blackberry 8900 issues! not satisfied

**patel_dude** · 02-04-2009, 12:09 AM

I have a few problems with this phone. First the track ball seems defective for my phone i can scroll up, down and right flawlessly but when i try to scroll left i have to slightly press down a bit for it to scroll. Also is thia trackball smaller than previous versions of the curve???

Second, the battery life sucks!

Im thinking about returning it to T-mobile and just getting the blackberry 8120, i used to have the 8100 and like it. Does the 8120 have wifi? can i connect to router and surf the web without a data plan??

I know u have a lot of questions... if you can answer them it would help tremendously! good karma lol

**aristile** · 02-04-2009, 12:15 AM

If the 8900 has a defective trackball just send it back and get a replacement.

**andyr2007** · 02-04-2009, 12:15 AM

Originally Posted by patel_dude

I have a few problems with this phone. First the track ball seems defective for my phone i can scroll up, down and right flawlessly but when i try to scroll left i have to slightly press down a bit for it to scroll. Also is thia trackball smaller than previous versions of the curve???

Second, the battery life sucks!

Im thinking about returning it to T-mobile and just getting the blackberry 8120, i used to have the 8100 and like it. Does the 8120 have wifi? can i connect to router and surf the web without a data plan??

I know u have a lot of questions... if you can answer them it would help tremendously! good karma lol

1) I don't think the trackball is any different in size, it feels smoother and easier to control, to me, if anything.
2) If your trackball isn't working right, just order a replacement and they should be able to overnight you a phone.
3) If you upgrade to the .133 software battery life is amazing, I have been using my phone all day including internet, calls, texts, and downloading apps, and its still at 60% after being off charge for 14.5 hours.
4) However if you do wish to still go to your 8120, it does have wifi. Not a bad phone, but you have to get used to the smart type keyboard.

**jgreg** · 02-04-2009, 04:14 AM

I have been eagerly awaiting the 8900. I had the Pearl 8100 and currently have the 8120. I tried the 8320 and decided it was no significant improvement over the Pearl. I tried the iPhone 3G and didn't get good reception (as I should have, according to AT&T) and the service cost was much more expensive. I tried the G1 but it was just too clunky. I played with the Bold and the Storm. The Storm was too glitchy and the Bold was too big. Now I have the 8900... and it is a significant improvement in many areas. However, the browser is inferior to many of the other current top smartphones and the system is quite sluggish. Somewhere I read that this device was much improved and "enhanced". That is not my experience. This device has been out for a few months and system upgrades should have addressed the sluggishness by now. I really hate that RIM decided to change to the Micro USB! It just adds another $50-$100 to your purchase to replace otherwise perfectly good Mini USB stuff. I will be checking out the 8900 for the remainder of the trial period but it will probably go back. Too bad RIM can't figure out how to deliver a better browser experience. For 2 1/2 years I have loved the Pearls and the Blackberry experience but it seems that RIM is now only capable of delivering half baked products (Storm, Bold, Pearl Flip and now the 8900). Guess I need to take a serious look at the 3rd generation iPhone or the Pre.

**Hamadeh** · 02-04-2009, 07:42 AM

I'm on version .114 and my battery life is amazing, a whole days use and at 55%. Trackball perfect.

Sorry to hear though.

**username0001** · 02-04-2009, 07:52 AM

Also on version .114 and no problems. I use my 8900 all day long with calls, email, and texting and still have approx. 50% left by end of the day. My browser is very fast. Just buy a micro usb adapter for $2 from amazon. Trackball works fine and doesn't appear to be smaller just a different texture and recessed into the 8900 - for a cleaner look in my opinion. If you have issues, by all means call customer svc and get them fixed.

**KingofHeart4711** · 02-04-2009, 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by jgreg

I have been eagerly awaiting the 8900. I had the Pearl 8100 and currently have the 8120. I tried the 8320 and decided it was no significant improvement over the Pearl. I tried the iPhone 3G and didn't get good reception (as I should have, according to AT&T) and the service cost was much more expensive. I tried the G1 but it was just too clunky. I played with the Bold and the Storm. The Storm was too glitchy and the Bold was too big. Now I have the 8900... and it is a significant improvement in many areas. However, the browser is inferior to many of the other current top smartphones and the system is quite sluggish. Somewhere I read that this device was much improved and "enhanced". That is not my experience. This device has been out for a few months and system upgrades should have addressed the sluggishness by now. I really hate that RIM decided to change to the Micro USB! It just adds another $50-$100 to your purchase to replace otherwise perfectly good Mini USB stuff. I will be checking out the 8900 for the remainder of the trial period but it will probably go back. Too bad RIM can't figure out how to deliver a better browser experience. For 2 1/2 years I have loved the Pearls and the Blackberry experience but it seems that RIM is now only capable of delivering half baked products (Storm, Bold, Pearl Flip and now the 8900). Guess I need to take a serious look at the 3rd generation iPhone or the Pre.

