Here at Mobiles.co.uk, we’ve had the enviable pleasure of putting the new Blackberry Curve 8900 through its paces. Formerly going under the name of the Blackberry Javelin (should we expect the Blackberry Discus or Shot putt next?!), the Curve has been doing the rumour mill rounds in mobile phone news forums across the land. But for the opinion that really matters (mine?) read on for our thoughts on the latest from those push email specialists ahead of its launch in late December.
Having recently spent some time with the Blackberry Bold, which was a mighty impressive piece of kit in its own right, the first positive from
my play with the Curve is that it’s a lot lighter at 110 g compared to the Bolds chunkier 133 g. The Curve has also been on a diet in dimensions coming in slightly smaller in width and length. The result is a more pocketable and manageable phone without a negative impact on the usability of the keypad or display. The front of the curve bears a strong resemblance to its sibling the bold with a silver metallic border surrounding the outside of the phone. On the reverse, the Curve substitutes the Bolds leather back with a more understated (and in my opinion, nicer) brushed metal finish which gives the Curve a sleeker more streamlined look and feel.
In terms of operating the phone, this is a lot simpler than you’d imagine for an email centric smartphone. The home screen presents you with a selection of shortcuts which are all readily available by scrolling the trackball left and right. This is not dissimilar to current gen Symbian mobile phones though I must add (and it pains me to do so) that the trackball actually makes this a lot easier than on my Nokia N82. To the left of the trackball is the Blackberry menu button which allows you to explore everything the Curve has to offer. I found myself aimlessly navigating through the various menus and sub menus just so I could spend a bit more time admiring that stunning display. The screen is of the TFT variety measuring in at 2.4 inches or 480 x 360 pixels. The clarity and precision of what is displayed on screen is startling, everything looks absolutely crystal clear. I thought I was impressed with th
e Bolds screen but the 8900 Curve manages an even more impressive wow factor.
In terms of features, the Blackberry Curve is fairly well covered in all departments. It features a 3.2 Megapixel camera with autofocus, flash and video recording making it one of the most powerful cameras found in a Blackberry to date, a built in GPS receiver with Blackberry maps pre-installed, Bluetooth v2.0 for all your audio streaming needs and a comprehensive multimedia player that includes Music and crisp video playback. One slight drawback is the curious lack of 3G connectivity which for a phone with such great email and web browsing potential does seem to be a stumbling block. Thankfully Blackberry haven’t left us completely in the lurch and have seen fit to include Wi-Fi connect
ivity and with Wi-Fi hotspots popping up in all sorts of places from pubs and bars to coffee shops and even your local McDonalds, you shouldn’t have to travel too far to enjoy high speed data.
From my brief hands on with the Blackberry Curve 8900 I was left wanting more. Blackberry have managed to develop a QWERTY phone that isn’t cumbersome or unsightly but doesn�t skimp on the important features of a smart phone. With the phone formerly known as the Javelin spearing its way towards a mid to late December launch, click here to keep updated and keep an eye on the Blog for any updates.
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[Source: The UK Mobile Phone Blog]
