02 Feb 10 Blackberry 8830 Cell Phone Review–The Saga Continues

Not long ago we discussed the Blackberry 8330 and the Blackberry 8530 right here, and we discovered they were a lot alike except for a few minor, almost cosmetic, differences.  Thus it will prove to be little surprise that not much has changed once again in the new Blackberry 8830.

The Blackberry 8830 offers a battery capable of generating up to five hours of talk time on a single charge.  It also features wireless email and internet access, Blackberry Maps, a media player, a GPS feature, a trackball and a fully backlit QWERTY keyboard, stereo headset jack, integrated earpiece and microphone, built in speakerphone, Bluetooth connectivity, hearing aid compatibility if you happen to use one, microSD card support, and access to dual band Ev-DO networks.

Make no mistake, this is a beautiful phone with plenty of great options, but all the standard problems–not a whole lot of fun options like games and such, hypersensitive trackball–are all still in play.  But yes, the 8830 is an improvement over the earlier models, if something of an incremental one.

I just wish they’d learn from what they so relentlessly screw up….

The Good

Loads of great options

Steady, incremental improvement

Adherence to what works in earlier models

The Bad

Minimal fun

Hidebound philosophy

Adherence to what DIDN’T work in earlier models

Score: 7/10

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Tags: BlackBerry, blackberry 8830, blackberry maps, cell phone, GPS, Research In Motion, RIM