Okay this is probably a stupid question, but I have a Blackberry 8700C that I was using with Cingular, will it work with the sprint service provider?

Thanks!

Nope. Cingular (and T-Mobile) is GSM and Sprint (and Verizon) is CDMA. Totally different technologies.

You can use an unlocked Cingular/ATT phone with T-Mobile and vice versa.

Sprint will not activate a non-Sprint phone on their network. Same with Verizon.

Thanks, that's what I was afraid of, I guess I will have to buy a new phone. Would I notice a performance diffrence between CDMA and GSM?

You can pick up the new 8830 or 8703. Both support EVDO broadband connectivity and laptop tethering is included at no additional cost. Sprint also supports GPS services on their devices.

The main difference is how they utilize the radio frequencies.

EVDO is faster than EDGE, but I doubt that you will notice any major differences, unless you tether. Email will show up the same and surfing on a handheld isn't that great, no matter what the device and speed.

You could always compare the specs of the 8700c (at&t) and 8703e (Sprint) at Blackberry.com. The frequency support for each device would have answered that question.

Only if you understand the differences and know what to look for.