Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12 in Cell Phone Accessories
• Color: Silver
• Brand: BlackBerry
• Model: 8320 Curve
• Released on: 2007-09-24

Features

• Smallest, lightest BlackBerry with full QWERTY keyboard--weighs just 3.9 ounces
• Wi-Fi connectivity for Web browsing and access to T-Mobile's Hotspot @Home unlimited calling service
• 2.0 megapixel camera with flash and 5x digital zoom; Bluetooth wireless connectivity with with stereo headset support
• Next-generation media player with audio and video playback in a variety of formats; expandable via MicroSD memory cards
• Includes: Battery, Charger, Stereo Hands-free Headset, USB Cable, Carrying Case and BlackBerry Desktop Software

Amazon.com Product Description
Adding a fashionable touch to Research in Motion's formidable arsenal of telephonic, PIM, and media tools, the BlackBerry 8320 Curve for T-Mobile is also the smallest, lightest BlackBerry phone that includes a full QWERTY keyboard. This amalgam of the svelte BlackBerry Pearl and the more business-oriented 8800 combines RIM's long-valued corporate email and messaging platform with a host of advanced multimedia features, including a 2-megapixel camera and stereo Bluetooth (for listening to music via wireless headphones). In addition to its quad-band GSM and EDGE connectivity, it also offers Wi-Fi connectivity for access to the Internet and email as well as access to T-Mobile's Hotspot @Home service. This version comes in titanium, but it's also available in pale gold.

The Curve's full QWERTY keyboard and the innovative trackball navigation system (placed above the keyboard) makes accessing your data and writing email a breeze..

The 2-megapixel camera makes it easy to capture pictures to send via email or upload to your online photo collection.

T-Mobile Service Options
With T-Mobile HotSpot @Home service, you'll effortlessly transition between Wi-Fi calling and T-Mobile's wireless network while you talk. You can get unlimited nationwide calls over Wi-Fi--at home via your wireless router or at any U.S. T-Mobile HotSpot. You can also use the HotSpot @Home service via most open, or unsecured, wireless routers, as well as any secured wireless router for which you have access to the password from the owner. This phone is compatible with the 802.11b/g Wi-Fi standard as well as the following wireless security protocols: WEP, WPA (TKIP), WPA2 (AES-CCMP), LEAP, PEAP, EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS, EAP-FAST, EAP-SIM, EAP-AKA. Whenever you're not using a Wi-Fi network, the Curve works just like a regular mobile phone, using your Whenever Minutes under your T-Mobile voice plan.

This phone also includes compatibility with T-Mobile's myFaves service, which allows you to call up to five of your most common contacts--on any network, even landlines--without using any of your minutes. Learn more about myFaves from T-Mobile.

Staying Connected
With BlackBerry's push email technology, your email will find you without having to initiate a connection. BlackBerry devices are designed to remain on and continuously connected to the wireless network, notifying you as new email arrives. In addition to the text, you can also receive and view attachments in a wide range of popular file formats, including Microsoft Office, Corel WordPerfect, and Adobe PDF.

Browse the web with the integrated, full-featured browser, which quickly and efficiently displays HTML pages as well as enables you to set up RSS feeds to stay connected to up-to-the-minute news and blog posts. And keep up with your contacts using a variety of instant message (IM) networks, including the integrated Blackberry Messenger as well as downloadable clients for Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger, and Lotus Sametime.

For corporate users, the Curve delivers all the enterprise email and messaging capabilities you've come to expect. It's supported on BlackBerry Internet Service, giving you access to up to 10 work or personal email accounts (including most popular ISP email accounts), as well as BlackBerry Enterprise Server, enabling advanced security and IT administration within IBM Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange and Novell GroupWise environments.

Phone Features

Click for larger view.

The Curve is fashioned in a liquid silver finish with chrome highlights and subtly curving corners. Measuring 4.2 x 2.4 inches, the Curve is just as slim as the Pearl (0.6 inches) and weighs in at 3.9 ounces--just 0.7 ounces heavier than its predecessor. It features a bright 2.5-inch color TFT screen that provides 65,000 colors and a 320 x 240-pixel resolution, and it includes a light-sensing feature that automatically adjusts backlighting for indoor, outdoor and dark environments. Like the BlackBerry 8800, the Curve includes a trackball navigation system located on the top of the QWERTY keypad, and it also features an integrated spell checker with a customizable dictionary to help maintain accuracy while on the go. It has 64 MB of internal ROM memory, and is expandable using MicroSD memory cards. The battery provides up to 4 hours (240 minutes) of talk time and up to 17 days (408 hours) of standby time.

You can snap vivid photos (though no video) using the 2-megapixel camera on the back of the Curve, which also features a 5x digital zoom, built-in flash, self-portrait mirror and full screen viewfinder. It can capture images in up to three picture quality and size resolutions that can be shared instantly by email, MMS or BlackBerry Messenger, or even uploaded to your Flickr account with the Yahoo! Go service. Photos can also be immediately set as a unique caller ID or Home Screen image. You can edit photos and create albums within the Curve using the PhotoSuite application. Pictures can be cropped, rotated and straightened, and flaws can be fixed by removing redeye or changing the brightness, contrast, and saturation levels.

Listen to your favorite music and watch downloaded videos using the included stereo headset, or use an optional wireless headphone thanks to the Curve's support for the Bluetooth stereo audio profile (A2DP/AVRCP). The Curve is compatible with a wide variety of file formats, including MP3, WMA and AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ audio and WMV, MPEG4 and H.263 video. Dedicated volume controls are conveniently located on the side of the handset.

