I have a friend , let's call her "Julie," as that's her name, who can't decide between the BlackBerry 8700 or the Pearl (which, remember, we're giving away on our newsletter), but this is going to end the debate.

As rumored, RIM is coming out with a new model, the 8830, in May,with 2GB microSD support CDMA / GSM worldphone . The Verizon press release this morning boasted, "The Next Evolution In Global Connectivity with the the BlackBerry 8830 World Edition Smartphone."

What does this mean to the average Blackberry user? On that next wine-tasting trip to Italy, you'll be able to place and receive voice calls from more than 150 countries and send and receive emails in the United States, Canada and more than 60 countries worldwide.

The small print: The BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smartphone will be available on May 14 at Verizon for $299.99 after a $100 rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Sprint customers will have to wait until July . Jules, are you listening?