Customer Rating: 
Summary: why use this?
Comment: After using an iPhone for the past year, to try something new, I got the "top of the line" blackberry 8820. Why would anyone buy this product unless their company made them?? The user interface is so bad I am amazed. The web browsing is just as bad as on a regular cell phone. The navigation is clunky. The email is great IF you ONLY read TEXT emails, anything with HTML (formatting and pictures) turns out in garbled code. Reading PDF attachments is darn near impossible. I did the like AOL/Yahoo instant messenger capability, but hardly worth it. Loading pictures/music via the Roxio desktop software is a throwback to 1998 with its horrible user interface. I really don't see the use in this device. I returned mine to Amazon after a week.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Versatile network connectivity and more
Comment: Pros:
-Windows Desktop Manager for Windows allows BB to sync with Outlook contacts, addresses, calendar and inbox.
-You can quick dial from a contact profile
-Dial history is cached
-WIFI easy to configure
-Network EDGE, WIFI, or BLUETOOTH can be activated/deactivated without frustration
-Easy to transfer music files, videos, etc to and from BB.
-The AT&T Navigator caches favorite addresses
-QWERTY pad with thumb mouse roller is brillant.
-Nifty audio sound quality.
-Okay battery life, but not the best. I recharge it every two days.
-Desktop is customizable
-Voice activated dial feature
-The applications that come with the RIM are easy to install and uninstall
Cons:
-Not compatible with Windows CE mobile applications. Darn RIM OS.
-Monthly charges to use the AT&T Navigator.
-Monthly charges to use XM radio streams.
-No touch screen.
-Will not capture photos or videos.
-Came loaded with only one game.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very Good Business Device; Not for Powerusers
Comment: I used the Blackberry 8820 ("BB8820") for about the past month before replacing it with a Moto Q 9h.
The phone is definitely very solid and user-friendly, however, I am moving to an area with 3G speeds, and I could not stand the idea of having 3G all around me through the duration of a 2 year contract with limited EDGE speeds. This is a personal preference, but I will explain more below.
The BB8820 is very nicely tweaked for EDGE. This is great for people who live in areas that have EDGE only -- I live in one now, and the phone worked really well on the EDGE network to download e-mail and browse the web. It isn't lightening-fast, but it's a Smart phone on a wireless network, not a desktop with a dedicated T1. However, because the BB8820 is so well tweaked for EDGE, when you use the Wi-Fi capabilities, the device nowhere near uses the full download/upload capabilities offered by wireless high-speed. In fact, I found basically no noticeable difference when I was on Wi-Fi from when I was on EDGE in browsing the internet and non-email functions. With email, on Wi-Fi, you get the message sometimes faster than they'll arrive on your wifi-connected laptop's in box. Pretty slick, but not good enough for me given the surrounding circumstances. Also, the Moto Q9h, while on EDGE only, will get new e-mail messages much faster than the BB8820 -- literally, the BB8820 would take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes after my laptop to pickup a new email when on EDGE only, where the Q 9h will get it within 30 seconds. It's a huge difference.
The BB8820's interface is nice. It's easy to use, easy to understand, and easy to learn. The track-ball is well made and functions well for the most part. However, clicking with the track-ball can get very annoying sometimes as you will find the track-ball moving ever so slightly to the next-over Icon and then starting that application instead of the one you intended -- very annoying sometimes.
Also, the software has a tendency to hiccup; it doesn't necessarily slow down altogether, it just sticks in certain places when you're trying to move from icon to icon and from program to program, even after you have just done a reset and have nothing open.
And on that note, resetting the phone takes WAY too long, and you have to reset the BB8820 somewhat frequently, maybe once a day. It literally probably takes a full 2 minutes from shut down to start up to just power down and start back up, it's really ridiculous. Often, you find yourself having to reset because the phone gets "nuked." An unfortunate bi-product of the BBerry network is that hackers will randomly nuke people's phones. It doesn't do any damage to the software or hardware, but it does cause you have to do one of these insufferable resets.
The GPS works really well for the most part, and pairs well with Google Maps. Unfortunately, to get things like a listing of local restaurants based on your GPS location, you must sign up for TeleNav at $9.99/mo. That does come with turn-by-turn directions, but with my Moto Q 9h I get Windows Live Search for free, which will search for local restaurants/doctors/hospitals/schools etc based on your GPS location and has a nice map function, and there is Motorola hardware you can buy for $50 to get turn-by-turn directions in your car, so you can get on a Moto Q 9h (or other Windows Mobile 6 based phone) what costs $10/mo on the BB8820 for a very nominal amount of money, much less than $120/yr.
