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!

 

Posted on Wednesday, October 10th, 2007 at 11:25 pm | Filed under BlackBerry, Technology
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