BlackBerry Curve 3G Review

BlackBerry Curve 3G Review
The BlackBerry Curve 3G is the next iteration of one of Research In Motions top selling devices. The latest in the Curve series brings 3G to the GSM side and also boasts its BlackBerry 6 readiness despite having been launched with BlackBerry OS 5 preloaded.

While many BlackBerry users have moved onto a Bold 9700, Bold 9650, Torch or even a Storm series device the Curve series still remains a top seller for Research In Motion and the latest revamp does that particular product line justice.

So no, it's not going to be a device for the hardcore BlackBerry user that needs the latest & greatest but it serves well to those who need a nice, functional and cost effective BlackBerry. It certainly cries out to those out there who may still be using a feature phone and are looking to make the jump to an easy to use smartphone. Read on for the full review after the break.

When looking at the BlackBerry Curve 3G many folks are quick to point out that it looks exactly like the BlackBerry Curve 85xx. Now, while this isn't an incorrect statement, I personally found that the look of it is more similar to that of the original BlackBerry Curve 8300. The bezel on the 85xx series devices are flat and less streamlined where as the bezel on the BlackBerry Curve 3G has lines in it and seperates itself from the phone.

My first impression when taking it out of the box was not that it looked and felt like an 85xx but rather an 83xx device. I'm not saying this is a bad thing either. The BlackBerry Curve 83xx devices were/are tough and the BlackBerry Curve 3G feels just as durable, whereas the 85xx series did give way to a feeling of "cheapness".

The build quality on this round of the device feels much better. More solid feeling than that of the 85xx series. The trackpad is higher and more raised up where the 85xx series seemed to have them sunk in a little bit too far. As well, the area for the Call, Menu, Back and End keys has been enlarged as well, making them easier to get at and allowing users more "play area" to hit the right buttons when needed.

Going into testing this device coming off of using the BlackBerry Torch was like a dream come true. The battery life on the BlackBerry Torch 9800 on the latest OS is really not all that good, so using the BlackBerry Curve 3G reminded me of just how long a BlackBerry battery should last. With the BlackBerry Curve 3G using the standard 1150mAh batteries, I was under the impression that it may suffer a little bit due to the 3G but this was not the case at all. Research In Motion has worked hard on the radio stack in the OS' and this device is a prime example of that.

In the end, the BlackBerry Curve 3G on a full charge while using WiFi and occasionally GPS lasted me a full day. Remove the WiFi and GPS usage and I pushed a day and a half out of it just using email, Twitter and BlackBerry Messenger. I'm sure I don't need to say it but I will -- I never used the browser much because quite honestly, coming off of using the BlackBerry Torch it really just irked me to have to use a BlackBerry OS 5 browser again. But the few times that I did use it, it had minimal impact on battery life.

With WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth the BlackBerry Curve 3G is a well featured device. Through my testing the WiFi here is quite notable considering that it supports wireless b/g/n. N of course being the most significant since not even the BlackBerry Bold 9700 has that included, although the upcoming BlackBerry Bold 9780 is slated to. While it certainly may not be a selling point to some, to others it is and it works quite well.

In regards to GPS, the BlackBerry Curve 3G is on par with any other BlackBerry on the market today, It spins up and finds your location rather quickly and accurately. Although excessive GPS usage will cause some serious damage to your battery life here. Probably more so then say a BlackBerry Bold 9700 as the battery just isn't enough to cover it if GPS is something you use a lot of.

Speakers are an issue here, and well, speakers have been an issue for me on every BlackBerry device AFTER the BlackBerry Bold 9000. The Bold 9000 was and still is king. Research In Motion has never made another device sound as good as the Bold 9000 did and I'm quite certain they never will. When it comes to the BlackBerry Curve 3G, you will not be impressed in any way. The speakers are hollow and crackly sounding when listening to music through them however headphones are ok. Using the device on speaker phone is ok as well, but as soon as you want to watch a movie or listen to music, that's when you'll notice that they really don't cut it.

The display is something I wish Research In Motion had not of skimped on. The only North American Curve series device to get a higher then 320x240 display was the BlackBerry Curve 8900. The BlackBerry Curve 3G's display, while capable enough, does nothing for me personally. The screen real estate is small and the resolution isn't all that great. Although, if you've never been spoiled by another devices resolution you'll likely not care all that much.

