RIM Blackberry Curve 8330 Cell Phone
- Installed Memory: 64 MB
- Operating System: BlackBerry OS
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Mixing Work and Play
Pros
Slim design (for a BlackBerry); usable keyboard; standard 3.5 mm headphone jack
Cons
Includes a pouch and not a holster; jumpy trackball
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Another solid business offering from RIM, with enough features to occupy you in your off-work hours
I'm on my third BlackBerry now, with a BlackBerry Curve 8330 recently replacing my previous 8830 and 8703e. The 8830 developed a problematic key, resulting in the change-out to the 8330. With the replacement came several notable improvements over the 8830, but also added a few minor quibbles not present on the previous models.
Inside the Box
My 8330 arrived with the usual mix of manuals and supporting accessories. My IT department set up my BlackBerry so that it was usable immediately out of the box, which meant I didn't have the opportunity to test the included setup instructions. The included charger, with its foldable prongs and standard USB interface, is easily transportable.
I was less pleased with the included pouch, which lacks a clip or even a simple belt loop. Since I prefer to carry my phone on my belt and not in my pocket, I was forced to recycle the case from my old 8830. The fit wasn't perfect, as the 8330 is slightly narrower than the 8830, but it's usable.
The shape of the 8330 fits well in my hand, and the rubberized surface around the perimeter of the unit provides adequate grip.
Keyboard & Trackball
Like other traditional BlackBerry models, the 8330 has a full QWERTY-style keyboard that fills the lower half the phone. The keys are spaced apart from one another, making it easier to target and press a key without accidentally hitting another. This is a marked improvement over the 8830, where a mushy feel and close proximity of the keys meant a lot of corrections when I typed.
The trackball is the primary non-keyboard input tool and is similar to the one found on the 8830. As I mentioned in my 8830 review, the trackball makes navigation, particularly on web pages, much easier than the BlackBerry's original scroll-wheel. However, I still find myself inadvertently choosing the menu item above or below my intended target when "clicking" the trackball to make a selection.
Phone, E-mail, Web & Camera
The voice quality of the 8330 is good, with phone calls delivered crisp and clear. My only pet peeve is the noticeable delay from the point when you press the receive button to the point when the screen changes to acknowledge that you've answered an incoming call. The speakerphone is adequate even in a moderately noisy environment.
E-mail is still where the BlackBerry shines, with numerous keyboard shortcuts that make sending and receiving a quick e-mail a simple task. My 8330 featured an updated version of the BlackBerry OS (v4.5.x), which included HTML mail support not present in my old 8830 (though my understanding is that the 8830 could support it too with an OS upgrade). The 8330 does not support WiFi like its sibling models (namely the 8320) on other networks.
Web browsing remains an activity that's used for the occasional Google search or sports scores update. Anything heavier can become frustrating scrolling experience. Downloading the free Opera browser helps a bit, as pages seem to retain more of their intended rendering. Opera's performance seemed sluggish at best on my 8330, though.
Something new for me on a BlackBerry is the built-in 2-megapixel camera. It features an integrated flash and is capable of capturing both still photos and video. My expectations were admittedly fairly low, and the photos taken by the 8330 didn't disappoint. It's perfect for snapping a photo in a pinch when you didn't expect to need a camera. After all, the best camera is the one with you when you need to take a picture.
The 8330 includes 96MB of onboard storage (though not all of it is freely usable). My unit also included a 1 GB microSD media card for additional storage of photos, wallpaper, and music files. Since I already own and use an iPod, I didn't plan on using the 8330 for the latter. The 8330 has a 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack rather than the typical 2.5 mm jack, making it easy to connect your stereo headphones and rather difficult to use with your wired headset. On the other hand, with Bluetooth headsets relatively cheap, it may not be a notable omission.
Other Notes
Battery life seems to be about the same as the 8830, as I'm able to go between 3 to 4 days between charges with typical usage. Bluetooth continues to be a significant drain, but the hassle of remembering to turn it on and off outweighs the potential benefit to battery life, in my opinion.
Inside the Box
My 8330 arrived with the usual mix of manuals and supporting accessories. My IT department set up my BlackBerry so that it was usable immediately out of the box, which meant I didn't have the opportunity to test the included setup instructions. The included charger, with its foldable prongs and standard USB interface, is easily transportable.
I was less pleased with the included pouch, which lacks a clip or even a simple belt loop. Since I prefer to carry my phone on my belt and not in my pocket, I was forced to recycle the case from my old 8830. The fit wasn't perfect, as the 8330 is slightly narrower than the 8830, but it's usable.
The shape of the 8330 fits well in my hand, and the rubberized surface around the perimeter of the unit provides adequate grip.
Keyboard & Trackball
Like other traditional BlackBerry models, the 8330 has a full QWERTY-style keyboard that fills the lower half the phone. The keys are spaced apart from one another, making it easier to target and press a key without accidentally hitting another. This is a marked improvement over the 8830, where a mushy feel and close proximity of the keys meant a lot of corrections when I typed.
The trackball is the primary non-keyboard input tool and is similar to the one found on the 8830. As I mentioned in my 8830 review, the trackball makes navigation, particularly on web pages, much easier than the BlackBerry's original scroll-wheel. However, I still find myself inadvertently choosing the menu item above or below my intended target when "clicking" the trackball to make a selection.
Phone, E-mail, Web & Camera
The voice quality of the 8330 is good, with phone calls delivered crisp and clear. My only pet peeve is the noticeable delay from the point when you press the receive button to the point when the screen changes to acknowledge that you've answered an incoming call. The speakerphone is adequate even in a moderately noisy environment.
E-mail is still where the BlackBerry shines, with numerous keyboard shortcuts that make sending and receiving a quick e-mail a simple task. My 8330 featured an updated version of the BlackBerry OS (v4.5.x), which included HTML mail support not present in my old 8830 (though my understanding is that the 8830 could support it too with an OS upgrade). The 8330 does not support WiFi like its sibling models (namely the 8320) on other networks.
Web browsing remains an activity that's used for the occasional Google search or sports scores update. Anything heavier can become frustrating scrolling experience. Downloading the free Opera browser helps a bit, as pages seem to retain more of their intended rendering. Opera's performance seemed sluggish at best on my 8330, though.
Something new for me on a BlackBerry is the built-in 2-megapixel camera. It features an integrated flash and is capable of capturing both still photos and video. My expectations were admittedly fairly low, and the photos taken by the 8330 didn't disappoint. It's perfect for snapping a photo in a pinch when you didn't expect to need a camera. After all, the best camera is the one with you when you need to take a picture.
The 8330 includes 96MB of onboard storage (though not all of it is freely usable). My unit also included a 1 GB microSD media card for additional storage of photos, wallpaper, and music files. Since I already own and use an iPod, I didn't plan on using the 8330 for the latter. The 8330 has a 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack rather than the typical 2.5 mm jack, making it easy to connect your stereo headphones and rather difficult to use with your wired headset. On the other hand, with Bluetooth headsets relatively cheap, it may not be a notable omission.
Other Notes
Battery life seems to be about the same as the 8830, as I'm able to go between 3 to 4 days between charges with typical usage. Bluetooth continues to be a significant drain, but the hassle of remembering to turn it on and off outweighs the potential benefit to battery life, in my opinion.
