BG unearths the 8800 "Gamma Ray"
 

The Boy Genius Report: BlackBerry 8705 / 8800 - Engadget Mobile

Right now, he's saying it will NOT have the 8100's camera (I don't know if that means it won't have a camera at all). And it won't be released by the end of the year. Boo.

But many thanks to BG for all the info! PLEASE post pics as soon as you can!

I'm interested to see the pics. Crazy to thing of BBs w/out trackwheels!

no camera but... WIFI, even better!

Yeah. I'm willing to give up the camera if I get WiFi. How freaking sweet would that be? It just better support the enterprise-level WPA TKIP encryption that my university uses. I would assume so, but we have to jump through hoops to get it to work on Windows so it scares me to think about doing it on another device.

And Paul...I love your sig :-)

HOLY CRAP BG. I mean, we knew you were the man before. But now...jeez.

8800 here I come :D

TM

Am I the only one bummed about not having a camera.

No, I'm pretty bummed too. I don't work in a secure environment, and there's often stuff I want to snap pictures of -- mostly stupid people doing stupid things, so I can email it to my friends and we can all laugh. So I would love to have a camera, but I think I'd rather be able to type my emails without SureType. I'd love to NOT have to make that choice. The 8800 is still a long ways off, maybe there will be a camera? We can hope.

I read that the camera quality is great but I'd take wifi anyday

Now THAT is the goofiest wifi authentication scheme I've ever heard of. And I've been at this for awhile.

OK so fill me in here on how this wifi works? Do I have to have an account as I travel all over the country. So I might be on Cingular and need a TM Hot Spot account?

What I really want in broadband tethering so the 8703 is tempting, but would prefer not to switch.

I assume that the WiFi works just like it would in a laptop. WiFi is WiFi. It should work on home networks, school and business networks, hotspots, whatever. I wouldn't expect to make voice calls on it though, but maybe they'll surprise us. I would be happy just using it to browse the web when I'm in range of a wireless access point. I would be ecstatic if they found a way for it to have full BlackBerry functionality over a standard WiFi internet connection. I don't think it would be that hard -- the redirector is sort of a software version of a BlackBerry, I assume they can tie a BB into their system over the internet.

That's what I thought it might be. I still feel like being near a hotspot is somewhat limiting. It's when I travel that I want the broadband speeds, and without finding a hotspot to do it. So I guess I would prefer a UMTS model as opposed to wifi if I want to stay with Cingular or I'll have to jump to EVDO if I can't wait.

Any idea which carrier the first 8800 phones will be for? I'm guessing T-mobile and cingular, with verizon lagging MONTHS behind.

I would expected that we will be able to do Wireless Bypass, at least with BES, over WiFi which would help to minimize the data usage with your carrier.

It has to be Cingular. T-Mobile is about to release the 8100, Verizon the 8703. Maybe Sprint, but CDMA usually lags behing GSM.

Being a Windows Mobile convert, I'm somewhat familiar with WiFi on handhelds. You'd be surprised just how many hotspots there are out there nowadays. The best thing is you can just check your signal at any time to see if you are in range of one, and it will ask you for a password if necessary, and if it is an open/free signal, it will just connect for you. Starbucks has one you need to pay for, but Panera is free, and most libraries, many coffee shops and bookstores, and even parks have free ones. The park I live next to (Marymoor Park in Redmond) has the largest WiFi signal in a public park in the nation (http://www.metrokc.gov/parks/documen...ifi_zones.pdf). Many grocery stores have them too.

For me, WiFi is more inportant than a camera. ALL handheld PDA camera's suck, no exceptions. The best of them still is worse than a disposable one. Solid cameras in PDAs are a long way off. So until then, buy a Canon, and get a BB with WiFi!

I am willing to wait for the 8800 to replace mt 8700g. WiFi is important and I would be more than willing to sacrifice a camera for the WiFi radio. This configuration could mark the end of the Treo which has yet to integrate a WiFi radio into its design.

Oh what a happy Tuesday :)

No camera at the moment device is not near mass production so things can change, heard it has more RAM, faster processor things like that...

More RAM and a removeable memory card?

yep