| The BlackBerry 8900 is the successor to the | | | | Bold, and hardly enough to notice unless you look |
| BlackBerry 83xx series. Despite retaining a | | | | closely at them. The key action is less squishy than |
| full-QWERTY keyboard, it is slightly slimmer, but | | | | that of the Bold. The trackball has been tightened up |
| otherwise the same size and weight as the 83xx,. | | | | somewhat compared to the older version. |
| Weighing in at 109g the Curve is very pocket/handbag | | | | The physical appearance is still typical of the |
| friendly. Produced by RIM, the 8900 Curve is the | | | | BlackBerry range - compared to its faster brother (the |
| mid-range BlackBerry, fitting neatly in between the Bold | | | | Bold) this phone is slightly less sophisticated in |
| and Storm and the Pearl and Flip. | | | | appearance - the chrome looks a little cheap and it |
| The BlackBerry 8900 Curve uses the OS 4.6 platform | | | | comes across as a tool for the middle-manager. |
| which allows for improved web browsing (with Ajax | | | | The camera has also been improved - this now has a |
| support), excellent document support including Word | | | | 3.2 megapixel resolution sensor with autofocus and |
| and Excel formats, with an added bonus for the | | | | image stabilisation. |
| spelling-challenged user - a continuous spell checker. In | | | | Regular email polling is a standard feature, just as in |
| terms of speed when browsing - this phone is slower | | | | the rest of the BlackBerry range: POP3, IMAP and |
| than the bold, however, as the mid-range mass market | | | | other email accounts are supported as well as BES, |
| offering, this is to be expected. What is loses in speed | | | | Groupwise and Domino mail servers. Incoming emails |
| to the bold, it gains in screen size. | | | | can be in HTML and attachments in most formats can |
| The screen on the 8900 curve has been increased to | | | | be read, including Word and Excel files. Call reception in |
| 480 x 360 pixels in size, with a reduction in the wasted | | | | areas with marginal signal is better than the 83xx |
| space which surrounded the screen and keyboard in | | | | range of Blackberries. |
| its predecessor. While this is almost the same | | | | If speed is what you are aiming for when it comes to |
| resolution as the Bold (48x360 versus 480x320), it is | | | | your web browsing hand set - then this phone is |
| larger in size, and probably still the best on the market. | | | | outclassed by its more sophisticated big brother. The |
| The colours are warmer in tone but still comfortable to | | | | Bold has 3G, the Curve does not. If you are happy |
| look at. | | | | with a slight delay in the response times, and want to |
| The keyboard is more or less identical to the older | | | | hold a Blackberry in your hand - then this is the |
| curve, the feel and layout are similar, but with the keys | | | | mid-range phone for you. |
| very slightly sloped in their set-up - less so than on the | | | | |