BlackBerry Curve 8330 Phone Titanium Sprint

Posted by Smartphone Review on January 22, 2010

BlackBerry Curve 8330 Phone Titanium Sprint

Adding a fashionable touch to Research in Motion’s formidable arsenal of telephonic, PIM, and media tools, the BlackBerry 8330 Curve for Sprint is also the smallest, lightest BlackBerry phone that includes a full QWERTY keyboard. This amalgam of the svelte BlackBerry Pearl and the more business-oriented 8800 combines RIM’s long-valued corporate email and messaging platform with a host of advanced multimedia features, including a 2-megapixel camera and stereo Bluetooth (for listening to music via wireless headphones). It also offers GPS navigation capabilities for accessing the optional Sprint Navigation turn-by-turn direction service. Compatible with MicroSD memory cards for expansion, this package includes a 1 GB MicroSD card to give you the room you need for larger work files, presentations, reports, documents or fun files like photos and music.

Sprint Service
Supporting the EV-DO high-speed data standard, this phone enables you to download and stream high-quality video, straight onto your phone. Where coverage is available, EV-DO connectivity provides average download speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps, with peak rates up to 2 Mbps. With Sprint TV, you can make your cell phone your always-on source for news, weather, sports and more. This comprehensive video service combines high-quality streaming audio and video from channels including the NFL Network, ABC, The Weather Channel, Fox Sports, E!, CNN, The Discovery Channel, and more.

Sprint brings you closer to this season’s NFL action with NFL Mobile Live, which enables you to listen to the live radio broadcasts of every NFL game throughout the 2008 regular season. Sprint is making it easier to follow a specific team by carrying a live radio broadcast for each game, including pregame and postgame reports in most instances. NFL Mobile Live also allows NFL.com fantasy owners to monitor the performance of every player in real time directly from their phone. Key information for individual players will be easily accessible, including real-time game and season cumulative stats, rankings, player profiles and photos. NFL Mobile Live is free of charge to Sprint data subscribers.

The Sprint Music Store enables you to buy, download, and then jam out wherever you are with new songs or old favorites. Offering a growing selection of more than 1.6 million songs, the store provides you two copies of each song–one for the phone and another for the PC, as well as the ability to burn songs to a CD using Windows Media Player. Save your songs to a memory card with a capacity that’s right for you.

The Curve’s full QWERTY keyboard and the innovative trackball navigation system (placed above the keyboard) makes accessing your data and writing email a breeze.

The 2-megapixel camera makes it easy to capture pictures to send via email or upload to your online photo collection.

This GPS-enabled phone provides optional access to Sprint Navigation for driving directions on your mobile phone–by voice and onscreen. Along the way, turn-by-turn directions will be announced in a clear voice and displayed on your phone. For example, Sprint Navigation will say, “Go 1.2 miles and turn right on Elm Street.” As you approach the turn, you will hear, “Turn right on Elm Street.” Sprint Navigation also provides proactive traffic alerts with one click re-routing. And it’s easy to find restaurants, banks, cafes, hotels and more from over 10 million points of interest across the U.S.

Phone Features
The Curve 8330 is fashioned with subtly curving corners and chrome highlights. Measuring 4.2 x 2.4 inches, the Curve is just as slim as the Pearl (0.63 inches) and weighs in at 4 ounces. It features a bright 2.5-inch color TFT screen that provides 65,000 colors and a 320 x 240-pixel resolution, and it includes a light-sensing feature that automatically adjusts backlighting for indoor, outdoor and dark environments. Like the BlackBerry 8800, the Curve includes a trackball navigation system located on the top of the QWERTY keypad, and it also features an integrated spell checker with a customizable dictionary to help maintain accuracy while on the go. It has 96 MB of internal ROM memory, and is expandable using MicroSD/MicroSDHC memory cards (up to 8 GB in size).

