The BlackBerry 8830 is a CDMA and GSM cell phone with advanced email features for worldwide use. In America, it works on Sprint, Verizon and Alltel networks and on the Bell network in Canada. But in Europe, it uses various GSM cell phone carriers just like a regular worldwide GSM cell phone. Obviously, the BlackBerry 8830 targets world business travelers who are hooked on the BlackBerry concept.
The Bottom Line:
The BlackBerry 8830 is a good choice for world travelers who need to be on a CDMA network at home but want to keep the same number while abroad and can't live without a BlackBerry device. Other worldwide travelers might prefer a smaller, more feature-rich regular GSM cell phone or another of the few cell phones that support both GSM and CDMA.
Hardware & Design Quality
Pros:
- Irreproachable, sturdy design. The BlackBerry 8830 looks like it will withstand bad treatment.
- A great ultra-large display.
- I have mixed feelings about the keypad. It is a bit too slippery and I would have preferred some grip: either a gel-like or soft-touch texture. However, it is large enough to let you type quite fast and I managed to type text in almost half the time it takes on a regular cell phone with predictive text input.
- The BlackBerry 8830 features a trackball (first time I tried one) and it works quite well. I'd like to see more of this on BlackBerry devices and other cell phones too.
Cons:
- MicroSD card access requires back cover removal.
Software
Cons:
- It's a detail but a pesky one. Menus don't loop so, when you get at the bottom of a list, pressing down again doesn't bring you back to the top.
Performance
Pros:
- The battery life seemed to live up to BlackBerry's claims.
- Menus and applications react swiftly.
Call Quality
Pros:
- The speakerphone's output volume was strong enough but distorted.
Multimedia Experience
Pros:
- Sound quality was quite impressive.
Cons:
- To accommodate a majority of corporate users whose companies prefer employees not carry cameras around, the BlackBerry doesn't have a built-in camera.