RIM really dropped the ball after launching the Bold with the shouldhaveneverbeenlaunched Storm. But I’m happy to say that they’ve come back into our good graces with the launch of the T-Mobile Curve II otherwise known as the 8900.
For all intents and purposes the 8900 is a baby Bold. It lacks 3G but makes up for it with UMA support, which means you can use it in a dead zone or take it overseas and not incur horrendous roaming fees. Simply having the ability to use Wi-Fi for the mobile’s signal is a huge plus for T-Mobile. The UMA connection allows the device to act exactly as it would with a cellular signal, including voice, BlackBerry data/email, web browsing, even SMS and BlackBerry messenger. This was one of the major reasons why I chose to stay with T-Mobile instead of jumping ship to AT&T for the Bold.
The following are my first impressions compared to the 8320 and Bold.
Camera quality is excellent and pictures are very sharp. It’s significantly faster than the Storm, and the higher resolution 3.2-megapixel camera trumps the Bold as well. Images can now be geotagged. It performs fairly well in low light, but you’re going to need a steady hand and still subject.
The first photo is in low light without flash and the second was taken with flash.
The 8900 drops support for 802.11a, which is a bummer for some folks like my brother but I have no issues with it.
Typing on the 8900 is much better than on the 8800 series, but it’s not as smooth as the Bold. Keys are slanted like the Bold and 8800 series and it’s much sturdier than the 8320 keyboard. The overall build of the 8900 is rock solid. Not as good as the 8700 series, but better than the 8300 series. Like the Storm, the 8900 has a fancy metal back cover (which is a bit loose for my taste) and chrome trim. But it’s not over the top. The new trackball is quite smooth and just feels better to use. Time will tell, though.
The 2.4-inch screen is super high-res at 480×360, which is higher than the Bold’s 480×320. But the Bold’s 2.5-inch screen makes watching videos a bit easier on the eyes.
A major plus for the 8900 is that it has more usable on-board memory than any other BlackBerry with 256MB of “RAM.” The Bold does come with 1GB of on-board storage but most of it is segmented as flash (like the microSD card that’s provided), and isn’t dedicated to things like E-mail, calendar, etc. Because the on-board memory is fully dedicated as “main” memory on the 8900, you have much more room until it runs out and begins to take corrective action (like deleting email, sms, and the call log). The 512 MHz processor makes multitasking a breeze whereas the previous Curve (8320) was sluggish, to say the least. However, I’ve noticed some slowdowns compared to the Bold which almost never lags.
Sound quality from speaker is excellent, videos and games sound amazing. I’d suggest you not use the included application from Roxio for converting videos, though. I found it to be a bit buggy and there are other apps out there that work much better.
Call quality is crisp on both ends even when using the speaker phone. Wired and Bluetooth headsets work well. Because I’ve only had the 8900 for a couple days I can’t comment on battery life, but it’s lasted two days with moderate use. The battery life will surely exceed that of the Bold considering it lacks the 3G radio.
Unfortunately, the Web browser still stinks. The OS upgrade to 4.6 is nice, but if you’ve used the Bold or Storm it’s nothing new. Javascript and RIM don’t play well together. It stalls or fails to load pages completely. Opera is considerably better but it’s only a temporary solution. Why RIM continues to neglect this key feature is beyond anyone’s comprehension. This may be one of the only downsides to the BlackBerry.
The iTunes syncing application MediaSync works pretty well. I wasn’t able to use this on my 8320, but I still have an iPod and Zune that I use for music and video. It will not transfer DRM tracks, but we all knew that. Media has never been a strong suit of the BlackBerry line but it works albeit unattractively.
Having both GPS and Wi-Fi on the 8900 is fantastic for T-Mobile users. GPS is enabled in Google Maps and BlackBerry Maps. It works just as well as the 8820’s GPS but it can be a tad off when you’re indoors.
Apps shmaps, I say. RIM’s app store is coming soon enough, but the fact of the matter is that BlackBerry has always had a strong developer community. They just don’t have a centralized location, yet. Search around and you’ll find whatever it is that you need.