You can snap vivid photos (though no video) using the 2-megapixel camera on the back of the Curve, which also features a 5x digital zoom, built-in flash, self-portrait mirror and full screen viewfinder. It can capture images in up to three picture quality and size resolutions that can be shared instantly by email, MMS or BlackBerry Messenger, or even uploaded to your Flickr account with the Yahoo! Go service. Photos can also be immediately set as a unique caller ID or Home Screen image. You can edit photos and create albums within the Curve using the PhotoSuite application. Pictures can be cropped, rotated and straightened, and flaws can be fixed by removing redeye or changing the brightness, contrast, and saturation levels.

Listen to your favorite music and watch downloaded videos using the included stereo headset, or use an optional wireless headphone thanks to the Curve’s support for the Bluetooth stereo audio profile (A2DP/AVRCP). The Curve is compatible with MP3 and WMA audio files, and dedicated volume controls are conveniently located on the side of the handset.

With the Voice-Activated Dialing (VAD) feature, you can initiate a call just by telling the Curve who to call from your contact list–either via the integrated speakerphone or using an optional Bluetooth wireless headset. Other advanced phone features include advanced sound technology that cancels out background noise and echo, dedicated volume and mute keys, and the ability to customize the Curve with polyphonic and MP3 ringtones.

The BlackBerry Maps application enables you to view maps and driving directions as well as email maps to other BlackBerry users and launch maps from your address book. It also includes a local search capability that allows users to find local businesses, such as banks, hotels and restaurants, within a short driving distance.

Other features include:

• Instant messaging and SMS text messaging
• Use the included USB cable to connect to laptops for a wireless modem, or choose to run this capability via Bluetooth with no USB cable requirement.
• 3.5mm headphone jack; stereo headset with microphone and mute switch included
• Make a voice note and send as an email .wmv file attachment
• Bluetooth version 2.0 with the following profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), DUN (dial-up networking)

Vital Statistics
The BlackBerry Curve 8330 weighs 4 ounces and measures 4.2 x 2.4 x 0.63 inches. Its 1150 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5.9 hours of talk time, and up to 264 hours (11 days) of digital standby time. It runs on the 800/1900 CDMA/EV-DO frequencies.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Sweet phone
Loving my Blackberry Curve 8330. I’ve had a BB 8700g before and liked it very much but this phone blows it and my Palm Centro that I upgraded from right out of the water. I’m quite pleased with the BB Curve 8330. Not for nothing, Sprint’s Curve is the best one to have because it has far more features than any other cell phone carriers’ Curves. Sprint didn’t hold back featurewise. My friends are a bit jealous because of the amount of features my phone has compared to their Curves. Here’s the breakdown of what I like and dislike.

Pros:

- Attractive looking and the titanium or charcoal color looks great

- Very clear and vivid video and pictures

- Great call quality

- Nice, loud speakerphone

- MP3 sound quality is superb

- Has standard 3.5mm headphone jack which is great. No need to buy those special 2.5mm headphones.

- A USB port

- Snappy bluetooth pairing with my bluetooth headset when with many other phones it seemed like it took forever for the two devices to find each other

- Expandable to 16GB with 4.5 OS

- Speedy email retrieval

- Camera and video camera is pretty good especially outdoors but the indoor photos are not too shabby

- Decent battery life

- Trackball makes for easy navigating

- 96MB of internal ROM memory which is a nice amount of storage and I’m able to fit a lot of third party software with room to spare

- A lot of awesome features and apps that came with the phone plus plenty you can download

- Nice rendering of doc, pdf and ppt files

Honorable mention: The Sprint GPS TelNav(which I thought I didn’t need)on this phone rocks. It really can go toe to toe as far as navigation with my Garmin GPS plus it finds signals a lot quicker than my Garmin. I’ve used it while driving and while walking and it has been on point with fantastic accuracy.

Cons:

- Internet videos, particularly YouTube, displays very small and doesn’t take up the whole screen and there’s no way to make it full screen like I was able to with my Palm Centro

- Video camera does not shoot videos using the whole 320×240 screen. It only takes the videos at 240×176. Therefore the videos you shoot never take up the whole screen.

