Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40 in Cell Phone Accessories
• Color: Silver
• Brand: BlackBerry
• Model: 8900 Curve
• Released on: 2009-02-06

Features

• Access all your email and messaging with the sleekest, lightest, thinnest full-QWERTY keyboard BlackBerry yet featuring a high-resolution 480 x 360-pixel LCD screen
• Wi-Fi connectivity for Web browsing and access to T-Mobile's Hotspot Enabled unlimited calling service; unlimited calling to your five most called contacts with MyFaves
• 3.2-megapixel digital camera with flash and video capture; Bluetooth for handsfree communication and stereo music streaming; MicroSD memory expansion up to 16 GB
• Up to 5.5 hours of talk time, up to 360 hours (15 days) of standby time
• What's in the Box: handset, rechargeable battery, charger, wired handsfree stereo headset, 256 MB MicroSD card, BlackBerry Desktop software, quick start guide

Amazon.com Product Description
Updating the look of the Curve with a sleekly styled titanium finish, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 for T-Mobile is the thinnest and lightest full-QWERTY BlackBerry smartphone yet. In addition to its stunning good looks--with titanium-colored finish accented by chrome highlights--the Curve 8900 is packed with communication and location features. The built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) supports both voice and data, making it easier to stay connected to family, friends and colleagues using T-Mobile's Unlimited HotSpot Calling service, while the built-in GPS supports location-based services including turn-by-turn navigation.

With its stunning titanium-colored finish and chrome highlights, the sleek and slender design of the BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone dresses it for any occasion (see larger image). Check out the Curve 8900 101 video demo.

And, of course, you'll enjoy all the communication and connectivity features you've come to expect from a Blackberry phone--including email served up by the BlackBerry Internet Service and a full menu of messaging options (SMS, MMS, and IM). The handset's advanced multimedia capabilities include a 3.2-megapixel camera with image stabilization, digital zoom, flash and the ability to record video and play video. Other features include a hot-swappable MicroSD/SDHC memory card slot (for cards up to 16 GB; 256 MB card included), Bluetooth for handsfree communication and stereo music streaming, multi-format digital audio player, unlimited any-network calling to any 5 people with a myFaves plan, and up to 5.5 hours of talk time.

T-Mobile Service Options
With T-Mobile HotSpot Enabled 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 Enabled 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 Wi-Fi Alliance certifications: WPA/WPA2 Personal and Enterprise, WMM, WMM Power Save, Wi-Fi Protected Setup. 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.

Additionally, this mobile phone operates on GSM 850/900/1800/1900 networks and can handle high-speed data connectivity via T-Mobile's EDGE network (which stands for "Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution"). As a quad-band world phone, this phone supports international roaming, extending the ability to stay connected while traveling abroad. This high-speed, mobile data and Internet access technology is fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services (with average data speeds between 75-135Kbps), including full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go.

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.

Download cool new games, HiFi Ringers (real songs by today's hottest artists), MegaTones (instrumental versions of songs), and wallpapers quickly, as well as stay connected via the Web, instant messaging, and email.

The Curve 8900 includes Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth stereo music streaming, GPS navigation capabilities, MicroSD expansion to 16 GB, and more (see larger image).

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
With a refined design, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone supports both your professional and personal mobile communication needs to help you enjoy a more organized, balanced life. In addition to a sleek, stylish design, the powerful new smartphone includes a large, vivid display--the highest resolution available on a BlackBerry smartphone--as well as a 512 MHz next-generation processor for fast and responsive performance.

The striking 2.4-inch, 480 x 360-pixel display (65K colors) serves up crisp images, text and maps so information is easier to read, even when you're on the go. It also includes a light-sensing feature that automatically adjusts backlighting for indoor, outdoor and dark environments. Like other Curve models, the Curve 8900 includes a trackball navigation system located on the top of the QWERTY keypad, and it features an integrated spell checker with a customizable dictionary to help maintain accuracy.

You can snap vivid photos as well as video clips using the 3.2-megapixel camera on the back of the Curve, which also features a 2x digital zoom, auto focus, image stabilization, and a flash. Transfer pictures and videos between your smartphone and your desktop computer easily using the USB cable that comes with the smartphone, or via Bluetooth technology.

