BlackBerry 8820: Confirmed Wi-Fi/WLAN, No Camera
In a nice twist of fate, today’s release of the first public version of BlackBerry OS 4.2.1.x for the Cingular brand came with a nice little surprise for our readers: evidence that the 8820 will be the next BlackBerry from our friendly Waterloo-based company. From the Device.xml file that comes with OS 4.2.0.109 for the Cingular 8800c, we find…Click on for the rest including OS 4.2 8700 info!
What does this mean? Well, while the details may not be completely clear and one hundred percent correct, but it shows that it will have a GPRS/WLAN radio stack, a first for BlackBerry devices, as well as the customary support for voice-activated dialing and push-to-talk capabilities. Unfortunately, one feature it does not list is the camera, so let’s rule out this device for that 8800 series CameraBerry model.. for now, of course.
In other newsworthy bits of information found within this software installation package, it appears that OS 4.2.1 will be released for the Pearl and 8700 by Telefonica Venezuela (4.2.1.106 and 4.2.1.108, respectively) and for the Pearl by TIM (4.2.1.102). I would say these are right around the corner, although no release dates or download links are known at this time.
Do you think the 8820 will be the T-mobile version to be released April/May BG?
Its not like I expected this one to have a camera anyway. Maybe in a future release but for all of the BB users that cannot have a camera at work and this being a business device, no surprise at all.
They really need to release it with a camera. I can’t tell you how many people have BlackBerries at my school. It’s grown exponentially with the release of the Pearl, but I’ve found most of them still prefer the Qwerty keyboard.
I think one of the reasons why you do not see cameras on BBs is in the corporate world (BB’s target customer), many companies do not allow employees or visitors to certain facilities to have cameras in order to protect their information/trade secrets. Otherwise people could snap pictures of presentations or ideas on whiteboards.
I agree, a camera would never make it in our corproate enviornment. There are those that have a company phone, but choose to get this service separately instead of adding it to their 8703 or 8700c. These folks get crappy phones b/c all the good ones have cameras on them – and they are not allowed.
I’m happy that the 8820 does not have a camera otherwise I would’ve been stuck with the 8800 w/o WI-FI. Although I do hope the 8820 supports streaming media, and I hope there’s a slingbox client somehwere for it so I can watch TV anywhere in the house.
most companies just allow it as an option like the treo. there’s really no excuse not to offer it.
I just spoke to my T-Mobile rep and they are getting the 8800 at the end of March AND they will be getting the 8820 w/WiFi sometime early summer. Also, the 8820 will be a UMA device.
Anyone know where I can find a 4.2 link for 8700c?
WLAN in the 8800?
If you check the device specs for the Cingular Blackberry 8800 on Cingular’s Developer’s portal, you’ll note that according to their spec, the 8800 comes with WiFi?!?!?!?! Is this true???? is it disabled? Anyone figured out yet how to enable it?
See: https://developer.cingular.com/dvc/device_detail.jsp?id=1800186&_requestid=9202
WEP Key Lengths Yes
WLAN 802.11i Yes
WLAN 802.11e No
WLAN Support 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a
WPA2 Yes
WPA Yes
What about the 8300/8830?
http://mentesdigitales.wordpress.com/2007/03/05/blackberry-8300-daytona/
Nobody have any feedback on my question? According to Cingular specs, the 8800 has Wi-Fi?!?!? What’s up with that?
When will Sprint get anything new???? I heard they had something big coming down the road. Who has the inside track
Sprint/Nextel is supposewd to come out with a BB w/ PTT but using qchat. Is this device look like it could be set up to accomplish this?
Will the 8820 or any of the full keyboard BB’s have 3G? I don’t see how wifi benefit most users over 3G since coverage with 3G is significantly greater and free.
Snapping pictures of stuff on whiteboards?
Congratulations, you just described the one thing I legitimately use my camera for in a work context. Phones without this feature are harder to buy.
Cameras on the blackberry phone will be a very nice feature. I don’t care about those working people taunts of spying just because there is a camera on the phone. Grow up! Many phones have been sold with this feature. More money is ready to be made to the masses and not a select few.