- The browser could be a bit faster

- Hangs and freezes on some websites

- Rebooting is way too slow

- Wish the camera had more features

- Voice dialing is bad and doesn’t register spoken names very well. Luckily I use another app to handle that.

All and all…this is a very nice phone.

4 Stars Very Nice!
This is my first time purchasing a smart phone and after much searching (I read and watched hundreds of reviews on various smart phones) I decided on the Blackberry Curve 8330 from sprint. After using it for the past month or so here are some of my thoughts.

FIRST THE GOOD:

I am quite happy with my purchase. The Curve does a splendid job of nearly everything it promises to do. Setting up email was a piece of cake and they show up in my phone in real time. Call audio was crystal clear (probably the best I’ve ever heard). It syncs easily with my Lotus notes which is a huge plus for me since I can never remember what meetings I am supposed to be at and when when I am out of the office. It also syncs very quickly with my Bluetooth and my headset can go probably 30+ feet from my phone without hearing a lot of crackling. The battery lasts for a long time, even when using Bluetooth. I find that with my use, (about 90 minutes a day of talk time and another 20 minutes using the internet and maps functions) I can get about two days, possibly more on one charge. The OS works pretty quickly, I never feel like I am waiting on programs to open or anything. The camera is stellar. It is so nice to have a flash but don’t count on it lighting anything beyond 5 feet when it is dark out. The video is pretty cool too. GPS is functional, though it refreshes rather slowly compared to a Garmin (I’d say once every few seconds or so) and of course the voice commands cost extra from sprint. The QWERTY keyboard is sufficiently sized and I have no problem using it with my somewhat large fingers (my thumb is a little wider than a nickel).

NOW THE BAD:

I have to say that the user interface for Blackberry is not the most intuitive. I consider myself a pretty techy guy but customizing a lot of the options was a pain and took a while. I find the track ball skips at times when moving side to side which can be annoying when it happens but not too annoying. The curve that comes from sprint does not come with the handy dandy holster like the other curves (shame on you sprint). I also don’t like the reminder functions on the blackberry. It reminds you one time for each calendar entry. ONE TIME! I need something that will keep reminding me and reminding me until I say it’s done. I have heard there is an application out there for this, but haven’t bought one yet. Sigh. Lastly, the phone automatically turns off when you drop it (which is good) but sometimes it is too sensitive. For example: if I place the phone down on the desk to hard while I am on my headset it thinks it has been dropped and shuts off. This is annoying but I am slowly getting used to being more gently with it.

NOW THE UGLY:

I can’t stand the voice activated dialing from Blackberry. It is the WORST thing about the phone. The phone has the hardest time determing which person I want to call and gets it wrong about 70- 90% of the time depending on the name of the person. My old sprint Katana was ten times better. I tried adjusting everything from my voice tones and vowel sounds to setting different levels of sensitivity on the phone (nothing worked). FYI I have a very normal voice. I spent hours on the web looking for help, all to no avail. Blackberry would have done better by their customers had they stuck with the old voice software which allows you to program in your own voice for peoples names. This was a deal breaker for me and I nearly returned the phone had it not been for finding an awesome and free application (see next).

Applications worth getting:

1.OperaMini (free internet browser that replaces blackberry’s crappy one)

2.GoogleMaps (its free and does a better job of finding businesses then

the blackberry maps app.)

3.VLINGO (this voice recognition software is absolutely incredible, it recognized any command I could give it without a problem and gets better over time. It will even convert your audio into text messages or emails and is completely free and improves the curve experience drastically. This app made me truly love my blackberry. Even if it guesses incorrectly which word you used once you correct it, it almost never gets it wrong again. I have tried sending progressively more and more complicated texts and emails to friends and it gets the words right about 90% of the time)

OVERALL:

