BlackBerry Forums Support Community

orbitz · 07-04-2007, 02:48 AM

I received my 8830 as well today. My unit seems to be built very well..noting squeaks or creaks at all.

The keyboard is very readable..I assume this is improved due to the white backlight. I also have a curve and an 8703e here and the keyboard on the 8830 is definitely my least favorite of the 3 but by no means a huge deal for me at least. The keys are really slippery which is my biggest complaint. I am adapting fairly quickly...but the keyboard and form factor of the curve are superior imo. I still like this unit over the 8703 though...I think

To my eye, the screen is the same as my 8703 and slightly better then the curve..which seems to be what others have found. The speaker on my unit is LOUD compared to the curve I have. I agree, a few of the ring tones are a little low but overall I am pretty surprised with the volume. The vibrator is VERY weak however. I am actually carrying the unit in the same Rim full flap case I used for my 8300 and I can barely feel it vibrate...and have missed more then a few emails already. It is so weak, I actually turned audible tones on for emails so as not to miss them. On the 8703 in the exact same case, I never missed a vibrate alert ever.

I have been watching the memory and I haven't noticed any problems..I am right at 11,285,434 and have been for most of the day.

GPS is cool! This is the first BB I have had where I played with it. I now see what all the enthusiasm is about...I don't do a ton of running around in unfamiliar places but I can see where this would be a huge plus for some people.

I am leaving for Saudi Arabia in a few days and will give the international data access a spin along with the curve I have. I will be in Ryadh, Jeddah, Dubai, Morrocco, Paris and a couple other places and will report back with the coverage. Will the GPS work overseas as well..anyone know?

joespys · 07-04-2007, 06:47 AM

Way to go Sprint - ok quick question. . .. I have AT&T horrible snail pace EDGE network.. .how is Sprint's Data speed, if its good i'm out of AT&T in a heartbeat! Also . . .. anyone port number to Sprint* I see no mention of doing that on their site!

lrdiaz · 07-04-2007, 08:09 AM

For those of you who ordered online and already received their units....
Did you get an email with a shipment tracking number?

Pentarus · 07-04-2007, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldspice

Right now, it's looking like 11558244 bytes free out 47841280. I had the memory leak issue on the Pearl that I had for a couple of weeks when I switched over to Cingular. I hope the 8830 doesn't suffer from the same issue because that was kind of annoying. I'll keep an eye on it the next few days.

So... It would appear that the Sprint 8830 has the same "limitation" as the 8830 on Verizon and Bell Mobility... I am still expecting to see the same amount of memory as the 8800 since both device are advertised at 64MB or memory.

I like to test all kinds of apps on my device... I still have 23410472 bytes free out of 63569920 Bytes on my Rogers 8800... All of this after syncing with my Corporate BES (Calendar, emails, etc) and loading all kinds of apps...
- Wayfinder 7
- Telenav 4.7
- BBMaps
- Google Maps
- Webmessenger Message Alert
- BBWeather
- Opera Mini Beta 4
- Viigo
- SmartViewer
- e-Mobile Stocks
- JiveTalk
- Google Talk
- Chronograph
- a few games from BPlay
- 3 Corporate apps including IM
- And a few more

And I have not removed any of the "default" apps preloaded with the OS...
Not sure what you have loaded on yours...

orbitz · 07-04-2007, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joespys

Way to go Sprint - ok quick question. . .. I have AT&T horrible snail pace EDGE network.. .how is Sprint's Data speed, if its good i'm out of AT&T in a heartbeat! Also . . .. anyone port number to Sprint* I see no mention of doing that on their site!

As I mentioned above, I have both an ATT Curve and the 8830 on Sprint. While I wouldn't say the difference in data speeds for browsing on the unit would make or break my decision there is no question the 8830 on Sprint is MUCH faster to the eye...and tethering is even more noticeable. I have used both to tether my laptop and EDGE is just way to slow once you are used to tethering on EVDO.

Edit: I am in Chicago by the way and there are a number of place that I get 3 or more bars on Sprint and get the "SOS" indicator on ATT...I am sure it is different in other locations but in the western suburbs Sprints coverage is better. In my house, I can't make a call on ATT for example. When I do have a signal, the call quality on the curve is very good.

orbitz · 07-04-2007, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lrdiaz

For those of you who ordered online and already received their units....
Did you get an email with a shipment tracking number?

I rodered mine from Paul at Preferredsourcing off of ebay. He did give me a tracking number within an hour of my ordering. For anyone interested, the price was $99 activated on new line on my account. I have ordered several phones from him and his service is excellent.

lrdiaz · 07-04-2007, 11:53 AM

orbitz,
what is the version number of the Desktop Manager that came with your 8830?
Did you have to remove the DM from AT&T?
Thanks

orbitz · 07-04-2007, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lrdiaz

orbitz,
what is the version number of the Desktop Manager that came with your 8830?
Did you have to remove the DM from AT&T?
Thanks

Hmm..not sure. I didn't even open the disk that came with it. It isn't with me here or I would check. I am using ver. 4.2.2.14 of DM which I had downloaded a bit ago from RIM and was using with my 8703e. I didn't do anything special..just plugged the 8830 into the usb cable and it was recognized immediately. I loaded up DataVault and played around with the Roxio media software a bit...transferred a few pic's over etc.

