As my rep promised, two new BB 8830 devices, with SIM card and second battery (accessory order); arrived this morning. Coming from the XV6700, I am very pumped.

They were ordered as upgrades to corp lines that qualified for NE2, but price still came in a bit steep.

SRP 519.99
Ext 449.99
Disc -130.00
Paid 319.99

SIM Card Free
Batt 59.99 - 15.00

Image attached.

First impressions? I'm wating on FedEx, i guess priority before 10:30 am doesn'y really mean anything.

Thats Phat brooo...hook it up and let us know how you like it!!!! I may be getting the same phone, but on Sprint's side.

Well, I am coming from Windows (Dumb Phone) Mobile and have simply had it with that OS. I have toyed with BB for a few months and decided to make the switch once I saw that VZW was going to offer it. Love the size, style and responsiveness. Otherwise really can't tell you much until I set up the units later in the week. Sorry, but my set up will take some time as the OS is new to me.

Congrats Jeff, I placed my order as well yesterday and they said it was shipped so hopefully I will get mine today enjoy.

Size and feel is reminiscent of the Q; yet this has a more solid feel to it. I always felt Q was very "plasticky" and too light. Although I prefer the black or dark blue, the color is not an issue in person.

please please please try the GPS, I have been asking those tried the 8830 to test the GPS. Is it atrue GPS or one of the location based service. Try the Mapquest navigator or googlemaps will they work with the GPS on board?

I agree with Jeff's thoughts on the size and quality. This thing is solid and very well built. No-go on the GPS though. Blackberry Maps is on it, but the GPS Source option only gives "none", even after turning the GPS from E911 only to always on.

One more thought, I really like Verizon's theme on this one. Much better than the one on the 8703e.

Thats odd isn't it? how can they disable a function that is part of the device that communicates direclty with GPS satillites

It sucks, but it's not odd at all. This is very typical for them. Verizon is well known for crippling various features in many of the phones on their network (not just BlackBerry devices). The 8703e suffered this same fate. It has a GPS receiver in it, which is disabled by Verizon.

In most cases with Verizon, you can see a clear plan for revenue generation when they disable something. I haven't seen a reason for disabling the GPS though. Saw a rumor somewhere else that they would enable the GPS service for $9.99 a month starting next month, but it's still hearsay. Why else would they leave Blackberry Maps on it?

Because BlackBerry Maps is a great application, even without GPS.
(I prefer Goggle Maps, but to each his/her own.)

Does it have a seperate box for SMS and Emails?
I hated the way they were together on the 8703e and the Vodafone theme fixed it.

Erik

Yes! It has a setting for "Together", "Separate" and "Determined by Theme" for SMS and e-mail boxes. It's a welcomed change for sure!

OMG! Thank you. Now I can't wait for FedEx to show up.



Erik

ugh, just found out my order got processed today which means I prolly wont be hands on till thursday now! another day of agony!!

i wonder if we can swap shells with the 8800

We just recieved 10 this morning at our data center (including one for me!). Very nice so far. I've used an XV6700, Q, and almost every other phone on Verizon's network...actually switching from an 8703e to the 8830. Very responsive, but the scroll will take some getting used to. The keys are also very close together. Not a problem for me, but it might be for those with large hands?

Just got off the phone with my rep. Should have it by 3 tomorrow, hopefully it will be more stable than my Treo that needed to be rebooted every few days.

Just finished synching mine up with our BES. Nice, sleek phone.

Rolling out a few to my users over the next couple of weeks. Of course, mine was first!

Hey guys, just wondering about the holster... it's not really the leather pouch deal is it?

I received mine this morning as well. For comparison it was:
Retail: $519.99
Unit: $269.99
Disc -$100.00
------------------
Total: $169.99

I have a theme question....Is it possible to move the icons I use most often from the menu to the main screen? I'd like to have things like my calender, address book, etc more easily available. I don't care what theme I use but would like to customize the main screen for what I use most.

Thanks!

Yes its a leather pouch with a leather flap and a magnet. I haven't decided how I feel about it yet. Its almost identical to my leather ipod case.