Blackberry Curve 8320 Review

The BlackBerry Curve 8320 is one of the few smartphones which comes with a Wi-Fi feature. It has the original sleek design of the first Curve but a greater spacious and the QWERTY keyboard that is easier to use. Along with the phone is a 2-megapixel camera unlike the BlackBerry 8820 shooter. It has a great design, impressive performance and excellent messaging features. The Wi-Fi capability is one of the cool features that truly make it a good phone.

The design of the BlackBerry Curve is simply great. The full QWERTY keyboard which blends with the sleek design is a beautiful combination. Not to mention that it weighs at only 3.6 ounces, it is light and at the same time it has that slim factor that is the current trend in the market today. It is very comfortable and easy on the hands. It may be wider because of its QWERTY keyboard but messaging is much easier than regular cell phones. Its outer edges are curved with a soft touch finish that feels like rubber which when held at hand gives you that easy grip. It comes in two different colors which you can choose from basing from your personal taste and lifestyle. Color choices are pale gold or the titanium. Either way, overall design still looks and feels great.

The Curve comes with a 2.5-inch display which has 65,000 colors and splashes your eyes with a 329x240 pixel resolution. A light-sensor automatically adjusts the backlight of the screen along with the keyboard. The Curve adjusts conditions for indoor, outdoor, dark room or any type of environment. You also have the option to customize the screen with the available themes and wallpapers.

Unlike other BlackBerry mobile phones, the Blackberry 8320 does not come with a touch screen feature. Navigation is quick and easy; exploring the phone is a breeze with the simple user interface. There is the Talk and End/power buttons, the shortcut for Menu, the Escape key, and navigation could be done with a trackball. The sensitivity of the trackball can be adjusted at the Settings option. The right side is equipped with the volume rocker and a user-defined launch button. The user-defined button is set by default to activate the camera. At the left side is the mini-USB port and another convenience key which is programmable, and also comes with a 3.5 millimeter headset jack that you can use to plug in those Walkman style headsets.

Most BlackBerry 8320 users complain about the poor keyboard layout. Major concerns are that the buttons are cramped and slippery. Overall, the full keyboard offers a good typing experience because it returns to earlier styles found on BlackBerry 8700G series phones. This allows for a more spacious keyboard making the keys less cramped, tactile and slippery.

The camera comes with a lens, flash and a self-portrait mirror which are found at the back panel. The mute button is located on the top of the device. The BlackBerry Curve also comes with a microSD slot. However, access to it is cumbersome as it is located behind the battery. Along with the phone are the travel charger, USB cable, wired stereo headset, and belt holster.

Wi-Fi support comes at 802.11 b/g for the BlackBerry 8320. The Wi-Fi feature makes going online easy and convenient. Access your favorite websites from the comfort of your home or on a corporate network. This feature also allows you to make or receive calls by utilizing the regular GSM network and preconfigured wireless networks. Calls made via Wi-Fi are unlimited as long as you are in Wi-Fi hot spot. This makes for an affordable way of making calls and eliminates charges from your network provider. There are no problems in terms of connecting and you can access the Web without delays.

EDGE and Bluetooth are other wireless options included in this phone. Wireless headsets, hands-free kites, dial-up networking, object exchange, and A2DP for stereo Bluetooth headsets are among the Bluetooth profiles supported. Tradeoff for this however is that the GPS radio is absent unlike in the BlackBerry 8820.

In terms of voice features, this phone is a quad-band world phone which comes with speakerphone, voice-activated dialing, smart dialing, conference calling, and speed dial. The phone also is capable of cancelling background noise and echoes. Volume is automatically increased in noisy environment. One drawback however is its limited phonebook which can only store 250 contacts. Contact details allows for storing eight phone numbers, e-mail addresses, addresses, and provides a photo to each contact as caller ID.

Standard features for PIM tools include the calendar, tasks list, memo pad, alarm, calculator, and BlackBerry maps application. The BlackBerry maps application could prove to be very helpful and invaluable for mobile professionals.

The 2-megapixel camera comes with a 5x zoom and flash. Camcorder function is not available in the phone however. Picture quality is decent but getting clear images may prove to be quite difficult.

The media player supports MP3, AAC, MIDI, and Wav files for music. For video files, AVI, MOV and 3GP formats can be played. The player is pretty basic but it displays tags such as title, artist, album, and a playlists for your favorite music tracks. Multimedia features include a full-screen option for viewing videos.

Call quality is excellent, voices are clear and crisp. Voice volume is loud and clear enough and no background distortions were noticed. A slight hiss is heard using the speakerphone was too soft to be noticed. Phone support for Bluetooth headset devices was smooth and we had no problems pairing the Curve with them. Talk time can last up to 4 hours and standby time can last up to 17 days.

The BlackBerry Curve 8320 comes on top of the charts in terms of form and function. The Curve contains all the qualities which have made Blackberry a leader in the smartphone and business phone market. For old BlackBerry users, the BlackBerry Curve 8320 is a logical upgrade for their old workhorses. The curve could also prove to be more than a match for touch screen phones which have dominated the cellphone market today.

UPC	50
Brand	RIM BlackBerry
Model	RIM BlackBerry 8700 / 8700c / 8700g
Battery Type	Li - Ion
Battery Capacity	N/A
Battery Talk Time	4.00 hours
Standby Time	384 hours
GSM Bands	850/900/1800/1900
CDMA Bands	N/A
Operating System	BlackBerry OS
OS Version	N/A
Processor	Intel PXA901, 312 MHz
Memory	8 MB RAM / 64 MB ROM
Unveiled on	1 Nov 2005
Display Type	Color
Display Technology	TFT
Display Size	320 x 240 pixels
Display Colors	65 536
Display Physical Size	N/A
Display Features	N/A
Additional Display Type	N/A
Additional Display Size	N/A
Additional Display Colors	N/A
Additional Display Physical Size	N/A
Multiple SIM Cards Support	N/A
Design Form Factor	Candybar
Design of Antenna	Internal
Dimensions	4.30 x 2.70 x 0.77 (109,45 x 68,66 x 18,91 mm)
Weight	4.70 oz (133,33 g)
Global Roaming System	Yes
Accelerometer	N/A
GPS	N/A
TTY TDD Enabled	Yes
Camera and Video Camera Type	N/A
Camera and Video Camera Resolution	N/A
Camera and Video Camera Video Capture	N/A
Camera and Video Camera Flash	N/A
Camera and Video Camera Features	N/A
Camera and Video Camera More	N/A
Camera and Video Video Playback Protocols	N/A
Camera and Video Video Playback Features	N/A
Connectivity Data More	GPRS/EDGE
Data Max Speed	N/A
Internet Browsing Protocols	WAP 2.0
Internet Browsing Features	HTML Browser
Infrared Port	N/A
Bluetooth Version	2.0
Bluetooth Profiles	N/A
Bluetooth Features	N/A
Wireless LAN Type	N/A
USB Type	miniUSB
USB Version	N/A
Proprietory	N/A
SyncML	N/A
Computer Synchronization	Yes
HeadSet Jack 2 5mm	Yes
Head Jack 3 5mm	N/A
TV Out	N/A
External Antenna	N/A
Pop Port	N/A
Full Keyboard	QWERTY
Touch Screen	N/A
Side Keys Left	N/A
Side Keys Right	N/A
Predictive Text Input Support	N/A
Predictive Text Input Type	N/A
Memory Expansion Slot Type	N/A
Memory Built in	64 MB
Message Text Send Receive	Yes
Message EMS	N/A
Message MMS	Yes
Message Instant Messaging More	N/A
Message Instant Messaging Services	Yahoo!, ICQ, AOL, MSN
Message E mail Protocols	IMAP/POP3/SMTP/Blackberry Connect
Message E mail Features	N/A
Music AND Audio Music Player Protocols	MP3
Music AND Audio Music Player Features	N/A
Music AND Audio Radio	N/A
Music AND Audio FM Transmitter	N/A
Voice Dialing	N/A
Voice Commands	N/A
Voice Recording	N/A
Voice Speaker	Yes
Voice VoIP	N/A
Regulatory Approval SAR Head	0.68
Regulatory Approval SAR Body	1.34
Regulatory Approval SAR Measured in	1900 MHz
Polyphonic Rings Voices	N/A
Notifications Polyphonic Rings Features	MP3 ringtones
Vibration Alert	Yes
Alarm	Yes
Calendar	Yes
Calculator	Yes
TO DO	Yes
Stopwatch	N/A
Flashlight	N/A
Organizer Other	N/A
Document Viewer Support	N/A
Document Viewer Supported formats	N/A
Book Features	Capacity depends on system memory
Book Capacity	N/A
Book Multiple Numbers Per Contact	Yes
Book Picture ID	N/A
Book Ring ID	N/A
Personalization Faceplates	N/A
Personalization Profiles	Yes
Games	Yes plus JAVA downloadable
JAVA Profile	N/A
JAVA Configuration	N/A
Wireless LAN Support	N/A
Messaging E mail More	N/A
Software JAVA Support	N/A
Connectivity Internet Browsing Support	N/A
Connectivity Bluetooth Support	N/A
Connectivity USB More	N/A
Battery Talk time 3G	N/A
Battery Stand by time 3G	N/A
Battery Video call time	N/A
Battery Music playback	N/A
Battery Video playback	N/A
Battery Gaming	N/A
Battery GPS usage	N/A

The BlackBerry Curve is the smallest, lightest BlackBerry ever with a QWERTY keyboard. It features a liquid silver finish with clean lines, curved edges, and easy-to-use trackball navigation. The sleek design balances both personal and work needs with the perfect blend of performance and usability. The Curve is the first BlackBerry to support an enhanced media player, and stereo Bluetooth® headset capabilities. Snap crisp photos on the 2 MP camera with 5x zoom and flash. Need more storage? It has a microSD™ expandable memory slot to store music, videos and more. The Curve comes with BlackBerry's first email spellchecker and TeleNav Maps. Go global, the Curve has everything you ever needed or wanted in a BlackBerry.