I give the phone 4

BlackBerry Curve 8330 Phone Titanium Sprint

Posted by Smartphone Review on January 19, 2010

BlackBerry Curve 8330 Phone Titanium Sprint

Adding a fashionable touch to Research in Motion’s formidable arsenal of telephonic, PIM, and media tools, the BlackBerry 8330 Curve for Sprint is also the smallest, lightest BlackBerry phone that includes a full QWERTY keyboard. This amalgam of the svelte BlackBerry Pearl and the more business-oriented 8800 combines RIM’s long-valued corporate email and messaging platform with a host of advanced multimedia features, including a 2-megapixel camera and stereo Bluetooth (for listening to music via wireless headphones). It also offers GPS navigation capabilities for accessing the optional Sprint Navigation turn-by-turn direction service. Compatible with MicroSD memory cards for expansion, this package includes a 1 GB MicroSD card to give you the room you need for larger work files, presentations, reports, documents or fun files like photos and music.

Sprint Service
Supporting the EV-DO high-speed data standard, this phone enables you to download and stream high-quality video, straight onto your phone. Where coverage is available, EV-DO connectivity provides average download speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps, with peak rates up to 2 Mbps. With Sprint TV, you can make your cell phone your always-on source for news, weather, sports and more. This comprehensive video service combines high-quality streaming audio and video from channels including the NFL Network, ABC, The Weather Channel, Fox Sports, E!, CNN, The Discovery Channel, and more.

Sprint brings you closer to this season’s NFL action with NFL Mobile Live, which enables you to listen to the live radio broadcasts of every NFL game throughout the 2008 regular season. Sprint is making it easier to follow a specific team by carrying a live radio broadcast for each game, including pregame and postgame reports in most instances. NFL Mobile Live also allows NFL.com fantasy owners to monitor the performance of every player in real time directly from their phone. Key information for individual players will be easily accessible, including real-time game and season cumulative stats, rankings, player profiles and photos. NFL Mobile Live is free of charge to Sprint data subscribers.

The Sprint Music Store enables you to buy, download, and then jam out wherever you are with new songs or old favorites. Offering a growing selection of more than 1.6 million songs, the store provides you two copies of each song–one for the phone and another for the PC, as well as the ability to burn songs to a CD using Windows Media Player. Save your songs to a memory card with a capacity that’s right for you.

The Curve’s full QWERTY keyboard and the innovative trackball navigation system (placed above the keyboard) makes accessing your data and writing email a breeze.

The 2-megapixel camera makes it easy to capture pictures to send via email or upload to your online photo collection.

This GPS-enabled phone provides optional access to Sprint Navigation for driving directions on your mobile phone–by voice and onscreen. Along the way, turn-by-turn directions will be announced in a clear voice and displayed on your phone. For example, Sprint Navigation will say, “Go 1.2 miles and turn right on Elm Street.” As you approach the turn, you will hear, “Turn right on Elm Street.” Sprint Navigation also provides proactive traffic alerts with one click re-routing. And it’s easy to find restaurants, banks, cafes, hotels and more from over 10 million points of interest across the U.S.

Phone Features
The Curve 8330 is fashioned with subtly curving corners and chrome highlights. Measuring 4.2 x 2.4 inches, the Curve is just as slim as the Pearl (0.63 inches) and weighs in at 4 ounces. It features a bright 2.5-inch color TFT screen that provides 65,000 colors and a 320 x 240-pixel resolution, and it includes a light-sensing feature that automatically adjusts backlighting for indoor, outdoor and dark environments. Like the BlackBerry 8800, the Curve includes a trackball navigation system located on the top of the QWERTY keypad, and it also features an integrated spell checker with a customizable dictionary to help maintain accuracy while on the go. It has 96 MB of internal ROM memory, and is expandable using MicroSD/MicroSDHC memory cards (up to 8 GB in size).

You can snap vivid photos (though no video) using the 2-megapixel camera on the back of the Curve, which also features a 5x digital zoom, built-in flash, self-portrait mirror and full screen viewfinder. It can capture images in up to three picture quality and size resolutions that can be shared instantly by email, MMS or BlackBerry Messenger, or even uploaded to your Flickr account with the Yahoo! Go service. Photos can also be immediately set as a unique caller ID or Home Screen image. You can edit photos and create albums within the Curve using the PhotoSuite application. Pictures can be cropped, rotated and straightened, and flaws can be fixed by removing redeye or changing the brightness, contrast, and saturation levels.

