Blackberry 8830 World Edition Available at Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless has announced the availability in their stores of the new Blackberry 8830 World Edition PDAPhone. The new Global BlackBerry service allows customers to place and receive voice calls from more than 160 countries and send and receive e-mails in the United States, Canada, Mexico and more than 90 countries worldwide. With Global BlackBerry service, Verizon Wireless customers receive the Global Support Pack, which includes a SIM card, a user reference guide and details on accessing the Global Help Desk for 24-hour customer support, seven days a week. Customers also receive a calling card for free support calls while traveling outside of the U.S. from any landline phone to technical support if the BlackBerry 8830 is lost, broken or stolen. This gives the user a total package for traveling worldwide, not just a PDAPhone that is technically capable of functioning outside the US.

The BlackBerry 8830 World Edition PDAPhone offers the following capabilities and features:

EV-DO/GPRS network connection for high-speed data transfer in more than 90 countries
GSM/GPRS (900/1800 MHz) for continued voice and e-mail while traveling internationally
Auto-selection of CDMA/GSM Mode
Thin form factor of just 14mm for both style and easy handling
New Trackball navigation system
Media player
Expandable memory option with microSD<SUP>™</SUP> card
Speakerphone
Bluetooth<SUP>®</SUP> capabilities for certain profiles inclusive of hands-free, dial-up networking and serial port
Speaker Independent Voice Recognition for Voice Activated Dialing
Instant Messaging capabilities for quick and easy communication

All of this capability comes at a price... but if you need it, you need it!

The BlackBerry 8830 is now available in Verizon Wireless stores for $299.99 after a $100 rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. An additional $100 credit toward the purchase of the device is available for customers who sign up for qualifying voice and data plans at the time of purchase. The Global BlackBerry service provides unlimited e-mail in the United States, Canada and more than 90 countries worldwide for a $64.99 monthly access fee if the user has a qualifying voice plan. The service is $69.99 monthly without a voice plan. For people that need to stay connected worldwide, if they can pull this all off reliably, then it would be worth the price of admission. There are other options available for US only or "Pay As You Go".