BB Geeks » BlackBerry Store

Introducing the BlackBerry Curve 8520 and you can have it FREE!

Joe — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:30:05 +0000

RIM has given its fans plenty to be excited about in 2009. They kicked it off with the BlackBerry Curve 8900, and marched through to the Tour, their most powerful CDMA device to date. In the near future we can look forward to the Onyx and the Storm 2, plus a slippery device known now as the Magnum. With all of these high-end devices taking up our attention, it’s easy to lose sight of a lesser offering. This is the case with the BlackBerry Curve 8520, better known by its production name, Gemini. The low-end device hit T-Mobile and Wal-Mart shelves this week amid, well, not much fanfare. Still, there’s a lot to like about the new device.

One thing you will just LOVE about the new Curve 8520 is that you can get it FREE for a limited time only. Continue reading to learn a little more about the brand new Gemini and to find out how you can get yours (and many other models) for free.

The first and most noticeable difference with the Gemini is the change from a trackball to a trackpad. Trackballs can be a pain in the ass: you have to clean them and sometimes replace them. The trackpad is digital, so there’s no mechanism which can break down. Also, because there is no rolling device, it’s harder for dirt to get behind it. It might take some getting used to, but from all anecdotes the trackpad is an excellent addition to the BlackBerry interface.

The Curve 8520 also brings a greater level of memory, 256MB on board vs. 64 on the first edition Curves. This might not mean a lot for some, but for application hounds it means more free memory for apps, plus the ability to retain more free memory, which will help the device run faster.

You can check out the Curve with this nifty video walk-through, courtesy of the good folks at Phone Scoop:

Yeah Yeah I Know The 8520 Rocks But How Do You Get The FREE Curves???

Now that you are up to speed on what awaits you when you pick up your new Curve 8520 (Gemini), here is how you can get one for free. Yes I said FREE!

From now until Monday August 10th, 2009 you can get free BlackBerry Curves from your favorite providers including: Sprint, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. The free curves are being made available to new customers as well as those looking to upgrade their devices. If this sounds like you, then there is no reason not to pop on over to the sale page for your desired provider and take advantage of their timely generosity.

Below is a list of all the models of Curve being offered in this promotion. They are separated by provider. Please note that there is one link for new customers and one link for upgrades for each device listed.

ATTENTION: Last time we ran a similar promotion there were a few people who were disappointed to find that they were not eligible for the promotion for one reason or another. To avoid frustration, PLEASE READ ANY AND ALL INSTRUCTIONS presented to you at the time of the order. If you are looking to get a free Curve for a third or fourth line on an existing plan you will most likely be ineligible.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Introducing the BlackBerry Curve 8520 and you can have it FREE!

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Introducing the BlackBerry Curve 8520 and you can have it FREE!

The BlackBerry Store at the ATL airport

Joe — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:00:22 +0000

During a layover at the Atlanta airport coming home from Vegas last week, I just so happened to be in the terminal containing the BlackBerry Store, which we learned about in March. The picture, of course, was taken with my BlackBerry. I didn’t have time to go in and schmooze, but it was a pretty comprehensive store from the looks of it, offering BlackBerry devices and accessories. If you’re ever in the area, stop by and check it out for yourselves.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

The BlackBerry Store at the ATL airport

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

The BlackBerry Store at the ATL airport

The one and only BlackBerry Store: Revisited

Cooper — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:03:21 +0000

It has been a little more than 6 months since we took that long trip down to Michigan to bring you breaking news, photos and video of the only existing store that caters solely to the needs of BlackBerry users.

The BlackBerry Store, located in Farmington Hills, Michigan is a sight to behold. With full cooperation from RIM, Wireless Giant has built a very stylish building and lined the shelves with every make and model of BlackBerry that is currently available. In addition to all the drool inducing gadgetry on display, there is also a tantalizing buffet of batteries, cases, and all manner of accessories laid out across a huge wall on one end of the store.

The staff at the BlackBerry store are rigorously trained and are up to speed on all the minute details of each device. They can easily explain the nuances of the various handset/carrier relationships and help any level of BlackBerry user feel comfortable and informed right away. There is even a BlackBerry Training Room on site where various levels of training for new and existing BlackBerry owners was soon to take place.

When we first spoke with Grady Wicker (awesome guy! go get a BlackBerry from him now!), the BlackBerry Store was only a couple weeks old. While the foot traffic was decent and they saw a wide range of demographics coming through the door, they were still trying to define their customer base.

The question remained however, exactly how was the store going to fit into the community and how were they going to best be able to help BlackBerry owners?

Revisiting Farmington Hills

Unfortunately, we were not able to take the scenic drive all the way down to Farmington Hills for this update, so instead we decided to reach out to Todd Shaya from wireless Giant to get the scoop on what is going on in the store now.

