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