So, in sum:
PROS:
-EASY TO USE INTERFACE, EASY TO USE HARDWARE, GOOD KEYBOARD
-ABOVE AVERAGE BUILD-QUALITY
-TRACK-BALL IS A GOOD FEATURE
-GREAT E-MAIL CLIENT THAT WORKS WELL
-SOLID GPS FUNCTIONALITY (A LOT OF OTHER PHONES HAVE SPOTTY GPS)
-GOOD BATTERY LIFE
CONS:
-SOFTWARE / INTERFACE CAN HICCUP AND SLOW DOWN RANDOMLY WITHOUT ANY PROGRAMS OPEN
-NO 3G SPEEDS (THIS IS A HUGE DETRACTOR, IMO)
-MUST SIGN UP FOR $9.99/MO TO USE THE FULL CAPABILITY OF THE GPS WHERE ON OTHER PHONES YOU CAN GET THESE FEATURES FOR BASICALLY FREE
-SLOW E-MAIL DETECTION WHILE ON EDGE-ONLY
Customer Rating:
Summary: Wi-fi Blackberry Phone
Comment: Wonderful phone! I've had my phone about one month. It's a
Cadillac model..but I'm still learning it's features. I picked up signal where other's could not, so the range is great.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Why would anyone buy a blackberry: Noobs
Comment: Blackberry's success totally blows my mind. They have a horrific OS, Constant Sync, Issues, a total lack of applications, and are ugly as sin and clunky.
Blackberry's are for total noobs. Remember 10 years ago when you could check your email and some crappy fake web on your little flip phone. Well if you do remember that then you probably know that a blackberry is trash. It's for people who didn't realize that this technology is ancient. Yes the push email is the "Best" in the business. But only because they have a monopoly over the technology.
Blackberrys fail in every other regard.
A windows phone gives you faster speeds, more memory, better media capabilities, a ton of 3rd party software, games, Emulators, Multiple email accounts, POP3/IMAP access, Ability to check OWA, streaming music, etc. on and on.
Blackberry's email isn't actually that great. Yes you can get your work email but it looks like crap. I feel like I'm reading a dos screen when I look at a blackberry.
In short if you think the blackberry is a good phone you know less then nothing about Cellular technology and are a sheep.
Hopefully the only people who have blackberry's are forced by their company.
They are awful. Stay away and stop praising technology that Windows Phones mastered years ago.
Summary: why use this?
Comment: After using an iPhone for the past year, to try something new, I got the "top of the line" blackberry 8820. Why would anyone buy this product unless their company made them?? The user interface is so bad I am amazed. The web browsing is just as bad as on a regular cell phone. The navigation is clunky. The email is great IF you ONLY read TEXT emails, anything with HTML (formatting and pictures) turns out in garbled code. Reading PDF attachments is darn near impossible. I did the like AOL/Yahoo instant messenger capability, but hardly worth it. Loading pictures/music via the Roxio desktop software is a throwback to 1998 with its horrible user interface. I really don't see the use in this device. I returned mine to Amazon after a week.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Versatile network connectivity and more
Comment: Pros:
-Windows Desktop Manager for Windows allows BB to sync with Outlook contacts, addresses, calendar and inbox.
-You can quick dial from a contact profile
-Dial history is cached
-WIFI easy to configure
-Network EDGE, WIFI, or BLUETOOTH can be activated/deactivated without frustration
-Easy to transfer music files, videos, etc to and from BB.
-The AT&T Navigator caches favorite addresses
-QWERTY pad with thumb mouse roller is brillant.
-Nifty audio sound quality.
-Okay battery life, but not the best. I recharge it every two days.
-Desktop is customizable
-Voice activated dial feature
-The applications that come with the RIM are easy to install and uninstall
Cons:
-Not compatible with Windows CE mobile applications. Darn RIM OS.
-Monthly charges to use the AT&T Navigator.
-Monthly charges to use XM radio streams.
-No touch screen.
-Will not capture photos or videos.
-Came loaded with only one game.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very Good Business Device; Not for Powerusers
Comment: I used the Blackberry 8820 ("BB8820") for about the past month before replacing it with a Moto Q 9h.
The phone is definitely very solid and user-friendly, however, I am moving to an area with 3G speeds, and I could not stand the idea of having 3G all around me through the duration of a 2 year contract with limited EDGE speeds. This is a personal preference, but I will explain more below.
