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Said that I was going to cancel her line. Then told him I was going to get her hotspot @home service, but I was not going to pay $400 for another phone.

He then put me through to the “Customer Loyalty Department.” Explained my tale of woe on the $400 price. She then said since I have been such a good customer she would give me a second Curve at $249 and free shipping.

The downside is that means next month’s bill will be about $900 including our monthly plan charges. But I got $102 for the Nokia 6086 and should be able to get about $350 or more for the Pearls/accessories. So that helps.

Woot…

Bonus Comment: I mentioned you during the call. I said someone on the blogs had said he got the upgrade price simply because he was a good customer and that he noted the iPhone was the same price. Maybe that helped! Thanks for posting those points.

Bonus Tip: So people, get the CSR to route you to Customer Loyalty as they are the ones who can give you the discount. Some companies have other names for them, such as “Customer Retention.”

Sidenote: According to UPS tracking info from T-Mo, my Curve arrives tomorrow.

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The call was at about 6:00 pm here in San Francisco. Many times during the call I was thinking how cool it was that the call was being made for free, on my cell phone.

After the call I went to the market. The same phone seamlessly switched to the T-Mo cell network.

When I get the Curve all will be well because while I was using the Nokia 6086 I had to switch out the SIM from that phone and put it into the Pearl so to use the Pearl’s e-mail features, etc.

I thought switching the SIM would not be that much a hassle, but it was. I am hoping to get my Curve by Friday so I can play with it on the weekend.

Nothing finer than getting a new electronic device on a Friday so to fool with it all weekend.

I envy those people who have their Curve today.

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You are right, the gold is a muted or soft color and certainly not the “bling” or “pimp” color I expected. But I like the titanium too.

I’m assuming that the BB Maps works the same as it does on my Pearl.

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Its a very neat phone. Kind of slippery so I’ll be ordering a skin for it.

Enjoy!!!!

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Here is RIM’s official press release on the 8320. No mention of GPS.

______________________

T-MOBILE AND RIM INTRODUCE BLACKBERRY CURVE 8320
WITH WI-FI CALLING FEATURE

Now Available, the BlackBerry Curve 8320 From T-Mobile Is the First
All-In-One Handset Designed to Work With T-Mobile HotSpot @Home

Bellevue, Wash., and Waterloo, ON – Sept. 24, 2007 – T-Mobile USA, Inc., and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM: TSX: RIM) today announced the Wi-Fi®-enabled BlackBerry® Curve™ 8320, the first BlackBerry® handset available in the U.S. that supports T-Mobile® HotSpot @HomeSM for unlimited nationwide calling over a Wi-Fi connection and great in-home mobile coverage.

Available in two distinct finishes – titanium and pale gold – the BlackBerry Curve 8320 from T-Mobile strikes a unique balance of design, features and functionality that’s as perfect for staying close to friends and family as it is for a busy day in the office. Available from T-Mobile in the U.S. beginning today, the BlackBerry Curve 8320 features RIM’s smallest and lightest full-QWERTY handset design.

With built-in support for T-Mobile HotSpot @Home, customers can enjoy great mobile coverage and unlimited calling over a Wi-Fi network as well as unlimited Wi-Fi calling at nearly 8,500 T-Mobile HotSpot SM locations nationwide. When you leave home or a T-Mobile HotSpot, calls are seamlessly transferred onto T-Mobile’s wireless network, and the same is true for transferring calls from T-Mobile’s network onto Wi-Fi network. T-Mobile introduced its HotSpot @Home service in June.

The BlackBerry Curve 8320 provides enhanced multimedia capabilities including a two-megapixel camera, a music and video player, a 3.5mm stereo headset jack and a microSD card slot for expandable memory storage. Access to personal and corporate e-mail accounts, and Web browsing is fast and easy thanks to the powerful BlackBerry platform, Wi-Fi connectivity and T-Mobile’s robust nationwide EDGE network.

“Consumers have adopted the HotSpot @Home service because it provides great in-home coverage and unsurpassed value. The BlackBerry Curve 8320 from T-Mobile further extends the appeal for HotSpot @Home by adding a compelling all-in-on device to our lineup with Wi-Fi and unlimited calling capabilities,” said Leslie Grandy, vice president of Product Development at T-Mobile USA. “The BlackBerry Curve 8320 is an ideal companion for staying connected to friends, family and life while at home, at work or on the go.”

“The evolution of the BlackBerry platform is at a particularly exciting stage where we are able to synthesize an amazing array of technologies and features to enhance the user experience,” said Mike Lazaridis, president and co-CEO at Research In Motion. “Together with T-Mobile’s Wi-Fi and cellular services, the new BlackBerry Curve 8320 provides customers with an extremely powerful communications and multimedia solution in a mobile handset that remains sleek and easy to use.”

Key features of the BlackBerry Curve 8320 from T-Mobile include:

· Impressively small and lightweight design at 4.2” x 2.4” x 0.6” and approximately 3.9 oz.

· Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) connectivity for expanded coverage, as well as faster Web browsing and file downloading

· Support for T-Mobile HotSpot @Home, offering great mobile coverage and unlimited calling over a Wi-Fi network

· Enabled for T-Mobile’s myFaves SM so customers can stay in touch with those who matter most with quick, one-click access via instant message, e-mail, or by calling or texting their five favorite contacts from the home screen

· Popular instant messaging clients: AOL®, Yahoo!® Windows Live, Google and ICQ®

· 2-megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom, built-in flash, self-portrait mirror and full-screen viewfinder

· Advanced multimedia player with search capabilities, full-screen video playback, stereo Bluetooth® support (A2DP/AVRCP), 3.5mm full-size stereo headset jack and dedicated volume controls – supports MP3, AAC, WAV, WMA audio and MPEG4, H.263 and WMV video formats

· Roxio® Media Manager for BlackBerry®(included with BlackBerry® Desktop Manager software), which allows you 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

· High-performance HTML browser for visiting your favorite Web sites while on the go

· Incredibly intuitive user interface with an easy-to-use trackball, dedicated ‘menu’ and ‘escape’ keys, and context-sensitive menus that make navigation feel instinctive and fast

· Full QWERTY keyboard for easy text entry

· Large, ultra-bright 320×240 color display for vibrant imagery

· Innovative light-sensing technology that automatically optimizes the screen, trackball and keyboard lighting for indoor, outdoor and dark environments

· E-mail and memo spell-checking available in various languages including English, French, Italian, German and Spanish

· Premium phone features with Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD), dedicated ’send’, ‘end’ and ‘mute’ keys, noise-cancellation technology to offset background noise, a low-distortion speakerphone for hands-free conversations, and Bluetooth support for hands-free use with headsets, car kits and Bluetooth peripherals

· Intuitive call management features such as smart dialing, conference calling, speed dialing and call forwarding

· Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE/Wi-Fi network support for international roaming

· BlackBerry Maps, a mapping application that provides customers with driving directions

· Built-in Handango™ InHand catalog of additional software applications available for download

· Support for polyphonic, MP3 and MIDI ring tones

· Expandable memory storage via MicroSD expansion slot

· Ultra-thin, high-capacity, removable battery that further extends the exceptional battery life for which BlackBerry smartphones are known.

· BlackBerry Internet Service support allowing access to up to 10 supported e-mail accounts, including most popular ISP e-mail accounts such as Yahoo!, AOL and Gmail.

· BlackBerry Enterprise Server support tightly integrated with IBM Lotus® Domino®, Microsoft® Exchange, and Novell® GroupWise®, and featuring IT policy controls for IT departments to manage usage and deployments

The new BlackBerry Curve 8320 from T-Mobile is available at T-Mobile retail stores, select authorized dealers, online at http://www.t-mobile.com, or by calling 1-800-T-MOBILE.

For more information about T-Mobile HotSpot @Home, please visit http://www.theonlyphoneyouneed.com.

For more information about the BlackBerry Curve 8320, please visit http://www.blackberry.com/blackberrycurve8320.

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Gotta say that the Curve is sweet. I am surprised at how small it is. And it looks very well built.

The display is larger and crisper than my Pearl. Makes my Pearl look old and tired. Sorry Pearl, it’s been a nice 9 months.

I asked the sales guy if he has sold many, he lit up and said he sold 15 Curves today. That’s a lot if you average 15 out in the 6 hours he worked so far. That’s over two per hour.

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But for the T-mo 8320, no way. It needs GPS hardware [chips] inside the phone for the Maps to work with GPS. If there is no GPS signal in the Curve, then it’s not BB Maps via GPS.

And as one site that reviewed the T-Mo Curve:

“It has the standard Blackberry Mapping app included — no GPS for you, friend — but you can find an address in a pinch.”

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The Rogers 8310 has GPS, no WiFi; the T-Mo 8320 has WiFi, no GPS.

Maybe you are calling CSRs who work close to the Canadian border and they are confused or using unlocked Rogers.

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I know I could have pressed it, mentioned all the points you raised and possibly even called back to get a different CSR or talk to a supervisor.

But it was late, I had a bad sore throat and when I saw that I could get the phone by dialing 611 at 10:30 pm on the 22nd [as opposed to the 24th, plus the website ordering was not working], I discovered that ultimately I did not care, the $110 discount was good enough to assure getting the phone [I need it for my hotspot at home service inasmuch as my Nokia 6086 sucks compared to my Pearl].

Besides, $400 is still far less than the $500 I paid in year 2000 for a Motorola StarTac, where the only feature at the time was that it the “world’s smallest cell phone.” I have a StarTac sitting on a shelf to remind me how far we have come.

You are right about T-Mo. On blogs and forums I have always posted positive reviews of their customer service and even said I would pay higher rates just to keep getting their great support and custo service.

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Also the fact that a rep the previous day told me that when the Curve is released, I should be able to see an additional $100.00 discount for being with TMO for so long. Then a rep the day of purchase told me I would see the additional discount more easily at a retail store. After speaking to the store (by phone) they told me that TMO customer care is more able to give me the additional discounts.

So overall, given the run around, and all other factors, the I-Phone comment was the straw that broke the camels back. So yes, I got the discount anyway, and I have to say that this is the kind of thing that TMO has always done, thus I am still with their service.

Ric

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If you got it anyway, despite the above, good job.

As I said, I did not feel like going back and forth over the $150 price difference. It was late and I just wanted to get the Curve on order.

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Wow! I was told it retailed for a much lower price around $450. After agreeing to a two year contract (don’t mind that since there are ways out of it without paying cancellation fee), my price including shipping and handling for a new 8320 was $349.29 and I get a mail in rebate for $50.00. I was never told about the $250.00 upgrade price! I would have fought for that since I currently use a Samsung SGH I got back in 2004 and have has since that time. Oh well at least I didn’t pay as much as I could have.

-Sam

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I was hoping I could get that dark gray and black model that BG is displaying. Is that a color that is coming out later?

Ric

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