Blackberry 8310 Curve Mini-Review

In a lot of ways the new Blackberry 8310 Curve (AT&T version) is very similar to the 8800. It supports media playback, GPS, and all the expected Blackberry features for email and PIM. Where the curve differs is in size, weight, and several interesting features pulled from the other popular consumer Blackberry, the Pearl. Having owned several Blackberries and numerous other cell phones my expectation with the 8310 was centered around the idea that the 8310 was the replacement for the very popular 8700c that served me well for far longer than I anticipated it would (still works even now, years later…). So how does the 8310 compare? Can it improve upon both the 8800 and the 8700c? The short answer is yes, and read on for more details on how I think the 8310 might just be one of the best Blackberries yet.

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Although there are always will be room for improvement with any new cell phone or PDA the new Blackberry 8310 for AT&T is about as close to a perfect Blackberry I have found so far. Most corporate Blackberry users are not interested in the consumer design of the 8100 series “Pearl” since it lacks of full keyboard and is much more focused on consumers with features like a camera, media playback, and the ultra-small design form factor. Until the release of the 8300 series there was no real option other than the much older 8700 series or the 8800. Although the 8800 proved to be a decent phone and a good upgrade at the time it was released most folks wished for the snappier performance and easier to hold form factor of the older 8700 for daily use vs. the slick look but lackluster performance of the 8800. There were many reasons I liked the 8310, most which addressed the shortcomings noted in the 8800 and some were simply holdovers from the previous generations of Blackberries.

The very first thing you will notice with the 8310 is the weight, or lack thereof. I cannot emphasize more just how light this handset is. It almost feels too light! Upon closer examination it is obvious where the weight savings come from, being about half as think as the 8700 and made of very light plastic this Blackberry is light as a feather in your hand. Of course this does come at the price of the almost metallic construction of the 8800 and the thick plastic casing found on the 8700. Only time will tell if the 8300 lacks the long term durability of the previous generations. If I had to make a guess I would say that it would likely hold up well since dropping it won’t result in nearly as much force hitting the ground due to the significant reduction in weight. That said, overall construction of the 8310 does feel sturdy and the addition of rubber side grips is a very welcome change from previous models.

The screen on the 8310 performs almost exactly as both the previous generations of 8700 series models and the 8800 series. I suspect that it is exactly the same screen with just minor brightness adjustments. Color was good, and as always the screen was completely readable even in direct sunlight. As with previous models the screen adjusts to the ambient light and in the 8310 this feature seems to perform even better.

From a usability standpoint the Blackberry 8310 changes little from both the Pearl or the 8800. It features the same tiny trackball arrangement with both a Push-To-Talk side button and dedicated button for the built-in camera (more on this later). Like I stated in my 8800 review, the trackball does take some getting used to and I am happy to report that the responsiveness on the 8310 was much better than on the 8800 or the Pearl. Not exactly sure if this was just a setting but I found that moving through both menus and lists much easier on the 8310 than even on the 8700c or 8800. Battery life was fantastic with typical use (several calls, lots of email reading, and some minor media playback and camera usage) the handset lasted over 3 days before I got the warning message.

Not that I would expect the typical Blackberry user to be interested in video or MP3 playback but the 8310 supports both anyway. Similar to the Pearl, video and music can be easily enjoyed on the 8310 with some notable improvements over both the 8800 and the Pearl. Perhaps the biggest improvement was the addition of a normal sized headphone jack that also supported hands-free calling headsets (including the iPhone headphones….go figure). I also found the much needed full screen video playback that I missed in the 8800 along with easier access to playback control from just about anywhere on the phone. Definitely not as good as an iPhone overall media playback still worked as expected making the Blackberry 8310 a solid dual purpose phone for those who don’t want to carry two devices during their commutes to and from work.

The addition of built-in GPS to the 8310 was a nice touch but the Telinav software ($9 per month extra) still suffers from the speed issues I noticed on the 8800. For those who don’t want to spend the extra money on a dedicated GPS this does make for a good solution since it provided all the basic GPS functionality. I especially like having the ability to get directions and then have my phone walk me through each step of the way.

Of all the features found on the 8310 the built-in 2 megapixel camera is one I could do without. Not only is the photo quality often quiet poor but the having the camera on a business oriented device raises issues with both government and corporate use where camera phones are prohibited. That said, the camera does have zoom and a good flash for those who can’t live without such things.

Overall I can definitely recommend the Blackberry 8310 to those who are in the market for either an upgrade from the 8700 or those looking to purchase their first Blackberry. WIth pricing around the $199 level you really can’t go wrong with the 8310 especially when you compare the features to any of the Windows Mobile devices.

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