BlackBerry Curve 8900

BlackBerry Curves have been remarkably popular for a host of good reasons and the 8900 is the best Curve yet. T-Mobile has lagged behind in the smartphone race recently with the Google Android OS based T-Mobile G1 being its most recent important release. The Curve 8900 gives the carrier a much needed boost. The Curve 8900 features all of the most desirable features of the best smartphone plus some of its own. The absence of 3G compatibility is the one notable omission in the devices feature set.

Standout Features

• Thinnest Full QWERTY BlackBerry
• Phenomenal 480 x 360 Resolution Screen
• Wi-Fi and GPS
• Digital Camera and Video Recorder
• Sleekest Curve Yet

Features

The Curve line of BlackBerry smartphones has maintained the distinction of being the smallest BlackBerry to feature a full QWERTY keyboard and the 8900 goes that title a step further. Though it’s just .1-inch thinner and .1-ounce lighter than the Curve 8320 those are improvements over a device that was already best in class. What’s more significant is that the Curve 8900 packs a lot more into that little package.

It’s easy, when considering the purchase of a smartphone, to pay attention to the exciting bells and whistles but the heart of the matter is always the device’s core performance. At the heart of the Curve 8900 is a 512MHz processor which is twice as fast as predecessors. It also has 256MB of RAM memory, four times that offered on previous T-Mobile Curves. Like other BlackBerries, true push email for up to ten email accounts is included. Personal POP3 and IMAP protocols are supported as is corporate email with full Microsoft Exchange compatibility.

The Curve 8900’s display screen is striking. At 2.4-inch diagonal measure, it’s a bit smaller than the flagship BlackBerry Bold but image clarity is the real story. It boasts 480 x 360 resolution, better than either the Bold or the iconic Apple iPhone 3G, both of which are lauded for their impressive images.

As noted above, the Curve 8900 does not support T-Mobile’s 3G network and we find that omission a mistake, read more about what our editor thinks of this omission. On the upside, the moderate speed of the EDGE network is better on the 8900 than previous T-Mobile BlackBerries due to the improved processor, expanded memory, and improvements in the full HTML browser. You can still get true high speed data connectivity where Wi-Fi is available. A GPS receiver is also built in for real-time location and driving directions. The device also supports both mono- and stereo-Bluetooth.

The Curve 8900 features a 3.2-megapixel camera with 2x digital zoom, auto-focus, and auto-flash. It also serves as a video recorder. The media player supports popular audio and video file types. There is a standard 3.5mm stereo headphone jack as well as stereo Bluetooth support for wireless headphones. Video playback on the superb screen is a pleasure.

Estimated talk time for the Curve 8900 is 330 minutes while standby time is expected to be about 360 hours.

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 is remarkable for its formidable feature set packed into such a compact package. More importantly to the exceptional feel in the hand is the substantial construction. Small though it is, the device feels strong, well constructed, and confident.

Summary

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 is one of the best BlackBerries to date and easily ranks as one of today’s top smartphones. In spite of the unfortunate decision to leave out 3G access, it is the most capable smartphone from T-Mobile.

Get tips on how to best utilize your Curve with our article on BlackBerry Curve Shortcuts. See how this latest Curve rates next to other BlackBerry phones and our top ranked smartphones.