BlackBery Curve 3G Official Specifications:

Size (HxWxD)
Height 4.29 in / 109 mm
Width 2.36 in / 60 mm
Depth 0.55 in / 13.9 mm

Weight 104 g

Operating System
BlackBerry 5 w/ BlackBerry 6 Compatibility

CPU Speed 624 MHz

Memory
- 256 MB internal flash memory
- 256 MB built-in storage memory

Expandable Memory
- 2GB microSD card included
- Supports up to 32GB microSD card

Battery 1150 mAHr removable/rechargeable lithium-ion battery

Display 320x240 pixel color display

Transmissive TFT LCD

Camera 2.0 MP camera, fixed focus, video recording

Video Camera Normal Mode: 320 x 240 pixels

MMS Mode: 176 x 144 pixels

GPS Integrated GPS with A-GPS (assisted GPS) ready

WiFi Wi-Fi Band: 802.11b/g/n, support for UMA (carrier-dependent)

Bluetooth Bluetooth v2.1; Mono/Stereo Headset, Hands-free, Serial Port Profile, Bluetooth Stereo Audio (A2DP/AVCRP) and Bluetooth SIM Access Profile supported

Headset 3.5mm stereo headset capable

Network Tri-band UMTS networks: (800/850)/1900/2100 or 900/1700/2100 MHz (check with your provider for network availability)

Quad-band: GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

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Blackberry Torch 9800 Review

A whole bunch of BlackBerry newness is making its debut on the Torch 9800, which for the moment really sets it apart from other BlackBerry devices on the market. It's the first and only slider BlackBerry. It's the first BlackBerry to feature a 'proper' touchscreen (no SurePress clicking on the screen required). It's the first BlackBerry to get the bump up to a 5 megapixel camera. It's also the first BlackBerry device model to have BlackBerry 6, which ushers in a bunch of new features, including the new WebKit rendering engine.

Background
Why would AT&T want a BlackBerry slider?

In the world of smartphones, it is easy to think that the manufacturers make all of the decisions in developing a new device, and once built they start working with the carriers to bring it to market. In many cases that's true, but in other situations the carrier will tell the manufacturer what they want and work together on turning that idea into reality. Such was the case with AT&T and the BlackBerry Torch 9800.
AT&T told me that they conducted massive amounts of market research and identified a large group of people who simply need to have a physical keyboard.

When I was told this the first thought that popped into my head was Why?. After all, AT&T is the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the United States, which appeals to a large user base and obviously sells well. Wouldn't AT&T's release of a 'SliderBerry' be targeting the same people the iPhone is already appealing to? So why would AT&T want to work with RIM to build the Torch 9800? AT&T told me that they conducted massive amounts of market research and identified a large group of people who simply need to have a physical keyboard. Furthermore, for these users, the killer app on their phone is people - they are are the CrackBerry addicts who are constantly on their device, communicating, socializing and sharing.

Thus, the ask from AT&T to RIM was to find a way to marry their best-in-industry keyboard to a larger touchscreen display. Block models determined the vertical slider to be the form factor to go with due to its efficiency, a decision I'm told was made in 2008, prior to Palm unveiling the Pre at CES 2009 (just in case you were thinking they borrowed the design from them!). Marrying this form factor to the next generation messaging, media, web browser and overall more modern user experience offered by BlackBerry 6, and AT&T is confident they will have a winner on their hands with the BlackBerry Torch 9800 (view AT&T Press Announcement).


What's in a name: why Codename 'talledaga?' Why 'Torch?'

Regular readers of CrackBerry.com will know that the BlackBerry Torch 9800 has gone through quite a name game these past few months. The pre-release codename for the device was 'talledaga' or Mr. T for short. No, RIM didn't go with this codename because they liked Will Ferrell or the A-Team. This device was built for AT&T. Who's the president of AT&T Mobility? Mr. Ralph de la Vega. It wouldn't be much of a codename if they called it de la Vega so they rhymed it with the closest cool-sounding word they could think of, talledaga. Yup, it's Ralph's phone. Pretty clever way to pay homage don't you think?

