I've said it before - the 8830 keyboard is junk. Soft, wimpy keys placed too close together that even people on The Office didn't like. It's about 12 minutes into Chapter 2 or 29 minutes into the entire episode (402). Have fun with NBC's lovely video player.
Anyways, I found out that CNN (not that CNN) carries replacement BB keyboards and I picked up a black one, because as everyone knows, darker keys are better.
I also grabbed a cell phone case opening tool which is a nice alternative to a thumbnail. If you're looking to replace your own 8830 keyboard, you'll need a T5 Torx screwdriver too.
I followed the 8800 Disassembly Guide, but ran into a small snag. On the 8800 the side panels pop right off; on my 8830 they were stuck on with adhesive. Rather than force them off, I gently lifted up the front casing, slid out the silver keyboard and popped in the new one.
Aftermath
It looks like crap. Every time I glance at it, I feel like there is a hole in the middle of my BlackBerry.
If you're concerned about aesthetics you'll probably want to replace the entire housing, and stop wearing a phone on your belt. My main concern was visibility and there's no question that white-on-black is easier to read than translucent-but-dark-on-silver.
Take a look at the before and after.
If you've never seen the 8830 lit up, it's most underwhelming. The blue was just too dark, and even when it was installed (instead of sitting on the screen) the keys around the edge were always dim.
Coming up next: Replace the built-in speaker and squeeze out 75dB of bass!
October 29th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
Nice pics! I hated the Grey look
October 29th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
[...] changing the whole housing if you plan on doing anything or the device will just be an eyesore. Check out his full description and more pics at this link. It seems like his next project will be replacing the built-in speaker to squeeze out 75dB of bass [...]
March 10th, 2008 at 8:16 am
I replaced my 8830 keyboard withe 8800 black one and then just use my black skin. I like its black and silver-highlighted aesthetics and didn't like the holster anyway. The skin keeps it safe in my pocket, backpack, etc. Thanks for the guide.