BlackBerry 8820 to hit AT&T for $299, 8800 to see quick exit?
by Chris Ziegler 
posted Jul 20th 2007 at 4:58PM
We can't be sure until folks are actually leaving AT&T retail locations with 8820s firmly in-hand, but Boy Genius Report's latest intel allegedly has the WiFi-equipped BlackBerry on shelves as soon as next week. Of course, another tipster has it pegged for August -- we suspect no one really knows for sure -- but either way, it looks like it'll retail for a believable $299 on contract and the 8800 will be phased out very quickly to make room for the new unit. Not surprisingly, sales folk are apparently being asked to downplay the 8820's WiFi capabilities unless specifically asked -- it's a feature AT&T generally despises, after all.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
James @ Jul 20th 2007 5:40PM
Does this mean that the 8800 will not be supported be sales and tech support? I just got an 8800 from my employer and would love it if I could convince them that I need the 8820 instead.
Donald @ Jul 20th 2007 9:05PM
It will still be supported, but not sold (much like the E62 is now).
Jason @ Jul 21st 2007 1:37AM
Inquisition into wifi on a phone:
Blackberry
Customer: Does the wifi really make that much of a difference.
Sales Rep: The lack of a expansive wifi infrastructure makes this feature negligable when you think about the use of the phone, I wouldn't lose sleep over not having it.
iPhone
Customer: Do I really need wifi on my phone?
Sales Rep: Apple saw an opportunity to introduce real speed into the market and pounced with such vigor that the industry is still recovering from the shockwave sent out. The iPhone is the only phone that not only allows you to explore the web in its full potential, but will also give you its full speed, unlike some of the NON-wifi competition. So you asked me if wifi is necessary? Do you think breathing is necessary? (chuckles to himself) Yeah, Apple is amazing. Go for the wifi.
emarrs @ Jul 21st 2007 2:32PM
ahhahahhahahhahahha
the same thing happened to me at verizon- "wifi is unsecure, get this phone & get the data plan."
-...yea, i told him i was specifically looking for a phone with wifi to use at work to connect to the network and he suggested a data plan. that connects to my network...how?
pG @ Jul 23rd 2007 4:33PM
Would we be able to use teh GPS out of the box or will we need a service like teleNAV? I don't want to pay a monthly fee to use the gps. But looks like we can get this phone without a data plan from at&t. So now should i get this because it has gps and wifi, or wait for the pearl 2 which is rumored to not have gps but wifi. If I have to pay monthly for the gps I would rather go for the Pearl 2, otherwise i'm all over the 8820.