I finally got my black replacement shell from CellularNationalNetwork for my Verizon BlackBerry 8830.

Oh man, is it ever nice! It came with all the tools needed for the swap and installed in about twenty minutes. It was worth picking up just for the backlighting on the keyboard alone! That blue-on-silver goofiness was just impossible to see under certain (read: most) conditions.



I now have the perfect latest-last-cellphone-I-will-ever-own. Hee!

I wrote Verizon's Customer Service department and suggested that the black case should at least be an option for the 8830. I mean, seriously, the black case is so much nicer!

Just my US$0.02.

I agree 100%. I replaced just the keyboard, because I am cheap, but I think it looks relatively nice.

Black does look better ... Fortunately mine is tucked away in a Sena case, so the only silver I see is the keyboard (I should replace it) ...

Can you please send a pic, I have been thinking about this but was not sure.

Interested to see the black keyboard and silver body.

Thanks

That looks great. What pieces do you need to do this? I guessed the $43 full housing, and the $4 keyboard? Anything else?

Looks sweet but I would be to afraid to crack open my new 8830 a $300.00 mistake/paper weight if done wrong.

Not my pic, but this is where I got the inclination.

http://www.blackberryforums.com/gene...lack-keys.html

No "cracking" is necessary. Even if you had no fingers you could still do it. It's dirt simple! You run zero risk of damaging anything inside your Berry--as long as you're a little careful. You may end up having to do it anyway, because unless you keep your Berry in some kind of case, you're going to have to replace the side rails at some point--they're notoriously scratchable.

Seriously, six screws and the shell comes off. Simple! Plus, the housing kit also comes with a complete set of tools: two Torx wrenches and a prybar for the side rails. It really is a complete kit.

My only suggestion for doing the swap: wear latex gloves to avoid getting fingerprints on the inside of the LCD cover and on the LCD itself, and have a can of compressed air standing by.

I had a buddy of mine worry about voiding the warranty and his Verizon-based insurance plan:

1) If you ever need your 8830 replaced, they will not do it in the stores--they mail you a new one and you mail back the old one. You'll have plenty of time to switch the shell back before you send it back to them.

2) If your 8830 is lost or stolen, how will the insurance company know if it's in a different shell!?

You guessed correctly. I bought:

1609 BlackBerry 8800/8830 OEM black full Housing
1826 BlackBerry 8800/8830 OEM black keyboard

The housing kit comes with a couple of extra things: a mid-plate, and an extra set of side rails. You needn't change the midplate--keep it for later, just in case. And an extra set of side rails always comes in handy, since they scratch so easily.

The housing kit also comes with a complete set of tools: two Torx wrenches and a prybar for the side rails. It really is a complete kit.

piusg,
can you post a pic of how yours turned out, the 2 product you bought should make it all black...i am definately doing this if i keep the 8830 and dont get a pearl....did you get the "black chrome" side rails?

to my gf's VZW 8830, once I order them.

Im about to order one of these. Has anyone tried this with a full body skin from bestskinsever.com? I was thinking about putting the skin on the empty case before swapping it out with the silver case.

Thanks for the info! I'm going to do this too.

Hi, I ordered mine too from CNN, hope it arrives soon. do you know how much time does it take? well i ordered it on 10/07/07 and they told me i could track it on USPS after a week or so? Can you please tell me when did you recieve yours after buying it and where you able to track the package on USPS?
Thanks, Can't Wait to Swap to Black Case!!!
NRP

The parts ship from China, so it takes a week or so.

Just placed my order. Thanks for posting this information. I was a little worried about clicking on the confirm order link when the site told me it was in Hong Kong dollars. But did it anyway. I hate the siver housing on the 8830.

I did, and I love the end result. The siderails are a little hard to position but are great once they're in place. I may have to order the black shell in a couple months as I like the look a lot more than the silver.

I have a skin on already. I want to know if I should try to put one on the case before changing it or should i wait until after.

satisfied with the quality of the parts received from cnn.cn?

Just look at the pic at the top of the thread, or click here. It looks just like that.

The side rails are the same on both the silver and black cases; they're sort of a smoky chrome. Very chic.