[Willie115]

Well, since it has wifi, many people wouldn't be getting the data plan... well I'm sure a lot of people will still get it, but some people will no longer need it. How would e-mail for it work? Unless you need the BIS or BES plan for it, would it work as when you connect online it would recieve the emails then? Or would it not have it at all ? Or do I not know what the hell I'm talking about.

[NJBlackBerry]

The 8800 apparently does not have Wifi.
And I bet e-mail won't work AT ALL without a Data Plan.
It is a BlackBerry; they are not stupid.

[greggebhardt]

The 8800 does NOT have WiFi

You are not stupid but only guilty of listening to the rumors like everyone else.

Even if the 8800 DID have WiFi I would still have the BB BIS plan. Having mail puched to your device is a HUGE advantage.

Besides it is still 2007 and WiFi in my neck of the woods does not provide the coverage that Blackberry does.

[takeshi]

It would work like every other Blackberry out there. I'm guessing that RIM won't develop a POP or IMAP client that runs stand-alone on the device itself. It will be designed to be a push email device (don't forget that this is the heart of every Blackberry) that relies on the RIM infrastructure like every prior release.

I seriously doubt that WiFi will kill off that many subscriptions to the data plans. It definitely won't for the BES users as they're using BES-enabled features that can't simply be replaced by WiFi alone.

[mymitsu3kgt]

You guys keep saying it won't have WIFI, but that hasn't been confirmed for TMobile yet. I think TMobile will have a better chance of having WIFI than Cingular but you'll still need a data plan to get push email of course.

[BryanHarig]

I doubt mail will sync over wifi. Microsoft removed this feature from the most current version of windows mobile for security reasons. I imagine rim feels the same way.

[Perfect Storm]

RIM already did it successfully before with 7270

[Aroc]

Recalling the 7270 (IIRC) push email over wifi might be possible with aWiFi capable 8xxx device, but would likely require a BES server $$$$$ and a supported email platform $$$$$$$$$$, same as the 7270. It's good for companies that already have the email and BES services in house (or hosted).

I doubt RIM will simply give away BIS over WiFi access for free. BB worked because of the-man-in-the-middle. It needs to contact a BB server, either BIS or BES. This isn't a POP device. You need middleware.

[Beler]

have it has wifi

[johnfromphilly]

Originally Posted by Beler

have it has wifi

Are you saying you have it (8800) and it has Wifi?

If you are dumping some new info and trying to be cryptic what is the use of saying it at all?

[Beler]

exactly what i am saying, im holding it in my hands and it has 802.11 a/b/g
PM if u have questions

[BBAdmin]

I've seen some beta devices which did have Wi-Fi on board. It is not on the final release device......which I've been using for several days.

[greggebhardt]

Originally Posted by Beler

exactly what i am saying, im holding it in my hands and it has 802.11 a/b/g
PM if u have questions

Post an image

[BryanHarig]

Originally Posted by Beler

exactly what i am saying, im holding it in my hands and it has 802.11 a/b/g
PM if u have questions

Which carrier is this aimed at? I have heard the vodaphone version will have the wifi you described...

[Beler]

will post a pic as soon as i get home,i honestly dont know on wich carrier it/s aimed at, but i presume vodafone/T-com.

[akgrown]

Originally Posted by BBAdmin

I've seen some beta devices which did have Wi-Fi on board. It is not on the final release device......which I've been using for several days.

Just curious...is there any way you can tell (outside of prying it open) whether the lack of WiFi on your device is hardware related or just the firmware disabling the WiFi radio?

Also, any chance you could give us your first impressions now that you've had the 8800 for a few days?

[Beler]

I hope you dont mind if i drop in on this question ;)

I have been using the 8800 for 4-5 days now.
the first thing that impressed me was the battery duration,I had wifi turned on the whole time, two hours of phone usage/day and a load of messaging during that period, and the charge lasted untill now. There is no label on the battery but i preusme that it`s 1440 mAh. The screen is readable at any lighting conditions, including under the direct sunlight. I have 512 Mb micro SD card inside it and a few mp3`s loaded, the sound trough the headphones is ok, not perfect but satisfactory The keys are standard, but quite small for people with "heavy" fingers. I am amazed with the functionality of the trackball ( my first time to stumble upon this kind of solution on smartphones/pda-s).
Wifi range in a concrete building not that good but in opened spaces adequate. I strongly dislike the lack of ASCII WEP support ( i had to change to HEX on my home network) because it donesnt support ascii, supports 64 and 128 bit encryption. I had some problems regarding the BB wifi chip`s MAC addres so i had to turn off MAC filtering too.
I succesfully sinced it with a iMac and a PC via BT.
I changed my BIS plan so i had some browser and email problems but i hope to clear all of that tomorrow.

Im installing apps via PC because there is no adequate Mac solution ( half of installations fail) ona a PC everything works flawlessly.
OS is 4.2.1.2x and is really fast.

Thats about all i can remember for now... will post more soon.

***edited***
this one doesnt have GPS

[BBAdmin]

any chance you could give us your first impressions

It's a great device, the GPS is a life saver. I'm running mine with TelMap and it's a beast! The battery life is excellent also (courtesy of a big green battery). You can also use an 8700 battery in it I think.

I don't want to take it apart to look for Wi-Fi hardware but I wouldn't think it was there. All the commercials I've seen for it also don't mention Wi-Fi so unlikely to be a software update to support any Wi-Fi hardware that was not launch ready!

Other than that it's just another full QWERTY BlackBerry aside from the odd UI tweak. In terms of size it is smaller than an 8700 in each dimension other than height (it's slightly taller than the 8700).

I can't say much more than that without getting myself in trouble!! I'm just confirming what most of you will know by now, and of course there's no point me posting images becuase we've all seen them!!

[akgrown]

Thanks to both Beler and BBAdmin! Great to hear these impressions, and I'm glad you both agree that the battery life is solid. I guess I'll stop holding my breath for Wi-Fi in the 8800...still anxious to see this one hit the stores though.

[BBAdmin]

It'll be across a multitude of carriers and countries by the middle of February so you won't have to wait long matey!