[Sith_Apprentice]

$69.95 and get unlimited email and browser usage PAM is an additional $15 per month

[patrick271999]

Okay so here are my results after being in Amsterdam for a week.

- BB maps - WORKED

- BB maps with GPS - NO WORK
Of course, I was already warned about this feature and didn't expect it to work.

- BB maps with local search - WORKED?
The only problem is that with local searches English words didn't help find businesses. For example, typing "seafood restaurant" only provided seafood distribution companies.

- email - WORKED

- calendar updates - WORKED

- contact updates - WORKED

- mobile broadband (phone as dial-up modem feature) - NO WORK
The international Sprint tech support told me this would not work with the International Data Plan. As matter of fact, it doesn't work in the States either. I have to go back to the regular BB data plan for this feature to work in the States.

- internet browser - WORKED
This came in handy for when BB maps local searches were a bust.

Overall, I was appreciative of my data services while visiting Europe.

Thanks everyone for their help in this thread.

[pscheuer]

Originally Posted by djm2

GPS did not work -- was not even recognized on the BB. Curiously, however, BB Maps would work in manual mode. By this I mean I could key in an address and get directions, etc., but this did not use the GPS in any way, shape or form.

My 8830 (Sprint branded) could not aguire a GPS signal in London last week (late May 2008) I assume because I was only on a GPRS Network?

Blackberry technical support told m ethat the GPS in the 8800 series (and all blackberrys for that matter) is actually A-GPS or Assisted-GPS - the "assist" comming from the data network you're roaming on passing the GPS data request to a server that ineracts with GPS satellites - so, bottom line, Poor netwwork in Europe (GPRS, etc) = NO GPS capability

Anyone else heard of this? Make logical sense to me, except 've seen posts from 2007 of 8810 users using their GPS in many major counties - could Print some how have locked-out GPS for Europe like Verison did in the US?


can I use telenave on an 8830 with an external puck? I have a Holux 236 slim which TelenavUS tells me is not supported- only the TeleNav pucks are - Imagine that!!

[YYM]

I activated international roaming in the US.
Upon arriving in London, all I got was SOS.
Called Sprint for 3 days spending an hour each time proving to customer service that I restarted the SIM and Phone.
Had to use a local SIM card to call the US. To their credit they called back using a landline.
3 days later I am still waiting for them to fix the backend.
I asked if other people have this problem and they claimed that it was only a problem for a few people in Scotland.

I had to keep calling to get this escalated.

If you are a business traveler, I would recommend switching to another carrier. Sprint offers an international roaming plan for $70 but it obviously has problems.

It took 3 days to get my situation fixed. As I write this I notice that they finally got it working...

Don't expect it to work on first try.

[SDCromer]

For what it's worth, my Verizon 8830 works in Amsterdam and anywhere I have traveled in Europe. I have the unlimited data plan with a Verizon Sim card for outside of North America.

[southwestcomm]

Did you call Sprint prior to your trip? They need to provision the SIM PRIOR to you leaving the US. If you call after you leave it is impossible to get the provisioning to work.

I took my 8830 to Switzerland, Austria and Italy with no problems - phone or data.

[flybd5]

For the 8830, Sprint does not guarantee that SMS will work anywhere outside the US. Also, they specifically disable GPS functions if you are outside the Sprint CDMA network. I just found out about this in my first international trip with the phone. I think this is classic bait and switch and will be seeking a refund and a switch to some other phone.

[southwestcomm]

Sprint has nothing to do with the GPS not working out side the US - Qualcomm makes the chipsets and doesn't have the ability, or contracts, to utilize GPS sats outside the US.

[drgodown]

Had a user of the 8830 on the Sprint network just return from Germany who could not get service, voice or data. When on manual for the network select, it saw all 4 networks but couldn't connect to any of them...gave a timed out message. Same thing even in Heidelberg where they were supposed to have good coverage.

International service had been started way before he went and Sprint said everything on the account was OK. Trying to get the phone replaced now since it works in the US, but no joy in Europe. Had another user in Spain, same service, phone, etc., no problems.

Go figure.