BlackBerry Curve 8300
Phone Scoop Review
Aug 9, 2007 by Eric Zeman
RIM's second attempt at a mass-market phone makes strides in media capabilities while remaining true to its smartphone roots. With Video Tour. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Very very impressed
After having been through many cell phones over the last 5 years, I think I have stumbled across the winner. I just switched from Sprint to ATT for this phone and I am very very glad I did. I just sold my Motorola Q that was replaced twice in the matter of a week. Also used the PPC-6700, Katana, PM-325 over the past 2 years.
Pros:
Voice quality: Im not constantly asking others to repeat themselves. I suppose the volume could be a touch louder, but I havent run into any problems.
Signal: I had major issues with the Moto Q with Sprint both in my home town and New York City. I was told i needed to restart my phone whenever i traveled 15 miles from home. With ATT i have received wonderful service in several cities already.
Phone: Okay those are networky issues. The phone is unreal. Highly customizable, very efficient, quick to load programs. The camera is fantastic, the screen is bright and clear and vibrant (also has a sensor built in for ambient light, when im outside it goes brighter so i can see it). Tons of available content (reason i didnt pick up an iphone) Expandable via microSD, stereo blue tooth (if im gonna have a hundred or more songs, they should at least sound good). The trackball is awesome. The keypad is very very easy to use. And the phone is amazingly small for everything it does. Battery life is great (i went all weekend and sent a lot of emails, txts and calls) I only charged it for today (Monday) because I use it a lot on the train to play games and surf the web. Id like to answer any questions you may have about the phone, feel free to email me.
Cons: I suppose support for 3g would be nice. I dont know if this is fixable via software or not, however in using the browser i notice the bb browser will access the mobile versions of sites. The sites I use typically have a wap site so this isnt much of an issue, but it would be nice.
Highly recommend this phone for both the business and individual user.
Great Phone
I have carried a lot of phones with in the past 2 years. The best phone by far would be the 8300. Before the Curve I carried the 8125. I loved it, was leaning towards the 8525. Although I always said if BlackBerry came out with something with a decent camera, extra memory, and full keyboard that was not HUGE! I would go with it. I fell in love with the 8300 before I bought it.
Pros-
Light Weight
Camera is Awesome (flash is well timed and helps turn dark pictures in to keepers)
Full QWERTY (unlike pearl)
Call quality awesome (AT&T)
Smaller than 8800 by far
Very Business yet very Casual as well
First BlackBerry with AT&T logo
Cons-
Battery life is OK but nothing amazing
MP3 Player should have more options
No Video with Camera
All in all this phone is everything the younger PDA lover would need. BlackBerry has stepped their game up in the past 6months. I love to see BlackBerry targeting more people other than the older business crew. They are making a turn for the best, this could be the most prospect anyone will see out of all companies due to the release of the iPhone. Keep your eyes open. There is a lot to come!
A steal at $200 - Excellent Phone
I like many other here have had a variety of phones (including 7100, 8700, p777, E62, Pearl and Blackjack). I planned on getting this to tide me over until the iPhone came out. To be honest...I don't think i will bother with the iPhone right now. This phone does everything i need it to.
I have had this phone for 2 weeks now and have it tweaked to perfection.
Pros:
Size, weight and feel
Reception - Strong signal
Screen - Very bright and clear. Auto dimming/brightening feature.
Battery life - hard to tell how long this thing will go but it sure beats the Blackjack.
Menu System - Fast and easy to use and although it comes with icons and features you might not want, you can just hide them so you only have to look at the features you need and use.
Keyboard - I loved my 8700 keyboard and the Curve is very similar.
Camera - This is a usable camera with very bright flash for a phone.
Photo viewer - As well as zooming and rotating, a nice feature is that you can take any picture saved on your phone zoom in until you have the area that you like and make it into your wallpaper (cutting out any unwanted image).
Media player - excellent music player which plays a variety of formats. Video player also plays a variety of formats. The movies look fantastic, great for people that travel. Download a free video converter. A full video is only 200MB and plays without a glitch.
Stereo Bluetooth - I bought a stereo bluetooth headset from Sony Ericsson and now all my music and calls come through in blazing Stereo.
Modem - Works as bluetooth modem for my laptop. Love this!
Speakerphone - Excellent quality and volume
Cons:
Cannot get the video to play through bluetooth.
Still terrible choice of ringtones but you can add your own.
Wifi and 3G would be nice but not a great loss.
Summary:
Other phones have plenty of features but this phone makes them easy to access and use.
I love Blackberry phones and i think this is their best product to date.
Simply Superb...
There are those who gush about too much and those who whine and nitpick about too little. I won't offer my vote for a 5 based on either extreme, however the combination of ease in use, functionality (it just works), and aesthetics are a real winner.
