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I anxiously awaited the arrival of my new Blackberry. Plus the trackball was a little hard to get used to. PROS:I think it can do just about anything, perhaps even fly a plane.Great size - I was expecting it to be as awkward as holding the iphone - but it was much more comfortable. Entering new contacts would also take a while.
It can do almost too much - not the best choice for someone mainly interested in a phone & texting. I live in a rural area, so the network was a bit slow, even though according to Verizon it was as fast as it would be in an urban area. Less intuitive than other smartphones. I found that many apps needlessly overlapped other devices that I have, so I decided to return it for something else. Obviously, this device is for someone who might use it as a mobile office, needed document access or needs to maintain large contact information. but had mixed feelings once getting it in my hands.
Apps timed out or froze often.Offering so many options made it clumsy to navigate quickly. Great phone, just not for me. Camera shot nice quality photos.Screen was large and easy to read.Nicely made, lightweight, but a substantial feel in the hand.Though a silly comment, the ringtones are great.CONS:The set up time was lengthy. (transfer from your existing phone if you can).The key pad is a bit small - what would happen if the print rubbed off the keys.
First of all, if you need worldwide voice and data, you can't get that with the curve. I'd probably downgrade if it had international calling. Unfortunately, I recently upgraded to the blackberry storm from my old, trusty, reliable curve. This phone was extremely reliable, never missing calls and always keeping accurate call records. Lastly, if you don't like putting full names into your contact list, this can make the way your address book reads very messy.Overall, the Blackberry Curve was the best phone I ever had. I loved that all my messaged came into one inbox, emails and texts alike. There are, however, a few reasons not to buy this phone.
There have been many times when I've accidentally forgotten to lock my phone and had my curve call people (generally the first "p" in my contact list). Third, if you don't like locking you phone, you may want to go with something that closes.
The trackball was very easy to use and to play brickbreaker, probably the best game to ever come preloaded on a phone. To send more than one you must send the first and then send the second and so on and so forth (this is not applicable to email).
Though there are things I absolutely love about the new storm (world-wide calling namely), I very much miss my old Curve. Secondly, if you like to send extremely long SMS (text) messages, the curve (and any blackberry I believe) has a strict 160-character single message field.
I'd highly recommend you buy this phone. I am one of those people who receives thousands of email messaged per day, and my curve kept up with them all.
Plus, the QWERTY keyboard was easy to type with and made sending long email messages a breeze.
I'm a Baby Boomer and I learned to use it quickly. It is somewhat annoying that you have to go under the battery to get to the micro s/d card, but if you have more GB (takes up to a 8GB s/d) that should not be a problem. I love the trackball, which makes going from one app to another very easy. The address book is easy to set up. Of course, I really like Verizon service. It is very easy to surf the web using Google.
I got the Blackberry 8330 (my color is pink) at the end of December (after I saw my daughter's phone same model, black color) This phone is terrific. I've send pictures to others and it was so simple. My husband gave me the Blackberry and it was great. Also since there was a difference in holding this phone compared to my old phone I would suggest you get a case to cover it. Finally, as I said earlier, I got the pink one which alot of people didn't know they had. The sound is clear and volume is easily adjustable. It does take a little time to find out everything it does (I'm still learning), but it is worth it. This is my first venture with texting.
I would definately get this phone. There are the usual calendar, alarm clock, voice recorder and message pad. Also several times when there is a disagreement on when you are with friends and you can just Google it and all is well. I found that a snap on case and the one from "Seidio" is the best and only costs about $8.00 to $10.00 on the net. I had major surgery in December and had to go to a physical therapy rehab nursing facility and they did not have internet service (I could not believe it.
There are cheaper imitations but they are not well made and crack very easily. I have had other services and there is no comparison. It is hard plastic with a rubberized finish the keeps the phone from sliding from your hand. The buttons are a little small, but once you get used to them, there is no problem. With the icons they are very easy to find and use.
There wasn't even the dreaded dial-up). The camera is not too bad and it has a flash. I used to think, why would you need to surf on your phone when you have a computer/laptop.
Call quality with the Curve and the T305 combination had no drop off in performance.Additional Applications: There are plenty of freely available add ons for the Curve, and most support over the air installation by point the Curve's browser to the appropriate URL. It is such a better user experience to be able to scroll rather than have to hold down a sluggish five-way D-pad to navigate. However you do have the ability to run the desktop software to sync your e-mail if a direct connection to your corporate e-mail is not available.Messaging does not stop there. The speakerphone quality is quite good on the Curve.Bluetooth: It was easy to pair my Motorola T305 Bluetooth Portable Hands-Free Speaker (Black) with the Curve.
