BlackBerry Curve

BlackBerry Curve is a brand of entry level smartphones manufactured by Research In Motion since 2007.

Contents

Curve 8300 Series

The BlackBerry Curve brand was introduced in 2007 with the Curve 8300 series. The Curve brand continued the "consumer-oriented" philosophy of the BlackBerry Pearl and 8800 series, including robust multimedia features and a high-resolution built-in camera.

As is customary for BlackBerry devices, the 8300 series consists of several models offered by different wireless providers, supporting that provider's network along with specific services. In total 5 variants were released; 8300, 8310, 8320, 8330 and 8350i.

Critical reception

CNET's Bonnie Cha gave the Curve an "Excellent" rating. However, she found the Curve 8300's lack of 3G and Wi-Fi disappointing. Also disappointing was the phone's lack of video-recording capabilities. Call quality was determined to be subpar and calls sounded hollow on the Curve 8300.[1] While the 8300 as originally released lacked Video Recording and Voice Note Recording, these functions have been provided with the Blackberry OS 4.5 release.

Curve 8900

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 is a BlackBerry mobile phone developed by Research In Motion.

Description

When in development, it was thought to be a part of the 9xxx series of 3G BlackBerry devices; however, it was released in early 2009 as a quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE phone and named the Curve 8900. The device is an upgrade over the older 8300 model, with the most significant differences being a 3.2 Megapixel camera with video Camera, a micro-USB port, Wi-Fi, and an upgraded operating system with a more modern design. Initial release was in February 2009 on T-Mobile but was later released on AT&T as well. This phone is known as Blackberry Javelin in Asia. @ China Mobile versions were released the 8910 in 2010 and in 2011 the 8980. The 8910 is identical except for the removal of wifi to comply with chinese regulations at the time.[2]. The 8980 design is radically different than the 8900 or 8910; its design cues is virtually identical to the Blackberry Bold 9700/9780/9788 series but lacking 3G capabilities; the 8980's keyboard is the typical Curve "chicklet".

Critical reception

While not as positive as other BlackBerry phones, the reviews of the Curve 8900 were mostly positive with praise for the improvements made over previous models but criticism for the lack of 3G and a relatively slow processor. Also, the model was not as durable as other BlackBerry devices.[3]

Curve 8500 Series

The BlackBerry Curve 8500 series was announced in July 2009 and released the following August. This series continued Research in Motion's developing "consumer-oriented" philosophy of the BlackBerry Pearl and Curve 8300 series smartphones with the inclusion of additional multimedia features. This was also the first BlackBerry device to have a track pad. 2 variants were released an EDGE GSM 8520 and a 3G CDMA 8530.

Curve 9300 Series

The BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300 is a mid-range smartphone developed by Research in Motion and was the first Curve device to function on 3G GSM networks. The 9300 and its CDMA counterpart, the Curve 9330, also contained some minor improvements over the 8500 series including a faster processor and the ability to upgrade the OS to BlackBerry 6.[4] The BlackBerry Curve 9300 series also continued with the dedicated media keys on the top first introduced with the BlackBerry Curve 8500 Series. The Curve 9300 was released on Rogers Wireless in Canada on Aug 4th, 2010.[5] 2 variants were released the GSM 9300 and the CDMA 9330. The 9300 is available for Indian Rs. 13000 (approximately).

Curve 9350 Series

The BlackBerry Curve 9350 Series are mid-range smartphones developed by Research in Motion and announced in August 2011 and released September 2011. The Curve 9350 series has a slimmer, lighter-weight design with improved technical specifications than the Curve 9300 series and also runs BlackBerry OS 7. The 9370 is a CDMA/GSM World Edition. The 9360 is a 3G GSM variant and the 9350 is a CDMA variant.

Model comparison

This table highlights features of the different models.

