I'm still working extensively with BlackBerry on the job. I personally use an 8830, but also have the Bold and the Storm for testing and documentation. The Bold is the updated World Phone for B-berry, but has a lot of features in common with Curve, running on the new OS. The Storm has been pretty tragic so far ... non-responsive keys, doesn't work half the time, etc. After two weeks of messing with it, I finally feel like I can make it do the stuff I want it to, but it hasn't been easy.
BlackBerry is like anything in that you just have to find your way around and learn the navigation techniques, where things are, etc. What makes me love it to death are the facts that it is an incredibly stable OS, with very few technical issues, almost never locks up, and communication with our BES server (email) is steady and constant - always. It is also really strong when it comes to security, the primary reason that we will likely never move to iPhone here. Battery life is outstanding and just about can't be beat.
I have a few third party apps on mine, but doubt that I'll ever use it for chasing purposes, just because I don't like trying to distinguish radar features on a screen the size of a credit card.
Let me know if I can help you find any settings or options you might be looking for. I teach a class on BlackBerry for attorneys about once a week, and have done so for about a year and a half now, so I'd be happy to help.