First of all, the phone hasnt been out a few months........it doesnt even release in the US until Feb 11th. The few of us that were lucky enough to get it early FROM TMOBILE, have not had ours for even a month yet. Secondly, WHAT PHONE ARE YOU USING?? Sluggish system???? Mine is REALLY fast. The battery life isnt as good as it should be on .114 but the new os addresses that issue. Im not calling you a liar or anything, but your review seems very shotty

**T-BONE82** · 02-04-2009, 08:29 AM

This phone has been out for months in canada, maybe they got an unlocked phone. Sounds like your trackball is defective. send it back and get a new phone, this phone isn't at all like what you are describing.

**KingofHeart4711** · 02-04-2009, 08:49 AM

Originally Posted by T-BONE82

This phone has been out for months in canada, maybe they got an unlocked phone. Sounds like your trackball is defective. send it back and get a new phone, this phone isn't at all like what you are describing.

Well it sounds like he got it from TMOBILE since he said hes within the 2 week trial period. So the one he has isnt even released yet. But I agree with you, its nothing like he says.

To each his own, but if youre telling me that the Pearl outperforms the 8900, youre crazy

**inkwell** · 02-04-2009, 08:58 AM

When your trackball doesn't work, just clean it. You can of course choose to send it back, but it is almost a guarantee it will happen again. Just take some rubbing alchol and q-tip and clean it.

Originally Posted by jgreg

I have been eagerly awaiting the 8900. I had the Pearl 8100 and currently have the 8120. I tried the 8320 and decided it was no significant improvement over the Pearl. I tried the iPhone 3G and didn't get good reception (as I should have, according to AT&T) and the service cost was much more expensive. I tried the G1 but it was just too clunky. I played with the Bold and the Storm. The Storm was too glitchy and the Bold was too big. Now I have the 8900... and it is a significant improvement in many areas. However, the browser is inferior to many of the other current top smartphones and the system is quite sluggish. Somewhere I read that this device was much improved and "enhanced". That is not my experience. This device has been out for a few months and system upgrades should have addressed the sluggishness by now. I really hate that RIM decided to change to the Micro USB! It just adds another $50-$100 to your purchase to replace otherwise perfectly good Mini USB stuff. I will be checking out the 8900 for the remainder of the trial period but it will probably go back. Too bad RIM can't figure out how to deliver a better browser experience. For 2 1/2 years I have loved the Pearls and the Blackberry experience but it seems that RIM is now only capable of delivering half baked products (Storm, Bold, Pearl Flip and now the 8900). Guess I need to take a serious look at the 3rd generation iPhone or the Pre.

A lot of what you are saying seems to have easy fixes... I am not sure what you are comparing this phone with to say it is sluggish, I've played with it and it is much quicker then my 8320. Crackberry sells a Macro to Micro adapter for $10, so you won't have to go and replace all your chargers. For the browser, you can always use a 3rd party browser.

**knowledge_6** · 02-04-2009, 09:00 AM

Originally Posted by patel_dude

I have a few problems with this phone. First the track ball seems defective for my phone i can scroll up, down and right flawlessly but when i try to scroll left i have to slightly press down a bit for it to scroll. Also is thia trackball smaller than previous versions of the curve???

Second, the battery life sucks!

Im thinking about returning it to T-mobile and just getting the blackberry 8120, i used to have the 8100 and like it. Does the 8120 have wifi? can i connect to router and surf the web without a data plan??

I know u have a lot of questions... if you can answer them it would help tremendously! good karma lol

1) if your trackball is messed up then go get a replacement.. there is no reason why a new phone should be like that..
2) the ball i believe maybe the same size but i wouldn;'t know cause i've never had a bb with a trackball
3) yes the original firmware did have sucky battery life but the new ones from .114 and up have good battery life.. i currently have the .144 and the battery life is sweet.. and the ringer volume is LOUD
4) why would go with a BB that has less features, crap camera, crap browser, slower processor, a bad keyboard and doesn't look as nice? but i guess to each his/her own to what phone they think suits them better.

