Hi, I'm purchasing a Blackberry soon and i was thinking about either the 8800 or the Curve. I'd get the Curve since it's a newer model and slightly smaller/lighter but I am worried about some things i've read, like the fact that it has a slower/worse internet connection, less functions such as GPS, and a shorter battery life.

I mainly want it for email, internet access and maps. Battery life is definitely very important for me. Is the 8800 better for these?

Also I'm not quite sure about what the built-in GPS in the 8800 means. Do I need to pay a montly extra to use it? If so, I don't plan to. I'd love to walk around knowing exactly what my position is (if for instance i'm in a foreign city) but I'm not really going to drive with it since i already have GPS in the car.

I do however need to have maps. Can i access Google Maps from all BB models? Does that work well?

And lastly- can you access all websites with the BB navigation tools? I am especially interested in Myspace and Gmail's web interface (I currently have the Gmail mobile version program downloaded into my phone- does that work in the BB? I really like it) Access to Youtube would be a plus.

Any other thoughts/suggestions welcome! Thank you so much.


Violet

One isn't better than the other. They're both EDGE devices (same speed for data/internet). Pick the one that suits your needs better. For most people it boils down to the camera on the 8300 versus GPS on the 8800. I doubt that there's a meaningful difference in battery life between the two and I'm not sure that anyone has done any useful and proper side-by-side comparisons of battery life.

You might want to look around in the GPS forum. It doesn't cost anything to use the GPS receiver but all that does is determine your location using GPS satellites. Unless you can make use of latitude and longitude you'll need a GPS app to place your location on a map. Some GPS apps are free, some are not (like any other application).

Google Maps is available for all BB's AFAIK. It works well in my experience.

If you need to access specific web sites then be sure to try them out on the demo units at your carrier's store. Some sites render well, some don't and some require that you use IE emulation on the BB browser. Some sites render better on Opera Mini (though I personally can't stand using it).