RIM BlackBerry Curve 8300

It doesn't take a marketing genius to note that RIM's BlackBerry devices have met with roars of approval from both business users and consumers. So it's no surprise that, hot on the heels of the BlackBerry 8800 BlackBerry has sanded down the edges of its excellent corporate phone and introduced the Curve.

The Curve has all of the features that make RIM devices popular. Its legendary push email service is there and, unusually for a consumer-friendly device, it's compatible with BES for Exchange, Lotus Domino and Novell GroupWise. But it's the efforts that RIM has made to make the Curve attractive to consumers that stand out. There's a two-megapixel camera on the back, placing the Curve alongside the BlackBerry Pearl, in terms of RIM devices that can take pictures. It's not the greatest phone camera we've seen though, and in anything other than bright daylight our images had significant amounts of noise. There's also a media player, and although RIM is unlikely ever to pose a serious threat to your iPod, it's sufficient for a couple of hours' worth of music.

At 111g the Curve is just over 20g lighter than the 8800, and its dimensions make it easier to pop into a pocket. But despite having had a slight trim, the 320 x 240 screen is virtually the same size at 2.4in. Business users will appreciate the QWERTY keyboard too.

The Curve doesn't sit in the hand quite as snugly as the 8800, which means that typing is marginally more fiddly, but after a few test emails we were rattling off messages with relative ease. It also keeps the trackball of both the 8800 and the Pearl, which remains an excellent way of navigating around mobile websites.

If there's one complaint that remains consistent for RIM devices, it's the wireless options. GSM, GPRS and EDGE are all fine for synchronising an email inbox, but they're not fast enough for applications such as mobile video. It also limits the kind of websites you can visit: while 3G allows you to happily browse websites that aren't optimised for mobiles, GPRS offers a much stickier experience. There's also no Wi-Fi, so even if you're within range of a home or office network, you'll still need to dial into a GPRS connection to get your email.

The Curve has also lost the GPS receiver of its larger brother, although it retains its mapping application, in which tiles of map data are downloaded as you need them.

The lack of wireless options aside, as an alternative to the 8800 the Curve excels. It offers nearly all of the features, weighs a little less, and looks a little better. Despite the gaps in its list of specifications, those looking for a little flair in a portable communications device should definitely consider this as an alternative to a full-sized BlackBerry.

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Author: Dave Stevenson