Listen to your favorite music and watch downloaded videos using the included stereo headset, or use an optional wireless headphone thanks to the Curve’s support for the Bluetooth stereo audio profile (A2DP/AVRCP). The Curve is compatible with MP3 and WMA audio files, and dedicated volume controls are conveniently located on the side of the handset.

With the Voice-Activated Dialing (VAD) feature, you can initiate a call just by telling the Curve who to call from your contact list–either via the integrated speakerphone or using an optional Bluetooth wireless headset. Other advanced phone features include advanced sound technology that cancels out background noise and echo, dedicated volume and mute keys, and the ability to customize the Curve with polyphonic and MP3 ringtones.

The BlackBerry Maps application enables you to view maps and driving directions as well as email maps to other BlackBerry users and launch maps from your address book. It also includes a local search capability that allows users to find local businesses, such as banks, hotels and restaurants, within a short driving distance.

Other features include:

• Instant messaging and SMS text messaging
• Use the included USB cable to connect to laptops for a wireless modem, or choose to run this capability via Bluetooth with no USB cable requirement.
• 3.5mm headphone jack; stereo headset with microphone and mute switch included
• Make a voice note and send as an email .wmv file attachment
• Bluetooth version 2.0 with the following profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), DUN (dial-up networking)

Vital Statistics
The BlackBerry Curve 8330 weighs 4 ounces and measures 4.2 x 2.4 x 0.63 inches. Its 1150 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5.9 hours of talk time, and up to 264 hours (11 days) of digital standby time. It runs on the 800/1900 CDMA/EV-DO frequencies.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Sweet phone
Loving my Blackberry Curve 8330. I’ve had a BB 8700g before and liked it very much but this phone blows it and my Palm Centro that I upgraded from right out of the water. I’m quite pleased with the BB Curve 8330. Not for nothing, Sprint’s Curve is the best one to have because it has far more features than any other cell phone carriers’ Curves. Sprint didn’t hold back featurewise. My friends are a bit jealous because of the amount of features my phone has compared to their Curves. Here’s the breakdown of what I like and dislike.

Pros:

- Attractive looking and the titanium or charcoal color looks great

- Very clear and vivid video and pictures

- Great call quality

- Nice, loud speakerphone

- MP3 sound quality is superb

- Has standard 3.5mm headphone jack which is great. No need to buy those special 2.5mm headphones.

- A USB port

- Snappy bluetooth pairing with my bluetooth headset when with many other phones it seemed like it took forever for the two devices to find each other

- Expandable to 16GB with 4.5 OS

- Speedy email retrieval

- Camera and video camera is pretty good especially outdoors but the indoor photos are not too shabby

- Decent battery life

- Trackball makes for easy navigating

- 96MB of internal ROM memory which is a nice amount of storage and I’m able to fit a lot of third party software with room to spare

- A lot of awesome features and apps that came with the phone plus plenty you can download

- Nice rendering of doc, pdf and ppt files

Honorable mention: The Sprint GPS TelNav(which I thought I didn’t need)on this phone rocks. It really can go toe to toe as far as navigation with my Garmin GPS plus it finds signals a lot quicker than my Garmin. I’ve used it while driving and while walking and it has been on point with fantastic accuracy.

Cons:

- Internet videos, particularly YouTube, displays very small and doesn’t take up the whole screen and there’s no way to make it full screen like I was able to with my Palm Centro

- Video camera does not shoot videos using the whole 320×240 screen. It only takes the videos at 240×176. Therefore the videos you shoot never take up the whole screen.

- The browser could be a bit faster

- Hangs and freezes on some websites

- Rebooting is way too slow

- Wish the camera had more features

- Voice dialing is bad and doesn’t register spoken names very well. Luckily I use another app to handle that.

All and all…this is a very nice phone.