PROS:
- Reception and general call clarity are very good on AT&T Wireless in greater Seattle area
- "Fit factor" for my big hands is just right; having tactile response on the keyboard is important and it does a good job of that
- Display is vibrant and I appreciate it can vary automatically based on lighting conditions; same for the backlight on the keyboard
- The processor manages to access and execute quickly on everything I've tried thus far
- EDGE speeds, while not blistering, are acceptable for my browsing needs
- Legendary Blackberry push email; nuff said
- Simple to load contacts, calendar, notes, etc. off of Outlook through Desktop Manager
- 3.5 jack for my Ultimate Ears super.fi.10 headphones are a real plus
- Picked this up on a Premier account through my company at AT&T Wireless for $79 - thank you to my company's perks!!!
- Because of the magnets in the holster (you should purchase - see con's below) the unit automatically goes to stand-by when holstered and wakes up when you take it out of the holster so activating the keyguard and subsequently the unlock sequence aren't required - very cool
- OK, I'll gush after all just a bit here - it's just plain cool as a balance between grown up and hip; it will please almost everyone
CONS:
- No 3G or Wi-Fi, but that's minor to me as EDGE covers my browsing needs just fine at this point
- Did not come with a proper case so I had to buy one from AT&T Wireless - but this turned out to be a bonus noted in the pro's above
CONCLUSION:
Simply superb!
Simply A Great Device
I have had this phone for a week. I previously carried a 8700 for about 1.5 years. I was never quite satisfied with the device as a phone or the form factor of the 8700. The Pearl, and the 8800 intrigued me because of their smaller size, but I did not find either one good enough to make me change. My expectations of the Curve were higher, but I was still a skeptic until I had it in my hands and used the keyboard.
Having used it for a week I now have an even better opinion than when I first unboxed it. Here is my Top 10, and why I am thrilled.
1. Form Factor. It has a great form factor and size. Feels like a phone, it is light and thin and does not feel cheap. It is a great pocket device.
2. Phone sound quality is so much clearer than the 8700 that on the second call that I made the person remarked, âBoy your cell phone sounds betterâ. It is a noticeable improvement over any BB I have used. Volume is also excellent.
3. Spell Check ! I just love this feature, and it includes a custom dictionary.
4. Keyboard. Full QWERTY but much better than what they used on the 8800. Like the 8700 keyboard without being bulky.
5. Media Player. This surprised me, I put a 2 GB card in it and found that the stereo sound quality was excellent, and that is coming from an iPod user.
6. Standard 3.5 mm stereo jack !
7. Screen. Another pleasant surprise that you will notice right away. The screen resolution and number of colors are like the 8700 and other BB models, but the brightness and contrast are much better. Works well in full sunlight.
8. Set Up. Like all Blackberrys Corporate Email was a matter of minutes to set up, and it "just" works.
9. Battery Life. I feared the battery life might be less than on my BB 8700 because of the smaller size. So far seems very comparable and using the music player is not a big drain.
10. 2+ Megapixel Camera, 5x Zoom and Flash. Not a huge deal for me, but it actually takes very good pictures.
wow...wow...wow
I just picked up this phone today from AT&T...let me start by saying this...I'm extremely hard to please when it comes to my phone. This phone has by far surpassed my expectations. I have owned the BlackBerry 8700, 8800, red Pearl, and now the Curve 8300.
PROS
EXCELLENT CAMERA FOR PHONE!!! (better than my Sony Ericsson w810i and better than my 3.0 megapixel Samsung digital!); the flash also is GREAT, very bright and useful
EXCELLENT music player (plays WMA files as well)
GREAT volume from earpiece as well as speakerphone
no more creaks in construction...VERY well built device with great feel in hand
nice satisfying click to each button unlike 8800
CONS
Seriously, I can't find any right now. I just got it though, so if I do find any, I'll be sure to post them. Right now, I'm in BlackBerry Heaven!!! BY FAR the best cell phone that has come out regardless of carrier!!!
great battery life
Superior Phone
Let me start by giving you a background of the phones I have had over the past three months:
1. Motorola SLVR L7
2. Palm Treo 750
3. Blackberry 8800
4. Blackberry 8300
I had the SLVR for nine months; my job then required me to upgrade to a business phone. I originally wanted a Windows platform but after using the Treo 750 for about a week, I realized it is slow and often froze on me (maybe a faulty handset but I was not about to get another one and have the same thing happen).
I then went to the BB 8800 which was a great device. I really enjoy the BB platform; it runs multiple programs with ease and extremely fast. The email push is wonderful. My company does not have the enterprise system so I created rules to send certain e-mails to my device. Often times, it gets to my device BEFORE it shows up in Outlook on my computer.
I traded the 8800 in for the 8300 because of the size and the weight. The 8300 is small but still packs a powerful punch. It does everything (minus the GPS) the 8800 does but is smaller and more convenient to carry in your front pocket.
Also, the lack of 3G or WiFi is not important. The device is small and is not practical for loading large, complicated sites. CNN, weather.com, and other news sites load quickly and show important information. I carry a laptop most places so if I want WiFi, I use that. Also, the 3G just drains the battery quicker (at least it did on the 750).