Overall, the 8900 is a fine BlackBerry and probably the best phone available for T-Mobile. Yes, I know the G1 is fantastic and all, but I still think the hardware isn’t where it should be. It’s big and clunky. The Sidekick still has a place in my heart, but MS/Danger really need to pull out the big guns with their next revision or they’re toast. If you’re looking to upgrade, or switch to T-Mobile, then I insist you pick up the 8900. It’s a superb upgrade from the 8320 and everything but 3G is present. What can I say? I’m as giddy as a school girl and happy with the 8900 so far.
These are initial impressions of the 8900 and I’ll need more time with it so I’ll post updates when necessary, but if you have questions please leave them in comments.
Update: Just noticed that the right side hard button for the camera is a ‘double presser’ like a real camera. A half press allows the camera to auto-focus and a full press snaps the image. That’s a first for BlackBerry devices with a camera.
Update 2: Battery life is less than desirable. Less than 24 hours after pulling the 8900 off the charger with moderate use I’m in need of juice. I’m beginning to wonder if OS 4.6 isn’t up to snuff. Of course, the Bold had similar issues until updates were released as well as the Storm.
[PSGallery=2fd0731xwj]
You’ve got some weird sh*t on your desk – a chainmail makeup bag and a scarf? ;) But damn is that text readable on the can of hairspray. I really dislike my iPhone camera, but I think I’m still waiting for the Palm Pre. Fortunately, my sexier half wants to upgrade her existing Curve to this new model. So I may get to play with it anyway. (And stick TwitterBerry on it.)
Hahaha. That’s actually a WaterField case. And those are probably gloves for film negatives. Tell your signif to upgrade.
And that’s a duster, not hairspray. You missed the Touchstream LP. Very geeky.
I noticed you’re using the silver back cover for the 8900, do all carriers come with 2 covers (silver & black) or just T-Mobile?
I’ve got mine and loving it so far, better hand grip than Bold’s and awesome camera. Most importantly, fits in my pocket quite perfectly.
There’s only one cover that I know of for T-Mobile. I take it you’re not in the States.
PLEASE hire a copy editor or just get Greg to edit – or, better yet, rewrite! – Peter’s posts. Your sites are great, the content is good, and I value PH’s opinions, grouse as they may be … but Peter’s abuse of the English language has pissed me off so many times now that I had to say something.
At the very least go buy a copy of Strunk and White or Chicago Manual and study that bitch like you’ve studied so many gadgets. This ain’t G4TV, Peter … substance and form actually matter when you write.
Okay, sorry, had to get that off my chest. I’ll go back to quietly reading the CrunchSites now.
JFC, here: http://www.stephenfry.com/media/audio/109/series-2-episode-3–language/
Thanks.
PS Get a beer. Take a breath.
Thanks for the review – my wife and I are due for upgrades and we were going to purchase Curves earlier this week.
With this glowing review, looks like we’ll be opting for these instead.
Blackberry is ridiculous for not putting more thought into their web browser. Use webkit and your problem is solved.
Upgrade the OS! The battery life on the shipped OS is REALLY bad, I only made it half a day before I had to charge again.
The new OS increases the battery life 2 fold, I’ve been on the same charge for 2 days now.
I’m new to the RIM line of hardware – how do you upgrade the browser?
Wish the typing was as good as the bold. The long lasting battery is valuable to me though since I’ll go 8-12 hours at a time without a recharge and will want to watch vids etc. Still not sure what the deal is with their browser. I’m probably still going for the 8900 since its security and compatibility are both pretty solid. This digital security site covers stuff like that.
So AT&T has the Bold, T-Mobile has the 8900….any word on when Verizon is getting their version? I don’t want the Storm!
@Aaron Myers – where did you get the latest OS from to upgrade it? The battery life seems pretty drainy at the moment…
Seems that the download link has been taken down, I’ll try to upload a copy of it (122MB).
