I bought my Curve from TM about a month ago and was also looking at the 8800. The Curve had just come out and TM didn't have the 8800 for sale at that time but was wondering what the differences were...besides the Curve camera and 8800 GPS capabilities of course. As I said, the Curve seems newer but I get the impression (and it could be just me) from things I read that the 8800 is a better device. Is that the case?

I believe it really depends on personal preferences. I too was thinking about an 88xx device (the 8800 or 8820) and decided on the 8320 Curve. I feel the keyboard on the Curve is better suited for me. Also, the WiFi is a nice touch and the camera I actually use more than I thought I would. So, for me, the Curve meets my needs better.

And if I ever need GPS functionality I can purchase a Bluetooth GPS receiver and use that.

The 8820 has a better keyboard, more memory, better build quality, larger battery, GPS, and a better speakerphone.

I tried them both and the 8310 sits in the drawer without a SIM card!

The 8800 has all of the above except GPS.

Yah, it really depends on your preferences. 8800 is probably more geared towards the professional and 8300 towards the non-professional.

its personal preference...I had both and ended up going back to the 8800. I liked the keyboard better, and its more sturdy to my hands. it also just worked. things that happened in the brief time I had the curve just didn't happen when I was using the 8800. I think they both work well for business users since they both have the basic blackberry functions, I just think the 8800 is a more high end model.

the 8320 had some great points-I really loved the spell checker, and I liked that it was the newest and hottest bb, but at the end of the day the camera didn't take good pics (imo) and the wifi dialing didn't work for me (after hours with tech support) and wasn't faster on the internet than edge. those points aside, my 8800 had gps and that pushed it over the top for me.

Thanks guys. Don't get me wrong, I love my Curve. I was just curious as to why even though the Curve is newer, the 8800 still seems to be touted (again to me) as a better device. Yet, it's interesting because I don't remember seeing the 8800 advertised as much as I had/have with the Curve which I've seen advertised all over the place.

8800 is played to the business space which will pay more. I just switched though from an 8800 to an 8310 and I gotta say I love the keyboard and size, not to mention the RED.

The Curve is a great device. It is just pointed more at the consumer market. That is why you see more advertising for the Curve. As a stock holder in RIM, I have seen my shares go from $36 to well over a $100+ with their consumer market sales.

The 88xx series is very popular in the Corp markets and these sales are done thru Corp channels for thousands at a time.

It is hard to say one device is better than another. You need to look at the features of both and decide. Not too long ago there were no choices. Each carrier had a single Blackberry device and there were no choices. Now not only can you choose from several models but even choose which color!

Ahhh, that makes sense now. I didn't realize that RIM actually geared their promos for 8800 to the business sector...so probably the reason why when I called TM back a few months ago, that they no longer carried the 8800...because it's not a big consumer item and they probably weren't selling all that many.

Regardless of which phone is designed for (or marketed to) which market, it's still a decision to make. ;)

Between my wife and I - we have both. She has the curve and I have the 8800.

They are both great and you can't go wrong. Depending on how you use your device and what is important to you, you may prefer one over the other.

Some observations from my camp:
- We never use the WiFi on her curve.
- She uses the camera a bit - usually to send me a pic of something she wants to buy, or to snap a quick pic of one of the kids doing something cute.
- The size of the curve is definitely more appealing. My 8800 still seems "big" even though it's more slimline than the 8700.
- I *love* the built-in GPS in my 8800 - I travel for work and tested out the Telenav voice-guided turn-by-turn directions this past week and love it!!
- I do think my speakerphone is a bit better, but haven't done extensive testing.

For her, she likes the compact Curve and it's the better choice. For me, I like the GPS and wouldn't use a camera and don't mind the bigger size, so it's the better choice for me.

BTW - we bought matching Seidio Hybrid Cases and LOVE them. :D

I agree, the 8800 having GPS is very cool and one of the reasons I was looking at it in the first place. I personally don't mind the slightly bigger size. I liked the size of the 8700 and though the Curve is only slightly thinner, I did notice the difference but am used to it now.

Hmmm..

I found this thread because I was wondering too..

Curve 8300 here (no wifi Curves here in the UK yet)

On one hand I am digging the size of the curve in my pocket but on the other anything that make the keyboard easier to see (long sighted, old age kicking in hehehe) would be a bonus.

I don't use headphones but I bet the standard Walkman headphone socket is a consumer feature of the Curve not on the 8820.

The battery life is starting to bug me (seems short, I bough a back up battery)

I like to call myself a good amateur photographer but the camera shutter on the Curve reacts so slowly, I find I am missing all the candid photo oportunities I would WANT to capture with a phone camera.. so thats a bummer, the flash imparts a fairly lurid / tacky light quality - so I have kind of abandoned thinging about taking pictures of the kids with it.. and to me that kinda spells "useless"

So far the Curve is a cute shiny lightweight introduction to the whole BB world for me.. I think I am hooked and want to jump in deep..

...An 8820 might be in my future sometime..