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Verizon Finally Releases 8330 Curve… A Year Too Late

by Ronen Halevy on May 8th, 2008 at 11:13 am EST
26 Comments »
 

8330_verizonYou can pick up the new 8330 CDMA Curve from Verizon Wireless for $219 after a 2 year contract and $100 online discount at this link. Supposedly there is also another $50 rebate you get somehow.

Sadly I find it very hard to get excited about a year old device that is finally making its way to the CDMA world. If your stuck with Verizon then I can highly recommend the Curve as a solid device. The only question I have is why it took so long…

Now we only need to wait until 2010 for the 9000 series to come to CDMA carriers

 

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This entry was posted on Thursday, May 8th, 2008 and is filed under 8300 Curve, News.
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26 Comments to “Verizon Finally Releases 8330 Curve… A Year Too Late”

  1. Posted by: Nikolaus
    May 8, 2008 at 11:19 am EST

    Plus doesn’t Verizon lock their devices’ features to high heck?

  2. Posted by: DavidB
    May 8, 2008 at 11:23 am EST

    @Nikolaus:
    No doubt the GPS will be locked to only work with their VZNavigator software (extra $10/month). But other than that it should be feature complete.

  3. Posted by: DavidB
    May 8, 2008 at 11:27 am EST

    BoyGenius is reporting the Sprint Curve will be available for shipping tomorrow too.
    http://www.boygeniusreport.com/wp-content/uploads/image/blackberry1ps2.jpg

    FWIW, I think the Sprint Curve looks better than the Verizon Curve. Oh, and the Sprint version will likely have unrestricted GPS (like all their other BB’s).

  4. Posted by: Richard Puckett II
    May 8, 2008 at 1:34 pm EST

    I had been a VZW customer for years but dropped them last year because I got tired of their antiquated lineup. I simply couldn’t stand using a Treo 700w (or rather WinMo 5) a day longer and wanted a BlackBerry so I switched carriers. Granted, Verizon’s gotten better with their selection lately, but yeah, they’re just now getting the Curve, so what’s that say?

  5. Posted by: tim
    June 8, 2008 at 2:58 am EST

    The gps is NOT locked! Vzw asbandoned that strategy waylast fall!

  6. Posted by: DavidB
    June 8, 2008 at 10:04 pm EST

    Uh, Tim, using what exact OS version and on what model Verizon Blackberry are you able to use GPS with any program other than VZNavigator (at $10 extra per month)??? External bluetooth pucks not counted.

  7. Posted by: BB User Syn
    July 4, 2008 at 8:38 pm EST

    Umnn first I have always had Google maps work on my verizon blackberry second when the Thunder comes to Verizon and CDMA first every one will be kicking themselves in the butt for not being on vzw. Granted they try to make you pay for vznavigator however they have recently unlocked gps universally and I have noticed google maps works on all blackberries i’ve seen under vzw

  8. Posted by: DavidB
    July 5, 2008 at 9:37 am EST

    @BB User Syn:

    Like I asked commentor Tim who also made unfounded claims, please detail exactly what version of BB OS and what BB Model you are using that enables GPS to work in anything but VZNavigator (for $10/month extra)?

    Well duh, Google Maps “works”. It’s cell tower triangulation (”My Location”) can give you a fix within several hundreds of feet but that’s not GPS. No version of Google Maps (to date) or ANY other program is able to get a GPS fix on any Verizon BB unless it is via an external GPS receiver. Prove otherwise by providing verifiable software and OS versions and I’ll eat crow.

  9. Posted by: Tim
    July 5, 2008 at 7:44 pm EST

    As I told you on another of these comment boards it’s the last several releases, one was released last Dec and the one that was about a month or so ago. Since you unsist in exact version numbers they are versions 4.2.2.176 and 4.2.2.196 It also works in the new 4.5.0.33 beta.

  10. Posted by: DavidB
    July 6, 2008 at 7:19 am EST

    Ah Tim, I suggest you go back and READ http://www.berryreview.com/2008/06/06/eric-carr-of-loopt-explains-gps-location-technologies/ and the article linked. Google Maps “My Location” capability is not even CLOSE to real GPS. ust because YOU happen to get a close approximation of your location from it, does NOT mean GPS is working for all Verizon Blackberry users. Google “My Location” is plain and simple NO SUBSTITUTE for REAL GPS for most uses and in most locations. It works via cell tower triangulation, and is “decent” for some uses, but it’s simply NOT GPS. Pinpointing my location to within 1700 meters (about 1 mile?) isn’t even close to how close REAL GPS locates.

    Come on, if it were TRUE that Verizon is no longer blocking GPS location access to any app accept VZNavigator, then WHY do there continue to be posts all over the Blackberry boards about it NOT working? Why are users posting responses from Verizon as recent as last week that they do not currenty permit application access to GPS location due to “security concerns”???