Originally Posted by jgreg

I have been eagerly awaiting the 8900. I had the Pearl 8100 and currently have the 8120. I tried the 8320 and decided it was no significant improvement over the Pearl. I tried the iPhone 3G and didn't get good reception (as I should have, according to AT&T) and the service cost was much more expensive. I tried the G1 but it was just too clunky. I played with the Bold and the Storm. The Storm was too glitchy and the Bold was too big. Now I have the 8900... and it is a significant improvement in many areas. However, the browser is inferior to many of the other current top smartphones and the system is quite sluggish. Somewhere I read that this device was much improved and "enhanced". That is not my experience. This device has been out for a few months and system upgrades should have addressed the sluggishness by now. I really hate that RIM decided to change to the Micro USB! It just adds another $50-$100 to your purchase to replace otherwise perfectly good Mini USB stuff. I will be checking out the 8900 for the remainder of the trial period but it will probably go back. Too bad RIM can't figure out how to deliver a better browser experience. For 2 1/2 years I have loved the Pearls and the Blackberry experience but it seems that RIM is now only capable of delivering half baked products (Storm, Bold, Pearl Flip and now the 8900). Guess I need to take a serious look at the 3rd generation iPhone or the Pre.

i agree with all your previous phone purchases cause i had the iphone, and G1.. i find the browser pretty good on the 8900.. yah it's not like the iphone or G1 but still good.. and it;s fast for EDGE speeds.. the phone overall is FAST! no lag on the trackball movements and opening applications is a breeze.. the device has been out since December here in Canada and i've had it since just before christmas, and there have been significant improvements over the last few OS updates.. RIM has done a pretty decent job with listening to people's complaints about volume, battery life etc.. they just need to get on with the plazmic release haha.. micro usb doesn't bug me cause it cost me less then $4 bucks to get a motorola adapter from mini to micro usb.. they did however screw up the location of the micro usb. But i guess it doesn;t suit your needs cause the iphone has been out for over 1.5 years and they still can get flash to work in their "GREAT" browser... the touch screen keyboard is useless to me.. i don;t think any other phone can compare with RIM's products when it comes to delivering email, instant messaging, facebook, myspace, google talk, the vast amount of applications out there and the customization of the themes using plazmic..

just my $.02..

**raylol16** · 02-04-2009, 09:01 AM

The only difference with this trackball is that its seated lower but it should be smoother at least for me anyway. If yours is dirty clean it, if its just straight defective exchange it.

**KingofHeart4711** · 02-04-2009, 09:05 AM

Originally Posted by knowledge_6

1) if your trackball is messed up then go get a replacement.. there is no reason why a new phone should be like that..
2) the ball i believe maybe the same size but i wouldn;'t know cause i've never had a bb with a trackball
3) yes the original firmware did have sucky battery life but the new ones from .114 and up have good battery life.. i currently have the .144 and the battery life is sweet.. and the ringer volume is LOUD
4) why would go with a BB that has less features, crap camera, crap browser, slower processor, a bad keyboard and doesn't look as nice? but i guess to each his/her own to what phone they think suits them better.

i agree with all your previous phone purchases cause i had the iphone, and G1.. i find the browser pretty good.. yah it's not like the iphone or G1 but still good.. and it;s fast for EDGE speeds.. the phone overall is FAST! no lag on the trackball movements and opening applications is a breeze.. the device has been out since December here in Canada and there have been significant improvements over the last few OS updates.. RIM has done a pretty decent job with listening to people's complaints about volume, battery life etc.. they just need to get on with the plazmic release haha.. micro usb doesn't bug me cause it cost me less then $4 bucks to get a motorola adapter from mini to micro usb.. they did however screw up the location of the micro usb. But i guess it doesn;t suit your needs cause the iphone has been out for over 1.5 years and they still can get flash to work in their "GREAT" browser... the touch screen keyboard is useless to me.. i don;t think any other phone can compare with RIM's products when it comes to delivering email, instant messaging, facebook, myspace, google talk, the vast amount of applications out there and the customization of the themes using plazmic..

just my $.02..

+1, I completely agree

**aristile** · 02-04-2009, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by jgreg

I have been eagerly awaiting the 8900. I had the Pearl 8100 and currently have the 8120. I tried the 8320 and decided it was no significant improvement over the Pearl. I tried the iPhone 3G and didn't get good reception (as I should have, according to AT&T) and the service cost was much more expensive. I tried the G1 but it was just too clunky. I played with the Bold and the Storm. The Storm was too glitchy and the Bold was too big. Now I have the 8900... and it is a significant improvement in many areas. However, the browser is inferior to many of the other current top smartphones and the system is quite sluggish. Somewhere I read that this device was much improved and "enhanced". That is not my experience. This device has been out for a few months and system upgrades should have addressed the sluggishness by now. I really hate that RIM decided to change to the Micro USB! It just adds another $50-$100 to your purchase to replace otherwise perfectly good Mini USB stuff. I will be checking out the 8900 for the remainder of the trial period but it will probably go back. Too bad RIM can't figure out how to deliver a better browser experience. For 2 1/2 years I have loved the Pearls and the Blackberry experience but it seems that RIM is now only capable of delivering half baked products (Storm, Bold, Pearl Flip and now the 8900). Guess I need to take a serious look at the 3rd generation iPhone or the Pre.

