The BlackBerry 8830 is a rare dual-mode phone, with global messaging for world travelers. Does it top the GSM-only BlackBerry 8800?
Review summary of the RIM BlackBerry 8830:
 |
|
Scoreboard » Features » Side-by-side » Gallery » |
 In many ways, Verizon Wireless has users backed into a corner with the BlackBerry 8830. For world travelers who need a 3G BlackBerry at home and e-mail abroad, the 8830 is the only option on any network. Business users won't be disappointed by the device's e-mail and scheduling prowess, it is a BlackBerry, after all, but considering this phone represents the current pinnacle of BlackBerry devices, we expected more. Besides our old complaints about the BlackBerry interface, we would have liked better battery life, some useful productivity apps, and a better Web browsing experience. The lack of GPS is disappointing, and we think business travelers would have appreciated a better music experience. If you are deciding between the 8800 and this phone, we think the 8830's better tethered modem support and faster Web browsing, on Opera perhaps, makes it the better choice. Still, it's a close call, and GPS fans might prefer the 8800, even with slower EDGE networking, to the 8830. Release: May 2007. Price: $50.
Pros: 3G networking for tethered modem support. Global calling and e-mail. Trackball makes navigating easier.
Cons: Interface needs polishing. Battery life suffers with 3G. Multimedia experience is poor. No GPS.
| Poor |
Mediocre |
58%
GOOD |
Very good |
Excellent |
|
|
|
Full RIM BlackBerry 8830 Review:
|
Design - Good
The BlackBerry 8830 is physically nearly identical to the BlackBerry 8800, except that it trades the glossy black for a dull gray. Both phones share similarities with the BlackBerry Pearl. Besides the obvious trackball, the 8830 also comes with chrome bumpers, though these aren't as striking against the gray face, and the same general shape as the Pearl, only wider, as opposed to the more stout-looking BlackBerry 8700 series. We like the trackball very much, we think it’s a great improvement over the old clickwheel, and was much less taxing on our thumbs.
The keyboard took some getting used to. The letters are contiguous, rather than individually placed, as on previous BlackBerry devices. Each key has its own slope, which made typing a little nerve-wracking at first, but after a few long e-mails, we found our fingers had no trouble finding the keys without keeping our eyes on them. In fact, having recently reviewed the BlackBerry Curve, which retains the older BlackBerry keyboard, we found that we preferred the newer layout. It simply required a little more trust than usual.
The user interface, while slightly improved since the Pearl thanks to its larger screen and, hence, larger icons, is mostly unchanged. It is an all-business affair, with long, textual menus, and little color or graphical flourish. Though the screen is nice and clear, a 2.4-inch, 65,000-color QVGA display, it seems almost wasted on this phone's barren interface. Admittedly, we prefer Verizon's menu theme to AT&T's, though in practical terms they functioned identically.
Calling - Very good
You couldn't ask a better phone than the BlackBerry when it comes to calling options. The phone sounds crisp and clean, as good as the BlackBerry 8800, or any smartphone we've used. The phone features all the calling capabilities we like, including Bluetooth, a good speakerphone, speaker-independent voice dialing and three-way calling. Setting up customized ring tones was easy, and the phone allows you to use MP3 files as rings. The contact list may be a bit bare to look at, but it's all business, and it features more fields than we could possibly ask for. What's more, you can dial a number or name directly into the dialing interface, and the phone searches for your contacts while you type. Setting up backups locally, with BlackBerry Desktop was easy, and we had no problem accessing our Exchange server for our address book. Talk time was a bit disappointing, at least for a BlackBerry device. Though the five hours we spent talking exceeded RIM's estimate, it fell short of the seven or more hours we got on the BlackBerry 8800, and we're guessing the EV-DO network is to blame. Still, neither of these devices could touch the BlackBerry Curve, on which we spent over 10 hours in a single call.
Messaging - Very good
Push e-mail fanatics will be completely satisfied with the BlackBerry 8830's messaging capabilities, since it does well what BlackBerrys do best. Attachments seem to load as quickly as on our EV-DO-enabled Palm Treo devices. The BlackBerry can handle a wide variety of e-mail options as well, including support for up to 10 e-mail addresses. Unfortunately, many of these options rely on redirection software, which we find a bit obtrusive on our PCs. We prefer a more direct connection, but the redirector and Internet e-mail setups can handle Exchange, Lotus Notes and IBM domino servers well, which should make business travelers, the 8830's primary audience, happy. There are no instant message services preloaded beyond the proprietary BlackBerry messenger. And, with no camera, you can receive MMS messages, but you won't have much to send. The keyboard was not as easy to use from the get-go as BlackBerry's 8700 series, which has a wider keyboard and discreet keys. Still, the keyboard felt solid, unlike the rickety keys on the Pearl. The default font is a bit skinny for our taste, reinforcing the all-business attitude of the 8830, and even with font smoothing turned on, it isn't exactly a pleasing look. Still, you can cram literally hundreds of characters on screen at once.
