[billy_rud10]

Hey, a few months ago I bought a blackberry 8820 for my business phone. The thing is amazing, I mainly bought it for the WiFi. Has a few issues though, like only detecting GSM since 2 nights ago instead of edge, WiFi errors connecting to networks although it connects fine.

Anyways, I'm thinking about getting a Blackberry to replace my Samsung D807 that has recently died. I can't really decide which Blackberry I want. I've been thinking about the 8310, or 8320. I really want all three features: Wifi, Camera, GPS. I realize GPS can be added to the 8320 using a bluetooth receiver. While I would really like to get the bold, can't really afford to shell out that much money.

Anyways if you have any suggestions, let me know. By the way my provider is AT&T.

[bmcclure937]

Welcome to CrackBerry!! Hopefully we can help...

Most of the time, choosing a device is all about personal preference. I assume you are already aware that the Curve 8320 is not an ATT phone, so it would need to be an unlocked device to work on ATT.

If you are able to be patient, then I would recommend waiting a little longer and seeing what happens when all of the smoke clears with the Bold / Javelin rumors... and then make a decision. Once a price is announced and all of that... it should help. (No way to know when all of that could happen though... )

Also, are you eligible for an upgrade thru ATT... because if you are, then I think you can get a Curve 8310 for $50!! good deal

If you are looking to buy an unlocked phone, out of contract... you are looking at some fairly expensive prices. As for the features you mentioned:

You are correct, the 8320 has the WiFi and ability for GPS thru BlueTooth puck. If you go that route, let me warn you that using the device on ATT will not enable you to make calls thru WiFi, only browse online using it. You would still need a data plan for serious browsing / email (as the functionality with WiFi only is very little). Also, the GPS pucks can be a pain (about $100)... so you might wanna consider a standalone GPS from Garmin or something (cheaps ones for like $200 are better than phone GPS... for sure)

Hope some of that can help... kinda a lotta stuff

[iamjoel5]

I use a curve and love it! 8310 AT&T as well which does not come equipped with WiFi. But truely if u do ur research EDGE internet with AT&T is SIGNIFICANTLY faster than WiFi, WiFi is not nearly all what it is made out to be. Check out Boygeniusreport search curve wifi and find the video where they side-by-side compared their speed. WiFi is really only good for free calling and data in my book (which only comes both with T-mobile you wont be able to make free calls with AT&T), but i have an unlim data plan so...eh...Anyway GPS is great on the go and very helpfull (note: 8310 AT&T Curve is internally equipped for GPS, not WiFi). Plus you never know how much the bold is actually going to cost so you may wanna wait! and I know the Curves are going for about $100 bucks for new accounts and renewing accounts, last time i checked, so hope you have an upgrade! I loooooove my curve, thats my recomendation
joel

[bmcclure937]

I use a curve and love it! 8310 AT&T as well which does not come equipped with WiFi. But truely if u do ur research EDGE internet with AT&T is SIGNIFICANTLY faster than WiFi, WiFi is not nearly all what it is made out to be. Check out Boygeniusreport search curve wifi and find the video where they side-by-side compared their speed. WiFi is really only good for free calling and data in my book (which only comes both with T-mobile you wont be able to make free calls with AT&T), but i have an unlim data plan so...eh...Anyway GPS is great on the go and very helpfull (note: 8310 AT&T Curve is internally equipped for GPS, not WiFi). Plus you never know how much the bold is actually going to cost so you may wanna wait! and I know the Curves are going for about $100 bucks for new accounts and renewing accounts, last time i checked, so hope you have an upgrade! I loooooove my curve, thats my recomendation
joel

Nice to share your experience and help the OP, but some of your info is not up to par...

The speed of WiFi is significantly FASTER than the speed of EDGE, sorry!!
That statement does not make sense!! The WiFi in the Curve may be slower than EDGE, but this is not because WiFi is "not nearly all what is is made out to be". As for WiFi... the main benefits (like you said) are for calling over UMA.

And the price of a Curve with ATT is $50 right now for new contracts... so I assume it is the same for upgrades (if he is eligible). Also, many people have had success getting phones on Amazon for really cheap (many times FREE or you earn money back!)

[bmcclure937]

And to add more info... after finding the video and article on boygenious...

