I was able to purchase this phone about a week before its official release. I was excited that I could get my hands on a piece of equipment before it was available to the general public. I had high expectations on this product due to all of the hype surrounding its United States release. I believe the phone was already available in Europe and Canada since late last year. It is known as the Javelin outside of the US. In addition to the 8900, I was also purchased the 8320. I guess I can give a preliminary comparison of the two, although the 8320 is not primarily used by me. It was given to someone else as a gift. But I have played around with it for a bit. Before going into the details, I have to say that the phone call quality is good. But that all depends on your coverage area with T-Mobile. You can check your coverage here:[...] . It’s been a month and I haven’t had a drop call yet. With Sprint/Nextel, drop calls were the norm.
Pros:
1. Noticeably smaller and slimmer than any of the current BlackBerrys (BB). It is lighter than the 8320 but I didn’t feel a big difference
2. The screen is super sharp and detailed. It sports a 480×360 (4:3) screen. I believe the BB Bold and iPhone is 480×320. Even though the screen is much smaller than its competitors, its bright and very detailed. It includes a one minute video clip of a John Mayer concert to show off its display qualities.
3. The processor is noticeably quicker than the 8320. With the 8320, you have to wait a second or two longer for just browsing the phone’s numerous menus and applications.
4. The numbers are highlighted in red and not that flashy black/white style found in other BBs. I believe the not-yet-released AT&T 8900 will have that keyboard.
5. Great photo camera (see Cons section for comments on video quality). It even has auto-focus. If you press the camera button halfway, you can see the camera focusing on the subject, just like a regular point & shoot digital camera. The very bright LED flash is an added bonus. You could use it as a small flashlight, if needed.
6. Has both Wi-Fi and GPS. The TMo 8320 only has Wi-Fi.
7. Improved home screen and icons. The 8320 looks a bit cartoonish. Of course, you can change the “theme” and icons. But most users won’t bother or even know how to do that.
8. Comes with BB Maps. It’s pretty good. It’s even better than my Garmin nuvi 660 because the 660 fails to display the name of the street that you’re driving on when you’re not in navigation mode.
9. The micro SDHC card is no longer located beneath the battery as in the 8320. So, you can remove the card without having to remove the battery.
Cons:
1. Too many browers. The BB is a bit confusing in terms of the number of different internet browsers installed on the unit. It has a different browser depending on which internet service you’re using. For example, if you’re using normal EDGE internet service, it’s called Internet Browser. If you want to use Wi-Fi, you have to switch to Hotspot Browser.
2. Even though BB and Amazon describes the 8900 as being compatible with DivX and Xvid (video codecs), not a single Divx or Xvid file has worked on the 8900. I think Research in Motion (RIM) allows very early versions of those codecs to work, none of which is used by the mass public these days. Hopefully, RIM will fix the 8900 with future firmware updates.
3. The shift key is smaller than the 8320. I don’t know why they made it smaller. There’s empty room on the keyboard to accomodate a larger shift key.
4.Keys are not as raised as in the 8320. The 8320 is slightly easier to type with.
5.Video recording is weak. You would think that since the phone has a great camera, it would take better video footage. Not the case. The highest resolution is 240×180. That’s right: 240×180. That’s preposterous. At least it has video recording. The much acclaimed iPhone doesn’t.
6.Wi-Fi browsing is not as fast I’d like. It’s still far slower than using a laptop computer over Wi-Fi. Probably has to do with the fact that the phone is a phone first then laptop/camera/video recorder second.
7.There’s no setting available to have the phone vibrate and ring at the same time. You can only alternate the vibrate and ring. Very strange.
8. Battery life is below average compared to the 8320 and other non-smart phones. This is due to the faster processor over the 8320, more detailed and vivid screen, and a multitude of applications running in the background. Many smartphones suffer from this battery issue as well. Remember to put the phone into standby by either inserting it into the supplied OEM holster (a magnet in the holster activates standby) or press the mute button for about 1 second). There is some speculation circulating on the internet about the supplied OEM holster draining the battery when the 8900 is inserted, even though it is supposed to conserve the battery by initiating standby mode.
I’ll update this review as I’m still learning the ins and outs of this new great phone!!!!
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Tags: BlackBerry Curve 8900