Last week I had the pleasure of heading to Woodbridge, Ontario for Telus’ BlackBerry 8350i launch event at AIM Autosport. AIM is a customer on Telus’ Mike iDEN network, and they were kind enough to talk about how they use the push-to-talk Mike network and why they’re so juiced to be getting the BlackBerry 8350i. I was also able to sit in their wicked sweet race car, which was sadly without an engine, and thus unavailable for a test drive (next time!). You can see all the photos after the jump, and there’s video on the way.
As for impressions, it’s hard to get a sense for the value of the 8350i, because we haven’t done extensive testing of the Mike network to see how cool PTT really is. Telus is going to send us a bunch of 8350’s for everyone in the office, however, so we’ll be able to say more shortly (I expect a lot of PTT silliness will ensue). As for my impressions of the 8350i as a device, I think it’s a winner over the standard 8330. While the BlackBerry 8350i is a bit longer and thicker than its Curve counterpart, it has a much sturdier build quality. It honestly takes me back to the days of the BlackBery 8700: you could throw the 8350i through drywall and it would come out the other side unscathed (it’s a long story). Wi-Fi is also a major bonus, and something I miss on my BlackBerry Storm.
For an extended look at the 8350i, check out BBCool contributer Mike’s Sprint BlackBerry Curve 8350i impressions and unboxing photos.
Nice pics, I’m sure you really enjoyed the moment.