While talledaga was a cool codename, the actual product name game of this device has been a big question mark for months now. When the slider photos first emerged, another website first labeled them as the Storm3. We quickly followed up saying it's definitely not a Storm3 but maybe could be part of the Bold family given the design of the keyboard. More recently we broke the news to the world that a new name was being considered for the slider, and that name was Torch. Lo and behold we were right on that one and RIM has introduced the Torch brand for their slider devices to join the ranks of the Pearl, Curve, Storm and Bold (Tour family now consolidated into Bold). You know what that means right? Let the Torch2 rumors begin!!

The story behind the Torch name is pretty simple. The word 'Torch' entered everyday BlackBerry vocabulary back in August last year when Research in Motion acquired Torch Mobile, a company that developed the WebKit-based Iris browser. As part of RIM's global organization, Torch was tasked with getting WebKit rendering into the BlackBerry platform. Names are often tossed around RIM HQ, and at some point the word torch went up the chain as being potentially suitable for a product name. The brand teams and upper level guys liked the connotations of torch as a product name and the rest is history!


Which carriers are getting the BlackBerry Torch 9800?

While the story above really shows that this phone was built for AT&T and will launch exclusively with AT&T in the United States, we will also see the device roll out internationally on other GSM carriers. Shortly following AT&T's press release regarding the Torch, we saw Rogers, Telus, Bell and Virgin all confirm they will soon have the Torch available, so it's only a matter of time before a Torch is available on a carrier near you. And if waiting isn't your style, there is always the option to purchase it outright from AT&T and unlock the device to run on your carrier. As for other US carriers getting the Torch 9800, that isn't looking likely right now. However, the Torch is a brand family name, so I'd think at some point in the future we will see Torch family devices hit the other carriers in the USA - just not the 9800 specifically. Though you never know - AT&T is still the only carrier in the USA to have the iPhone, so maybe they've locked down the Torch for the long haul as well - at this point we're not certain.

BlackBerry Torch 9800 Key Features and Tech Specs

Size (LxWxD) Closed: 4.4" x 2.4" x 0.57" / 111mm x 62mm x 14.6mm
Open: 5.8" x 2.4" x 0.57" / 148mm x 62mm x 14.6mm
Weight 161.59 g / 5.7 oz (includes battery)
Operating System BlackBerry 6
CPU Speed 624 MHz
Memory
- 512 MB internal flash memory
- 4GB built-in storage memory
Expandable Memory
- 4GB microSD card included
- Supports up to 32GB microSD card
Battery 1270 mAhr removable/rechargeable cryptographic lithium cell
Display High resolution touch screen
Half-VGA+ display (360 x 480 at 188ppi)
3.2" (diagonally measured)
Camera 5.0 MP camera, flash, auto focus, face detection, image stabilization, scene modes, 2X zoom, video recording
Video Camera Normal Mode: 640 x 480 pixels
MMS Mode: 176 x 144 pixels
GPS Integrated GPS with A-GPS (assisted GPS) ready
WiFi Wi-Fi Band: 802.11b/g/n, support for UMA (carrier-dependent)
Bluetooth Bluetooth v2.1; Mono/Stereo Headset, Hands-free, Serial Port Profile, Bluetooth Stereo Audio (A2DP/AVCRP) and Bluetooth SIM Access Profile supported
Headset 3.5mm stereo headset capable
Network SKU1 UMTS: 2100/1900/850/800 MHz (Bands 1,2,5/6)
SKU2 UMTS: 2100/1900/900 MHz (Bands 1,2,8)
GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900MHz GSM/GPRS networks

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BlackBerry Curve 8300 Review

BlackBerry Curve 8300 SmartPhone Review

The BlackBerry Curve 8300 is the lightest & smallest BlackBerry handset which comes with a full QWERTY keyboard. The Curve 8300 may be small but it still comes with all the user friendly, business focused features that are expected from a BlackBerry Smartphone. The handset is known as the Curve because of its smooth & curvaceous casing which has soft edges & feels smooth to hold in the user's hand. The handset comes in an elegant liquid silver coloured casing which oozes sophistication. The handset weighs 111 grams & comes with a solid but lightweight feel. The overall size of the handset is 107mm in height, 60mm in width & 15.5mm in depth which fits easily in the users pocket or bag. The BlackBerry Curve 8300 is a member of the BlackBerry Smartphone family which includes other highly business focused handsets including the BlackBerry 8800 & the BlackBerry 8100 Pearl. The Curve 8300 comes with 64 Mbytes of internal Flash memory which can be extended further by inserting a MicroSD™ type memory card to suit the user's storage requirements.

