I heard this week through my Verizon rep that a CDMA 7100 is in the works. Has anyone else heard this? Just curious if he is feeding me a line to push more Verizon units.

In my area im sure it would be a huge success as GSM/GPRS coverage isn't the best. (Cingular/ATT/SunCom)

Haven't heard a thing. Sorry.

Wasn't that the cCharm someone mentioned? I don't recall

...wait, maybe I said that :p

The problem with CDMA/CDMA2000 stuff is that it's all licenses from Qualcomm, and in order to run it, you have to use the processor and radio chips that Qualcomm specifies. This is why the CDMA blackberries suck. It's too much engineering for optimal power utilization for a global market of 12%. GSM/GPRS is 77% of the global cell phone market, which is why GSM/GPWS carriers get all the newest goodies first.

cd.

It's the iCharm that you're referring too.

word on the street is that there's a model called the 7130e coming..

sounds like a clie model.. haha.. i dunno why there's an 'e' attached, but i'm looking forward to it!

What street is this? That e would be EDGE I would guess, not CDMA... I'm glad I don't use CDMA providers, they may never get a 7100 model lol. (jk, im sure its coming)

the 'e' could stand for EV-DO... EDGE isn't the only thing out there... it's a street far from where you live, but i think is reliable enough.. this source wasn't wrong about the 7250 a couple of months before release as well..

this is true, there is a CDMA Charm coming, it starts production this august, how soon will it be for sale i really dont kno. somebody also mentioned the iCharm which is the model replacing 7520 for nextel, in a 7100 shape with an antena like a 7520.cdmaCharm will be Black and IdenCharm will be silver.

Edge is an extension of GPRS, so I highly doubt CDMA providers would be using it.

cd.

What I want to know is, how do you know where I live?

Guess might know the general region where I live based on my IP as I come to think of it.

CDMA might suck but when it's all you got you learn to deal with it. Try using a GSM/GPWS phone in Cheyenne WY or Rapid City SD or just about anywhere in the midwest for that matter. We've had alot of frustrated contractors visit us who found out their TMobile and Sprint phones were non-operational when they stepped off the plane. I for one am hoping for a speedy release of the CDMA version of the 7100?.

MLemay:
Just to note... Sprint is CDMA :D

Your right though, coverage is ivery mportant.

Mlemay

Funny...I used my Tmobile 7100 in Cheyenne, WY all last week, including the push email, RSS via FreeNews and web browsing. I had a stronger signal there than I do in Phoenix.

We drove up from Phoenix to Cheyenne....no signal across part of the reservation near Holbrook, or between Gallup and ALB. However, most of the time GSM signals were present.

Had GPRS in ALB to about 20 miles out, in Santa Fe, then GSM only from Santa Fe up through Colorado Springs, where GPRS came back (actually, somewhat South of there).

I then had GPRS all the way up into Cheyenne.

Now, I used to get a better phone signal nearly the entire way on my Verizon phone, but the Tmobile service did what I needed it to do during my entire trip.

Congratulation. You have just experienced, in first hand, that GSM coverage does not equal GPRS coverage. However, with Verizon, when you get digital signal, you get both voice and data.

Verizon does not let you roam data. You only get data if you are in Verizon coverage area.

That is true. I have also realized that Verizon signal seems to be everywhere. Places I have been to that there are no GSM/GPRS around, I still get Verizon. For example, I have driven along I5 from Los Angeles to San Francisco many times. I have talked on my Verizon phone for 20 to 30 minutes in the central valley without getting dropped. No way you can do that with TMO or Cingular. In my opinion, there is overall more Verizon digital signal around than TMO and Cingular GPRS combined in this country. Just my experience, don't even ask me to prove it.

in this country is the key part of the phrase. No one argues that Verizon has an excellent North American network. But that does nothing for anyone going to another continent... Even Verizon (and Nextel) agree; Verizon know is selling dual modem phones (CDMA here; GSM/GPRS outside of North America) but that doesn't help with a BB.

The Blackberry rep just left my store... The BB is called 7130e... the screen is really nice... its going to have broadband and EVDO. She said it will be out this fall. ITs so nice. she wouldnt let us take any pics of it. i would get it but i hated typing on my old 7100...

No need to prove it....I use Verzion (95% of the time) myself so I can echo your comments. For me they are far superior than Cingular in the areas I live/travel.

The only downside to using a Blackberry with them is the the no data roaming and as NJBlackberry pointed out no international coverage. I travel to the Caymans twice a year, and I use a Cingular Blackberry down there.

For Verizon???

I'm looking for this type of BB on their network. I can agree with your comments about typing on the condensed keyboard but I do like the phone form factor of the 7100s.

Yes for verizon

No, not for Verizon....it will be a CDMA device for Sprint. It will have EV-DO capabilities and will be available middle to end of 1st quarter.