You can also capture video clips on the go, with two resolution choices--480 x 352 pixels for saving to your PC and 176 x 144 pixels for sending via MMS messaging. In addition to recording videos, the Curve 8900 also supports mobile video streaming as well as videos saved from your PC. It's compatible with DivX, XviD (MPEG4 Advance Simple Profile), H.263, and WMV3 formats.

Listen to your favorite music 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 (.3gp, WAV, MIDI, AMR-NB, G711u/A, GSM610, PCM, MP3, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA9/10 Standard/Pro) and dedicated volume controls are conveniently located on the side of the handset.

Handsfree communication is easy thanks to the integrated speakerphone. This phone also provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity (version 2.0 + EDR), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and file transfer. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking--surf the Internet, send email, and access files from a server.

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.

Capture high-resolution photos and videos with the 3.2-megapixel camera on the back.

The BlackBerry Browser on the Curve 8900 is designed to make on-the-go Internet browsing fast and fun--you can even start a search right from the home page. Navigate sites and zoom in on content using a trackball-controlled pointer, set bookmarks and view your history. Plus, the BlackBerry Browser works with a host of other applications to make things like online purchasing and tracking information on your favorite pages easier.

The easier a map is to read, the easier it is to follow. Together with BlackBerry Maps, the crisp, colorful screen of the Curve 8900 is designed to make it easier to find the location of businesses, restaurants, concert venues, parks and more by allowing you to check maps and get driving directions quickly and conveniently. When you're connected to the network, you can even launch maps from your address book. BlackBerry Maps is also designed to help make trips easier by providing route options like fastest or shortest and displaying directions visually along with text-based turn-by-turn instructions.

Whether your instant messaging (IM) account is with Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ or Windows Live Messenger, you can bring your IM community wherever life takes you. Like the desktop versions, these programs offer features like avatars and emoticons. And, because BlackBerry applications work together, you can also start an IM chat from your address book, call or email an IM contact while chatting or even check your calendar right from a chat.

Other features include:

• Easily synch with Microsoft Outlook: Stay in synch with your Contacts, Calendar, and Tasks in Microsoft Outlook
• Edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files: Just download attachments and start typing. You’ll enjoy many of the same features you do on your computer--copy and paste, font size and color, even bullets and numbering and more.
• Remote Search: If you prefer not to carry all your email on your Curve 8900 smartphone, Remote Search can be used to find emails that are still stored on your BlackBerry Enterprise Server using name, subject and other options to narrow the field.
• BlackBerry Media Sync: Sync your desktop iTunes music files with your BlackBerry smartphone.
• Free/Busy Lookup: View your colleagues’ calendars to see who’s available at what time right from your BlackBerry smartphone.
• RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds support: With RSS, you don’t need to check important websites for updates, new content can be pushed to you automatically.
• Send and receive text and picture messages (SMS and MMS)
• Bluetooth version 2.0 + EDR with the following profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), DUN (dial-up networking), FTP (file transfer), PBA (transfer contacts)

Vital Statistics
The Blackberry Curve 8900 weighs 3.9 ounces and measures 2.4 x 4.3 x 0.5 inches. Its 1400 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5.5 hours of talk time, and up to 360 hours (15 days) of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies.

Customer Reviews

Ex Iphone user, and I love this phone!
My first Amazon review. Let me say this. I've owned a couple of Blackberrys in the past, and although I enjoyed them I am a mac user which means I could never fully enjoy all the features like the music player.

When the Iphone came along I bought it as soon as I could (Leaving Tmoble to do so), and I loved it. Still do actually. I don't understand how many people say things like "the iphone sucks". Really? What does it take to please some people? Some flaws, sure, but finally there was a phone that not only was designed FOR mac users, but also raised the bar for all the other companies. Many of the coolest features on other phones are a response to the iphone.

With ATT my phone bills went up on average 40%, and the customer care was horrible. They suffered a bit from the "you're on contract so what you gonna do" syndrome. That coupled with the fact that as a Mac User there weren't a ton of smart phone options, so I was stuck.