Any updates on when Cingular will offer the Blackberry 8820?
“a select few”?? are you kidding me?? Blackberry’s largest clientele base consists of companies where outside cameras or recording devices aren’t allowed IN ANY FORM on the premises. This includes…duh… the GOVERNMENT. I sincerely doubt that they would toss these huge clients out the window simply to satisfy gadget-freaks who are going to use the built in camera on their new toy once every month. Maybe RIM should fire their R&D and Marketing execs and just hire you?
Ahhh wifi and a swing box client. Could life get any better? I don’t think anyone in my house would apreaciate just how cool that really is though…
So???? When will the 8820 be released? AT&T?, T-Mobile?
The camera is not an issue. I have plenty of small pocket sized digital cameras. The WiFi IS a strong selling point though. The frosting would be the streaming media. I feel like Eric Cartman standing in front of the game store waiting for his beloved nintendo WII to arrive….thank God I dont look like him!!! hahahahaha ok ok enough with the long drawn out release dates. The mob is getting unruly!
When a PDA has WIFI does this allow you to make call via the Internet when you are in a hotspot and not use your cellular mins?
The 8820 will most likely be available from both Cingular/AT&T and T-mobile, just like the 8800 and the 8100 (Pearl).
That’s a good thing because I travel a lot and need a GSM phone.
Date for release seems to be sometime in the third quater of 2007.
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2007/04/28/blackberry-8830-blackberry-8800-and-blackberry-8820-information/
http://www.rim.com/news/press/2007/pr-17_07_2007-01.shtml
RIM Announces the BlackBerry 8820 Smartphone
The First Dual-Mode Cellular and Wi-Fi BlackBerry Smartphone
Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq:RIMM; TSX:RIM) today announced the BlackBerry® 8820 smartphone. Featuring RIM’s thinnest smartphone design with a full and highly tactile QWERTY* keyboard, large and bright display (320 x 240), user-friendly trackball navigation system and best-in-class voice and data functionality, the BlackBerry 8820 also includes built-in GPS (Global Positioning System), RIM’s latest media player enhancements, and a microSD / microSDHC (microSD High Capacity) expandable memory slot that can support current and future generations of microSD memory cards up to 32GB. The BlackBerry 8820 is the first dual-mode BlackBerry handset, combining EDGE/GPRS/GSM cellular and Wi-Fi® connectivity for data access and voice support through UMA (unlicensed mobile access) for fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) service offerings from various wireless carriers around the world.
“The BlackBerry 8820 is an extraordinary business phone for people who really care about mobile communications and productivity. It features all the renowned power and usability of the BlackBerry platform with executive class styling and unprecedented connectivity features, including cellular, Wi-Fi and built-in GPS,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at RIM. “The BlackBerry 8820 complements our carrier partners’ cellular networks with the added ability to stay connected via Wi-Fi at home, through hotspots and corporate campuses.”
Wi-Fi Connectivity
The BlackBerry 8820 smartphone supports the 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi standards to enable data access over Wi-Fi connections in the enterprise, as well as through public hotspots and wireless home networks. The smartphone works in conjunction with both BlackBerry® Enterprise Server and BlackBerry® Internet Service and can seamlessly switch between cellular networks and a Wi-Fi network to allow users to access email, Instant Messaging, organizer, web browsing and other mobile data applications.
To meet various security requirements, the BlackBerry 8820 is compliant with Wi-Fi security protocols including WEP (Wireless Equivalency Protocol), WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) and WPA2, as well as Cisco Compatible Extensions for simple, secure connectivity with Cisco wireless solutions. For enterprises that require Wi-Fi users to access the corporate network through a VPN (Virtual Private Network), the BlackBerry 8820 includes IPSec-based software that supports the most commonly deployed VPN gateways from vendors including Cisco, Check Point and others.
The BlackBerry 8820 also supports UMA, enabling wireless carriers to offer a fixed-mobile convergence service for both business and home use. With a UMA solution in place, the BlackBerry 8820 can also seamlessly switch voice calls between a wireless carrier’s cellular network and a Wi-Fi network.
