[lleellee]

I'm a super-newbie looking into buying a BB curve. Can anyone summarize the basic differences in the three versions (8310, 20, and 30)? I really appreciate it in advance!!

On a related note, is it strongly unadvised to cancel a 2-yr contract with verizon early? (ie. tons of hassle and expensive) I will probably call later to ask (couldn't find this info online) but wondering if anyone here knew!

Lastly, are there any carriers that are particularly more "BB-friendly"? (apart from checking out relevant coverage info for my area)

[amazinglygraceless]

BlackBerry - Compare PDAs - BlackBerry Smartphone and PDA Solution Comparison

8310 GPS, no WiFi, 64mb memory, GSM network
8320 WiFi, no GPS, 64mb memory, GSM network
8330 GPS, no WiFi, 96mb memory, CDMA network

[joe003]

And.... welcome to CB!

Enjoy your addiction

[gtown908]

$175 to cancel a verizon contract. (mine anyway). I find that the mms is better on the 30. I cant speak for the wifi because my phone does not have. Thats about all I know being a nooob myself

[rachel0179]

thats an expensive mms lol

[lleellee]

8310 GPS, no WiFi, 64mb memory, GSM network
8320 WiFi, no GPS, 64mb memory, GSM network
8330 GPS, no WiFi, 96mb memory, CDMA network

Thanks for the input everyone. But as a user, what does GSM vs. CDMA mean for me? I read the lecture that mentioned the difference but I'm not entirely sure I understand it...

and about the WiFi issue: this may sound really dumb because I've seen "WiFi" labels everywhere, but what exactly is it? I always associated it with wireless internet, but I'm guessing that's not it - because all BB's have wireless internet but only 8320 has WiFi?

[ina]

suppository theres a federal judge agreeing to hear a court case regarding the deactivation fee of cell phone providers

[roeod4]

Thanks for the input everyone. But as a user, what does GSM vs. CDMA mean for me? I read the lecture that mentioned the difference but I'm not entirely sure I understand it...

and about the WiFi issue: this may sound really dumb because I've seen "WiFi" labels everywhere, but what exactly is it? I always associated it with wireless internet, but I'm guessing that's not it - because all BB's have wireless internet but only 8320 has WiFi?

CDMA & GSM are cellular technologies. GSM is used by most of the world and will allow phones of this technology to work outside the US. At&t and T-mobile are the most common cell companies in the US. CDMA is a different type of technology and is only used in North America. Verizon, Alltel and Sprint are the most common companies using this technology. Some of the CDMA BlackBerries also have the ability to work on GSM networks outside the country, these are referred to as WE (World Edition) and they are the 8830 and the new 9530 (Storm).

Wifi is referring to wireless internet. This allows the phone to work through a wifi network and have faster internet speeds for web surfing. On T-Mobile this also allows the Hot Spot at home to be used for Voip (Voice over IP) calling.

[roeod4]

suppository theres a federal judge agreeing to hear a court case regarding the deactivation fee of cell phone providers

Is the judge really that anal?












Sorry couldn't resist.

[lleellee]

CDMA & GSM are cellular technologies. GSM is used by most of the world and will allow phones of this technology to work outside the US. At&t and T-mobile are the most common cell companies in the US. CDMA is a different type of technology and is only used in North America. Verizon, Alltel and Sprint are the most common companies using this technology. Some of the CDMA BlackBerries also have the ability to work on GSM networks outside the country, these are referred to as WE (World Edition) and they are the 8830 and the new 9530 (Storm).

Wifi is referring to wireless internet. This allows the phone to work through a wifi network and have faster internet speeds for web surfing. On T-Mobile this also allows the Hot Spot at home to be used for Voip (Voice over IP) calling.

Thanks! So if I really just plan on using my BB on the US, it doesn't particularly matter if I have CDMA or GSM?

Huh, about Wifi, what does a non-wifi BB work through then?

[DivaSTating18]

CDMA & GSM are cellular technologies. GSM is used by most of the world and will allow phones of this technology to work outside the US. At&t and T-mobile are the most common cell companies in the US. CDMA is a different type of technology and is only used in North America. Verizon, Alltel and Sprint are the most common companies using this technology. Some of the CDMA BlackBerries also have the ability to work on GSM networks outside the country, these are referred to as WE (World Edition) and they are the 8830 and the new 9530 (Storm).