PROS:
⢠SIZE
⢠Processor speed
⢠E-mail capabilities
⢠2+ megapixel camera is nice (I didnât even think I would use it but have several times in my first day alone)
⢠Multimedia platform; I got the SLVR so I could listen to music on the train; this is a good replacement and I can now multitask)
CONS:
⢠AT&T loaded the device with too many âmallâ applications (eg. âShop Tunes,â âShop Tones,â âShop Multimedia,â etc.)
⢠The speakerphone cracks when turned too loud. It can be hard on the ears. RIM needs to find a middle ground between too quiet and too loud.
The Curve just raised the PDA Curve!!!!
If you would have asked me two years ago if I would have ever carried a Blackberry, I would have told you there is no way in Earth!!
No to the present. I not only am in love with the Blackberry platform, but they have finally come up with very sexy handsets lately!!! Starting with the Pearl and recently culminating with the Curve!!!
Having recently used the 8800 I was still within my 30 days to return, and return I did. I loved the 8800 but was patiently waiting for the arrival of the Curve. Now to the PROs and possible CONs to the Curve.
PROs:
. Form Factor; Love the size!!!!!! Great feel in your hand.
. Screen; once again a great size screen with extremely vibrant color
. Trackball; Greatest invention yet for RIM
. Spell Check; Finally for all email power users, eloquent and tact email composing has arrived!!!!
. Great Camera!!!!!!! 2.0 MP seems more like 6.
. Great reception!!!!
. Love the new incoming call set-up
. Great media player!!!!!
. Stereo Bluetooth
. 3.5 mm Stereo headset for the old school users.
CONs: No WiFi, but this is not really anything to write home about. If you want WiFi, hop on your laptop and start surfing....
In short, this is by far the best, most productive and powerful device that AT&T has launched as of yet!!!!!! It's worth every penny!!!!!!!
Long-time BlackBerry user -- love it!
Pros:
- Signal strength is incredible
- Call clarity is the best I've had on GSM
- Screen is gorgeous
- Excellent pre-loaded ringers and alerts
- Battery life is insanely good
- Media player and bundled software are decent
- Included headset is actually business-class
- Camera is fantastic, flash is actually decent
- Size, weight and keyboard are PERFECT
- Stereo Bluetooth is fun
- SDHC support!
- Standard headphone jack
Cons:
- No 3G
- No GPS
Hey, no one said that stuff was included, so it isn't fair to knock points for it. I rate this phone a STRONG 5.0. It brought my back to AT&T and I could not be happier.
I have been a BlackBerry user for years, this is my SIXTH BlackBerry and it has exceeded my wildest expectations.
GET IT. You will not be disappointed in any way.
Newest Crackberry Member
In the last 2 years, I've owned:
T-Mobile
-T-Mobile Sidekick II, T-Mobile MDA, Motorola V360, T-Mobile Sidekick 3, T-Mobile Dash
Sprint
-Sanyo 8300, Sanyo 5600, Samsung A900, Palm Treo 700p
Helio
-Helio Ocean
Cingular/AT&T
-Cingular 3125, Samsung C417, Motorola V3i, Cingular 8525, Samsung Sync, Motorola V3xx
Ask anyone who knows me, I go through phones like water. I have yet to have found one that I am 100 % satisfied with.
Pros:
-Blackberry Direct Push E-Mail (easiest e-mail setup)
-EDGE data (usable and loads pages in reasonable time)
-Teatherring Capabilities (you can use it as a dial-up modem... not sure why anyone would when there are less expensive and faster wireless internet options)
-2.0 Megapixel Camera w/ Flash
-Excellent Media Player
-3.5 Headset Jack
-Stereo Bluetooth
-Thin & Lightweight (doesn't feel PDA'ish to hold to your face for longer conversations or slip into your pocket)
-Bright and Vibrant Screen
-Spell Check (email and memos)
-Strong Signal & Call Quality
-Trackball Navigation
-Very Customizeable (you can load your own MP3 ringtones, download all kinds of software, and organize the icons)
-Sync Capabilities (very easy to sync MS Outlook contacts, tasks, notes/memos)
Cons:
-No 3G & Wi-Fi (then again it's just a phone so if you want high speed, use a notebook/computer)
-No Video Capture (not a deal breaker, but would be nice)
-No GPS (no turn-by-turn directions, just regular directions)
-Doesn't come with a case/holster
-AT&T does not insure their PDAs
If they were to 3G, Wi-Fi, Video Capture, & GPS in the next Blackberry, I'd sooooo buy one.
Overall, this is an excellent device and it feels like I'm going to keep it longer than 2 months (my average phone life expectancy).
P.S. There are rumors online that T-Mobile is getting the Blackberry Curve this September/October and is to add Wi-Fi & 3.2 MP camera.... I dunno...