4 Stars One of the best things I’ve ever bought in my entire life…
I absolutely LOVE my new BlackBerry Curve 8330 from Sprint. I can finally keep track of all of the after-hours e-mail traffic associated with my job without being tied to my computer all evening–no more waking up to an overflowing inbox. And all four of my e-mail accounts (including two Microsoft-based accounts) were a breeze to set up.

Great picture, great sound, and a lot of available apps–including Sprint TV. Plus, I like having a real QWERTY keyboard (as opposed to the touch-screen).

Web pages show up great. Sure, they could load a little faster, and the trackball can be a bit aggravating (especially when trying to edit an e-mail or text). And it’s a little slow waking up in the morning (kind of like me). But those are my only complaints.

I’d recommend the Curve to anyone, especially if e-mail’s your thing. And Sprint offers unlimited data (and a reliable network) at a GREAT price.

4 Stars Blackberry Curve Magic
Maybe the reason you’re looking the Blackberry Curve(BR) is your dissatisfaction of your cell phone system like mine. Perhaps you don’t care if it is Windows based program or not as long as it will satisfy the very core of your needs.

BR is not Windows based but I think it is better. I was not convinced until I switched from Palm Treo 700 Windows to Blackberry Curve. BR system is quick, logical, intuitive, and productive. During office breaks, I accomplish a lot in BR than in my Palm.

BR has many heavy duty extras like Internet, Free TV/music, Camera, GPS, Calendar, Alarm, MMS, Text, Appointment, Tasks, Word, etc but all of it has no use if the core need is not covered. My needs are push email technology, E banking, dependable phone, Wake-up alarms,& Contact management. BR fully covered it and who would complain for those extras? Seriously, while standing in the line for postage, grocery, etc, I watch TV. My network is Sprint and it is solid in its delivery. I used BR for more than 3 monts now and below are the brief lists that separate it from others.

Advantages

1. Email System - the best and when you have multiple email addresses, the more it gets best. You can send/receive email in 3 ways by 1) through Yahoo web site for example; 2)using your email addresses in the blackberry phone; 3) go to Contact Lists and send/read email directly from there

2. Email Set-up - no brainer and blackberry will configure intuitively in few minutes. Mine was ready to go in less than 3 minutes.

3. Contact Management - it is as near good as my Palm Treo. 1 field default for email address but the system will add more field if needed.

4. Screen Video is superbly rich - reading the text under the sunlight is pleasing and the TV video is amazingly rich too. In the dark, I used it as flashlight to see the theater steps and seats.

5. Adjustable fonts

6. One Stop Access - the missed calls, in/out calls, in/out emails, in/out MMS or text are in one icon folder. Very productive to quickly glance especially in the office time.

7. E-Banking convenience - easy inquiries for incoming/outgoing funds, pending/clear transactions. Transfer of Funds and Bill Payments are avilable but I did not use such option so far.

8. Clearer natural sound - the phone calls are clearer, seemed closer, and strong volume. From office/home drive, I just use its speakerphone (no wire or bluetooth) and it’s more than clearer to both parties.

9. History of the Contact - it’s the best. Whatever is not deleted, will show up the in/out calls, MMS, text, & emails complete with time & date.

10. Home Screen - Critical info are there like time, day, date, number of unread emails, battery meter, signal strength, calendar, contacts, email folders, speaker, GPS signal, & menu command. Your own phone number and duration of call are added info on top of above during your phone conversation. If emails/text arrive, sound/icon alerts will pop up to notify you even during conversation.

11. Handy shortcut - play with Control Key and push the Trac Ball to execute the copy/cut command in all fields.

12. Excellent Communications Tracking - the Contact’s in/out calls and in/out emails are tracked generously

13. Strong speakerphone volume - just 1 key stroke and it is available. Often times I don’t need the wire just the speaker phone and so far no complaint from the callers.

14. Small Computer - I used my BR to surf the net, to shop, yahoo chat, and instant messaging. I used it also to watch multiple free TV shows during out of town trips. I listen to its free radio music in the office too.

