The ultimate business tool for Verizon subscribers, the BlackBerry 8830 lets you stay connected, any time, anywhere, in comfort and style. This ground-breaking smart phone not only boasts hi-speed access to Verizon's 3G wireless networks but also GSM circuitry for roaming internationally too. Combine this with legendary BlackBerry email prowess and you can easily see why the 8830 is worthy of our Editors' Choice award.

The 8830 looks very much like Cingular and T-Mobile's BlackBerry 8800, just in a dull gray instead of the 8800's more stylish black. That means it's a wide, flat (4.5 by 2.6 by 0.6 inches, 4.6 ounces) device, with sculpted keys that aren't quite as comfortable as the widely separated keys on older BlackBerrys, but still definitely good enough to use. Just like the 8800 and Verizon's 8703e, the 8830 has a beautiful, sharp 320 by 240 pixel screen that adapts admirably to ambient light, thanks to its built-in ambient light sensor.

The 8830 is about staying in touch seamlessly and globally, though not necessarily cheaply. So the phone works in more than 100 countries (including all of Europe) by combining CDMA and GSM calling capabilities. You get to keep your phone number, and keep getting your email if you subscribe to Verizon's new international BlackBerry data plan. But you'll pay the usual high roaming rates of 69 cents to $2.49/minute, depending on where you travel outside the US. I know what you're thinking. No, you can't swap out the 8830's SIM card for another provider which would charge lower rates.

Verizon also offers an unusual hand-holding service to US travelers. Provided with 8830 service is a 24-hour, toll-free global support hotline to call if anything goes wrong while abroad. I almost always have initial provisioning problems with devices when I travel to Europe, so knowing support staff is always on call for free is an excellent perk.

Of course, support is only as good as the customer service reps involved. When we sent a staffer to Italy with the 8830, her device initially didn't work. She called the tech support number and spoke to someone promptly, but the techs ended up wiping out all of her personal e-mail settings and address book data before getting the phone working. After I spoke to Verizon, they convinced me the techs weren't following the appropriate procedures and our editor's experience was, essentially, a first-week glitch. By the time you read this, Verizon's techs should be better trained.

Whether you're roaming or not, calls sound terrific on this phone. Volume from both the earpiece and speakerphone is loud too, and voices sound deep and clear, without distortion. I connected both Plantronics Voyager 510 and Pulsar 590 Bluetooth headsets to the phone, and you can use a wired headset through the standard, 2.5-mm headset jack. Voice dialing is easy with the built-in VoiceSignal suite, and talk time is excellent, over five and a half hours.

The 8830 is also Verizon's first multimedia BlackBerry (because Verizon never got the Pearl platform), and I'm glad to say multimedia plays very well on the handset. RIM's new PC desktop software for both XP and Vista uses elements of Roxio's Media Creator 9 suite to organize and automatically convert photos, music and video files for the device. The one-click video conversion is a big step forward, and videos look great at 24 frames per second, in full screen on the 8830. You can also play unprotected MP3, WMA and AAC music and create and transfer playlists from within the desktop software. Unfortunately, the phone doesn't support Bluetooth stereo audio, though it does accept 4 GB microSD cards (in my case I used a Sandisk card.)

RIM's Java-based BlackBerry platform has been receiving more and more third-party applications recently, and the 8830 runs them as well as any BlackBerry ever has. I loaded Opera Mini without a problem. Oddly, the phone has GPS capabilities, but doesn't come with any GPS applications.

Two data modems are also built in – and yes, it can be used as a modem for your PC. The EVDO modem, usable in the US and Canada, gave me speeds of approx. 600 kbps down and 30-50 kbps up. The much slower GPRS modem kicks in when you're overseas – expect speeds of only 20-40 kbps from that one, but it's mostly for receiving e-mail onto the handheld itself.

Like all BlackBerrys, the 8830 just works. I can't overemphasize that enough. You don't have to tweak it, it doesn't crash, it just operates as advertised. Of course, the platform could use a wider software selection, especially affordable Microsoft Office document editors (the only ones I know of cost $120.) Still, the 8830 is the easiest, smoothest, sleekest way to get your work done with Verizon Wireless.

Now Verizon users do have a range of high quality smart phones to choose from. The Palm Treo 700p is flexible, but chunky. Ditto the powerful Verizon XV6700. The Motorola Q is sleek, but sometimes quirky. The BlackBerry 8830 combines a great form factor with bulletproof stability, usability, and now a very good media player. For that, I bestow upon it my Editors' Choice.

As far as pricing goes, the 8830 costs $199 to $399, depending on rebates. The new international data plan runs for $64.99/month with a voice plan, or $69.99/month without.

Benchmark Test Results
Continuous talk time: 5 hours 45 minutes
Jbenchmark 1: 1630
Jbenchmark 2: 82

Compare the BlackBerry 8830 with several other mobile phones side by side.