Best 8800 version and service opinion

[davidatfsu]

I am definitely getting a blackberry for graduation shortly. My eye is set on the 8800 series. I've been with Sprint forever and generally have been satisfied with their service, particularly in Atlanta where I'm moving. But I'm willing to switch to a different provider, if it means getting the 8820 with WiFi.

If you could go with any provider and get any 8800, which would you choose? Is the WiFi feature even worth going with AT&T? Apparently it's coming to T-Mobile March 24, and they appear to have the cheapest plans.

Thanks for any help.

[Eric47]

id say consider a BB Curve or wait for the BB9000 which will be 3G on AT&T and way better email and browser than any other BB.

but if your really hooked on the 8800 your gonna find your best bet with AT&T. espically in the Southeast, their coverage is much more extensive than TMOB's here and everywhere else.

also Birmingham and Atlanta are ATT 3G areas. TMOB is still EDGE only.

then again 3G only is applicable to 3G devices...

just some food for thought.

[davidatfsu]

Originally Posted by EricN4707

id say consider a BB Curve or wait for the BB9000 which will be 3G on AT&T and way better email and browser than any other BB.

but if your really hooked on the 8800 your gonna find your best bet with AT&T. espically in the Southeast, their coverage is much more extensive than TMOB's here and everywhere else.

also Birmingham and Atlanta are ATT 3G areas. TMOB is still EDGE only.

then again 3G only is applicable to 3G devices...

just some food for thought.

Thanks for the feedback. The 9000 looks awesome but I have to rule it out with the Curve as well. I'm going to be in a lot of courtrooms which don't allow camera phones. How does the AT&T bill compare with TMOB? My understanding is that AT&T is expensive.

[Eric47]

its not much more expensive. depends on what your needs are.

many people see TMOB plans and think they are cheaper, but the value is in a different way.

for instance, heres a comparison

TMOB you get 1000whenever and n&weekends for 39.99
now that doesnt include m2m (only 26million people)
doesnt include any extra free minutes (no my circle)
if you want m2m thats 9 or 10 bucks...so your up to 49.99

ATT you get 900 with N&W and M2M (with 71million people...and since your gonna be in Birmingham and ATL alot which are MAJOR ATT areas, it would pay off to have this) AND YOU GET ROLLOVER...so if you are able to save up minutes and it saves your but from paying overages...what kind of value does that hold?? could save you several hundred dollars just one time..
so even though this plan is 59.99...the value there is definetly comparable if not better, not to mention the coverage you receive is superior to TMOB 9 times out of 10.

i would definetly keep all of that into consideration.

[paulmac]

I agree with the above post. One other thing, an 8800 is an 8800 no matter what flavor it is in. Some carriers models are slightly different but they all pretty much work the same. For example, GPS does NOT work on the Verizon 8830, it does work other models and carriers. But the OS on the 8800s (just like any other BBs) are all the same. Meaning when one carrier release an updated OS you can put it on any other BB no matter who your carrier is. I do that all the time to get keep up with the latest OS.

It is more important to worry about coverage, and pricing. I have had BBs with TMO, Cingular, and Verizon. In my area Cingular and Verizon have equally good coverage. I went with Verizon becuase of a discount (19%) that I get through my employer. TMO's coverage while good, did have some dead spots.

Also being a 911 dispatcher, I know how accurate verizon plots the locations of the cell phone compared to other carriers (something unique in the area where I live). So to me in case of an emergency that is important to me. Verizon phones will pinpoint the callers location almost immediatly on a map when someone dials 911. Other carriers in the area where I live may or may not pin point the location when you dial 911 on thier phone. And if they do, may not be an accurate location. Verizon is the most accurate, TMO and AT&T are getting there, Dobson and Nextel are the worse. With Dobson and Nextel, you might not even get a location.

[davidatfsu]

I'd like to stay with Sprint, but they've been frustrating to say the least. The best "deal" they could give me was $75 off the full price. Not only that, the CSR tried to talk me out of a BB because he "just really doesn't like them." My next move is to see how cheap it will be to get out of my contract with the prorated ETF and then see what they do to try and keep me.

The Curve looks pretty awesome. I should save myself the trouble and avoid the camera feature, but I really like the keyboard on the Curve better than the 8800.

Thanks for the replies.