[bmedude]

i sure hope verizon steps up their game and offers a new blackberry,I want a trackball too!

[ajf5150]

One of my best friends works for the largest agent/reseller of Verizon Wireless in the North East. He recently attended a training seminar specifically covering PDAs and advanced devices at VZW local headquarters in Wallingford, Ct. According to him there was a rep from Palm talking about the Treos, especially the newest 700wx that just got released for Verizon. What I was most interested in was that the RIM rep was there and had with him the next Blackberry to be released for Verizon. He was able to handle and toy with it for a few minutes. According to him it will be released in April/May 2007 and Verizon techs are currently working up last minute QA tests/checks with the device on the network before full rollout. There was no pricing discussed in the meeting but the device was said to be called Blackberry 8830. This all ties in with info from other posts/threads and rumors from other sites. I also now have more confidence in the rough April/May release timeframe because they showed the device at this meeting that included non-VZW employees. It would seem that it is only a short wait away, and I can't wait. I've been stuck on the Treo 650 for FAR too long and can't wait to get this device as soon as it comes out.

[Dalton]

Thanks for the update. I hope all this information is correct and we see this no later than May. I really need a new device and this should do it for a year or so.

[ajf5150]

I have to post an update. As much as I trust that my friend isn't giving me bogus info, I had a chance to pick his brain on more details about his experience with the Blackberry he recently saw in the meeting. He insists that the device looks very similar to the Blackberry 8800 but here's the thing, he was dead-certain that it did not use the Pearl/8800 type trackball. Rather, he was certain that the device he saw/handled was live on the Verizon network as a test device, BUT it used the sidewheel navigation instead. Also it did have a full QWERTY keyboard layout, but there was not mention of the worldphone CDMA/GSM capability that has been associated with the "Cyclone" rumors. I apologize for any confusion, and it is still somewhat possible that the device shown does not reflect the final design intended for release, possibly to protect the key design features?? However, I find it somewhat hard to understand if this device is released without the trackball how it will be positioned against the 8703E that Verizon Wireless is already carrying. I've tried to scan other rumor sites/message boards but have not been able to find any recent updates from people with "hard" facts/details.

[li2327]

~via BB (wap.pinstack.com)~
It may be worth it to wait before I do my upgrade

[Dalton]

I will be very disappointed if it does not have the trackball design over the wheel. VZW is pushing me towards the edge (pun intended) and I am about to jump if they keep it up!

[McQueen]

The Verizon BlackBerry "Cyclone" is there version of the 8800, and it will have the trackball, and be a CDMA/GSM phone, still up in the air if it will have wi-fi though. I will know more by the end of March.

[Dalton]

Originally Posted by McQueen

The Verizon BlackBerry "Cyclone" is there version of the 8800, and it will have the trackball, and be a CDMA/GSM phone, still up in the air if it will have wi-fi though. I will know more by the end of March.

Do you know if the April-May timeframe is still the target date?

[McQueen]

Originally Posted by Dalton

Do you know if the April-May timeframe is still the target date?

As far as I know yes, but I will know more at the end of the month when I meet with them.

[toddone]

i am hoping that it comes soon i just bought the 8703e because i couldnt wait any longer...
and if you can get your hands on one i want first dibs...lol

[BoogieNYC]

Hey McQueen, et al:

I'm a year into a two-year plan with the Razr and it's dying so two wks ago I figgered I'd go with the 8703e thru Verizon. Then along comes the Cingular 8800.

I went to Cingular, got an 8800 for data on Cingy and keep the VZW Razr or upgrade to another phone but not a BB. Now that you're pretty much confirming -- as much as possible -- that it's April or May for the VZW 88xx, I'll bring this 8800 back to Cingular and hold out for the two/three month wait.

My question to you and to anyone who has an 8703e thru Verizon is how much of the current Cingy 8800 is going to transfer over to the VZW version? I'm not asking for specifics or details that very few of us, if at all, have at our disposal. I mean how much functionality will VZW allow? Based on their lockdown of the V710 and the Razr -- bluetooth, transferring of ringtones/wallpapers/etc. -- is their version of the 8800 going to be a lot different from the current Cingy 8800?

I guess I should ask this question in a different way -- how different are the VZW 8703e and the Cingy 8700c? Is Verizon's version locked to force users buy ringtones, wallpapers and all that other stuff? If so, I'll stick with the two phones, one solution plan I'm in now; otherwise, I'll be willing to wait for April/May (likely June) to score me a VZW 88xx.

Thanks for your help...

-B-

[McQueen]

Originally Posted by BoogieNYC

Hey McQueen, et al:

I'm a year into a two-year plan with the Razr and it's dying so two wks ago I figgered I'd go with the 8703e thru Verizon. Then along comes the Cingular 8800.

I went to Cingular, got an 8800 for data on Cingy and keep the VZW Razr or upgrade to another phone but not a BB. Now that you're pretty much confirming -- as much as possible -- that it's April or May for the VZW 88xx, I'll bring this 8800 back to Cingular and hold out for the two/three month wait.

My question to you and to anyone who has an 8703e thru Verizon is how much of the current Cingy 8800 is going to transfer over to the VZW version? I'm not asking for specifics or details that very few of us, if at all, have at our disposal. I mean how much functionality will VZW allow? Based on their lockdown of the V710 and the Razr -- bluetooth, transferring of ringtones/wallpapers/etc. -- is their version of the 8800 going to be a lot different from the current Cingy 8800?

I guess I should ask this question in a different way -- how different are the VZW 8703e and the Cingy 8700c? Is Verizon's version locked to force users buy ringtones, wallpapers and all that other stuff? If so, I'll stick with the two phones, one solution plan I'm in now; otherwise, I'll be willing to wait for April/May (likely June) to score me a VZW 88xx.

Thanks for your help...

-B-

The only thing locked on the 8703e is the GPS functionality, which the 8700c never had. From what info the Verizon/RIM reps have given me, the verizon 8800 will be very similar to the cingy 8800, except for the PTT(push-to-talk) service that cingular has now. I should have more details when I meet with the Verizon/RIM people this month

[BoogieNYC]

Originally Posted by McQueen

The only thing locked on the 8703e is the GPS functionality, which the 8700c never had. From what info the Verizon/RIM reps have given me, the verizon 8800 will be very similar to the cingy 8800, except for the PTT(push-to-talk) service that cingular has now. I should have more details when I meet with the Verizon/RIM people this month

Thanks, McQueen. I really like the 8800 but I don't see much point in having two devices, one for phone and the other for data/PDA. Assuming all this is accurate, or at least relatively so, I am far less concerned in holding off and waiting for Verizon's 88xx release as a result of your input.

Thanks again for the info.

-B-

[akosnitzky]

~via BB (wap.pinstack.com)~
The 8300 looks interesting as well. My hope is that VZW is exploring their competition. I am a 7250 user anxious to upgrade

[saa001]

Is there a list of features for this phone other than the dual mode (GSM out of U.S.)?