  11. Posted by: Tim
    July 6, 2008 at 12:22 pm EST

    Look David I’m tired of arguing with you, I’m sorry it does not work for you and that installing the updated software does not unlock the GPS for you but it does for me, pretty much every place I test it I am within a few feet of my real location and the location is almost exactly the same as the real VZ Navigator I have on my Voyager (included in the premium plan), the two places I was off the VZ Navigator in the Voyager was off as well. I’m not gonna argue with you anymore, I’ve been more than patient explaining when you’ve asked but as of now I’m done. Believe what you want.

  12. Posted by: DavidB
    July 6, 2008 at 2:50 pm EST

    Well Tim, if what you say was true, GPS would work in any LBS enabled app. It simply IS NOT. Locating does not function in Blackberry Maps, FindIt, any of the golf tracking/mapping apps, Yahoo Local, nothing. Regardless of what released device software is installed.

    And comparing to another wireless phone isn’t valid. Compare to a standalone GPS device (Nuvi, TomTom, etc.).

    Unfortunate YOU can’t accept that Google Maps has you fooled. I wish it were true. But YOU Tim are the ONLY person on the internet claiming GPS works, while there are hundreds (not just me) saying otherwise. Including Verizon’s own statements.

  13. Posted by: DavidB
    July 8, 2008 at 12:41 pm EST

    Hi Tim. Hope you’re still following this thread. I would like to point you to this information about a class action lawsuit: http://www.cyberlaw.pro/cyberlawg/general-interest/suit-challenges-verizon-on-blackberry-gps.html
    Now, if indeed as you say Verizon is no longer blocking applicaton access to the GPS chip, why would such a class action lawsuit be proceeding?

    If yours indeed DOES work (the Google Maps current location dot is green, not blue), then I congratulate you on having the only Verizon Blackberry that does have functioning GPS. I would also urge you to try some other GPS software (Blackberry Maps, etc.) and see if they can get a GPS fix on your phone too. When I go into Options in Blackberry Maps for example, the “GPS Source” offers no option except “None”. Does YOUR Blackberry offer you a GPS Source other than “None”?

    Listen, I’m not trying to be an ass about this. I’m a techno geek at heart, and would LOVE it if the GPS chip in my device worked. There are SO MANY apps I’d love to use on my Blackberry that are essentially useless without GPS location. If indeed there are Verizon Blackberry smartphones out there that DO have functioning GPS, I would love to try to figure out HOW (and most importantly WHY NOT ALL).

  14. Posted by: Tim
    July 8, 2008 at 3:31 pm EST

    Yes I’m subscribed to this thread so I get email notifications whenever someone replies. both in my 8830 and Curve I get two options: Device GPS and Voyager (LG VX10000), another GPS enabled phone that I usually have blue toot linked to my phoneme so I can transfer address took entries. Sometimes it reads Device GPS – NA (when the weather is bad or I’m inside some buildings). Whichever I choose the dot is indeed blue. I haven’t had it read NONE since I first got the 8830 phone with old software which has been updated twice now (three times counting the beta software I am running now). It’s never said that on the curve. I know you’re gonna suggest that maybe it is using Voyager’s GPS no matter what it is set, but it worked long before I had the two of them linked and still works if I disable Bluetooth. As for the class action lawsuit, I don’t know. I read once that people were trying to do that and assumed that was why Verizon unlocked it. I wish I knew what to tell you. As tired as you are of it not working or of people like me saying it does (I’ve run into a few of us), I’m tired of reading when someone states blanket statements about it not working whenin my experience it does. Not sure what the issue is. The link you sent me was dated Dec 7 and I’m not completely sure about the date but I believe the first software update I installed was released in the middle of December, VZW’s site only lists the most recent one so I can’t look up the date.

  15. Posted by: DavidB
    July 8, 2008 at 8:29 pm EST

    There have been four software versions from Verizon.
    4.2.2.66
    4.2.2.148 (Maintenance Release 1)
    4.2.2.176 (Maintenance Release 2)
    4.2.2.196 (Maintenance Release 3)

    I’ve done a device wipe and installed each one (again) and installed the latest Google Maps and Blackberry Maps each time.

    Google Maps first run ask for permission to access GPS but is never able to get a fix. The dot stays blue all the time (indicating it is using cell tower triangulation, not GPS).

    Blackberry Maps when first runs asks for permission to access GPS location but each time a dialog says it is unable to get a GPS fix.

    So, Tim, you are the luckiest Verizon Blackberry customer in the nation. You have the only device that works with GPS. I just spent another HOUR on the phone with Verizon customer support (including a conference call with RIM tech support) before I finally got to a Verizon support rep who confirmed, not 10 minutes ago by phone, the device “GPS location is not enabled for any application except our VZNavigator. Would you like me to enable that on your account for $10/month?”

  16. Posted by: Tim
    July 8, 2008 at 8:34 pm EST

    I wish I knew what to tell you.