Sluggish? Are you sure you had the 8900 in your hands because it is anything but sluggish. This thing is fast. Maybe try updating the OS. Micro-USB is the standard port of the future. All phones will migrate to this connection eventually, RIM is just taking the initiative in being one of the first to do so. You can purchase Mini-USB to Micro-USB adapters from Amazon for cheap. I got some for $2.20 each. If you like the browsing on your Pearl then try to put the browser into "Column View" instead of the default "Page View" and you should get a similar but improved browsing experience.

**Cristyluv** · 02-06-2009, 09:54 AM

I have to agree with most people here. The 8900 is amazing! Coming from a pearl myself there is no comparison. I am still on .114 and the battery life is ok, I may update (have not got up the nerve), but other than that the 8900 is an impressive piece of machinery.

**JTurtle** · 02-06-2009, 02:42 PM

Originally Posted by patel_dude

I have a few problems with this phone. First the track ball seems defective for my phone i can scroll up, down and right flawlessly but when i try to scroll left i have to slightly press down a bit for it to scroll. Also is thia trackball smaller than previous versions of the curve???

Second, the battery life sucks!

Im thinking about returning it to T-mobile and just getting the blackberry 8120, i used to have the 8100 and like it. Does the 8120 have wifi? can i connect to router and surf the web without a data plan??

I know u have a lot of questions... if you can answer them it would help tremendously! good karma lol

Quit your whining and just swap it for a Pearl.

**aristile** · 02-06-2009, 02:48 PM

Originally Posted by JTurtle

Quit your whining and just swap it for a Pearl.

LOL. Now THAT'S funny. If he does that I bet he will later wish he kept the 8900!

**JTurtle** · 02-06-2009, 03:09 PM

Well I get that the 8900 is not for everyone...just like the Iphone, Storm, Pearl, G1, etc. aren't for everyone. I just can't stand when people sit around and complain about how (X) phone isn't like (Y) phone and blah blah blah. It's pretty simple: if you don't like a phone, get rid of it and get the one that you keep comparing all other phones to.

**alexanderlt** · 02-06-2009, 03:21 PM

Originally Posted by aristile

LOL. Now THAT'S funny. If he does that I bet he will later wish he kept the 8900!

Agreed! He'll waste his time returning it and then he's going to want the beautiful, sexy, and fast piece of machine that he had!

**KingofHeart4711** · 02-06-2009, 03:47 PM

Originally Posted by alexanderlt

Agreed! He'll waste his time returning it and then he's going to want the beautiful, sexy, and fast piece of machine that he had!

Hes probably not a seasoned smart phone user. Most of the time when I see ppl complain like this its because they really arent getting the most out of their phone and have no clue what its capable of. Something tells me hes be just as fine with a Sidekick

**OstrichSak** · 02-10-2009, 10:55 PM

I'm picking mine up in the morning and am coming from a Nokia E71 and am a long time smart time phone user so I'm curious how much I will like this device.

To whoever is paying $50-$100 for a MicroSD card.... you wanna buy one from me? For those prices I'll sell you as many as you want/need. My last card was a 16gb MicroSD card and I think I paid like $30ish for it, possibly less. These days they are cheap and all you need to do is shop a little and you won't pay much. I've been using MicroSD for some time now so I have plenty personally.

**tracksforhire** · 02-10-2009, 11:11 PM

coming from the 8320 to the g1 now on the 8900 i must say the 8320 lacked the gps, the g1 had gps with amazing web browser the 8900 has gps but browser is no G1 but i love the 8900

**OstrichSak** · 02-11-2009, 12:12 AM

BTW, for those needing a MicroSD card here's a link to a one-day sale on a 2GB Kingston that's free after $10MIR.

**kingrx** · 02-11-2009, 01:07 AM

I have the same problem as TS. Bought my 8900 yesterday. At night before i went to bed, i noticed the trackball won't roll towards the left. It will, but with much pressure. I'm gonna wait a day or two before i exchange it.

Seems like a manufacturing fault at the plants.

**kerry.d** · 02-11-2009, 09:52 AM

Originally Posted by patel_dude

I have a few problems with this phone. First the track ball seems defective for my phone i can scroll up, down and right flawlessly but when i try to scroll left i have to slightly press down a bit for it to scroll. Also is thia trackball smaller than previous versions of the curve???

Second, the battery life sucks!

Im thinking about returning it to T-mobile and just getting the blackberry 8120, i used to have the 8100 and like it. Does the 8120 have wifi? can i connect to router and surf the web without a data plan??

I know u have a lot of questions... if you can answer them it would help tremendously! good karma lol

I've basically confirmed, based on speculation in this and the BlackBerry forum, that the battery life has something to do with the case. As long as the device isn't in the case, the battery lasts an incredible length of time. In the case it will drop by 50% in one day with light use. I also decided to try one of the leather holster belt cases and got the same result but not if it isn't in the case. If its in my 8310 case (too loose) the battery life is great.