On the list of questions are:

What kind of foot traffic are you seeing now that you have been open for almost 6 months?
Have your demographics changed at all as far as who is coming to the store?
what type of training is being offered via the on site training facilities?
Are there any plans to open up another location of the BlackBerry Store?

What kind of foot traffic does the BlackBerry Store see?

When we first visited the BlackBerry Store, we saw a pretty steady flow of people passing through its doors. Enough to make it difficult to shoot video without capturing anyones face in it. While I am sure most people at the time were just popping in to see what the store was all about, the traffic was regular and everyone seemed impressed.

Todd Says: The good folks at the BlackBerry Store have seen a significant increase in foot traffic since they opened the doors to the public. This increase has been attributed to word of mouth, great referrals from satisfied customers and a little bit of targeted marketing.

What are the demographic makeup of your current customer base?

At the time of the initial visit, Grady spoke to us a little bit about what kind of customers they were seeing coming into the BlackBerry Store and who the ultimate purchasers were.

Due to the short amount of time that the store had actually been in existence, it was hard to nail down a specific demographic that the store attracted. Grady had stated that they were seeing everyone come through from the expected business men to the soccer mom demographic, teens, and young professionals.

The question is, how much of that traffic was just curiosity and what are the crowds looking like today, almost six months later.

Todd Says: The cross section has not changed since our last visit. It is not uncommon to see a business man/woman checking out the latest models of BlackBerry right alongside a mom and her child and a few teenagers.

what type of training is being offered via the on site training facilities?

With the BlackBerry Store being so new to the area at the time of our visit, they really did not have a clear vision of what the wants and needs of their customers would be. The team decided to hold off on creating a specific “course offering” and instead waited to see what their customers were asking for.

The outcome of this decision was the creation of “Device Training 101″.

Device Training 101 is a two hour interactive training session which is held on-site in their training facilities. The course consists of hands on training in an intimate environment, where Wireless Giant representatives will demonstrate how to use the many great features of your new BlackBerry device.

As far as pricing is concerned, the workshop is absolutely FREE to individuals who have purchased their BlackBerry from the BlackBerry Store.

If an individual has purchased their device from an external dealer, the workshop carries a price tag of $49.99. This is however, offset by a “Customer Loyalty” coupon worth 10% off any accessory purchase.

Are there any plans to open up another location of the BlackBerry Store?

Todd Says: The great response that the Farmington Hills location has received in the short time that it has been opened has encouraged them to discuss the possibility of more BlackBerry Stores being set up. Wireless Giant and RIM are currently evaluating all the data in order to determine if a new store will be viable and if so, in what location.

Things are great and getting better every day

Well it appears that the BlackBerry Store is avoiding the pit falls of their predecessors. They continue to build steam and are possibly looking to expand their operations.

This is a great sign for everybody involved (including all of us BBGeeks) and definitely an indication that the BlackBerry is here to stay.

Congratulations to the entire team at the BlackBerry Store for doing such a great job and we hope your next 6 months show similar growth in popularity amongst BlackBerry enthusiasts.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

The one and only BlackBerry Store: Revisited

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

The one and only BlackBerry Store: Revisited

A Video Tour of the BlackBerry Store

Rae — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:51:19 +0000

When it was announced that the world’s only BlackBerry store was going to open, we knew right away that we would be heading out to it to check it out first hand.

About a week or so after it launched, we brought you the inside scoop on the BlackBerry store complete with pictures and information from the store staff about its current and future offerings.

Unfortunately, the timing of their opening was also extremely close to the holidays, so the posting and pictures of the store didn’t get much of a “push” as far as promotion.

But, while we were there, we also had taken video of the inside of the store and decided we’d wait until after the holiday rush to publish it. Cory put some music to it and cut it into a concise two minute walk-through…

The video isn’t as clear as the rest of our BlackBerry videos. We’re not really sure what happened or why… we’re learning this video thing, so please have some patience us. But, either way, we bring you the only video walk-through of the BlackBerry store to date.

If you need more BlackBerry store fanfare, after viewing the video, you can see the store article and pictures here.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

A Video Tour of the BlackBerry Store

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

A Video Tour of the BlackBerry Store

BB Geeks » BlackBerry Store

Introducing the BlackBerry Curve 8520 and you can have it FREE!

Yeah Yeah I Know The 8520 Rocks But How Do You Get The FREE Curves???

Free Curve Models Available From T-Mobile

Free Curve Models Available From Sprint

Free Curve Models Available From Verizon

Free Curve Models Available From AT&T

The BlackBerry Store at the ATL airport

The one and only BlackBerry Store: Revisited

Revisiting Farmington Hills

What kind of foot traffic does the BlackBerry Store see?

What are the demographic makeup of your current customer base?

what type of training is being offered via the on site training facilities?

Are there any plans to open up another location of the BlackBerry Store?

Things are great and getting better every day

A Video Tour of the BlackBerry Store