The BB8820 is very nicely tweaked for EDGE. This is great for people who live in areas that have EDGE only -- I live in one now, and the phone worked really well on the EDGE network to download e-mail and browse the web. It isn't lightening-fast, but it's a Smart phone on a wireless network, not a desktop with a dedicated T1. However, because the BB8820 is so well tweaked for EDGE, when you use the Wi-Fi capabilities, the device nowhere near uses the full download/upload capabilities offered by wireless high-speed. In fact, I found basically no noticeable difference when I was on Wi-Fi from when I was on EDGE in browsing the internet and non-email functions. With email, on Wi-Fi, you get the message sometimes faster than they'll arrive on your wifi-connected laptop's in box. Pretty slick, but not good enough for me given the surrounding circumstances. Also, the Moto Q9h, while on EDGE only, will get new e-mail messages much faster than the BB8820 -- literally, the BB8820 would take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes after my laptop to pickup a new email when on EDGE only, where the Q 9h will get it within 30 seconds. It's a huge difference.
The BB8820's interface is nice. It's easy to use, easy to understand, and easy to learn. The track-ball is well made and functions well for the most part. However, clicking with the track-ball can get very annoying sometimes as you will find the track-ball moving ever so slightly to the next-over Icon and then starting that application instead of the one you intended -- very annoying sometimes.
Also, the software has a tendency to hiccup; it doesn't necessarily slow down altogether, it just sticks in certain places when you're trying to move from icon to icon and from program to program, even after you have just done a reset and have nothing open.
And on that note, resetting the phone takes WAY too long, and you have to reset the BB8820 somewhat frequently, maybe once a day. It literally probably takes a full 2 minutes from shut down to start up to just power down and start back up, it's really ridiculous. Often, you find yourself having to reset because the phone gets "nuked." An unfortunate bi-product of the BBerry network is that hackers will randomly nuke people's phones. It doesn't do any damage to the software or hardware, but it does cause you have to do one of these insufferable resets.
The GPS works really well for the most part, and pairs well with Google Maps. Unfortunately, to get things like a listing of local restaurants based on your GPS location, you must sign up for TeleNav at $9.99/mo. That does come with turn-by-turn directions, but with my Moto Q 9h I get Windows Live Search for free, which will search for local restaurants/doctors/hospitals/schools etc based on your GPS location and has a nice map function, and there is Motorola hardware you can buy for $50 to get turn-by-turn directions in your car, so you can get on a Moto Q 9h (or other Windows Mobile 6 based phone) what costs $10/mo on the BB8820 for a very nominal amount of money, much less than $120/yr.
So, in sum:
PROS:
-EASY TO USE INTERFACE, EASY TO USE HARDWARE, GOOD KEYBOARD
-ABOVE AVERAGE BUILD-QUALITY
-TRACK-BALL IS A GOOD FEATURE
-GREAT E-MAIL CLIENT THAT WORKS WELL
-SOLID GPS FUNCTIONALITY (A LOT OF OTHER PHONES HAVE SPOTTY GPS)
-GOOD BATTERY LIFE
CONS:
-SOFTWARE / INTERFACE CAN HICCUP AND SLOW DOWN RANDOMLY WITHOUT ANY PROGRAMS OPEN
-NO 3G SPEEDS (THIS IS A HUGE DETRACTOR, IMO)
-MUST SIGN UP FOR $9.99/MO TO USE THE FULL CAPABILITY OF THE GPS WHERE ON OTHER PHONES YOU CAN GET THESE FEATURES FOR BASICALLY FREE
-SLOW E-MAIL DETECTION WHILE ON EDGE-ONLY
Customer Rating:
Summary: Wi-fi Blackberry Phone
Comment: Wonderful phone! I've had my phone about one month. It's a
Cadillac model..but I'm still learning it's features. I picked up signal where other's could not, so the range is great.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Why would anyone buy a blackberry: Noobs
Comment: Blackberry's success totally blows my mind. They have a horrific OS, Constant Sync, Issues, a total lack of applications, and are ugly as sin and clunky.
Blackberry's are for total noobs. Remember 10 years ago when you could check your email and some crappy fake web on your little flip phone. Well if you do remember that then you probably know that a blackberry is trash. It's for people who didn't realize that this technology is ancient. Yes the push email is the "Best" in the business. But only because they have a monopoly over the technology.
Blackberrys fail in every other regard.
A windows phone gives you faster speeds, more memory, better media capabilities, a ton of 3rd party software, games, Emulators, Multiple email accounts, POP3/IMAP access, Ability to check OWA, streaming music, etc. on and on.
Blackberry's email isn't actually that great. Yes you can get your work email but it looks like crap. I feel like I'm reading a dos screen when I look at a blackberry.
In short if you think the blackberry is a good phone you know less then nothing about Cellular technology and are a sheep.
Hopefully the only people who have blackberry's are forced by their company.
They are awful. Stay away and stop praising technology that Windows Phones mastered years ago.