Using it can be addictive to the point that it could be called a Crackberry. However if you are not in the room when you get an SMS message, the Curve will not nag you until you read the message the way a pager would. If you use the ones from you iPod that only have two, you will eventually short out the jack.You can also stream media from Slacker or view video clips on web sites. If your company supports this, it is the way to go because it does require your desktop computer to be on and connected in order to receive your e-mail. For whatever reason, Verizon chose not to make this available although they did do so on the Storm which makes the decision on the Curve that much more puzzling.Conclusion: There is a lot to like - if not love - about the Blackberry Curve from Verizon.
The Curve does not have a touch screen, and therefore has no stylus. I highly recommend this for those seeking a good phone that integrates well with corporate e-mail. First, it is refreshing not to have to reset the Curve regularly or have it reset itself spontaneously. Once connected, pushing the multifunction button on the T305 brought up the voice command prompt for hands free usage. This is true whether in normal or speakerphone mode. One of the nice features on the Curve that is not on most regular phones is the grouping of related messages into threads or conversations.The one drawback on SMS is that the Curve cannot simulate a pager. The Good:* Clear, reliable calls* Extensive messaging capabilities* Excellent usability - very intuitive* Good bluetooth support* Easy to add new apps with many available for free* Good media supportThe Bad:* No option for repeat notification on unacknowledged text messages* SD card slot not accessible without removing the battery* GPS usage restricted to VZW appsBottom Line:The Blackberry Curve for Verizon hits the mark as a very solid smartphone with only minor drawbacks. The crown jewel, though, is the trackball.
I have added Google's mobile app, Gmail, and Google Maps. Personally I prefer the non-touchscreen as this limits fingerprints and smudges on the screen. While the sound is a little bit thinner than what I'm used to on my Lg phones, it is still more than good enough. My detailed usage based review follows.Messaging: This is the main reason that people look to a Blackberry as their phone, and the Curve does not disappoint. It is very smooth and natural feeling by way of comparison. The menus and options are also fairly intuitive, and it is easy to set up folders and move things around to your liking.Media Support: The Curve comes with a fairly standard media player capable of playing music and video, and it supports the use of microSD cards up to 8 Gb. Most people have ditched pagers at this point in favor of SMS. If you don't have to access the card that often, it's probably not that big of a deal.
You are limited to VZNavigator or whatever other purchased app Verizon makes available. After contacting my Exchange Administrator, I was up and running with push e-mail from my work account to my Curve. If you decide to upgrade the headphones, it is important to get the right kind. I have had various Palm and Windows Mobile devices - not all phones - and RIM beats both of these hands down. The placement of the card slot is a bit annoying because you have to take the battery out to get to it. The keyboard is of adequate size.
The speaker is not going to win any competitions, but the included headphones are pretty good. It performs very well on its core functionality with a few minor annoyances, but these are not new to longtime Verizon customers.
YouTube mobile worked without issue.One thing that would have been nice is access to V-Cast music. The Google Maps app cannot be used as a GPS for navigation as Verizon has restricted access to the GPS.
Even though the Curve has a 3.5mm jack, the plug needs to have three stripes rather than the two that come on most earbuds. The Curve also flawlessly supports SMS and MMS messaging as well.
I occasionally hit the wrong key, but his is fairly rare. I have a Garmin Nuvi so this isn't a big deal to me.You can find other apps on the Blackberry site or by searching for what you need in Google.Usability: This is a real strong point for the Curve.
My Lg phones had a feature where you could have repeated notification every two minutes, and it would be nice to see a similar feature on future Blackberry devices.Call Quality: The great messaging capabilities would fall flat unless the Curve was also a good phone. The Gmail app is a nice upgrade over the WAP interface available through the Curve's browser.
to store photos and videos. Before this phone I used a Motorola Q and the Curve blows its doors off. I purchased an 8 gigabyte Micro SD Card for less that $[.]. I have Blackberry Curve with Verizon Wireless and I honestly wonder how I lived without it. Its packed full of features that I have yet to discover.[.]. The camera is good so you can send pictures and videos to anyone. It is such a useful tool for email, social networking, like twitter and facebook. I use it on fires to send pix and updates from the fireline via twitter and facebook.
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