He quotes "The device is so underpowered that it can’t really handle and process the speeds that we have hoped for"

Which shows that the device is the limiting factor, not the WiFi... obviously! And that WiFi is still faster than EDGE (and 3G for that matter) but the Curve could not handle the speed because of bottlenecks in hardware...

Check out the full report!

[billy_rud10]

Thanks for all this information. Yes I did know the 8320 would need to be unlocked for AT&T. Would using the 8320 on the AT&T network lose any functionality, besides the WiFi calls?

As for being eligible for an upgrade, I'm not until late next year.

As I said I have the 8820 for its WiFi functions, works great for email, browsing, IM's, etc. The wifi has more abilities then just calling over UMA for me, being a network administrator, its a great device to look into problems and such with internal networks.

I do have a standalone GPS, but an internal phone one could be helpful at times. I have no problem using a GPS puck if I need to.

Is there any information on when the bold will be released? I keep reading June/July. I'm guessing a hefty price will come with it to.

[iamjoel5]

just sharin my knowledge man...i got my curve for 100 bucks couple months ago, wasnt aware they extended it lower. Whether the curve has the capacity to handle wifi or not, it still doesnt go as fast as EDGE ON THE CURVE...so wuts the point in arguing about WiFi? We're referencing the curve arent we? Were you just wanting to prove me wrong? cause i could have sworn this thread was about helping someone look for a phone with our personal experience not to play symantics and trivial fact 101 in his thread...thx for ur imput tho.
Joel

[iamjoel5]

Thanks for all this information. Yes I did know the 8320 would need to be unlocked for AT&T. Would using the 8320 on the AT&T network lose any functionality, besides the WiFi calls?

As for being eligible for an upgrade, I'm not until late next year.

As I said I have the 8820 for its WiFi functions, works great for email, browsing, IM's, etc. The wifi has more abilities then just calling over UMA for me, being a network administrator, its a great device to look into problems and such with internal networks.

I do have a standalone GPS, but an internal phone one could be helpful at times. I have no problem using a GPS puck if I need to.

Is there any information on when the bold will be released? I keep reading June/July. I'm guessing a hefty price will come with it to.

There is still nothing but rumors on the official release. I spoke with RIM Corporate Technical Support yesterday and the guy knew that the OS 4.5 and Internet service 2.5 would be release "in a couple months" so I dont know if that means the bold will be released after that or the same time...I wouldnt think RIM Would release the Bold before releasing the new Operating System for all other phones, if you're not familiar with the ongoing research and wait of 4.5, please search the forum, its worth the research. But to officially answer your question, No. Unfortunately there has not been an official release date for the Bold, but it should most likely be in a couple months and should be exclusive to AT&T for X amount of months

[iamjoel5]

I wouldnt be the best to ask where the find an inexpensive Blackberry outside your carrier, but I have seen people willing to trade devices on craigslist, wouldnt hurt to look into

[billy_rud10]

Months is a little to long to wait, I got a dead phone here :P

I'm leaning towards the 8320, I just don't want to lose any features or have the phone be 'handicap' in any way. Such as sms, mms, etc.

Now as for Wifi being slower then edge. I just tested it with my 8820, using opera mini. Wifi ran much faster then edge here. Edge did seem a tad bit faster using the BB Browser. But this isn't a 8300 series so..

[IrishJK09]

just sharin my knowledge man...i got my curve for 100 bucks couple months ago, wasnt aware they extended it lower. Whether the curve has the capacity to handle wifi or not, it still doesnt go as fast as EDGE ON THE CURVE...so wuts the point in arguing about WiFi? We're referencing the curve arent we? Were you just wanting to prove me wrong? cause i could have sworn this thread was about helping someone look for a phone with our personal experience not to play symantics and trivial fact 101 in his thread...thx for ur imput tho.
Joel

Because you are wrong. WiFi is far, far, far, far faster than EDGE. WiFi is faster than HSDPA, and HSDPA is faster than EDGE.

Yeah, the 8310 doesn't have WiFi, so it is a moot point when talking about this particular device, but you are still wrong to even remotely comment that EDGE is faster than WiFi.

-EDGE clocks in at around 384kb/s maximum.