Then I found the Curve 8900!
With all the New Blackberry's there is finally some real competition, which is a good thing for Mac users. It finally seems like other companies realized that MAC people are some of the largest and most loyal consumers of electronics, and it doesn't take much to make us feel included. I couldn't use the CD that came with the phone on my computer, but I just hopped on the web and did some downloads and now I can use all the features on my Macbook, including itunes syncing and photos. Which is great because the camera is awesome. The only thing is you need the newest OS on your mac to use the software from the website, but if you don't have that you can also download Pocketmac, which works pretty well.

I find the browser works great, and if you don't like it you can download another if you want. Opera mini is pretty good too. I just like being able to choose for myself, which is something I couldn't do on the Iphone. The Iphone is still probably the best web surfing phone on the market in my opinion, but the Curve is still great! I mean there comes a point when you may as well just crack the Laptop if you are going to do hardcore surfing. That being said, I still go to all the same websites and it is just as fast as my iphone was. The smaller screen means WAY better battery life. I still charge it every day, but this phone has made it two days on pretty heavy use, and you can actually change the battery if you needed to which is a real plus.

Expandable memory is a huge plus! I've got 16 Gb in mine now.

Blackberry just launched there own App store, that is much like the one found on the iphone, so now I have all the same things I had before on my iphone like Pandora, and Shazam.

Going back to Tmobile was an easy choice too. My wife is with them, and the customer care has been great. And the plan they have me and my wife on is cheep! I actually unlocked my iphone and gave it to her and now she is running it on Tmobile much cheaper, and because I had the 2g Iphone I actually think the data is faster on Tmobile. Also the Curve switches to make calls over WiFi (on certain plans) saving you minutes. That feature is so seamless you wont notice the switch.

Yeah, yeah. Some people say things like, 3g is a must for me. But let me say this. Lots of people are whiners who don't know what they are talking about. The Curve has a fast processor, and great WiFi capability, and it is super fast. Call quality is great.

It's also less fragile then the iphone. Touch screens are glass and I actually smashed my first iphone by dropping it from two feet. YIKES!

The Curve also feels more professional to me. I can do Word documents on it, and although I can still play games and surf the web, I do less of the time wasting I did on the Iphone. You know what I mean? The usless surfing like "Hey, whats the tempurature in Australia?

All up I am very happy with the switch. If I had to pick a con, I'd say that the locking on the phone is a bit of a pain. It can become unlocked in your pocket, but that was solved by putting a password on my phone. I just hate picking cons because these phones are so great now a days!

I also loved the Iphone, but the price and AT&T was getting to me! A little competition keeps them all working harder to for us the consumer.

Just Ok... too hard to text on for me.
BlackBerry users are without a doubt a loyal crowd. I had heard from numerous people that this was the phone to get because of it's email capability and fast processing speed. So when the new 8900 came out, I jumped on it right away. At first, I enjoyed it. However, I think I was just more excited by the stunning screen and the fact that I had now joined the loyal BB fold than anything else.

My main grip about this unit is the tiny key pad for texting. I'm not a freak of nature, but I do have fairly large hands. For me, this unit was just WAY to difficult to text on. I was told to use my finger nails by a TMobile salesperson. I'm a guy... I don't have nails.

My other complaint is the image size for web page viewing. You have the option to use a magnifying glass to 'zoom' in while on the web, but it takes awhile and you have to use it just about every time. Just so you know, I'm in my early 40's but scored 20/20 on my last vision exam about a year ago. I don't think my eyes have gone that quickly. And as long as we're on the topic of web browsing, I'm just not a fan of the abbreviated page views. I prefer full web browsing features like I would get on my laptop and/or iPhone.

Finally, no 3G and most of the downloadable applications are fee based. I don't get why TMobile would exclude this phone from accessing their new 3G network.

Pros: Quick email access, high-definition display, very decent audio/media playback, you can upgrade to 16gb of storage, it's a BB.

Since I'm a TMobile customer, I traded my BB 8900 in for the G1 and I love it. Much easier for me to type/text on and I have full web page browsing on the 3G network.

My first BlackBerry and I love it...sometimes...
[I purchased the 8900 directly from T-Mobile (TMo) and not Amazon]
[Updated March 2, 2009]

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 480x360 (4:3) screen. I believe the BB Bold and iPhone is 480x320. 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 240x180. That's right: 240x180. 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!!!! [Updated March 2, 2009]