Blackberry Curve 9360 reviews

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The BlackBerry Curve 8300 emerged as one of the best smartphone ideas of 2007. It pre-dated the first Android handset by a full year, and unlike the original iPhone, it was priced within reach of the average consumer. It introduced the masses to the possibilities of a connected and capable handset, and was the primary catalyst for the BlackBerry’s meteoric rise to household name. With each subsequent iteration, however, the Curve remained a handset geared toward first-time smartphone buyers, and that axiom feels particularly true today.

RIM’s BlackBerry Curve 9360 outed — is this Apollo?

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Blackberry Curve 9360 hands-on

We’re now presented with the Curve 9360 ($29.99, on contract), a device that’s ostensibly hobbled in order to differentiate itself from RIM’s higher-end offerings, most notably the Torch 9810 ($49),Torch 9860 ($99) and Bold 9900 ($199). Specifically, we refer to its lack of a touchscreen. The omission will certainly be a deal-breaker for some, but whether it causes the market to reject it as a whole remains unknown. For our part, we’re most interested in the impact on the handset’s usability and its relevance in an increasingly competitive environment. In other words, has RIM included enough improvements to keep its Curve franchise afloat, or will this iteration sink like a stone? Join us after the break, as we delve into the Curve 9360 and explore these finer details.

BlackBerry Curve 9360 review

Hardware

The BlackBerry Curve 9360 replaces the Curve 3G on AT&T, and thankfully, it ushers in a host of sorely needed improvements. In a surprising twist, the phone’s most welcome upgrade is the display itself, which still measures 2.4 inches, but now features a 480 x 360 (HVGA+) screen that renders anti-aliased text noticeably more crisply than its forebear — thanks in large part to a pixel density that’s now approximately 246ppi. Being an LCD screen, it’s quite usable in direct sunlight and we were equally pleased with the viewing angles.

Compared to the Torch 9810, which offers HSPA+ speeds, the Curve 9360 feels hobbled next to its stablemates.

Of course, as we’ve mentioned previously, the screen isn’t touch-sensitive, which necessitates use of the trackpad for interacting with the phone. For the most part, the display provides a spacious canvas for navigating apps and menus, but web browsing is a different story entirely. In this case, text often appears too small to read comfortably, which forces you to access system menus to properly zoom in on the content. It’s an archaic solution as we enter 2012, and we predict a lot of folks will be frustrated by the exclusion of a touchscreen whenever they load up the web browser.

As you might’ve guessed, the improvements don’t stop with the display. Inside, the phone wields an 800MHz CPU and 512MB of RAM — a marked improvement over the 3G’s 624MHz option with only 256MB. There’s also 512MB of internal storage, although only 160MB is available to the end-user for additional applications. A 1GB microSD card comes standard with the Curve 9360, although that capacity seems rather meager by modern standards, even for a budget offering. Unlike prior variants, this little guy packs NFC support, which is accompanied by 802.11b/g/n (WiFi), A-GPS and Bluetooth 2.1. Connectivity-wise, the 9360 can access quadband GSM, GPRS and EDGE networks, and provides 7.2Mbps HSDPA access over the 2100, 1900 and 850MHz bands. When compared to its most closely-priced competitor, the Torch 9810, which offers HSPA+ speeds at 14.4Mbps down, the Curve 9360 again feels hobbled next to its stablemates.

The form factor of the Curve hasn’t changed much, which remains 4.3 inches (109mm) tall and 2.4 inches (61mm) wide, yet the latest iteration comes in a bit slimmer at only 0.43 inches (11mm) thick. Unsurprisingly, this latest incarnation is also a bit lighter at just 3.5 ounces (99g), but part of this slimming comes at a sacrifice of battery capacity, which is now rated at 1,000mAh — a full 150mAh less than before.

Even those with small hands will likely suffer fatigue when typing messages.

Save for the black bezel, you might, at first glance, be hard-pressed to spot the differences between the Curve 9360 and its predecessor, the 3G. However, that’s not to say it hasn’t gotten a little facelift. While the previous model featured two convenience keys, one on each side, the 9360 foregoes its left button and leaves only the exposed micro-USB 2.0 port on that side. The top of the phone, which previously offered a full array of media keys, now sports only an integrated lock button and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Thankfully, the 9360 retains much of the same functionality as before: the play / pause button now takes the form of a small nub that’s situated in the middle of the volume rocker, while navigation through tracks is accomplished with a long-press on the volume up or down keys. The right convenience key is set by default to open the camera application, and can also be used to snap a picture, although we found the trackpad was generally easier to use.

Throughout, the handset is fashioned out of glossy black plastics, and while it’s undeniably handsome, the design lacks originality and the gimcrack materials mean you’ll constantly be staring at a collection of fingerprints. Quite frankly, and we don’t say this very often, the Curve feels too tiny to hold comfortably. In this sense, its reduced thickness is a detriment that will leave many begging for a more substantial option. Even those with small hands will likely suffer fatigue when typing messages, which is further exacerbated by the keyboard itself. Each island key now runs nearly flush with the handset, and while our keystrokes were generally accurate, each key press felt mushy, despite the click sound to the contrary. Put simply, the keyboard on the Curve 9360 feels like a poor impersonator when compared to the quality options on the Torch 9810 and Bold 9900.

Read more at: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/blackberry-curve-9360-review/

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Click here and win new Blackberry Curve 9360