-Wifi 802.11b/g clocks in at 11mb/s maximum for "b" and 54mb/s maximum for g. You won't realistically see that, but it is very, very normal to see 2-5mb/s, if not higher, and that destroys any cellular data network, especially EDGE.

[iamjoel5]

dude its not relavant. on a Blackberry mobile device EDGE performs better, more efficient and faster than WiFi, regardless of their specs outside the phone. THIS IS ON A BLACKBERRY!!! Again for the *******, THIS IS ON A BLACKBERRY!!!!!! anyway, why are you looking at getting a 8320 if u have AT&T? you'll have to deal with unlocking it and all that, why not just get the 8310 so its already compatible in full with AT&T?

[billy_rud10]

As I said earlier:
"The wifi has more abilities then just calling over UMA for me, being a network administrator, its a great device to look into problems and such with internal networks."

[bmcclure937]

You, sir, are not very helpful at all. You are arguing that we are not being helpful... but you are not being helpful whatsoever. You have not made any valid comments regarding the OPs original quesitions!!

Do not question why he wants an unlocked 8320 for ATT... since he obviously has the means to get it and it is his choice. And do not argue that EDGE performs better than WiFi, when he is wanting to use the WiFi!! Seems to be common sense to me...

And, CrazEtooN and I are just point out that you are speaking out of your @$$ and not being helpful to the OP at all... SORRY! But we want to be correct when providing information... and we are trying to help the OP... not feed him a line of BS about why EDGE is better (when he wants to use WiFi) or question why he is going to use an unlocked 8320 with ATT!!

dude its not relavant. on a Blackberry mobile device EDGE performs better, more efficient and faster than WiFi, regardless of their specs outside the phone. THIS IS ON A BLACKBERRY!!! Again for the *******, THIS IS ON A BLACKBERRY!!!!!! The only ****** I see in this thread is you... and you haven't a clue what you are talking about. Welcome to CrackBerry (sarcastic) anyway, why are you looking at getting a 8320 if u have AT&T? you'll have to deal with unlocking it and all that, why not just get the 8310 so its already compatible in full with AT&T?

[bmcclure937]

As I said earlier:
"The wifi has more abilities then just calling over UMA for me, being a network administrator, its a great device to look into problems and such with internal networks."

I understand your needs and we are trying to help you with your problems... sorry for un-needed distractions getting us off track. I am not sure why he feels the need to fight that EDGE is "better" than WiFi, when it is common knowledge to most people that it is not.

Either way, I know you want to use the WiFi and have needs for it!!

Did you try anything I mentioned earlier??

[iamjoel5]

As I said earlier:
"The wifi has more abilities then just calling over UMA for me, being a network administrator, its a great device to look into problems and such with internal networks."

ah yes i see. If it makes any difference to you, I know that T-Mobile Curve 8320 can have an insurance applied, while AT&T does not allow you to...before i bought my AT&T curve i was thinking of just paying the $100 insurance replacement for my brother's t-mobile curve and unlocking it for my AT&T account...if u know wut i mean

[amazinglygraceless]

ah yes i see. If it makes any difference to you, I know that T-Mobile Curve 8320 can have an insurance applied, while AT&T does not allow you to...before i bought my AT&T curve i was thinking of just paying the $100 insurance replacement for my brother's t-mobile curve and unlocking it for my AT&T account...if u know wut i mean

AT&T offers insurance at $4.99 per month, with a deductible.

[bmcclure937]

Hey, a few months ago I bought a blackberry 8820 for my business phone. The thing is amazing, I mainly bought it for the WiFi. Has a few issues though, like only detecting GSM since 2 nights ago instead of edge, WiFi errors connecting to networks although it connects fine.
I would talk to ATT about the GSM to edge problem. Their EDGE may have just gone down...

Anyways, I'm thinking about getting a Blackberry to replace my Samsung D807 that has recently died. I can't really decide which Blackberry I want. I've been thinking about the 8310, or 8320. I really want all three features: Wifi (only 8320), Camera, GPS (need puck for 8320, onboard with 8310). I realize GPS can be added to the 8320 using a bluetooth receiver. While I would really like to get the bold, can't really afford to shell out that much money. (and it sounds like you cannot wait for the Bold... since your device died and you need a replacement!)

