Hello to the group,

I am new to BB,'s and after looking at the phones out there, I think that BB 8800 will be a great fit for me. As I surf'd looking for everything BB, I came accross this forum. I must say appears to be a great place to gain knowledge on this new gadget.

I am hoping my few questions will be an easy one's to answer;

When I spoke to a local sales person, he told me that any phone that was ;
1.) unlocked
2.) GSM
3.) QuadBand would work on their network.

Would work on their network, and that the MFG or type of phone really did not matter

I then called back again, and confrimed this with another local sales person. So I am thinking to myself; cool I will get a BB. And I just bought one..

Of course this now fly's in the face of what the national tech support person just told me, this evening after my purchase.

So my questions are;

Does anyone know if a BB 8800 will work on Centennial Wireless's network?

Assuming question 1 is yes; I know that I will need to get data service through Centennial, but will I also need data service from BB?

I think the phone comes with the 4.2.??? O/S, and I have been reading that a newer version is availble, 4.5.??? ; does it matter what O/S version I run on the phone to be compatatble with Centennial?

In reading up on the phone, it appears that O/S 4.2.??? has a SD memory limit of 4ig, while 4.5.??? will have 16gig. Is this correct?

As long as I have data service, can I access my company email account, on a POP3 server?

Will the GPS work off of this providers network?

Thanks for any feed back. If anyone has any other suggestions, I would appreciate your comments.

1. If Centennial Wireless is GSM based, then an unlocked, quad-band 8800 will work. An 8830 will not. I do not know anything about that carrier. Note, you should really go with a carrier that has the cell coverage when and where you need it, where you live, work, travel and play. If Centennial has that coverage, then OK. If not you need to find one that does before you pick the device or the plans. For email and Internet, you will need a BB data plan. An ordinary data plan will not allow you to access your email and will only provide a limited Internet capability if any at all. I assume that the personal plan (BIS) is what you will need.

2. The 8800 ships with OS 4.2 which is adequate and works well IMHO. OS 4.5 is out there as well and instructions for downloading and installing are included in a sticky. However, if you aren't familiar with the BB and aren't sure of how to do the upgrade, then stick with what you have and get to know the device before you try to fix what isn't broken.

3. BlackBerry Device Software Media Card Size Limit - From the FAQ
BlackBerry Device Software 4.2.0 -- Up to 2 GB
BlackBerry Device Software 4.2.1 -- Up to 4 GB
BlackBerry Device Software 4.2.2 -- Up to 4 GB
BlackBerry Device Software 4.3.0 -- Up to 8 GB
BlackBerry Device Software 4.5.0 -- Up to 8 GB
BlackBerry Device Software 4.5.0.81 and above -- Up to 16 GB
BlackBerry Device Software 4.6.0 -- Up to 32 GB

4. As long as your company allows POP/IMAP access, then you should be able to get your work email using the BB Personal Internet Service (BIS).

5. GPS is free, however you will need a BB data plan to access most map applications such as BBMaps and Google Maps. Check the GPS section for more info and a rundown of Map applications.

Read the FAQ on here and use the search function. Most of your questions could be answered that way!

Also to be noted GPS is only on a 8820 and 8830(CDMA) not the 8800. You can use google maps to get cell tower triangulation, but its not very accurate.

My 8800 has GPS. Just no WiFi or camera.

Thanks to all of you for the quick responce, I appreciate the feed back.

Centennial has by far the best coverage in this area, as over the years I've used about everyone else. Centennial is the type of network you have described, so I think it will work.

When I get the phone in my possesion, I will sign up for the BB data plan. It is good to know i only need to have one plan for data!

I only considered updating to the O/S 4.5 to gain more memory capacity. Although I'm sure updating the phone would be no problem, I think you are wise to point out that I should get familiar with the device first. Truthfully, this is my 1st smartphone, and I do not yet understand if I really need 8 gig of memory, again seat time with the device will show me the way.

Blackberry notes GPS for the unit, but does tie it to BlackBerry Maps.

I really never use my camera, so that will not be an issue for me personally, but I know to many this is a negative.

Thanks again

The 8800 has GPS.

I'm hoping it does. While its not a huge issue, it would be nice to not pack my Garmin with me when I travel.

Thanks

Are you located in Michigan?

Don't get your hopes up. IMHO, the GPS/mapping on a PDA/BB/Smartphone leaves a lot to be desired. I'd continue to pack the Garmin.

Close, nothern Indiana (Elkhart)

In most cases the Gamin will be the best choice. I travel alot to Southern California for work, and know the area pretty well. There are times when just a little help placing an address would be enough.