RIM BlackBerry 8330 Cell Phone

The Blackberry 8330 Curve is not just a cellular phone, but it is my office away from the office. I have my company email and my home email both on the curve. It also checks my calendar and lets me know when an appointment is coming up. It keeps track of my contacts, whether I add or delete directly from the Blackberry or through Outlook on my PC.

The curve 8330 is made for Dual-band 800/1900 MHz CDMA2000 1X EV-DO networks.


Ergonomics:
The Blackberry Curve 8330 fits in the palm of the hand comfortably, the keys are small but raised, making it easy to push the correct key each time. The screen is a nice large size with a picture perfect view. Overall: very comfortable and easy to use. It is a QWERTY keyboard similar to the keyboard of a PC.


Features:
2.0 megapixel camera with an enhanced flash; there is a self-portrait mirror and 5X digital Zoom. The enhanced flash is only good if you shoot a close-up within 6 to 8 inches, after that the flash is a waste of battery. The 5X digital zoom works with the Plus/Minus keys that work the volume; only two presses to 5X, I assume the first press is about 2 1/2 zoom.
Three picture sizes, Large (1600 x 1200,) Medium (1024 x 768) and Small (640 x 480)
Picture Quality of Superfine, Fine and Normal
White balance of Automatic, Sunny, Cloudy, Night, Incandescent and Florescent
Color effect of Normal, Black/White and Sepia
Storage: Device or Media card.
My View: The 2-megapixel camera is a plus, photo quality is fair, I think it takes the best photos when you set it up manually. Example: on a Sunny day set it to sunny; under florescent lighting set it to florescent. Take all photos in large setting and Superfine; they look great on the Curve but when place on a large screen LCD, you can see the poor photo quality. Remember this is a phone, not a camera. The flash to me is a waste of battery usage, I recommend leaving it off. I also recommend not using the 5x zoom.

Video has two modes of Normal (240 x 176) and MMS Mode (176 x 144)
Color effect of Normal, Black/White and Sepia
Video light can be turned on but this is a battery eater and it is only good for a few inches.
Storage: Media card
My View: The video is best in the Normal mode and looks fair on the Curve; on a PC it is kind of crappy. My advice, buy a video camera if you want nice video.
 
Memory: The 8330 Curve comes with 96 MB of memory built-in and has a Micro SD/SDHC memory card slot that holds up to an 8 GB card.
My View: I have been using a 4GB card and it holds a lot of photos and MP3s. I have had no problem with the memory card; I have used it for about 6 months now.

Display: The Curve has a large display of 320 x 240 that adjust automatically according to the light you are in.
MY View: The display is bright and beautiful, photos and movies are crystal clear on the display.

MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) is available on the Curve with software version 4.5 or better. You can get the latest upgrade from RIM if you don’t have version 4.5.
MY View: MMS was unheard of on a Blackberry; when we launched the Curve; it came with software version 4.2 and MMS was not working, after a software upgrade to version 4.5, it now works on the Curve and the Pearl.

HTML browser: The 8330 comes with a full HTML browser that can be used on mobile and non-mobile sites.
MY View: The browser works pretty good; speed depend on your providers connection, I am on EVDO which is fairly fast. The only problem I ran across is if you try to open a photo online that is too large or video that is too big, it won’t let you. But overall I can surf the net without any problems.

Bluetooth: Version 2.0 is on the Curve for stereo and mono headsets.
MY View: As a phone headset it works both in a stereo or mono headset, but if you want to listen to music, you will have to use a stereo headset.

Headphone jack: The Curve uses a 3.5mm headphone jack which I like whole lot better because I can use a good quality headphone over a cheap dinky little headphone. You can control the volume with the Plus/Minus keys on the side.

Size: Length 4.2 inches x 2.4 inches wide and 0.6 inches thick, weighing in at 4.2 ounces.

Other Features:
Integrated earpiece/ microphone; Built-in speakerphone
Standby time Up to 11 days; Talk time Up to 260 minutes
RIM wireless modem & Tethered modem capability


Two main services offered by Blackberry: Others are available but these are the two most common.
BIS (Blackberry Internet Service) allow users to access the Internet and email accounts. This is generally what an individual would use or a small business.
Get up to 10 email accounts
Get a Blackberry Email account
Access calendar, contacts and more

BES (Blackberry Enterprise Service) is used when the company runs their own Blackberry server. This is what I use and I love it. The BES does everything the BIS does, but with more security and control for the company who has their own server.


My Final Thoughts:
The Blackberry Curve is my office anywhere. Having my emails instantly anywhere in the US and Canada is great. Notification of a meeting 15 minutes before time has saved me many times. Keeping all my meetings and events on the calendar and then being able to take it with me everywhere is great! How I have lived without a Blackberry in the past is unbelievable, I would hate to be without one in the business world today.

Security is great on a Blackberry; if lost or stolen; say someone uses the incorrect password 10 times in a row it will delete all your personal settings. You can also call your provider and they can lock it with another password for you or they can wipe it out for you at your request so no important information falls into the wrong person.

Games can be played rather well because of the large colorful screen. There is even a web link to blackberry where you can download a few games for free, nice games! You can also download for free some wallpapers and themes for the Curve.

Photos and Videos look great on the screen, though download your videos, the ones the Curve take are rather poor.

 Using the keyboard and keys are very easy to learn and understand, even the trackball works pretty good. The trackball is the heart or main control for the Curve.

As far as a phone the sound quality is very good for both send and receive. The sound is always crystal clear. For playing music like an MP3 file, the sound through the speakers of the Curve are fair, for best sound quality use a stereo headphone. I find a good stereo headset enriches the music as good as a stereo.