About Blackberry 9300 Curve 3G Phone
RIM has added another new handset to its BlackBerry range with the launch of the BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300. The BlackBerry Curve 3G comes with BlackBerry OS 5, but it will be getting an upgrade to the latest BlackBerry 6 OS.
BlackBerry Curve 3G features a full QWERTY keyboard, built in GPS and WiFi, a range of dedicated media keys, a camera, a microSD/SDHC card slot that can take up to 32GB of memory and support for 3G.
The BlackBerry Curve 9300 uses the same physical Qwerty seen on previous Curve-series handsets like the Curve 8520 and 8900. Some see it as a lesser version of the excellent, but chunkier, keyboard of the Bold series, but we it more as "different" than "worse".
Each key of the Qwerty is discrete, each living in its own hole cut into the BlackBerry Curve 9300's fascia. This means that while each key is tiddly, your finger can find its way easily, as you can feel the gaps between keys without looking.
Standard typing on the keyboard is a doddle, with an easier learning curve than the BlackBerry Bold 9700's much-praised mini-Qwerty. It works by giving each key two functions. Type away in a message or email app as normal and you'll get letters – but for numbers or symbols you'll need the "alt" button. Each key is assigned a number or symbol, clearly displayed on the button itself.
>From the BlackBerry Bold 9300's home screen, the keys work as shortcuts to phone functions too. The number keys act like a standard numerical pad, but other letters head instantly to the contact search box and the "enter" button head to the calendar. Hold down a button and you're given the option to assign a speed dial for that key.
A handful of keys have preset "held down" functions, such as Q's profile change, A's phone lock and the 1 key's standard voicemail function, but you'll still have more than a dozen speed dial options to choose from. Who needs the phone book?
Helping out with navigation duties is the optical trackpad, which has been a standard feature in BlackBerrys since late last year, usurping the scroll ball. Some of you may pine after this BlackBerry oldie, but we still love the BlackBerry trackpad. Not only does it act as a hyper-responsive scroll interface, it's also the Blackberry Curve 9300's main "select" button. Using the same capacitive touch tech as Apple's iPhone, it's silky smooth and reacts to a light touch just as well as a firm one.
BlackBerrys can appear dull, constantly re-using the same interface elements, resulting in phones that can seem eerily similar to ones released 12 months earlier. The BlackBerry Curve 9300 is no different, looking and feeling much like 2009's Curve phones. |
