Well, the first thing I noticed with the 8820 is the case it comes with is a lot nicer than the cases that have come with other BlackBerries. It is also, by the way, the first BlackBerry with Wi-Fi.
But with those aspects of the 8820 aside, this is the closest I have been to a real 8800 BlackBerry. I have seen the fake ones they place in the stores, and decided I did not like the keypad.
I was pleasantly surprised by typing on the 8800. It wasn’t the nightmare I expected. Once I adjusted to keypad I found it as easy as my other BlackBerries to use. A friend actually preferred the 8820’s keypad over the Curve as it seemed to accommodate his larger fingers better.
The only gripe I had about the keypad set up is the tiny size of the shift keys compared to the Curve.
The scroll ball seemed smoother on the 8820 that the other BlackBerrys. The 8820 also seemed a little sturdier.
Of course, the biggest drawback of all with this BlackBerry is no camera, although security conscious enterprises will certainly appreciate the lack of shooter. Yes, the 8820 has Wi-Fi and GPS built into it, but that doesn’t really compensate if you miss that picture that you will never be able to get again.