Review: BlackBerry Curve 9370 for Verizon
The BlackBerry 9370 from Research In Motion excels at the cell phone basics: The battery life is excellent, the signal performance is very good, and voice calls sound loud and clear. As a piece of hardware, the controls are mostly good with a few exceptions (icky-feeling side buttons, stiff keys). The screen is way too small for me, but the 9370 is a small phone meant for smaller hands and smaller needs than mine.
The BlackBerry experience is aging rapidly. I have no patience for the time it takes to use the trackpad to interact with the user interface on this non-touch smartphone. It slows down everything. I want to touch apps, contacts, or actions and see things jump to life in an instant. Though they are costlier, the Bold 9930 or the Torch 9850 are better choices if you absolutely must have a BlackBerry — if for no other reason than that they add touch powers.
But, the real caveat here is that RIM will have an all-new operating system on its phones in the next seven or eight months. There's little chance a device such as the 9370 will be updated, leaving you with an outdated device.
The Curve 9370 costs $99, has a VGA video camera and doesn't include a touch screen or 4G. You can get a 4G Android smartphone with a large touch screen for less.
Bottom line: Unless you are hooked on BlackBerry, need BlackBerry Messenger, and need the smallest BlackBerry out there, spend your $99 on another smartphone.
Our Ratings
RIM Debuts the BlackBerry Curve 9350, 9360, 9370
BlackBerry Curve 9370
