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Changing Keyboard Color On BlackBerry 8830 Just Not Worth It

by Ronen Halevy on Oct 29th, 2007 at 5:42 pm EST
5 Comments »
 

8830-blackkeyboardchangeI was just reading a post on Corey Gilmore’s blog about his attempt to change the keyboard on his gray BlackBerry 8830 to a black keyboard. His exact words are “It looks like crap.” I know many people have been considering the change since the see through keys on the 8830 do not light up at night as well as the white on black of the original BlackBerry 8800. Corey actually recommends changing the whole housing if you plan on doing anything or the device will just be an eyesore. Check out his full description and more pics at this link. It seems like his next project will be replacing the built-in speaker to squeeze out 75dB of bass from his Berry.

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This entry was posted on Monday, October 29th, 2007 and is filed under 8800/8830.
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5 Comments to “Changing Keyboard Color On BlackBerry 8830 Just Not Worth It”

  1. Posted by: Corey Gilmore
    October 30, 2007 at 12:01 am EST

    Thanks for the kind words. I actually just added one more piece to give it a bit more continuity, I think it makes a difference. Enough that I’m not wishing I’d spent the extra $40 for a full case anyways :)

    It’s up at http://coreygilmore.com/blog/2007/10/29/a-patch-for-my-black-8830-keyboard/

  2. Posted by: dgw2
    October 30, 2007 at 7:53 am EST

    I actually replaced my keyboard in two stages. First, I did just the keyboard. Personally, I did not have a problem with the silver case as I enjoyed the functionality of the black keyboard as the most important reason why I changed it out anyway. Then enjoying the idea I had just successfully dismantled my favorite technical item, I decided to change out the rest of the case (I had ordered both items from CNN just in case). So now I have a complete black BB (looks like Sprint) and without any logos or writing it looks rather stealthy. It has worked well for me.

  3. Posted by: BerryReview
    October 31, 2007 at 11:30 am EST

    I agree I tried the Verizon gray keypads and I like my AT&T black keyboard. I just cant get myself to take my toy apart :(

  4. Posted by: Corey Gilmore
    October 31, 2007 at 11:40 am EST

    The gray keypad is so hard to read, I’m not sure how it made it through the evaluation phase. Don’t worry too much about taking apart your BB, they’re pretty hard to break and as long as you’re slightly gentle while taking it apart you should be fine. I had a friend drop his 8700 off a 3rd floor landing and it didn’t even have a scratch. Another friend was in a motorcycle accident and while the LCD broke, the device still worked.

  5. Posted by: KT
    July 11, 2008 at 4:20 pm EST

    Although the original post was written in 2007, I came across it and had to comment, since people still talk about swapping out the silver/blue keyboard on the 8830.

    I recently changed my 8830’s keyboard to black, and couldn’t be happier. I can finally READ the keyboard in all kinds of lighting. HALLELUJAH!! On a scale of 1-10 with one being the easiest, taking the BB apart was about a TWO, maybe a ONE. All it takes is a Torx T5 screwdriver, an inexpensive plastic pry tool, and a little bit of caution. If I could do it, ANYONE can!! In addition, I think it looks great!! (in my black OtterBox case, and out).

    Hope this helps anyone else who’s thinking of taking the plunge. And by the way, I bought the keypad, pry tool, and new trackball from cnn.cn. They are a WONDERFUL company.