RIM BlackBerry 8830 Cell Phone
- Installed Memory: 64 MB
- Operating System: BlackBerry OS
- Connectivity: Bluetooth
- Performance: Dual Band
- Design: Mobile
- Style: Candy Bar
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Doing What A BlackBerry Does Best
Pros
Sleek design, solid email client, usable trackball, good battery life
Cons
Doesn't feel as good as it looks; mushy and closely spaced keys
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Get used to the mushy keyboard and you'll find a very versatile productivity tool.
After being assigned a BlackBerry 8703e for about a year, my IT department replaced it with a newer model, the BlackBerry 8830. It wasn't because I needed the world-roaming capability of the 8830. It just happened to be the new model that they had standardized on.
Out-of-the-Box Experience
Like my previous BlackBerry, much of the setup had already been done by my IT department by the time I received it. Inside the box was the standard USB travel charger, a USB cable, and a rather decent holster with a swivel belt clip. The holster uses a magnetic clasp, making removal and replacement of the phone a two-step process.
Keyboard & Physical Build
The largest adjustment for me was with the keyboard of the BlackBerry 8830. Yes, it uses the same QWERTY key layout as the 8703e. However, coming from the 8703e and its widely spaced keys with a tactile feel, the 8830's keyboard feels mushy in comparison.
The other big change, coming from the older BlackBerry, is the use of a trackball as the main navigational device instead of the previously ubiquitous scroll-wheel. Being able to move horizontally without having to hold a second key is great, but I had to adjust the trackball's sensitivity, as I often found myself inadvertently selecting the option above or below my intended choice. Overall, though, the trackball is much more useful than the scroll-wheel.
Build quality seems decent, without the large gaps between seams that plagued my 8703e. At a distance, the 8830 looks very sleek and expensive. However, having an iPod touch and playing with the iPhone, the 8830's back plastic panel feels low-grade. Worse, after just a few months of use, both back panels have dull, scratched areas, which I'm guessing was caused by the friction of the phone being placed in or removed from the holster. The chrome plating on the mute button has also started to chip where it rubs against the holster.
Phone, E-mail, Web
The BlackBerry 8830 works well for me as phone. I haven't experienced dropped calls or any other issues, but as I mentioned in my 8703e review, the quality of the phone is sometimes as much of a function of the service provider as it is the phone. The speakerphone is not as loud as the 8703e, but is still adequate for gathering a couple of people around for a group conversation in a quiet room.
I had no problem pairing it with my Toyota's Bluetooth for in-car conversations. Like other phones, leaving Bluetooth on is a drag on battery life, but -- for me -- the convenience has outweighed having to recharge more often.
E-mail, of course, has been the BlackBerry's killer app, and it continues to work well on the 8830 (once you adjust to the keyboard). I noticed several positive updates to the mail client including bold-facing unread mail and basic HTML rendering of mail contents.
Web browsing is still a test of patience at times, though when you need it (such as trying to find the shopping center that a new restaurant is located in) it's nice to know it's there. Downloading the Opera browser yielded slightly better results, though rendering and navigating complex pages is still a task better left to a computer before you leave the house.
While it would be nice to have a camera (and the 8830 is one of the few modern BlackBerry models lacking one), I haven't really missed having one.
Other Notes
I tend to go between three and four days between charges. As I mentioned, turning off Bluetooth whenever I leave the car would probably improve battery life.
I'm satisfied with the BlackBerry 8830, even though it's breakthrough feature -- worldwide compatibility -- is probably something I won't have the opportunity to test. As I prepare for yet another company-required change-out to another BlackBerry model, I'm hoping for a happy medium combining the sleekness of the 8830 with the keyboard of the 8703e.
Out-of-the-Box Experience
Like my previous BlackBerry, much of the setup had already been done by my IT department by the time I received it. Inside the box was the standard USB travel charger, a USB cable, and a rather decent holster with a swivel belt clip. The holster uses a magnetic clasp, making removal and replacement of the phone a two-step process.
Keyboard & Physical Build
The largest adjustment for me was with the keyboard of the BlackBerry 8830. Yes, it uses the same QWERTY key layout as the 8703e. However, coming from the 8703e and its widely spaced keys with a tactile feel, the 8830's keyboard feels mushy in comparison.
The other big change, coming from the older BlackBerry, is the use of a trackball as the main navigational device instead of the previously ubiquitous scroll-wheel. Being able to move horizontally without having to hold a second key is great, but I had to adjust the trackball's sensitivity, as I often found myself inadvertently selecting the option above or below my intended choice. Overall, though, the trackball is much more useful than the scroll-wheel.
Build quality seems decent, without the large gaps between seams that plagued my 8703e. At a distance, the 8830 looks very sleek and expensive. However, having an iPod touch and playing with the iPhone, the 8830's back plastic panel feels low-grade. Worse, after just a few months of use, both back panels have dull, scratched areas, which I'm guessing was caused by the friction of the phone being placed in or removed from the holster. The chrome plating on the mute button has also started to chip where it rubs against the holster.
Phone, E-mail, Web
The BlackBerry 8830 works well for me as phone. I haven't experienced dropped calls or any other issues, but as I mentioned in my 8703e review, the quality of the phone is sometimes as much of a function of the service provider as it is the phone. The speakerphone is not as loud as the 8703e, but is still adequate for gathering a couple of people around for a group conversation in a quiet room.
I had no problem pairing it with my Toyota's Bluetooth for in-car conversations. Like other phones, leaving Bluetooth on is a drag on battery life, but -- for me -- the convenience has outweighed having to recharge more often.
E-mail, of course, has been the BlackBerry's killer app, and it continues to work well on the 8830 (once you adjust to the keyboard). I noticed several positive updates to the mail client including bold-facing unread mail and basic HTML rendering of mail contents.
Web browsing is still a test of patience at times, though when you need it (such as trying to find the shopping center that a new restaurant is located in) it's nice to know it's there. Downloading the Opera browser yielded slightly better results, though rendering and navigating complex pages is still a task better left to a computer before you leave the house.
While it would be nice to have a camera (and the 8830 is one of the few modern BlackBerry models lacking one), I haven't really missed having one.
Other Notes
I tend to go between three and four days between charges. As I mentioned, turning off Bluetooth whenever I leave the car would probably improve battery life.
I'm satisfied with the BlackBerry 8830, even though it's breakthrough feature -- worldwide compatibility -- is probably something I won't have the opportunity to test. As I prepare for yet another company-required change-out to another BlackBerry model, I'm hoping for a happy medium combining the sleekness of the 8830 with the keyboard of the 8703e.
