12 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
It's come into its own
Date of Review: Apr 3, 2009
The Bottom Line: The Curve is the versatile and high-quality phone that I had been waiting years for.
After finally getting through my two years with the KRZR (see other review), I decided that I wanted a QWERTY keyboard for messaging, and a camera with more than 2 megapixels. I prefer a flip phone, but I didn't like the ones that were available for the price.
Setting up the Curve was quick and easy. I didn't want to pay to have my contacts backed up and sent to the new phone (boo Verizon, this should be free. GSM users get theirs when they move the SIM card), but it was very quick and easy to enter contacts. While I had never used a Blackberry before, the user interface was mostly easy to figure out. Anyone who is used to a windows computer or normal PDA would not have a problem adapting to using a Blackberry quickly. One caveat: the trackball is lightweight and feels cheap, and won't track diagonally on the main menu. I'm not sure how to give such a tiny trackball a pleasing heft and still be see-thru, but they need to work on that.
The menus can be set up in several themes, and the icons can be rearranged as the user sees fit. The default Verizon theme is probably the easiest one to use as the icons and labeling are the clearest in this setting. Considering how Verizon has dumbed-down phones in the past by locking out a superior manufacturer GUI before, so it's pleasing to see the user have an option this time, even if Verizon's is superior. A few of the icons are cryptic, but highlighting one shows what it is at the bottom of the screen, and the user can and should put the most important ones at the top.
Messaging is fully integrated, which I'm not strictly pleased with. By default, the display of emails is mixed in with the SMS and MMS messages in a way that doesn't strictly show how a message came in if the sender is in the contacts list. It's easy to use and easy to send messages, but it won't allow long SMS messages to go multi-part like my previous phones have. It's quite easy to send pictures as either email or MMS. I've had little trouble getting used to the keyboard so far. It took me a while to figure out, but it is possible to defeat its obnoxious automatic "Sent from my Verizon Wireless Blackberry" signature on my emails.
As a telephone, it only has two weaknesses: dialing numbers on the tiny keypad requires more concentration than most phones. I'm not sure how to dial phone numbers that have letters if you can't remember which number is which letter. The signal to and from is very clear and easy to understand. It's not quite long enough to get the mic close to the user's mouth, so it's prone to more wind noise than longer phones usually have. That has not yet proved problematic for me, but someone who likes to drive with the windows down could probably not do that. It worked flawlessly with the Bluetooth headset I tried it with, though I don't regularly use one. The included magnetic pouch prevents butt calls like a flip, but isn't as convenient to use.
The camera has good resolution, but high-contrast areas tend to bleed badly. Though it's possible to get a passable 4x6 print from it, it's difficult to get the exposure right and it doesn't have any means to override the exposure controls. White balance can be overridden, and I've found that I often need to. The camera's lens is thoughtfully recessed where it won't get smudged or scratched. There is a small mirror under the lens to assist in self-portraits. It's good enough to send in quick emails and the like, but certainly shouldn't be one's only camera.
The MP3 player is quite easy to use. It's logically laid out, and can play while handling other tasks. While it sounds ok with a decent pair of headphones, the equalizer's preset choices don't make much of a difference and there is no manual override. It warns you of high potential volume almost constantly until you shut that warning off (high potential volume even if turned down low). Its Bluetooth worked perfectly with my mom's Sony Bluetooth stereo, even allowing track changes from the stereo's remote, and sounded better than I expected. Unlike my last Verizon MP3 phone, the Curve allows any song to be used as a ringtone, which is how it should be.
The microSD card has to be stored under the battery, which means turning off the phone and removing the back to remove or change it. It locks into place with a hinged clip that feels like it would be easy to break. I would greatly prefer the spring-loaded slot on the side that many phones have.
Having read several of these reviews and the dates they were written, I have to say that some of the complaints of some have been fixed. I'm a later adopter of this phone, and I guess I'm reaping some benefit from that. I have not suffered from the crashes that others have complained of.
After 7 years, 3 companies, and 6 phones, I've finally found a premium phone that is living up to my high hopes for it. I had generally been more satisfied with the simpler phones that I had, and the "nice" phones had not lived up my expectations and had been more troublesome with dropped calls and battery problems. The Curve has hardly ever dropped a call and has worked well in all signal conditions so far.
UPDATE: It surprised me that it happened so soon after I had written the review, but I had a big problem today. For some reason, the entire keyboard, including the click of the trackball, quit working properly. Though nothing important happened, this left me unable to send or receive calls, including calls to 911. The problem was quickly rectified by the local Verizon Wireless store by replacing the handset with another identical Curve while I waited. I'm not changing my rating (for now), but further problems would likely lower the rating progressively with each one. Everyone grows a lemon sometimes, and this was properly and quickly taken care of. I'm hoping that this will be the end of the problems with it.
UPDATE II, 7-8-2009: The second phone is now starting to have a problem with the trackball. While it will roll left and doesn't have anything blocking it, sometimes it will not work when rolling left without clicking it first. As I mentioned in the review initially, the trackball feels cheap, and that's starting to make it a little difficult to use sometimes. I've been careful to always keep it in the included pouch, which has done a good job of preventing cosmetic damage. I've started regularly blowing out the area with canned air, which might have helped a little.
This second problem is starting to make me think twice about recommending the phone to others, especially those not tech-savvy enough to work around quirks on their own.