Scheduling - Good
No where does the RIM BlackBerry interface need a makeover more than the calendar and scheduling app. Though business users may be satisfied with the bare, heavily textual scheduling fields and the gray calendar, RIM certainly won't be winning any beauty contests with the UI, which is now, by our calculation, two or maybe three generations old. Sure, the BlackBerry offers more flexibility and options than Windows Mobile phones, but when the options come in a long, bulky list, it is much harder to sort through them. With this new generation of BlackBerry, so much of the exterior has changed that the interface seems even more dated. Still, scheduling works reliably, and paired nicely with our Outlook calendar. Contacts synchronized easily between Outlook and the 8830, and the phone makes up for a lack of touch screen with good navigation using the trackball and easy cut/copy/paste options. Still, an interface overhaul could make the entire experience more pleasant.
Productivity - Mediocre
There is still no editing available for Office documents on the BlackBerry device. Though this might not have been a problem for the last generation of BlackBerrys, now that Windows Mobile 6 brings editing capabilities to even the slimmest of smartphones, like the BlackJack and the Dash, we're wondering when RIM will catch up. Documents are legible, but aren't displayed as accurately as you'd see them on your PC. PDF viewing was a disaster. When we loaded a large PDF file, The New York Times ethical journalism guide, layout and typesetting were a complete mess. No page came through accurately, and sentences were cut in strange places. The BlackBerry 8830 should be used for Office document viewing in an emergency only, because the entire experience felt slapped-together and unsatisfying. To it's credit, the 8830's trackball made panning across long spreadsheets and documents a bit easier, but this didn't help the already mediocre implementation enough to impress us.
Laptop sidekick - Very good
One of the true advantages the BlackBerry 8830 has over the 8800, for domestic users at least, is the EV-DO networking. Though EV-DO drained the battery a bit quicker during our talking tests, we think the trade-off for 3G speeds, especially as a tethered modem, is certainly worth the loss of a couple hours chatting. Setting up Verizon Wireless' VZAccess was painless, and with little intervention on our part, we were surfing the Web using the phone as our modem in no time. Download speeds peaked near 700kbps, which is in line with other EV-DO tethered phones we've used, and certainly satisfying for browsing on-the-go. The device charges with the included USB cable, so you won't need to pack the charger, though Verizon Wireless does include an AC adapter with a few interchangeable prongs, so it will fit power outlets around the world.
Multimedia - Mediocre
Though the BlackBerry 8830 is admittedly a phone aimed at business users, we were especially disappointed by its lack of multimedia prowess. With EV-DO support, the Web browsing experience should have been much better, though the high-speed network was not to blame. The Web browser did a poor job rendering pages. In desktop mode, which should mimic a PC browser, pages were sometimes jumbled, sometimes spread too far across the virtual page, requiring lots of trackball scrolling. Images looked a bit blurry, though not bad, thanks to the 8830's clear screen. Still, the browser choked on our graphically intense home page, and even Google came out muddied, with the few links on the search site lined up down the left side of the page.
Because this is a Verizon Wireless phone, don't expect any multimedia extras. Though the phone uses a 2.5mm headphone jack, no headphones or even handsfree kit is included, nor will you find a microSD card. RIM provides the media transfer software, courtesy of Roxio, but it isn't nearly as simple and friendly as we'd like. It does a fine job of translating videos for the BlackBerry's screen, but music transfer isn't as easy as other programs, like iTunes.
Unlike the BlackBerry 8800, the 8830 lacks GPS navigation, which is especially disappointing, given the phone's world-traveler target audience. As useful as VZ Navigator can be in a pinch, having a GPS device that works worldwide would have been a real coup for Verizon Wireless, but instead the phone lacks any tracking abilities. BlackBerry Maps will provide directions, but without GPS, it's about the same as using Google for directions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
_pt00.jpg)
_pt00.jpg)
_pt00.jpg)
_pt00.jpg)
|
Archive