15. It is packed with practical multiple applications = Facebook, My Space, Voice Notes, Video, Music, Instant Messenger, Entertainment, Pocket Express,etc. I put-in the icons of my ebank, amazon, Google. It always remember my Garmin bluetoth.

Disadvantages

1. Battery drain - BR is designed not to turn it off to allow instant messaging. Mine needs every night charging.

2. Key pads are poorly lighted - hard to dial at night and to execute speed dials especially when driving.

3. The oral voice command instruction is partially Japanese lingo and then to English. It does not work.

4. The charger and the BR phone do not have a led light. You really need to investigate that your phone is being charged. A small arrow icon targeting the battery icon means it is charging - what a joke!

5. Commands are organized by icons and it needs patience to get acquainted. You’ll learn it quick because it is self explainatory too.

6. Users Guide Manual is incomplete but it is not needed anyway

7. One free boring game

8. Appointment Schedule - Big disappointment. You need to remember it because BR will display it only ONCE.

8. Additional Applications - I discourage you to add more apps for music/TV because it will considerably slow down the system. I deleted mine and be content with Sprint fast offerings.

9. SD Card - included is 1Gig HD card. I upgraded mine to 8 Gig (for $20 Transcend Amazon store) but the install took me 3 hrs. It will break if you forced it & you need 1 pair of small twizer. Is it worth it - not really.

10. Wire phone - my bluetooth is Garmin and occassionaly I need the wire. You can talk but the wire will not turm off the phone no matter how you depress the button.

4 Stars Very Nice!
This is my first time purchasing a smart phone and after much searching (I read and watched hundreds of reviews on various smart phones) I decided on the Blackberry Curve 8330 from sprint. After using it for the past month or so here are some of my thoughts.

FIRST THE GOOD:

I am quite happy with my purchase. The Curve does a splendid job of nearly everything it promises to do. Setting up email was a piece of cake and they show up in my phone in real time. Call audio was crystal clear (probably the best I’ve ever heard). It syncs easily with my Lotus notes which is a huge plus for me since I can never remember what meetings I am supposed to be at and when when I am out of the office. It also syncs very quickly with my Bluetooth and my headset can go probably 30+ feet from my phone without hearing a lot of crackling. The battery lasts for a long time, even when using Bluetooth. I find that with my use, (about 90 minutes a day of talk time and another 20 minutes using the internet and maps functions) I can get about two days, possibly more on one charge. The OS works pretty quickly, I never feel like I am waiting on programs to open or anything. The camera is stellar. It is so nice to have a flash but don’t count on it lighting anything beyond 5 feet when it is dark out. The video is pretty cool too. GPS is functional, though it refreshes rather slowly compared to a Garmin (I’d say once every few seconds or so) and of course the voice commands cost extra from sprint. The QWERTY keyboard is sufficiently sized and I have no problem using it with my somewhat large fingers (my thumb is a little wider than a nickel).

NOW THE BAD:

I have to say that the user interface for Blackberry is not the most intuitive. I consider myself a pretty techy guy but customizing a lot of the options was a pain and took a while. I find the track ball skips at times when moving side to side which can be annoying when it happens but not too annoying. The curve that comes from sprint does not come with the handy dandy holster like the other curves (shame on you sprint). I also don’t like the reminder functions on the blackberry. It reminds you one time for each calendar entry. ONE TIME! I need something that will keep reminding me and reminding me until I say it’s done. I have heard there is an application out there for this, but haven’t bought one yet. Sigh. Lastly, the phone automatically turns off when you drop it (which is good) but sometimes it is too sensitive. For example: if I place the phone down on the desk to hard while I am on my headset it thinks it has been dropped and shuts off. This is annoying but I am slowly getting used to being more gently with it.

NOW THE UGLY:

I can’t stand the voice activated dialing from Blackberry. It is the WORST thing about the phone. The phone has the hardest time determing which person I want to call and gets it wrong about 70- 90% of the time depending on the name of the person. My old sprint Katana was ten times better. I tried adjusting everything from my voice tones and vowel sounds to setting different levels of sensitivity on the phone (nothing worked). FYI I have a very normal voice. I spent hours on the web looking for help, all to no avail. Blackberry would have done better by their customers had they stuck with the old voice software which allows you to program in your own voice for peoples names. This was a deal breaker for me and I nearly returned the phone had it not been for finding an awesome and free application (see next).

