Blackberry Curve 8900

Someone truly gave the boring economics professor a hit of the bong with this new phone - the Blackberry Curve 8900. It's still got all the business capabilities of any other Blackberry, but something is different. This Blackberry is fun, it's stylish. It is, dare we say it: Sexy.

Unlike some of Blackberry's other newer offerings, such as the Storm, the Blackberry Curve 8900 is still true to the typical Blackberry design. Those who are used to the other phones (such as the Pearl) will have little trouble switching over. There’s no fancy touchscreen that you have to get used to. The classic Blackberry interface remains the same. It is easy to use, and while maybe not quite as cool to show off as the move-your-fingers-apart-and-zoom-in trick on the iPhone, it gets the job done just fine.

Upon first glance, one of the first things you'll notice about the Blackberry Curve 8900 is its size. This is one of the smallest Blackberries that have ever existed in the product line. It’s a very comfortable size. While the Pearl was maybe a little too small to comfortably use or much less get work done on, this balances a large screen and a full QWERTY keyboard with a slender design that slides right into your pocket.

Now, there is one large downfall that we need to point out to you right off the bat, for the sake of honesty. With all the fancy features it offers, the Blackberry Curve 8900 does not offer 3G. That’s right, the latest technological marvel from Blackberry is not capable of accessing the 3G networks. This cripples the Blackberry Curve 8900 right off of the bat.

Some of the advanced features that make a Blackberry what it is would be so much better if you could only access them on 3G. Wifi access is blinding fast, but when you leave the office and need to look something up, you will be slammed to a halt by the slow connection speed. It’s like getting out of a Formula 1 race car to have a kid drive you around in one of those wagons that are pulled by bicycles. Without 3G, you might as well mail a letter instead of send an email.

Okay, so it’s not THAT bad. But when all of the other competing phones offer 3G, it was a mistake not to include it. There is one upside though: 3G connections use a lot of battery power. By ditching 3G, the battery life of the Blackberry Curve 8900 is much better than that of many phones in its category.

One nice feature is the price. While the phone may cost a good bit (just like any smart phone) without a contract, this one just happens to be free when you enter a service agreement. That’s right: The phone is free with a new contract. Now try to beat that! The only way to get phone that cheap with a new contract is to rob the store. And that’s just not a good idea. You’ll get caught. They know who you are.

Unlike most Blackberries, Blackberry Curve 8900 has a mixed target audience. Not only does it appeal to the latte-sipping businessmen who want full office connectivity on their phone - this one also appeals to the younger crowd as well. Teenagers and twenty-somethings will be piling over this phone. With its features and trendy design, this is a popular one among people of all ages.

One feature that is very un-Blackberry in nature is the camera. Boasting 3.2 megapixlels, this one is capable of high resolution snapshots that compare to many pocket sized digital cameras. This one even has a flash. The LED isn’t very bright, but at least it helps a little bit in darker situations.

Blackberry Curve 8900 is also savvy in the area of multimedia. You’ll find a headphone jack on the phone, and it has a built-in jukebox that lets you rock out to your favorite MP3s. Even more, you can play videos - even the cool formats like Xvid and DivX.

Overall, the Blackberry Curve 8900 is a seriously cool phone for the seriously cool person. The features it has are perfect for office hours or party hours, and it has enough gadgets to keep anyone entertained. The camera is nice for a Blackberry, though compared to some of the other phones with high-resolution cameras, it maybe isn’t quite as clear. The flash is better than nothing, but for many shots, is pretty worthless. None of this is as bad as the lack of 3G, though. If these aspects of the phone don’t bother you, then you should seriously consider picking up a Blackberry Curve 8900 as your next phone.