With the Voice-Activated Dialing (VAD) feature, you can initiate a call just by telling the Curve who to call from your contact list--either via the integrated speakerphone or using an optional Bluetooth wireless headset. Other advanced phone features include advanced sound technology that cancels out background noise and echo, dedicated volume and mute keys, and the ability to customize the Curve with polyphonic and MP3 ringtones.

Vital Statistics
The Blackberry Curve 8320 weighs 3.92 ounces and measures 4.2 x 2.4 x 0.6 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4 hours of talk time, and up to 408 hours (17 days) of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies.

Customer Reviews

Reliable?
Other reviews have extolled the virtues and outlined the faults of the of the Curve. I am on my third Curve since the first two were deemed defective. T-Mobile support determined that the phones were defective, after I spent an hour on my home phone with their support on each of the two Curves.
The first phone would pull up an application when I tried to dial a number out and the second phone would not receive a signal (between 0 and 1 bar) in a major metropolitan area.
They did send me a postage paid new (refurbished?) Curve, with a return, no cost, shipping box. Both bum phones were under warranty.
I hope the third one is the charm.
I like the phone, but I have not had very good luck in finding one that keeps working. I hope my latest Curve earns my four star rating...

It's OK
I figured when they said full web browser it would be like the I-Phone, but it's not. I will say that it's a great phone and does so much that I haven't even used half of the stuff on it. I like it.

Strongly recommended!
This is an almost perfect phone. It's rare these days to have an electronic device perform as it has been expected to, but this is one of them. It does everything well that it is supposed to do. The UMA wifi technology works flawlessly with T-mobile's service. I did not obtain one of t-mobile's routers, and I had no trouble with connecting whatsoever. I have a Buffalo WHR-G54 and did not have to change any of its settings to get it to work. My friend has a newer Netgear router and I was able to connect to it with any trouble or settings changes either. It picks up UMA when I'm near a Starbuck's hotspot (that service will soon be dropped). When I make a call at home on UMA and then leave the house, the call switches over transparently 9 times out of 10. The build quality is excellent and the phone is solid. The speaker can be VERY loud or soft, which is a huge plus. This phone has superb audio quality for both voice and ear. It has the best microphone/speech audio quality and best hearing audio quality of any phone I have had for the past 15 years.

This phone is my first Blackberry and I've been extremely impressed with the software that makes it a Blackberry. Writing SMS, MMS, and Email is extremely easy, and it's really nice to have the autotext feature. I have mine set up with three email accounts: one is through gmail and one is through Outlook Web Access from work. I was really surprised that the OWA would work with the Blackberry system - I'm even able to send messages out from it! I never thought I would want or care about push email, but it is really fantastic.

I strongly recommend downloading the Google Maps application. Though this phone does not have GPS, Google Maps is able to determine where you are within 1000 feet or so based on your signals with the cell towers. It really works well, and the search and find features are extremely useful.

I use my Blackberry's media features to listen to music and also to watch videos. It does not have the H.264 codec, but it will play other video files - you can find information on-line on how to convert videos into playable files on the Blackberry. It's rumoured that the next OS will have this capability, along with the ability to create video from the handheld. It currently only has a camera, not a camcorder feature.

The camera works well and takes good pictures for a phone. I have had an LG and a Samsung phone with cameras and the Curve is 10x better in camera quality.

I also recommend downloading the Opera Mini web browser to use instead of the default Blackberry browser. OM is much better.

My only real complaint with my Blackberry Curve is that it only comes with one alarm. I have used the multiple alarm features in my previous phones extensively, and this is the only thing I view as a step back with this phone. I was able to purchase an application called Mobylo Multi-alarm which has so far worked flawlessly and gives me 5 alarms, but it was almost $30, which is over-priced.

The Curve comes with its own "holster" which is made of leather and is attractive and useful. It has a magnet in it which the unit uses to determine if it's holstered. This has been an extremely useful feature. As a result, you do not need to purchase any other cover or container for it. However, don't let it set next to your credit cards. I haven't had any erased, but it the holster is definitely magnetic.

The Curve has AMAZING bluetooth. Paired with a good headset, it has a long range and the connection quality is superb. The Curve also has a very sensitive radio/antenna for both Wifi and GSM, and is better than any phone I've ever had since my Nokia 8200 (a long time ago!) People who say that LG or Samsung or Motorola phones have good connection quality have no idea what it's like to use a phone like the Blackberry Curve - I will never be able to go back.

The synchronization feature of the Curve works very well with Outlook on my computer. It is also able to synch with Yahoo, though this is more primitive. Using the Blackberry Desktop Manager that comes with the phone, you can also completely 100% back up your phone so that you can reinstall things or have your data if the phone is lost. The Curve handset also has the ability to lock and encrypt data so that no one else can use it. I have had the Desktop Manager crash on me several times. It has a conflict with the Tivo 2.3a software - I have to disable to the Tivo software to use the Blackberry manager.

The Blackberry charges with a mini-usb connection, which means that you can charge it using your computer. I also have a bluetooth headset that charges usb, so both chargers work with both units - very nice.

Finally, T-Mobile (and only T-Mobile) will allow you to "tether" your Blackberry to your laptop. Thus, while I'm on the road I can connect my computer to T-Mobile's network for an internet connection. It connects at 115kbps, which is pretty good for getting things done. Tech-heads complain that TMO's network is too slow, that it needs to be 3G, but I've been happy so far.

I strongly recommend this phone. It is worth every penny!