I have never had the Curve plugged into DM...I am on BES and sync wirelessly..and I haven't loaded up any software or meda onto it where I needed to connect to DM with it.

Gooddog · 07-04-2007, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldspice

A few observations (most have been observed on other variants of the 88xx):
1. The battery cover is very hard to remove (imagine that!)
2. No creaking sides, not yet at least
3. Speaker volume on some ringers is very low
4. Weak vibration
5. Keyboard is fine, not any better or worse than the 8703
6. Keyboard backlight is white, not blue like VZW's 8830 - very legible in low light conditions
7. Beautiful screen
8. Has a good heft to it (not sure if the two radio antennae make it heavier than the it's GSM-only brethren)
9. TeleNav 4.7 loads without any error, but I haven't tried it yet. This is the 8703 version. I may hold off until the proper version is released.

Well, so far, so good. I'm pretty happy so far.

I received mine yesterday. Coming from a 7130e I am finding the keys small and a bit difficult to press the right one. I am unable to get Telenav to load. I checked the Telenav fourms and the version that will support the Sprint 8830 should be out sometime this month. Blackberry maps works fine. I agree the vib is very soft.

ma077146 · 07-04-2007, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldspice

Just received mine! Will get a chance to set it up in the next couple of hours or so.

Does it come with a clip or holster?

bmw1986 · 07-04-2007, 09:48 PM

It comes with a holster. I don't know if I should get the Curve or the 8830 from Sprint? Any advice??

orbitz · 07-05-2007, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ma077146

Does it come with a clip or holster?

My 8830 did come with the RIM leather holster. It is pretty nice although my personal preference is something with just a little more protection since I do occasionally whack it on things when walking by. The curve came with no case..I bought the exact same case that came with the 8830 (just a little smaller but looks identical) because that was all they had in the store.

After about 36 hours now with both units...if I HAD to return one I would return the 8300 I think. The main reason is that where I am at, Sprint coverage is just much better and the faster internet is really noticeable for me (probably because I am in a weak coverage area for AT&T). If Sprint offered both the 8300 and 8830, and both had international ops covered, I would probably keep the 8300 in that case. The camera would be more useful to me then GPS because I am not in a situation where I need GPS too often. Plus, imo the keyboard is a little better and the unit is smaller overall to carry around. Again, I am glad I have both to compare...imo neither is vastly superior to the other. One other thing, I am finding that while I don't like the look and "feel" of the keyboard as much on the 8830, I actually think I am now just about as quick on it. The little ridges on the keys seem like they might actually make it easier to hit the key once in a while. For me, it just isn't quite as pleasant feel wise, but still very usable.

brittonx · 07-05-2007, 01:19 PM

What is the device software version for the Sprint 8830? Is it available for download?

orbitz · 07-05-2007, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brittonx

What is the device software version for the Sprint 8830? Is it available for download?

It is version 4.2.2.123. No idea if it is available for download.

brittonx · 07-05-2007, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orbitz

It is version 4.2.2.123. No idea if it is available for download.

Thanks for the info. Sounds like that is the same version as the Bell 8830 which is available for download.

redgoat · 07-05-2007, 04:59 PM

How about the display screen? How much smaller is it than say the Sprint 8703e? I've had my 8703e for less than 30 days and now that the 8830 is out I'm thinking of doing an exchange for the 8830. Orbitz Is it really the same size? I have a friend with the 8800(basically the same as the 8830) who says the screen is smaller than the 8703e.

orbitz · 07-05-2007, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redgoat

How about the display screen? How much smaller is it than say the Sprint 8703e? I've had my 8703e for less than 30 days and now that the 8830 is out I'm thinking of doing an exchange for the 8830. Orbitz Is it really the same size? I have a friend with the 8800(basically the same as the 8830) who says the screen is smaller than the 8703e.

Hmm..I am not sitting next to my 8703 but I think the 8830 screen might be just a bit narrower...not enough to matter imo. There is no competition for me...I would pick the 8830 over the 8703 (and I LOVED my 8703..excellent workhouse) no questions asked. The keyboard on the 8830 was a small irritation for me at first but I am pretty much used to it now and don't really mind it.

Edit: I just looked at my 8703 quick and it looks like the screen on the 8830 is maybe 1/8" narrower and the same height.

netwiz01 · 07-05-2007, 05:22 PM

I can't believe Sprint did not release the 8830 with Rev. A. The device is a waste of money now.

peterparker123 · 07-06-2007, 08:08 AM

How did you all of you get your BBs from Sprint. I ordered mine and they have are on backorder for a week. This really upsets me about Sprint. When I was with Nextel - if they stated a phone was available the phone would be at my doorstep the next day.

birddog · 07-06-2007, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by netwiz01

I can't believe Sprint did not release the 8830 with Rev. A. The device is a waste of money now.

Are both VZW's and Sprint's 8830 Rev. 0?

From what I read, Rev. A has considerably better upload speeds (I am okay with Rev. 0)

It also has marginally better download speeds (again I am okay with Rev. 0)

But it also has better latency -- how much better. This might make a difference!