Curve Series 8300 Series 8900 Series 8500 Series 9300 Series 9350 Series
Picture
Available Models 8300, 8310, 8320, 8330, and 8350i 8900 and 8910 8520 and 8530 9300 and 9330 9350, 9360, and 9370
Display LCD (Colour TFT/TFD)

320 x 240 pixels Colours: 65,536 (16-bit)[6][7]

 LCD (Colour TFT/TFD)

480 x 360 pixels 2.4" Colours: 65,536 (16-bit) [8]

 LCD (Colour TFT/TFD)

320 x 240 pixels 2.4" Colours: 65,536 (16-bit) [9] [10] [11] [12]

 LCD (Colour TFT/TFD)

480 x 360 pixels 2.4" Colors: 16.7 million (24-bit) [13] [14]
Data Inputs Keyboard, Trackball Keyboard, Optical Trackpad
CPU 312 MHz processor[15] 512 MHz processor[15] 624 MHz processor 800 MHz processor
Memory 64 MB Onboard Memory[15] 256 MB Onboard Memory[15] [16] 9300:

256 MB flash memory / 256 MB RAM

 9350 and 9360:

512 MB flash memory / 512 MB RAM
9330:

512 MB flash memory / 512 MB RAM

 9370:

1 GB flash memory / 512 MB RAM
Compatible networks 8300, 8310, and 8320:

GSM 850/900/1800/1900[6]

 GSM 850/900/1800/1900[8] 8520:

GSM 850/900/1800/1900[9]

 9300:

GSM 850/900/1800/1900
WCDMA 900/1700/2100[11]

 9350:

CDMA/EVDO rev A 800/1900[17]
8330:

CDMA 850/1900[7]

 9360

GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
UMTS (800 or 850)/1900/2100 or 900/1700/2100[17]
8350i:

iDEN 800[18]

 8530:

CDMA 850/1700/1900[10]

 9330:

CDMA 850/1900[12]

 9370:

CDMA/EVDO rev A 800/1900
GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900[17]
Camera 2.0 MP Camera/Camcorder with flash[15] 3.2 MP Camera/Camcorder Auto focus and flash[15] 2.0 MP Camera/Camcorder Fixed focus[16] 5.0 MP Camera/Camcorder Fixed focus
Power 1150 mAHr removable/rechargeable lithium-ion battery 1400 mAHr removable/rechargeable lithium-ion battery 1150 mAHr removable/rechargeable lithium-ion battery 1000 mAhr removable/rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Removable Storage MicroSD card
Connectivity 8300, 8310 and 8330:

Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, miniUSB 2.0[19][20][21]

 Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, microUSB 2.0, and WiFi b/g[22] 8520:

Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi b/g[23]

 9300:

Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, microUSB 2.0, and WiFi b/g/n[24]

 Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, microUSB 2.0, WiFi b/g/n, and Near Field Communication[17]
8320 and 8350i:

Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, miniUSB 2.0, and WiFi b/g[25]

 8530:

Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi b/g[23]

 9330:

Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, microUSB 2.0, and WiFi b/g[26]
GPS Capability 8300 and 8320:

No

 Yes 8520:

No

 Yes Yes
8310, 8330, and 8350i:

Yes

 8530:

Yes
Released (US) 8300, 8310, 8320, and 8330:

May 10th, 2007[27]

 Feb 11th, 2009[28] 8520:

August 5th, 2009[29]

 Sept 15th, 2010[4]
8350i:

December 15th, 2008[30]

 8530:

November 20th, 2009[31]
Weight 110g 109.9g[32] 105g[23] 104/106g[33] 99g[17]

