[The MVPlaya]

I will be purchasing a BB soon, and as I have good knowledge on the 8310, I just have a few questions about the 8820 as I know they essentially run on the same OS.

I know the 8820 does not have a camera, but can it receive picture messaging? Or even video?

Are both phones shipping with the same OS? If not can the 8820 be upgraded to the newest OS?

I like the 8820 because I really would have no use for the camera on the 8310. And with WiFi that is an obvious great addition.

Does anyone have any stories of choosing between the 8310 and the 8820 and going for the 8820?

Basically, what ARE the advantages of the 8820 over the 8310 besides WiFi?

[greggebhardt]

I consider the 8820 to have a much better build quality. The keyboard is much better to me, the battery has more power and the speaker phone is the best. The GPS works great though I do not use it.

[wiscaudi]

I agree with greggebhardt. I've had my 8820 approximately a month and it's great. My last 3-4 phones had cameras, so I knew my usage rate (or lack thereof) of that feature and haven't missed it. Some people have voiced their opinions about the keyboard being too small, but I really think that depends on the user's physical features. I guess I wouldn't consider myself to have big thumbs, so the keyboard is perfect. I'm amazed at how fast I can type on it, especially since this is my first BB.

The Wifi and GPS are great. I use both extensively. Getting ready to make the decision on whether or not I want to pay the monthly for Telenav, it really is a great program. Comparable to other portable GPS systems on the market.

Hopefully someone will chime in who was also considering the 8310.

[dbltap]

I bought my 8820 2 days before my company issued me a 8300. The 8300 now sits on a shelf and I have run the 8820 exclusively. I have the latest software running on it. I've been very happy with the 8820 with the exception of one issue. I have yet to be able to get LEAP security to work over the WiFi connection. I'm hoping that 4.3 will fix this. Regular WEP security seems to work fine over WiFi.

As was mentioned, the keyboards are slightly different. I like the 8820 keyboard. But then too.. I moved from a BlackJack. So I don't see any issues with the 8820 keyboard. I didn't use the 8300 keyboard long enough to develop a preference to it. So I can't say if it is good or bad. I really think this is a personal preference issue.

[sjohns2]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8820/4.2.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

I had an 8300 and traded it for the 8820 as soon as they came out in Sept. I've gotta say that I'm very happy withmy decision. My wife has the 8310 and really loves it, but it really seems as though the build quality is a little better on my 8820 than her 8310. Other than the wifi and lack of camera on the 8820, there really isn't that much of a difference. The other features are the same. I will say that if you're a pocket phone carrier then the 8310 is a little smaller and lighter in weight and is more comfortable in your pocket. Again, the build quality seems better in the 8820, but you also pay $100 more.

[birdiebo]

I have been using the Sprint version (8830) for four months. Tried the 8320 and ditched it after a week. To me, the build quality of the 88XX is clearly superior. Also, the applications load and switch noticeably faster on the 8830. I don't know how well the 8820 does wi-fi, but it was highly problematical for me on the 8320. The keyboard on the 88XX is a little trickier than on the 83XX, but being slightly careful, and using spell check, takes care of that problem. It appears to me they may have tried to cut a few corners in designing and making the 83XX series.

[The MVPlaya]

Yeah, I was using both phones and it does seem like the 8820 has a faster response time to everything...

[kdog1176]

I switched from the 8300 (first ever BB) to the 8820 a couple of months ago. I love the Wifi and GPS. The build quality on the 8820 is far superior to the 8300 IMHO. I definitely don't miss the dust in the screen of my 8300.

[NJBlackBerry]

I switched from the 8800 to the 8320, both on T-Mobile. I like the keyboard layout much bettwe on the 8320, and don't miss the GPS at all. The camera is fine, and the WiFi is superb.