Wifi is referring to wireless internet. This allows the phone to work through a wifi network and have faster internet speeds for web surfing. On T-Mobile this also allows the Hot Spot at home to be used for Voip (Voice over IP) calling.

Thanks for the clarification, because I was wondering about these terms as well.

[SLVR6]

You are confusing "wireless internet" (better term would be Mobile Internet) with "WiFi" which is the ability to connect to a WiFi router (that is connected to the internet). All BB's have Mobile internet (when you have a data plan), only the 8320 has WiFi and can make calls through the internet if the carrier (T-mobile only in the US) supports it. .

Something that hasn't been mentioned here is that between the 3 berries you mentioned the 8310 and 8320 are available on Att, 8320 is also available on T-mobile (with WiFi calling), the 8330 is on both Verizon and Sprint and both have high speed mobile internet (EV-DO). There are other berries to consider such as the Storm 9530 on VZW, the Bold 9000 on att (which has 3G, high speed mobile internet), and the Pearl Flip 8220 on T-mobile.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[gregski]

Is the judge really that anal?

Now that's funny right there

[blauclau]

yeah, that gave me a good chuckle too.

[lleellee]

You are confusing "wireless internet" (better term would be Mobile Internet) with "WiFi" which is the ability to connect to a WiFi router (that is connected to the internet). All BB's have Mobile internet (when you have a data plan), only the 8320 has WiFi and can make calls through the internet if the carrier (T-mobile only in the US) supports it.

So from the user's perspective, is the main difference the speed?

Something that hasn't been mentioned here is that between the 3 berries you mentioned the 8310 and 8320 are available on Att, 8320 is also available on T-mobile (with WiFi calling), the 8330 is on both Verizon and Sprint and both have high speed mobile internet (EV-DO). There are other berries to consider such as the Storm 9530 on VZW, the Bold 9000 on att (which has 3G, high speed mobile internet), and the Pearl Flip 8220 on T-mobile.

Hm yes, so I was more or less looking at the coverage for the areas I'll be mostly using the phone in, and that didn't really make a difference among the 4 carriers. So then I looked at the BB models, and since I want a full QWERTY, I eliminated the Pearls... Both the Bold and the Storm were way too out of the range for me, budget-wise. So then I read some posts that compared the WE and the Curve and I read more pros for the Curve. Is there anything else I should be taking into consideration?

[roeod4]

So from the user's perspective, is the main difference the speed?


Hm yes, so I was more or less looking at the coverage for the areas I'll be mostly using the phone in, and that didn't really make a difference among the 4 carriers. So then I looked at the BB models, and since I want a full QWERTY, I eliminated the Pearls... Both the Bold and the Storm were way too out of the range for me, budget-wise. So then I read some posts that compared the WE and the Curve and I read more pros for the Curve. Is there anything else I should be taking into consideration?

I don't remember what the kbps are on a regular mobile network. I have heard 256kbps, 500kbps and up depending on who I have talked to, but many wifi hot spots operate at 3mbs + in my area.

If you aren't worried about the coverage and you want to get a Curve I would look at the 8320 if you feel Wifi is important or the 8330 because it has more memory installed.

[lleellee]

Wow, that's a pretty big difference... I know I'm bombarding with questions, but is there any separate cost/fee issue associated with having a Wifi BB then? I even read something about not needing a data plan if you have Wifi?!

[sam123gil]

WOW I learned a lot from this post. Not much difference between the Bold and my Curve. Except the Bold has a biger screen, wi-fi, GPS, and 1 other thing. Might as well wait to see what VZW has up it's sleeve before I jump ship.

[roeod4]

Wow, that's a pretty big difference... I know I'm bombarding with questions, but is there any separate cost/fee issue associated with having a Wifi BB then? I even read something about not needing a data plan if you have Wifi?!

You can use wifi for internet surfing, but that is about it. You cannot use BlackBerry apps through wifi and you cannot get your email through wifi. Also remember that the 3mbs+ sounds really great, but you also have to determine what a BB will handle. I have no idea what it actually is, but even though these little things are amazing they can't keep up with a good desktop when it comes to data speed.

WOW I learned a lot from this post. Not much difference between the Bold and my Curve. Except the Bold has a biger screen, wi-fi, GPS, and 1 other thing. Might as well wait to see what VZW has up it's sleeve before I jump ship.

Last I heard the 9030 Bold should be out on Verizon some time in May 2009.