External links

References

  1. ^ http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/rim-blackberry-curve-8300/4505-6452_7-32434383.html CNET Review for BlackBerry Curve 8300
  2. ^ 8900 Curve at BlackBerry.com
  3. ^ Hands-on review of pre-release Blackberry Curve 8900
  4. ^ a b "BlackBerry Curve 3G". CrackBerry. http://crackberry.com/blackberry-curve-3g. Retrieved 18 May 2011. 
  5. ^ "BlackBerry Curve 3G Canada". http://crackberry.com/blackberry-curve-9300-now-available-rogers. Retrieved 05 July 2011. 
  6. ^ a b "Research In Motion BlackBerry Curve 8300". Phone Scoop. http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=1208. Retrieved 18 May 2011. 
  7. ^ a b "Research In Motion BlackBerry Curve 8330". Phone Scoop. http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=1560. Retrieved 18 May 2011. 
  8. ^ a b "Research In Motion BlackBerry Curve 8900". Phone Scoop. http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=1890. Retrieved 18 May 2011. 
  9. ^ a b "Research In Motion BlackBerry Curve 8520". Phone Scoop. http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=2244. Retrieved 18 May 2011. 
  10. ^ a b "Research In Motion BlackBerry Curve 8530". Phone Scoop. http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=2446. Retrieved 18 May 2011. 
  11. ^ a b "Research In Motion BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300". Phone Scoop. http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=2773. Retrieved 18 May 2011. 
  12. ^ a b "Research In Motion BlackBerry Curve 3G 9330". Phone Scoop. http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=2930. Retrieved 18 May 2011. 
  13. ^ "Research In Motion BlackBerry Curve 9350". Phone Scoop. http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=3455. Retrieved 27 August 2011. 
  14. ^ "Research In Motion BlackBerry Curve 9370". Phone Scoop. http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=3370. Retrieved 27 August 2011. 
  15. ^ a b c d e f "T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve 8900 Smartphone Review". CrackBerry. http://crackberry.com/t-mobile-blackberry-curve-8900-smartphone-review. Retrieved 19 May 2011. 
  16. ^ a b "BlackBerry Curve 8520 Features and Specifications". Crackberry. http://crackberry.com/blackberry-curve-8520-features-and-specifications. Retrieved 19 May 2011. 
  17. ^ a b c d e "BlackBerry Curve 9350/9360/9370 Specs". http://us.blackberry.com/smartphones/blackberry-curve-9350-9360-9370/#!phone-specifications. Retrieved 27 August 2011. 
  18. ^ "Research In Motion BlackBerry Curve 8350i". Phone Scoop. http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=1807. Retrieved 18 May 2011. 
  19. ^ "BlackBerry Curve 8300 - Full phone specifications". GSM Arena. http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_curve_8300-1979.php. Retrieved 24 May 2011. 
  20. ^ "BlackBerry Curve 8310 - Full phone specifications". GSM Arena. http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_curve_8310-2050.php. Retrieved 24 May 2011. 
  21. ^ "BlackBerry Curve 8330 - Full phone specifications". GSM Arena. http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_curve_8330-3594.php. Retrieved 24 May 2011. 
  22. ^ "BlackBerry Curve 8900 - Full phone specifications". GSM Arena. http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_curve_8900-2604.php. Retrieved 24 May 2011. 
  23. ^ a b c "BlackBerry - Curve 8500 Specs - BlackBerry North America". 2010-05-17. http://na.blackberry.com/eng/devices/blackberrycurve8500/curve_specifications.jsp. 
  24. ^ "BlackBerry Curve 9300 - Full phone specifications". GSM Arena. http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_curve_3g_9300-3422.php. Retrieved 24 May 2011. 
  25. ^ "BlackBerry Curve 8320 - Full phone specifications". GSM Arena. http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_curve_8320-2121.php. Retrieved 24 May 2011. 
  26. ^ "BlackBerry Curve 9330 - Full phone specifications". GSM Arena. http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_curve_3g_9330-3591.php. Retrieved 24 May 2011. 
  27. ^ "BlackBerry Curve 83xx". CrackBerry. http://crackberry.com/blackberry-curve-8300-series. Retrieved 18 May 2011. 
  28. ^ "BlackBerry Curve 8900". CrackBerry. http://crackberry.com/blackbery-curve-8900. Retrieved 18 May 2011. 
  29. ^ "BlackBerry Curve 8520". CrackBerry. http://crackberry.com/blackberry-curve-8520. Retrieved 18 May 2011. 
  30. ^ "BlackBerry Curve 8350i". CrackBerry. http://crackberry.com/blackberry-curve-8350i. Retrieved 18 May 2011. 
  31. ^ "BlackBerry Curve 8530". CrackBerry. http://crackberry.com/blackberry-curve-8530. Retrieved 18 May 2011. 
  32. ^ "BlackBerry - Phone - BlackBerry Curve 8900". BlackBerry. http://us.blackberry.com/smartphones/blackberrycurve8900/#!phone-specifications. Retrieved 23 May 2011. 
  33. ^ "BlackBerry - Curve 9300 Phone - New BlackBerry Curve 3G Smartphones". BlackBerry. http://us.blackberry.com/smartphones/blackberrycurve3G/#!phone-specifications. Retrieved 23 May 2011. 

BlackBerry 8530

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