The Smartphone is highly useable & comes with a beautifully large colour viewing screen which provides the user with up to 65,000 colours on a high resolution screen. The screen is light sensitive & will automatically adjust the lighting levels of the display to ensure the user can view the screen in all lighting condition. The Curve 8300 comes with a trackball navigation system complete with dedicated entry keys & an easy to use full QWERTY keyboard. The user can use the full QWERTY keyboard when typing emails, messages, updating their organiser & much more. The QWERTY keyboard has a numeric keypad built into it which is identified by black coloured keys. The keyboard comes with a subtle backlight which provides the user with a clear indication of spacing between the keys. The phone supports BlackBerry Maps™ & comes with a document viewer which allows the user to view all popular document files on their mobile Smartphone. The Curve 8300 comes with day to day Smartphone features which include an alarm clock, phone book, organiser, memo pad & task list.

The Smartphone comes with a fun & useful built in camera feature which allows the user to capture photographs using the business focused handset. The user can capture, save, delete & share their photographs with others using the messaging services. The 2 megapixel camera feature brings an element of fun & pleasure to the BlackBerry Curve 8300 & allows the user to have a digital camera device with them at all times. The built in multimedia player allows the user to enjoy music & video playback in popular file formats. The Curve 8300 is a business Smartphone compete with built in entertainment feature for the user to enjoy. The user can select & change their ringing tones & alerts to suit their taste & the phone supports MP3, MIDI & polyphonic ringing tones. The user can communicate & make calls easily using the voice activate call feature. The phone comes with a handsfree speaker call facility which allows the user to take a call over the Smartphone's speakers which leaves the user handsfree to continue working without holding the BlackBerry Curve 8300 to their ear throughput the call. The user can communicating with others by making a phone call or by using the built in messaging services which includes an email service complete with document attachment support. The user can enjoy an online chat with compatible instant messaging contacts & even create a multimedia message comprising of a photograph with sound & text input. The BlackBerry Curve 8300 is a highly capable device's which comes with user friendly functions & features.

The user can rest assure that their Smartphone will not be accessed or used by others as it comes with a password protection feature for added security. The user can lock the keyboard to ensure that the keys are not accidentally pressed when carrying the handset. The battery provides up to approximately 408 hours of standby battery time which is ideal for a user on the move for long periods of time. The battery will provide up to 4 hours on talk time from a fully charged battery. The Smartphone comes with a HTML Internet browser which allows the user to enjoy a mobile Internet on the move & the phone works on a quad band technology which allows the user to enjoy International roaming. The Bluetooth® technology provides the user with a wireless connection between compatible Bluetooth® devices & allows the user to transfer data without tripping over cables. The user can connect their BlackBerry Curve 8300 to compatible devices using a USB cable & the phone supports EDGE technology which provides a high speed data transfer which is approximately three times faster than GPRS. The Curve 8300 is a business Smartphone which will entertain the user as well as providing the perfect business tool for the business user on the move.

BlackBerry Curve 8300 Specifications & Features
Screen
65k Colour Screen (320 x 240 Pixels)

Imaging
2 Megapixel Camera
Flash
Camera Settings
Viewfinder Display
Video Player
Video Recorder

Messaging
SMS (Text Messaging)
MMS (Multimedia Messaging)
Email
Email with Attachments
Instant Messaging

Sound
Media Player
MP3 Ringtones
MIDI Ringtones
Polyphonic Ringtones
Vibrating Alert
Handsfree Speaker
Voice Dialling

Entertainment
Downloadable Games
Organiser
Phone Book
Calendar
Wireless Calendar
Alarm Clock
Memo Pad
Task List
Organiser
Personal Information Management (PIM) Software
Full QWERTY Keyboard
Keyboard Backlight
Document Viewer
BlackBerry Maps™
Security Password Protection
Keyboard Lock

Connectivity
Bluetooth™
USB
GPRS
EDGE

Network
Quad Band Technology (GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800 & GSM 1900)

Internet
HTML
Embedded RIM® Wireless Modem

Memory & Talk Time
64 Mbytes Flash Memory plus MicroSD™ Memory Option
4 Hours Talk Time
408 Hours Standby

Weight & Size
111 g
107 x 60 x 15.5 mm

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