We'll after picking up the 8830 for my Verizon line last night, I've finally got all my ducks in a row and got it up and running. Verizon's Blackberry server was down most of last night, but everything seems to be coming through fine now. Ok, my impressions out of the box is that I like it, fells real solid (SO FAR) no squeaks or creaks as a la 8800! Like the silver, of course a little bigger and heavier them my 8300, but never the less feels solid! Under the hood is where it's at with this Device! Got everything up and running pretty easy, loaded my contacts, set up my business email, browser bookmarks, etc, (all my stuff). No OS lag what so ever, and the trackball is precise and real responsive, I happen to love the fact that you can change the brightness just by clickin on the button on the top right hand corner, I miss this on my Curve, works great if your outside in the sun! Call quality is superb, I heard some complaints about echos, and people hearing a lot of background noise over the line. Nothing here at all,
It's loud and clear as a bell with none of the above problems. The Device is an animal when it comes to speed and using EVDO, faster then my 8703, and as most of you already know, faster then the 8800 and beloved Curve. EVDO just beats EDGE! However the difference is not earth shattering, maybe 5 to 8 seconds faster when loading a page! Anyway it's fast and smooth. Ok the bad news, the backlighting on the keyboard is one of the worst I've ever used. The layout and size does not really bother me, as I used an 8800 for a few months.
But the blue backlighting is just no good to the eye. They should have just went with white, it's really tough to see in the dark or while typing in a darker area! No GPS does not bother me, I don't use the feature anyway!
Overall, I like this device and the only downside I see so far are those blue keyboard keys, otherwise the thing is right on! I'm going to keep it for my second line for now, and will update my feelings on it after some use over the weekend! But so far so good!

SEAN76>>>> THE BLUE KEYPAD BACK LIGHT AND THE SILVER KEYPAD WAS THE DEAL BREAKER FOR ME. I RETURNED IT, AND AM BACK USING MY 8703e. I GUESS I WILL JUST WAIT FOR SOMETHING ELSE.

IT WAS JUST SO HARD TO SEE IT, AND I FOUND MYSELF TILTING IT ALL THE TIME TO TRANSFER LIGHT AT AN ANGLE TO READ IT.

MATT

I'm using my 8830 as my primary phone line today (usually Curve) and I'll tell ya, It's tough for the eyes to get used to! But I'm going to give it some time, it's just such a Power House device.
Absolutely nothing wrong with going back to the 8703, was one of my favorites.

i am done with the 8830 ... i wont be surprised if 1/2 of the units sold dont get returned (due to poor keypad light) .... returning mine today. going back to my 8703e and will wait for a better one.

sean76 . . . great review. Thanks for taking the time.

Its great that you've had the chance to use all 3 devices (8800, 8300, and 8830). How would you rank these 3 devices in the following areaas?

- Keyboard
- Phone Sound Quality
- Internet Browsing
- Total Feature Set

Thanks!

All great Devices in there own way!

8800
Keyboard- Takes some getting used to, but fine once you get the hang of it!
Phone quality- Not bad, little low at times, but very clear other wise.
Internet- For EDGE it's pretty fast, but it's not lightning quick! Fine for me though.
Features- GPS, some use it, some don't!
Overall a Work Horse, and a great device for mostly work, and some play!

8830
Keyboard- Same layout as the 8800, however the blue back lighting can take it's toll on the eyes. I know the layout, so it's not a deal breaker for me.
Phone quality- Sounds great to me, very clear and loud!
Internet- Quick, EVDO at it's best! About 8 seconds quicker then the 8800 running on edge.
Features- Well VZW crippled the GPS, so no go on that! But it's labeled as a World Phone! Is one of the few VZW phones that will work out of the US on a GSM network (Vodafone)

8300
Keyboard- One of the best I've used on a BlackBerry, very easy to type on.
Phone quality- Great, very loud, nice and clear!
Internet- Just about the same as the 8800, the 8800 is maybe a teny tiny bit faster, not earth shattering though
Features- 2 megapixel camera, best form factor out of any PDA that I've ever owned.

This is all my point of view, always try for yourself! What may work for me, may not work for you! Hope this helps.

Sean76: thanks for the comments...as someone else mentioned, you are in a unique position to evaluate the different units.

Here's a quick question for you: if you had to choose just one device, which would it be?

I realize that your answer will not be what is right for everyone but it would be interesting nevertheless.

i honestly don't understand the complaints about the blue key lights...if you're using it for business and using it often, you learn where the keys are and dont have to look down that much...

Whew (deep breath)!!! If I had to choose one right now, I'd go with the Curve! Only because of the size of the device, and how comfortable it is to use! And as good as Verizon's service is, I just get more calls in more places with at&t! Otherwise, I really like both devices!