Rim Blackberry 8830

I dig this phone a lot, since it does most of the things I need - email, scheduling, phone, and web access. Adding email integration was very easy. The default web browser is okay (good enough for Google Reader, Techmeme, etc), though you may want to download Opera Mini for some more power. There's no camera, but I don't really need one personally. Some people might though.

The downsides aren't a major issue for me. Yet. There's a funky calendar syncing issue with Yahoo Calendar, which might be Yahoo's fault. The location field in Yahoo Calendar isn't able to sync to the Backberry's default calendaring app for some reason. The battery life seems just okay to me.

Unfortunately, having Verizon adds a few extra headaches. Verizon disables it's GPS feature. So you don't get GPS. Sucks, huh? Also, I was able to tether my previous phone (a Motorola Q) to a laptop - that means connecting your phone to your laptop and using it like a modem. This was super handy whenever I entered a spot without free wifi and desperately needed web access with my laptop. The app I used was PDANet. This app doesn't have a version for Palm OS. I should note that Verizon offers the ability to tether with your laptop, but you have to pay an additional monthly fee. With the Motorola Q (or any other phone with the Windows Mobile OS), you can bypass that monthly fee. Personally, that's the biggest complaint for me, though it might be a minor issue for others.

 The 8830 is a great product.  A camera would be nice, but the advantage of international capability is a big plus.  I went to europe over the summer and it worked everywhere.  The email set up is convenient and fast...

Of course the biggest advantage of having a blackberry is the famous blackberry keyboard and trackball.  I love the keyboard on the 8830, but a lot of people say they prefer the one on the "curve."  The curve has more spaced out keys which can prevent errors in key strokes, but once you get used to the keyboard on the 8830, you can type very quickly and very accurately.  This is a big big plus...

Blackberry messenger is always a great feature.

Google has an application for blackberry called googlesync, which is capable of syncing your google calendar to your blackberry if you use it.  

Great product overall, I would recommend it to anyone.

takes a lickng and keeps on ticking!