E-mail me if you’d like the link (once I upload it), amyers@gmail.com
Aaron, thank you so much for pointing me in the right direction. I upgraded to OS .133 last night and it’s running like a champ. I’ll need a few more days to comment on overall battery life improvement (if any), but it seems to be a bit more efficient.
been using mine for a month now in europe and frankly its the first blackberry thats actually useable !
it withstands the knocks that kill and shatter iPhones plus you can actually interact at a decent pace with a REAL keyboard
(facebook app is terrible however Google apps are brilliant)
regards
John Jones
http://www.johnjones.me.uk
can someone please tell me why the power connector is at the side ?
ITS DUMB
nokia manage to put a mini usb on the bottom with a dedicated power on their e series phones
why cant RIM ?
why such a great phone and DUMB charger ?
(its not like you dont charge it every day…)
regards
John Jones
Yeah, you can get a 90 degree angled adapter from Motorola which helps with this problem. I much prefer the older spot in the upper-left.
Can I use Skype with this thing?
“A half press allows the camera to auto-focus and a full press snaps the image. That’s a first for BlackBerry devices with a camera.”
The storm’s side button already did that.
I’ve got a Bold. And I’m happy with it, and glad I stayed with ATT rather than go for the Curve II
@Earl, you can download iSkoot for Skype. It works for my 8310, it should work for 8900 too.
better than Fring in your opinion?
Great article, bad news for me and my never-ending internal battle for the upgrade from my (T-Mobile) BB 8700 to either the iPhone or another newer BB.
Love the idea of the iPhone, apps, blah. But I exist on email, and am afraid the virtual keyboard will not suffice. Anyone have heavy email experience with the iPhone?
The iPhone is magic. But it is just not conducive to heavy typing of emails – it makes you wait until you can get to a real keyboard to type something. I think an iPhone with a BB8900/9000 is the perfect combination for now if you can afford two phones at once.
OTOH, the BB 8700 had the best reception of any cell phone I’ve ever had, ‘berry or otherwise.
Thanks John, that’s what I’m hearing. Think I’ll re-up with T-Mobile and try the 8900, and maybe get an iPod Touch a bit later…
Thanks for the review. Contact is ending in a few days and I’m switching to Tmobile from Verizon (trying to save money; global recession). I am going to get this. i hate the newer BB windows apps though. I also dread having to do OS upgrades. I’m too lazy (and too busy) to figure out where to get the latest files from. I don’t have time for that. I wonder if they will handle upgrades through their app store. I can’t imagine using this for music and movies, will stick to the Itouch for that. I just want HTML E-mails! Also where is the best deal to pick one up? Walmart?
I forgot to mention. I plan on abusing the Wifi! When I’m at work, at home or at the parents I have Wifi so that’s when I’ll make all my calls and will try not to pick up calls when on the road (unless they are on my fav 5!). This way I can get a plan with much less minutes. I am going to get the new bb pearl and bb flip for my other family members because all can make calls over wifi. And I believe I can get them for free from Walmart. Right now we’re paying like $245 with Verizon for 2,000 mins – 4 phones, 2 bbs with data plans. My goal is to get the bill down to $180. Any suggestions?
making the UMA calls will subtract your minutes.
you can pay $9.99 to make unlimited calls from one particular location.
Azeem, I’ve been member for T-mobile for almost 6 years coming up on Janurary 2010 and I have 2 cellphones and I pay for it about 90.00 thats less than 100.00 =) 2 phones are sidekick and blackbery curve 8900..
Thanks! AFter your review, I decided to get one! I ordered it, but besides I love blackberry’s anyway.
@amyers – I currently have v4.6.1.114 on Platform (4.2.0.76). Do I understand your post (and John Ha’s reply) to suggest that v4.6.1.133 is out but not yet available via T-Mobile or automatic updating? Battery life isn’t so much an issue for me, but rather the reception over GRPS when EDGE isn’t available (like at my house). My 8320 used to hold 3 to 4 bars, but my 8900 gets 1 to 2 at the most and I’m in what T-Mobile claims is a “Good” service area. Thanks, Robert.
Very sleek design and absolutely brilliant display. I was informed the 3g support is poor and the browser lacks speed. That is definitely something that T-Mobile will need to work on.