[xSt0rmTroop3Rx]

ok so I've been reading that the Curve 8330 was one of the best devices RIM ever put out...I've currently got the Storm 2 and hate it so I'm looking into getting a BB with a physical qwerty. given what I've read, and the fact that the 8330 is dirt cheap on Amazon, I wanna know from the 8330 fans:

1) do you still use it and enjoy it?
2) what makes/made the 8330 so good?
3) can I get OS 5.0 and Bridge on it?
4) is it any better than the 8830WE and in what ways?

please answer promptly forum, as time is of the essence!!

[jeffh]

I never owned an 8330, but I did own an 8830 and I can answer some of your questions. The 8330 was the first BlackBerry to have more than 64MB of memory. Its 96MB was 50% more than any other device at the time. That extra memory is the reason it is the only 8xxx series device that can run OS5.0. That doesn't mean it will run it well. If you do decide to upgrade, be sure you have the executable for the version of OS 4.5 that comes on it so you can roll back if you aren't satisfied with the results. I don't know about Bridge use.

The 8830WE was a world phone. It was the first (I think) BlackBerry that could be used on both North American CDMA networks and European GSM networks. It did not have the correct radio frequencies to work on North American GSM networks. While the 8830 was an excellent phone, it was only a 64MB device and its usable memory was further reduced by the memory needed for the GSM radio. An empty 8830 had about 48MB available. With the OS loaded, that dropped to about 25MB.

While both are obsolete, the 8330 is clearly a better value than the 8830, unless you live in Europe and plan to use the GSM radio on the 8830.

[OniBerry]

I loved my 8330. That thing would not die (still have it, and sometimes even use it too). I just always had a soft spot for it.

Never used Bridge, never upgraded to 5.0 I was happy enough with 4.2.

[Kwsn]

I had the 8330 for 2 years before getting the new 9310. I had the boostmobile branded one with OS5. OS5 doesn't leave you much memory for apps so after adding some your memory goes down and you will have issues with hourglassing and freezing. The web browser is painfully slow for the most part unless you use opera mini which makes it tolerable. Call quality is great as well as email and text. The camera is just 2mp so nothing spectacular there. Depsite some issues I had I did enjoy my 8330 while I had it, but the 9310 is like night and day, much faster OS and web browsing and excellent battery life. The 8330 may be cheap but the 9310 can be found between 80 and 100 dollars and is well worth it if your looking for a solid interim BB until BB10 comes out.

[axllebeer]

I had the Nextel version the 8350i, and that thing was a work horse. Still works to this day. However, I think anything older than it will not run OS 5.0. I'm pretty sure that more ram is needed and it had 128 (as seen in this video)
8350i



And the 8330



If I'm wrong here someone else feel free to chime in.