Sprint carries globetrotting BlackBerry 8830

Sprint on Thursday revealed that it will be the second provider to carry the BlackBerry 8830 World Edition in the US, giving the subscribers to its network an opportunity to roam more easily beyond North America. Shifting to a black color versus the silver of the Verizon model, the smartphone will share the same unlocked SIM card slot and allow connections to GSM networks as well as its native CDMA. Customers will have the choice of either signing up for a custom Sprint plan or leaving the GSM card open to sign for another provider altogether if they expect to use an outside network for a long time, the company says.

The phone itself will be priced similarly to Verizon's handset and other BlackBerries, selling in July for $200 with a two-year contract and rebates. Subscribers can choose either one of the longstanding BlackBerry service plans for the device or else use the new Worldwide plan, which allows unlimited e-mail and data anywhere the phone can connect via either CDMA or GSM.