Adding a fashionable touch to Research in Motion's formidable arsenal of telephonic, PIM, and media tools, the BlackBerry 8300 Curve is also the smallest, lightest BlackBerry phone that includes a full QWERTY keyboard. This amalgam of the svelte BlackBerry Pearl and the more business-oriented 8800 combines RIM's long-valued corporate email and messaging platform with a host of advanced multimedia features, including a 2-megapixel camera and stereo Bluetooth (for listening to music via wireless headphones). Available in the U.S. exclusively from AT&T, it communicates over GSM/GPRS and EDGE networks and offers global voice and data roaming in over 130 countries. Key features at a glance:
The svelte, liquid silver BlackBerry Curve has a QWERTY keyboard and 2.5-inch screen on the front, and a 2-megapixel camera on the back (with flash and 5x digital zoom). |
The full keyboard and the innovative trackball navigation system (placed above the keyboard) makes accessing your data and writing email a breeze. |
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- Automatic delivery of enterprise or personal email
- Easy-to-use intuitive trackball navigation; integrated spell checker with user-customizable dictionary
- Full PIM organization capabilities, including calendar, tasks, address book, and memo pad
- Connect to instant messaging networks using a variety of applications
- Speakerphone, conference calling, and voice dialing
- Noise-cancellation technology to offset background noise
- 2.5-inch TFT display with 320 x 240-pixel resolution
- 2.0 Megapixel camera with flash and 5x digital zoom
- Bluetooth 2.0 with stereo headset support; USB 2.0 connectivity
- Micro SD memory card slot
The Curve is fashioned in a liquid silver finish with chrome highlights and subtly curving corners. Measuring 4.2 x 2.4 inches, the Curve is just as slim as the Pearl (0.6 inches) and weighs in at 3.9 ounces--just 0.7 ounces heavier than its predecessor. It features a bright 2.5-inch color TFT screen that provides 65,000 colors and a 320 x 240-pixel resolution, and it includes a light-sensing feature that automatically adjusts backlighting for indoor, outdoor and dark environments. Like the BlackBerry 8800, the Curve includes a trackball navigation system located on the top of the QWERTY keypad, and it also features an integrated spell checker with a customizable dictionary to help maintain accuracy while on the go. It has 64 MB of internal ROM memory, and is expandable using MicroSD memory cards. The battery provides up to 4 hours (240 minutes) of talk time and up to 17 days (408 hours) of standby time. You can snap vivid photos (though no video) using the 2-megapixel camera on the back of the Curve, which also features a 5x digital zoom, built-in flash, self-portrait mirror and full screen viewfinder. It can capture images in up to three picture quality and size resolutions that can be shared instantly by email, MMS or BlackBerry Messenger, or even uploaded to your Flickr account with the Yahoo! Go service. Photos can also be immediately set as a unique caller ID or Home Screen image. You can edit photos and create albums within the Curve using the PhotoSuite application. Pictures can be cropped, rotated and straightened, and flaws can be fixed by removing redeye or changing the brightness, contrast, and saturation levels.
Listen to your favorite music and watch downloaded videos using the included stereo headset, or use an optional wireless headphone thanks to the Curve's support for the Bluetooth stereo audio profile (A2DP/AVRCP). The Curve is compatible with a wide variety of file formats, including MP3, WMA and AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ audio and WMV, MPEG4 and H.263 video. Dedicated volume controls are conveniently located on the side of the handset. You can also subscribe to the AT&T Music service, which includes access to online subscription music content from eMusic, XM Satellite Radio and more.
With the Voice-Activated Dialing (VAD) feature, you can initiate a call just by telling the Curve who to call from your contact list--either via the integrated speakerphone or using an optional Bluetooth wireless headset. Other advanced phone features include advanced sound technology that cancels out background noise and echo, dedicated volume and mute keys, and the ability to customize the Curve with polyphonic and MP3 ringtones.
Though it doesn't come with an integrated GPS receiver, you can add an optional Bluetooth-enabled receiver to take advantage of the BlackBerry Maps application. Check maps for fast turn-by-turn directions virtually anywhere--simply click on an address in your address book, type it or paste one in.
Staying Connected
With BlackBerry's push email technology, your email will find you without having to initiate a connection. BlackBerry devices are designed to remain on and continuously connected to the wireless network, notifying you as new email arrives. In addition to the text, you can also receive and view attachments in a wide range of popular file formats, including Microsoft Office, Corel WordPerfect, and Adobe PDF.
Browse the web with the integrated, full-featured browser, which quickly and efficiently displays HTML pages as well as enables you to set up RSS feeds to stay connected to up-to-the-minute news and blog posts. And keep up with your contacts using a variety of instant message (IM) networks, including the integrated Blackberry Messenger as well as downloadable clients for Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger, and Lotus Sametime.
This quadband phone operates on GSM 850/900/1800/1900 networks and can handle high-speed data connectivity via AT&T's EDGE network, with availability in more than 13,000 US cities and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. It also offers AT&T's Push to Talk (PTT) feature, which enables walkie talkie-style instant voice communication with other AT&T users--either one-on-one or with groups--and it allows you to convert the PTT call to a regular voice call if you need to have a longer discussion.
The Curve delivers all the corporate email and messaging capabilities you've come to expect. It's supported on BlackBerry Internet Service, giving you access to up to 10 work or personal email accounts (including most popular ISP email accounts), as well as BlackBerry Enterprise Server, enabling advanced security and IT administration within IBM Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange and Novell GroupWise environments.
