BlackBerry 8830 ships with Verizon

Verizon used its Memorial Day holiday to announce that the BlackBerry 8830 World Edition has begun shipping to its retail shops. The smartphone not only brings the 8800 design to Verizon's CDMA network but is also the provider's first device to support roaming on European and some other international networks thanks to a dual-band GSM radio; owners can subscribe to the carrier's $65 Global BlackBerry Service to also receive the device's trademark push e-mail anywhere they can connect to the service.

The cost of the phone itself remains unchanged from the April announcement, which sells now for $300 with a two-year contract and a rebate; using BlackBerry features requires either the above $65 plan or a $70 version if not tied to a voice plan. Those intending to keep e-mail use to North America can also choose a less expensive $50 monthly e-mail plan.