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T-Mobile adds BlackBerry 8820

Posted by Joe on March 25, 2008

Despite it’s status as the nation’s No. 4 wireless carrier, T-Mobile has steadily been atop the BlackBerry game. They’ve got the original Pearl, the 8800, and the Curve, plus the new Pearl is coming. Adding to that already impressive lineup is the BlackBerry 8820, an updated model in the 8800 family. Just what upgrades does this new model have, you ask? Well, since T-Mo is making a big push in WiFi, it only makes sense that the 8820 would have this. So that makes two BlackBerrys through T-Mo which have WiFi, with a third to be added with the Pearl 8120. This is only going to drive up the desire for the Hotspot @Home service.

Another addition is GPS. Surprisingly, this is the first T-Mobile BlackBerry with GPS built in. And no, it won’t be crippled:

Using the BlackBerry 8820 smartphone’s built-in GPS and location-based applications, such as BlackBerryÂ® Maps, customers can navigate between meetings and locate the closest restaurant or use other advanced services such as TeleNav GPS Navigator(TM) to receive audible turn-by-turn directions to reach their next destination.

The 8820 is also the thinnest BlackBerry to date, measuring just 0.55 inches deep. I’m not sure how much a difference that makes for people, but it’s something.

Other than that, we’re looking at roughly the same specs as the 8800. Clearly, T-Mobile is pushing hard with Hotspot @Home, and the more people they get with WiFi handsets, the better they’ll be able to market the service to existing customers.

The device will run you $349.99 with a two-year contract.