The BlackBerry 8820 is a quad-band GSM/GPRS and EDGE-enabled smartphone that provides global wireless voice and data capabilities with best-in-class performance. The BlackBerry 8820 features include:
• World Class Phone – The BlackBerry 8820 is a world-class mobile phone with advanced noise cancellation for enhanced audio performance and easy-to-use phone features including Speaker Independent Voice Recognition for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD), smart dialing, conference calling, speed dialing and call forwarding, as well as dedicated “send”, “end” and “mute” keys. It features a high quality, low-distortion speakerphone and Bluetooth® 2.0 for use with hands-free headsets, car kits and other Bluetooth peripherals. Support for polyphonic, mp3 and MIDI ringtones is also included.
• Built-in GPS – Through its built-in GPS, the BlackBerry 8820 can pinpoint its location and provide “out-of-the-box” support for a wide variety of location-based applications and services, including BlackBerry® Maps.
• microSD / microSDHC Expansion Memory – The BlackBerry 8820 includes a microSD expansion memory slot that can support both microSD (up to 2GB) and microSDHC (4GB to 32GB) memory cards. 4GB memory cards are available today, and 8GB cards are expected to be available later this year.
• BlackBerry Services – The BlackBerry 8820 can operate with BlackBerry Internet Service, giving users the ability to manage up to 10 supported personal and corporate email accounts, as well as BlackBerry Enterprise Server, enabling advanced security and IT administration features within IBM® Lotus® Domino®, Microsoft® Exchange and Novell® GroupWise® environments.
• Application Support – The BlackBerry wireless platform gives customers the capability to deploy a variety of applications. Thousands of applications and business solutions from third party software providers can further extend the BlackBerry platform to support business needs such as CRM, sales force automation, field services, business intelligence, supply chain management and continuity of operations, as well as a broad range of industry-specific applications for sectors including health care, law enforcement, government, financial services, insurance, pharmaceutical, professional services, real estate, manufacturing, wholesale and retail.
• Multimedia – The BlackBerry 8820 supports the Bluetooth stereo audio profile (A2DP/AVRCP) and comes with the most recent BlackBerry media player refinements, allowing users to play music and search by simply typing the title, genre, artist or album name. Videos can also be played in full screen mode. The BlackBerry 8820 comes with a new and powerful desktop media manager – the Roxio® Media Manager for BlackBerry® – which was developed with Sonic® and based on the award-winning Roxio Easy Media Creator® 9. The desktop media manager software introduces a new level of simplicity by allowing users to easily search for media files on their computer, view and organize them, create MP3 music files from CDs, add audio tags, create playlists and automatically copy or convert pictures, music and videos for optimal playback on the smartphone.
• Removable Battery – The BlackBerry 8820 comes with an ultra-thin, high-capacity, removable battery that further extends the exceptional battery life for which BlackBerry handsets are known.
• Accessories – The BlackBerry 8820 comes with a complement of accessories in the box, including a headset, travel charger, USB cable and holster. Additional Authentic BlackBerry Accessories, including premium leather holsters and totes, desktop and automotive chargers, Bluetooth® headsets and other peripherals, are available online at http://www.shopblackberry.com.
For more information about the BlackBerry 8820, please visit: http://www.blackberry8820.com.
The BlackBerry 8820 will be available from select wireless carriers around the world in the coming weeks. AT&T is scheduled to launch the BlackBerry 8820 in the U.S. later this summer.
* Keyboard also available in AZERTY and QWERTZ configurations to support different language groups.
About Research In Motion (RIM)
Research In Motion is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information including email, phone, SMS messaging, Internet and intranet-based applications. RIM technology also enables a broad array of third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity to data. RIM’s portfolio of award-winning products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations around the world and include the BlackBerry® wireless platform, the RIM Wireless Handheld™ product line, software development tools, radio-modems and software/hardware licensing agreements. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. RIM is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM).
For more information, visit http://www.rim.com or http://www.blackberry.com.