Blackberry - RIM Curve 8320 Cell Phone Review

     The BlackBerry Curve 8320 is T-Mobile's version of the Blackberry Curve. It stays true to BlackBerry tradition and is just GREAT at emailing. This phone is great at everything. Be it web browsing or texting, the BlackBerry Curve 8320 can do it.

     This phone comes in 2 colors: Sunset Red/Orange and Titanium Gray. It looks appealing and feels great in one's hand. It is very lightweight (only 3.9 ounces!). It is 2.4 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches, making it very comfortable to hold and easy to fit in your pocket. The front has a big 320 x 240 screen, a trackball for navigation, 4 face buttons (call, hang up, back, and menu), and a 35 key QWERTY keyboard. The back features the 2 megapixel camera, and when removed, the SIM card, microSD card, and battery slots.

     The 8320 can do it all. It is great for emailing, and can support multiple email accounts. all emails sent to this will be sent right to your phone. It can also do traditional SMS Text messages and MMS messages to send pictures, video, and sound files. You can also instant message all of your buddies with the pre-installed AIM, Yahoo! MEssenger, Google Talk, and ICQ applications. The BlackBerry Curve is very app-friendly and there are tons to download. The Curve can also browse the web. Just open up the pre-installed Browser app (or you can install your own), type in an address, and have fun surfing the web! The phone also features a music player. Just plug your phone into your computer and use Desktop Manager to sync mp3 files with your phone to take your music on the go with you.

     In the box, you get everything you need to get started quickly and easily. You get the phone (which comes halfway charged) that takes you through set-up wizard upon powering the device on.Yoou also get 2 chargers: one for a wall power slot and a USB compatible one for use with your computer. A very nice leather case is also included for protecting the phone when in bags or your pocket. The Pocket Manager software is included too (Mac users have to use the PocketMac application downloadable from RIM's website).

     On the downside, a BlackBerry curve can be very costly to run. You need a data plan if you want to browse the internet without worrying about data consumption and use the email feature; this runs you an extra $20 per month. For messaging, i you think you may go over on set limits, you will also need unlimited messaging added to your plan; this costs an extra $15 per month. It can also be az pain to get all of your apps to install properly, especially if they are not over-the-air downloads. The Curve also has a relatively short battery life. I find that with little to moderate use, I can exhaust the battery in a day, and with heavy use, you could very easily use up all of the power in 9-10 hours.

     All in all, I love the BlackBerry Curve 8320. It is easy and fun to use, it does a TON, and has very few cons to it. I will definitely stick to this phone for a while before switching to a new one.