  17. Posted by: DavidB
    July 9, 2008 at 9:05 am EST

    What do you have in BLACKBERRY MAPS for GPS SOURCE? That’s what I was asking in post #13. And what happens in BLACKBERRY MAPS if you try to change the GPS SOURCE?

  18. Posted by: DavidB
    July 9, 2008 at 4:03 pm EST

    So today I emailed a complaint to Charlie Falco, Verizon VP of Customer Relations. I was requested to contact Aaron Fischman
    in Northeast Area Executive Relations. Aaron and I had a long chat, in which he reiterated that Verizon does this in order to “protect the security and privacy of it’s customers” (i.e. the ‘party line’). Plainly to the point, “Verizon Wireless has no intention of modifying it’s policy regarding the blocking of 3rd party application access to any Blackberry device internal GPS location until such time as ‘Open Access’ becomes available late 2008″. He said that there were many applications that have been submitted by vendors for testing/approval under their ‘Open Access’ policy but would not give any examples.
    He did also mention that as of this past Monday (7/7/2008), for “corporate-liable” Blackberry smartphones ONLY, Verizon has begun authorizing Telenav as an alternative to VZNavigator. He was unsure if or when this might be offered to “customer-liable” corporate accounts. But Telenav is hardly any different than VZNavigator, and still would cost extra every month.
    I will say after having spoken with Aaron, he seemed to to be trying to be helpful, but it was apparent that he had absolutely NO CLUE of the vast array of LBS applications (or apps in general) there are for a Blackberry. He seemed to be under some misguided assumption that the only apps one can install on a Blackberry are those approved and offered by Verizon. It is too bad that a company as large as Verizon puts someone in a position such as “Executive Relations” that doesn’t even seem to know the devices. Didn’t get the impression he has ever even laid hands on a Blackberry.

  19. Posted by: Tim
    July 9, 2008 at 10:42 pm EST

    “I will say after having spoken with Aaron, he seemed to to be trying to be helpful, but it was apparent that he had absolutely NO CLUE of the vast array of LBS applications (or apps in general) there are for a Blackberry. He seemed to be under some misguided assumption that the only apps one can install on a Blackberry are those approved and offered by Verizon. It is too bad that a company as large as Verizon puts someone in a position such as “Executive Relations” that doesn’t even seem to know the devices. Didn’t get the impression he has ever even laid hands on a Blackberry.”

    That is indeed scary to hear.

  20. Posted by: Matt
    July 20, 2008 at 12:05 am EST

    It appears from post 14…

    “…both in my 8830 and Curve I get two options: Device GPS and Voyager (LG VX10000), another GPS enabled phone that I usually have blue toot linked to my phoneme so I can transfer address took entries…”

    I think that Tim’s Voyager is acting as the GPS device and not the internal GPS on the 8330.

    Tim, do google maps on the 8330 work (GPS lock) when the Voyager is not paired via bluetooth or if the Voyager is not powered on?

  21. Posted by: Tim
    July 20, 2008 at 12:33 am EST

    Matt, that thought had occurred to me but, yes they do I disabled Bluetooth on BOTH devices and no change. I’m not sure how to explain why it works for me and one or two others who post to various forums but nobody else.

  22. Posted by: Jake
    July 23, 2008 at 5:31 pm EST

    “Verizon Wireless has no intention of modifying it’s policy regarding the blocking of 3rd party application access to any Blackberry device internal GPS location until such time as ‘Open Access’ becomes available late 2008″

    What does this mean exactly? Will they finally open up the GPS on my 8330 sometime this year? I just got off the phone with the *611 people and they did not know anything about this, but that doesn’t really mean anything.

  23. Posted by: Tim
    July 24, 2008 at 1:47 am EST

    Jake, I doubt that very much, if anything it will be with newer blackberries such as the Thunder, but yes it is possible they will do so sometime after the 4.5 firmware goes final.

  24. Posted by: DavidB
    July 24, 2008 at 10:10 am EST

    Yeah Jake, from MY interactions with Verizon I have little hope they will EVER “open up” the GPS chip inside any existing Blackberry. Echoing what Tim said, the only potential I see is with new devices, BUT I’m not confident even with Thunder we will see Verizon “get it”. And I’m not alone in that thinking, look at the Berryreview poll about how Verizon will treat the Thunder, the evidence is pretty overwhelming that users don’t think Verizon will let us REALLY use the hardware we get in their phones. Too bad too since (IMHO) their network is far better than anyone else’s.

  25. Posted by: Jake
    July 24, 2008 at 10:14 am EST

    Should I just move to Sprint and get the 8330 from them if I want access to the internal GPS? I’ve heard Sprint’s network coverage is pretty bad, but they don’t lock out the GPS.

  26. Posted by: DavidB
    July 24, 2008 at 10:48 am EST

    I guess if GPS is more important to you than “the network”. I’ve been TOLD that a Verizon Blackberry can become a Sprint Blackberry with OS reload and proper service books and such (if you already “own” the 8330 free and clear), and GPS would then work, but never seen that formally verified anywhere.