Anyways if you have any suggestions, let me know. By the way my provider is AT&T.

To cut to the chase and get right to the point:

1) For WiFi you need the Curve 8320
2) For internal GPS you need the Curve 8310

(The Curve 8320 offers GPS support through an external GPS BT puck... about 100 bucks!)

3) All Curves have the camera...

The thing you run into is this; obviously ATT supports the Curve 8310 (with rumors of an official ATT 8320 coming out in July??)...

The point is this, you can either get an 8310 and NOT have WiFi (which seems to be a feature you really want / need). OR you can get the Curve 8320 (**unlocked**) and use it on ATT.

There are obvious pros and cons to each decision, but if you absolutely want the WiFi feature, then the choice seems to clearly point to an unlocked Curve 8320. As for purchasing options... look on eBay, CraigsList or on this forum. There is a section about selling / buying devices

[iamjoel5]

AT&T offers insurance at $4.99 per month, with a deductible.

REALLY?!? they told me the blackberries could not be insured...and i called twice!! I'll have to look into this.

[iamjoel5]

To cut to the chase and get right to the point:

1) For WiFi you need the Curve 8320
2) For internal GPS you need the Curve 8310

(The Curve 8320 offers GPS support through an external GPS BT puck... about 100 bucks!)

3) All Curves have the camera...

The thing you run into is this; obviously ATT supports the Curve 8310 (with rumors of an official ATT 8320 coming out in July??)...

The point is this, you can either get an 8310 and NOT have WiFi (which seems to be a feature you really want / need). OR you can get the Curve 8320 (**unlocked**) and use it on ATT.

There are obvious pros and cons to each decision, but if you absolutely want the WiFi feature, then the choice seems to clearly point to an unlocked Curve 8320. As for purchasing options... look on eBay, CraigsList or on this forum. There is a section about selling / buying devices

Perfectly stated

[bmcclure937]

ah yes i see. If it makes any difference to you, I know that T-Mobile Curve 8320 can have an insurance applied, while AT&T does not allow you to...before i bought my AT&T curve i was thinking of just paying the $100 insurance replacement for my brother's t-mobile curve and unlocking it for my AT&T account...if u know wut i mean

Why are you telling him this?? It is not relevent to his post... at all!!

First of all, I think you are mistaken (yet again). ATT also has device insurance policies. The thing that makes the least sense in your post is saying he can get insurance on the TMobile Curve... because he is not a TMobile subscriber... therefore, he would need to get an unlocked TMo Curve to use it!!

Not being a TMo subscriber and getting the device from somewhere else, you cannot sign up for the device insurance. That is only for subscribers... and within the first 14 days or something of owning a new device!

Sorry, I don't mean to come down hard on you or anything... but you keep providing irrelevant information that is incorrect and not helping the OP at all!

[iamjoel5]

Why are you telling him this?? It is not relevent to his post... at all!!

First of all, I think you are mistaken (yet again). ATT also has device insurance policies. The thing that makes the least sense in your post is saying he can get insurance on the TMobile Curve... because he is not a TMobile subscriber... therefore, he would need to get an unlocked TMo Curve to use it!!

Not being a TMo subscriber and getting the device from somewhere else, you cannot sign up for the device insurance. That is only for subscribers... and within the first 14 days or something of owning a new device!

Sorry, I don't mean to come down hard on you or anything... but you keep providing irrelevant information that is incorrect and not helping the OP at all!

lol i was refering to taking my brothers phone and have him order another thru insurance then using his t-mobile curve on my att account...that was implied in the "if you know wut i mean" part

[iamjoel5]

good luck on finding a good phone I recommend the Curve. im dropping it we're flooding this guys thread

[billy_rud10]

Well guess I'll get a crappy temp phone until the end of July, see how this rumor goes about the 8320 for AT&T, maybe will have more information about the bold by then too.

Thanks for the info!

[iamjoel5]

definitely hopefully, you could probably even call AT&T and speak of how ur a current customer and in a delima and they may just send you a free crap phone for being a loyal customer that you can use temporarily if you play your cards right with the att rep. Kind've bad time to be looking for a blackberry because such great releases right around the corner. I would definitely see if ATT would send u one of their free phones, they always have great customer service in my experience, i wouldnt doubt u could pull it off