Review of RIM's worthy new BlackBerry Curve 8900 QWERTY smartphone

RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900

RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900

RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900

RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900

RIM's BlackBerry Curve 8900 is the second generation of the company's compact, full-QWERTY messaging smartphone. It features the same basic form factor as the original 8300 series devices, but gets some nicely upgraded features as well as a bit of the BlackBerry Storm and Bold's styling. We reviewed a T-Mobile USA version of the 8900, which supports the company's UMA^(INFO) based HotSpot @Home VoIP calling service.

Physical Aspects

At 112g (3.9oz) in weight and measuring 109.5mm x 60.5mm x 13.5mm (4.3" x 2.4" x .5") in size, the new Curve is basically the same size and weight as the original, though it is appreciably thinner. The keyboard on the device is much like the original's and offers great feel. The new trackball is a bit stiffer and slightly harder to use, though. The 8900's display is a beautiful 480x360 pixel unit that measures 2.4 inches across the diagonal. It's smaller than the display on the Bold 9000, but sports more pixels.

The overall build quality of the device is very good with one exception: the rear battery cover. RIM cut some corners with it, and it shows. The cover is loose fitting and rattles. The Curve 8900's overall design is nice, the finish is attractive, and I appreciate the soft-touch rubbery surface used on the sides and bottom of the phone. It's a solid piece of hardware.

Core Functions

Call audio quality on the BlackBerry Curve 8900 is exceptionally good, especially when on UMA based VoIP connections. Reception on GSM networks seems perhaps slightly better than on the 8320, but not much so. The speakerphone functions very well from the perspective of the remote caller, though it can sound a bit harsh to the Curve user. RIM rates the Curve 8900 for 6 hours of talk time or up to 19 days of standby time, and we can at least offer that the battery life seems better than in the 8300 series devices. For T-Mobile USA users, the Curve 8900 is compatible with the carrier's My Faves calling service.

Contact management on the Curve 8900 is very good, and the ability to search for contacts merely by typing a first and/or last name from the home screen is handy. Ring profiles on the 8900 are hugely customizable, though still a bit complex due to all of the available settings. Speed dials and speaker independent voice dialing is also available on this newest member of the Curve family.

Messaging is still the focus of any BlackBerry, and the Curve 8900 deals with such tasks well. Multiple email accounts can be easily configured on the device, and users have options as to whether they prefer combined or separate inboxes for their email and SMS/MMS messages. RIM thoughtfully included a large number of keyboard shortcuts to make messaging even faster, such as hitting the 'R' key to reply to a selected message in the inbox.

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 functions on any of the four major GSM/EDGE network bands, but lacks 3G connectivity completely. WiFi access will help mitigate that omission, but even the WiFi data speeds seem sluggish at times. The Curve 8900 supports USB mass storage emulation and Bluetooth connectivity for headsets as well as stereo headphones.