
i really dont think theres a difference between the originals and the ones included in the replacement set.

The pics in the original post appear to be what comes on the Sprint 8830's. Those pics in the first post are exactly what my 8830 looks like right now, with no modifications. So I'm assuming yours had silver plastic or something (Verizon)? Mine has looked just like those photos from day one from Sprint. And yes, it's a nice sleek look. Very classy.

Not correct - the pics in the original post are of the Verizon 8830 with the black housing mod. Note that there is no carrier logo and there is no World Edition phrase on the lens. Verizon's 8830 comes in silver. Sprint's is black.

That's what I'm saying...my Sprint 8830 came like that from the factory - no mods. Although it does say world edition and Sprint on it, but that's no big deal.

Aah, I wasn't implying that Verizon ever made any in black! But we sure did--and from that perspective, a handful of black 8830s have been "made." A Verizon 8830 is a rare thing indeed!

It's all about the spin, man.