The BlackBerry Curve from
Research In Motion (RIM) expands the
BlackBerry family with an easy-to-carry, compact device that retains the qwerty
keyboard of larger designs. Although it ships with some consumer features, the
Curve is one of the best designs RIM has produced.
Available now from
O2
and
Vodafone,
the Curve has all the essential features of a BlackBerry - an excellent colour
screen, qwerty keypad and access to push email - but in a slightly smaller
format. However, the device still only supports GPRS networks (with Edge
capability, where available), while many rival devices have 3G broadband and
Wi-Fi.
On paper, the Curve is not actually much smaller than earlier models, such as
the BlackBerry 8700, but in
shaving a fraction of an inch off the width, height and depth, RIM has made it
noticeably more compact. It is also about 20 percent lighter at 111g, which
makes a real difference when carrying it in a pocket.
Despite its size, the keypad of the Curve is well-suited for thumb-typing,
although workers used to the larger keypad of earlier devices may find it a
little cramped. We found we could key in text at a reasonable speed without
making too many mistakes. The Curve now also features a spell check function.
The Curve is equipped with RIM’s miniature trackball design, first seen on
the BlackBerry Pearl, instead of a
thumbwheel. This enables speedier navigation but we found it tiring to use for
long periods. The BlackBerry key alongside it brings up a context-sensitive
menu, while another key to the right serves as the cancel/close function.
The Curve, because of its smaller size, is likely to be used as a phone as
well as an email client. Previous models were sometimes seen as too bulky so
workers would often carry a phone as well as a BlackBerry.
RIM’s phone interface perhaps lacks some finesse when compared with other
smartphone platforms. However, the Curve comes with RIM’s voice dialling
application and is a quad-band handset capable of roaming to most countries.
The Curve’s more consumer-oriented features include a digital camera and an
enhanced media player for audio and video content. The latter is backed by a new
Windows desktop application for managing media files on the device. The
two-megapixel camera takes reasonable quality shots and users can email or MMS
images direct from the application. Both features can be disabled by policy
settings from the BlackBerry Server if necessary, according to RIM.
An updated version of the BlackBerry Maps application makes it easier to find
directions. However, unlike the larger
BlackBerry 8800, the Curve does
not feature built-in GPS hardware. This capability can be added through the
Curve’s Bluetooth interface, which also supports wireless headsets.
The life of the Curve’s 1100 mAh removable battery pack is 17 days on standby
or up to four hours of talk time. A MicroSD card slot behind the battery lets
users expand on the 64MB of built-in Flash memory.
