Nice Handset Just Needs Some Improvements (Blackberry Curve 8900)

Member Name: mumof2boys

Product:	Blackberry Curve 8900
Date:	07/10/09 (134 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Does Everything, Sleek Design and Attractive

Disadvantages: Slow Browser, Applications, and 3.2Mp Camera

I recently had the Blackberry Pearl and upgraded to the Blackberry Curve 8900 when I was offered a free upgrade from 02.

***Why did I choose this?***

I really liked my Blackberry Pearl and thought now I know how to use the Blackberry I won't have to get use to all the new buttons that comes with getting to know a new model of phone as I have no patience and I don't like to read manuals!

I also wanted an all round phone which would give me internet, email, facebook and it also had to have a camera as I like to use a camera a fair bit on my mobile phone.


*** Features***

* Camera (3.2 MP)
* Wi-Fi® Support
* Built-in GPS
* Enhanced Media Player
* Video Recording
* BlackBerry® Maps
* Wireless Email
* Organizer
* Browser
* Phone
* Corporate Data Access
* SMS/MMS

The camera of 3.2mp is not the best but it does the trick, the phone has a flash which you can disable and also zoom options as well as a self timer function.

You can also view videos and listen to music on the Blackberry although I have not got round to this so not sure how it works to be honest with you.

***How it looks***

The Blackberry Curve 8900 is a really nice design, black sleek and light I love the QWERTY keyboard too although the buttons are a little small so I don't know how you would get on if you had big fingers. The phone also has a trackball mouse which makes navigating around so much easier.


****Size and Weight****

Height:
4.29 inches (109 mm)

Width:
2.36 inches (60 mm)

Depth:
0.53 inches (13.5 mm)

Weight:
3.87 ounces (109.9 grams)

***Performance***

I have some issues with this phone, I find navigating from screen to screen can be slow, the internet is very slow but maybe that's just where I am located as I am not in a big city.

I have a password set on my phone so every time it automatically locks itself I have to put it in, I have done this for one main reason and this is if I ever lost my phone then people would not be able to look into my emails and personal stuff, as a Blackberry can be an extension of ones life!

I have downloaded some applications, a lot of them are free and some you have to pay for, like you can get certain Twitter applications so you can use Twitter on your phone and they were free, but I don't use Twitter anymore but they are easily added and removed. They do seem more aimed at the American market such as "places to eat" Which I downloaded was no good to me as all the places were in America.

Blackberry is a very American phone mainly due to all the applications for it are useless to the fellow brit! I love the fact it can do anything, I also use the alarm function and calendar on the phone.

The Battery life is pretty good and seems to last a decent amount of time, this all depends on how long you are using it obviously.

***Battery & Battery Life***
* Battery: 1400 mAHr removable/rechargeable cryptographic lithiumcell
* Talk Time: 5.5 hours
* Standby Time: 356 hours

***What I use the phone for***

I tend to not use every function of the phone, I really should but am stuck in my ways when it comes to technology or you could call it lazy.
I use it for Email and have 2 email accounts set up on my phone, its really easy you just follow the prompts, if I can do it anyone can! You can have quite a few email accounts set up, not sure of the number but enough.

I also use the phone for the sole purpose of phone calls, and texts and send a fair amount of mms messages so enjoy using the camera function. There is also a video function but I don't tend to use this.

I have downloaded Msn Messenger which is brilliant; I have quite a few friends in the USA and its great being able to speak to them live via words like I do on my normal laptop.
I'm a bit of a Facebook Fan and love to check out what people have been up too and its great as I can upload pics straight from my phone to my Facebook profile from wherever I am! I tend to use this application a lot.

And as I find it hard to get up in the morning I use the alarm function, and don't have a watch so also use this phone as a clock. There is also a really good calendar function, but I am a bit lazy with this so try and remember everything in my head.

***Would I buy this again?***

In a simple word...NO, The phone needs a lot of tweaks doing to it, I hate the fact the camera is only 3.2mp. I want a phone that can take amazing pictures too. I also don't like the speed of navigating at times around the menu; it seems to be a bit slow.

I love the design of the phone and the keyboard is so easy. It is also very light and does a lot for the size. But the phone market is big there is a lot of choice and there must be better phones then this.
I also really hate the browser, searching for anything on the net just takes ages, it really does take so long by the time you have searched in Google you have fallen asleep, this happened to me last weekend...I was trying to search for the Euromillions Results and when I woke in the morning I realised I had not set my alarm and didn't know if I had won or not (I hadn't by the way).

If the speed of the browser was better and the camera was a better quality I would buy this phone again but overall I think its ok, but you can do better!

I got my Blackberry free with my contract but I have seen them for about £260 but I am sure you can get them cheaper if you have a good hunt on ebay.

Summary: Im sure you can do better!

Processing/Quality:
Reliability:
Ease of use:
Installation:
Noise:
Battery life: