Fommy Product Review:

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 is RIM's newest device in the BlackBerry Curve line. It combines the powerful BlackBerry enterprise tools in a very sleek package great for both consumers and professional users.

Screen: The screen is beautiful and is definitely on par with recent devices such as the BlackBerry Bold, the colors are crisp and the images are very clear for a non-touchscreen device. The screen measures in at 4.44 diagonally and it supports of 65k colors at a resolution of 480x360. Oddly, the 8900 while having the smaller screen has a larger resolution than it's big brother, the Bold. Overall I think the screen is nearly perfect for this device, both in actual screen real estate and quality.

Body: The general body styling definitely follows the standard BlackBerry designs, but it seems to make much better use of the space it has and overall, it is a tad slimmer than the vast majority of BlackBerry devices. Overall though, I do get mixed impressions from the feel, it does feel fairly light, and I do think it could have been built to feel a bit sturdier, especially the back door. It is extremely easy to grip in the hand though, which is very nice.

Controls: It has the standard BlackBerry button layout: a QWERTY keyboard, a trackball, home buttons, back, call, hang-up, etc... My personal experience is that this keyboard, even while being a tad smaller than most BlackBerry devices is oddly, much better, even with my fat fingers. The keys are a bit more raised than the normal, which helps to easily differentiate each key and in general has resulted in much faster typing while still maintaining a very high accuracy. The trackball has been modified slightly as well. In general it's not as loose as it used to be on previous models, which helps precision immensely.

Software: In general, it features the standard BlackBerry software package. Excellent e-mail and messaging being the biggest standout features. Web browsing though is something that is still a bit deficient, but seems to be improving with additional patches; it still pales in comparison to other modern devices unfortunately though.

Connectivity: Unfortunately, this is the sore spot on the 8900. It has all the main features but one: WiFi, headphone jack, (stereo) Bluetooth, GPS but no 3G, which is just a shame, and I do have to wonder what the fine folks over in Canada were thinking when they released a device in this day and age that doesn't have 3G. Overall, this is the biggest sore spot on the device. If you are in the office a lot, you can compensate by using WiFi, which is typically faster, but it is no excuse.

Others: While not great (or even wanted) by most business people, this phone does come with a pretty decent 3.2 Mega pixel Camera that has both zoom and flash, which is nice for the standard consumer. One last thing that is becoming increasingly common in smartphones is that the microSD card slot is put in a very inconvenient place, in this case: behind the battery door. I think this model would do well to take a design feature from the BlackBerry Bold and have a side access panel instead. Otherwise, the included features are okay, it does come with a rather pathetic 256mb memory card, something which you will want to replace immediately.

Conclusion: This is a great BlackBerry in a very nice package with a brilliant screen, I do think leaving out 3G was a big mistake though. But If you're looking for something a bit less cumbersome than the Bold or you are just looking for a great e-mail and/or messaging device, this is a great choice.

Specifications:

• Size: 2.4 x 4.3 x 0.5 inches
• Weight: 3.9 ounces
• Included battery: 1400 mAh Lion
• Talk time: up to 5.5 hours
• Standby time: up to 15 days
• Band (frequency): 850 MHz;900 MHz;1800 MHz;1900 MHz
• 3.2 Megapixels camera with zoom and flash
• Music player
• Video capture/playback
• WiFi and Mobile Calling
• Internet and corporate e-mail
• Stereo Bluetooth® wireless technology
• Easily sync w/ Microsoft Outlook
• High Speed Internet
• GPS built-in
• Real web browsing
• Micro SD memory slot
• Trackball
• QWERTY Keyboard

The device comes with the following accessories in the box:

• 256MB Memory Card
• Battery
• Charger
• USB Cable
• Stereo Hands-Free Headset
• BlackBerry Desktop Software