Sprint BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smartphone

[Admin]

Bell in Canada and Sprint in the States are offering the CDMA BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smartphone (coming in July 2007). This is the first BlackBerry smartphone with international voice and data roaming capabilities offered by Sprint and will feature unlocked SIM capabilities for voice and data services.

The BlackBerry 8830 in the US will operate on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network, and globally on CDMA and GSM/GPRS networks where Sprint has international roaming agreements. With this handset, Sprint customers have the power to make or receive phone calls in more than 170 countries and access BlackBerry data services including email and Web browsing in more than 75 countries.

New plans will be available to complement the devices that will offer unlimited BlackBerry email and web access in the U.S., Canada and Mexico using CDMA technology and with GSM/GPRS carriers abroad where Sprint has applicable roaming agreements. Sprint customers have the flexibility to pair the Worldwide BlackBerry plan with any CDMA-based BlackBerry smartphone from Sprint, including the BlackBerry 7130e and BlackBerry 8703e, which offer data roaming capabilities in Canada and Mexico.

Other features include:

* Built-in GPS – customers can utilize applications such as Sprint Navigation, spoken and visual turn-by-turn driving directions, or BlackBerry Maps, a mapping application.
* OnDemand - a unique application available exclusively from Sprint that delivers customized, up-to-date information such as sports, weather, news, money and movie information, all with the push of a button.
* Phone as Modem – with the included USB cable, customers can utilize the BlackBerry 8830 as a wireless modem to extend the capabilities of the Sprint Nationwide Network to a laptop. An appropriate service plan is required.
* Media Player – play videos, audio podcasts or music files with the built-in media player; also includes a stereo headset jack.
* MicroSD slot – allows expandable memory to store music and video files.