An addition to the BlackBerry Curve series is the 8830, and it is released for Sprint and Verizon Wireless. This silver-colored smartphone boasts its 3G and EV-DO connectivity. There’s a sacrifice to pay though, since unlike the 8320, the 8330 lacks Wi-Fi. Setting this aside, BlackBerry Curve 8830 remains a promising gadget for corporate users and casual users alike.

The design of Sprint Curve 8330 is relatively similar with other Curve models, despite the fact that it is slightly thicker and heavier due to the inclusion of the 3G chip. It measures 4.2″ x 2.4″ x 0.6″ inches and weighs 4.2 ounces. The QWERTY keyboard and the 2.5-inch 65K color screen at a 320×240 pixel resolution are compacted in the gadget. It still includes the light-sensing technology that makes reading texts and images not a problem. It conditions the screen according to environmental conditions. Below the display are the controls for navigation: Talk and End buttons, Menu shortcut, back Button and trackball navigator.

The right portion of the BlackBerry Curve 8830 is where the volume control and a user-programmable shortcut key are placed, whereas the default option was camera activation. The left portion is where the mini-USB port, convenience key and 3.5 millimeter headphone jack.

The back side of the phone is where the 2-Megapixel camera and mirror lens are placed. The top side is where the mute button is. Accessing the microSD slot may be a painful one since it is located behind the battery. The lack of Wi-Fi doesn’t really appear to be a problem Curve 8330 because of the EV-DO that allows data speeds of around 300Kbps to 600Kbps which make surfing the Net via the mobile much faster.

Among the loads of features of the 8330, the GPS and 3G are its remarkable treats. The integrated GPS support Sprint Navigation, an add-on service that offers turn-by-turn text- and voice-guided directions complete with text-to-speech functionality, local search, traffic updates, and other navigation tools. The 3G, on the other hand, offers support in a vast array of multimedia services including Sprint TV and Sprint Music Store. Sprint TV’s channels include CNN and Comedy Central while the Sprint Music Store features live music streaming from MTV Mobile, VH1 Mobile and Sirius. Downloading is also possible with the Sprint Music Store at a little cost.

It’s imperative that Curve 8830’s multimedia capabilities include a built-in media player that can play music in MP3, WMA, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, and MIDI formats, and video in MPEG4, WMV, and H.263 formats. Multimedia files should be stored in a microSD card. The expansion slot can accept up to 8GB cards.

Voice, messaging and e-mail capabilities with 8330 just retain the earlier models and its performance remains to be at its best. Other connectivity options with 8330 is the Bluetooth possibly acting itself as modem for laptops.

Calling and receiving messages around the world is now possible with Verizon Wireless’ release of the RIM BlackBerry 8830. The bland BlackBerry smartphone is now out with this phone’s integration of EV-DO support and multimedia capabilities but there is still no camera for this unit.

The BlackBerry 8830 has a dimension of 4.9 x 2.6 x 0.55 inches and a weight of 4.73 ounces. Although the unit is slim, it is one of the larger BlackBerry because of its taller and wider body, probably to give room to its spacious QWERTY keyboard and trackball that are reminiscent of the 8800. The 2.5 inch screen features a 65k color display at a 320 x 240 pixel resolution. Texts and pictures are sharp and bright and are still viewable even in darker environments, thanks to the automatic backlighting adjustment of the screen.

The volume controls are located on the right portion of the phone while the 2.5 mm headset jack, mini USB port and a predefined key for launching voice dial on the right side. The power and mute buttons are located on the top of the unit. One disappointment in this phone is the location of the miniSD expansion slot behind the battery cover.

The biggest feature of the BlackBerry 8830 is the dual-mode functionality that automatically switches between CDMA and GSM networks for international roaming, without changing the phone number. This means that users can get voice coverage in 157 countries and e-mail coverage in 2 countries, but these services of course, incur charges. Additional features include speakerphone, smart dialing, speed dialing and conference calling.

Connectivity options with 880 include Bluetooth 2.0 for wireless headsets and hand-free kits. The unit can also be used as a wireless modem for laptops. The unit’s support with EV-DO means that users can experience data speeds of 300Kbps to 600Kbps which makes web browsing seamless. The phone also has not only one, but two available GPS programs for driving directions

8830′s e-mail capabilities fared well with other BlackBerry models, especially with the retaining of the Push technology in sending and receiving e-mails real tim and synching with BlackBerry Enterprise server that support for Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino, or Novell GroupWise. Messaging options include SMS and MMS. Instant messaging is only limited to the BlackBerry Messenger client.

Voice dialing is easy with 8830 and the quality of sound during calls is always excellent. Talk time can reach to five and a half hours. Multimedia features in 8830 include music and video players, although the lack of camera still results to a mixed reaction among corporate users and pure mobile enthusiasts.