Applications worth getting:

1.OperaMini (free internet browser that replaces blackberry’s crappy one)

2.GoogleMaps (its free and does a better job of finding businesses then

the blackberry maps app.)

3.VLINGO (this voice recognition software is absolutely incredible, it recognized any command I could give it without a problem and gets better over time. It will even convert your audio into text messages or emails and is completely free and improves the curve experience drastically. This app made me truly love my blackberry. Even if it guesses incorrectly which word you used once you correct it, it almost never gets it wrong again. I have tried sending progressively more and more complicated texts and emails to friends and it gets the words right about 90% of the time)

OVERALL:

I give the phone 4

BlackBerry Curve 8330 Phone Titanium Sprint

Posted by Smartphone Review on January 13, 2010

BlackBerry Curve 8330 Phone Titanium Sprint

Adding a fashionable touch to Research in Motion’s formidable arsenal of telephonic, PIM, and media tools, the BlackBerry 8330 Curve for Sprint is also the smallest, lightest BlackBerry phone that includes a full QWERTY keyboard. This amalgam of the svelte BlackBerry Pearl and the more business-oriented 8800 combines RIM’s long-valued corporate email and messaging platform with a host of advanced multimedia features, including a 2-megapixel camera and stereo Bluetooth (for listening to music via wireless headphones). It also offers GPS navigation capabilities for accessing the optional Sprint Navigation turn-by-turn direction service. Compatible with MicroSD memory cards for expansion, this package includes a 1 GB MicroSD card to give you the room you need for larger work files, presentations, reports, documents or fun files like photos and music.

Sprint Service
Supporting the EV-DO high-speed data standard, this phone enables you to download and stream high-quality video, straight onto your phone. Where coverage is available, EV-DO connectivity provides average download speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps, with peak rates up to 2 Mbps. With Sprint TV, you can make your cell phone your always-on source for news, weather, sports and more. This comprehensive video service combines high-quality streaming audio and video from channels including the NFL Network, ABC, The Weather Channel, Fox Sports, E!, CNN, The Discovery Channel, and more.

Sprint brings you closer to this season’s NFL action with NFL Mobile Live, which enables you to listen to the live radio broadcasts of every NFL game throughout the 2008 regular season. Sprint is making it easier to follow a specific team by carrying a live radio broadcast for each game, including pregame and postgame reports in most instances. NFL Mobile Live also allows NFL.com fantasy owners to monitor the performance of every player in real time directly from their phone. Key information for individual players will be easily accessible, including real-time game and season cumulative stats, rankings, player profiles and photos. NFL Mobile Live is free of charge to Sprint data subscribers.

The Sprint Music Store enables you to buy, download, and then jam out wherever you are with new songs or old favorites. Offering a growing selection of more than 1.6 million songs, the store provides you two copies of each song–one for the phone and another for the PC, as well as the ability to burn songs to a CD using Windows Media Player. Save your songs to a memory card with a capacity that’s right for you.

The Curve’s full QWERTY keyboard and the innovative trackball navigation system (placed above the keyboard) makes accessing your data and writing email a breeze.

The 2-megapixel camera makes it easy to capture pictures to send via email or upload to your online photo collection.

This GPS-enabled phone provides optional access to Sprint Navigation for driving directions on your mobile phone–by voice and onscreen. Along the way, turn-by-turn directions will be announced in a clear voice and displayed on your phone. For example, Sprint Navigation will say, “Go 1.2 miles and turn right on Elm Street.” As you approach the turn, you will hear, “Turn right on Elm Street.” Sprint Navigation also provides proactive traffic alerts with one click re-routing. And it’s easy to find restaurants, banks, cafes, hotels and more from over 10 million points of interest across the U.S.

Phone Features
The Curve 8330 is fashioned with subtly curving corners and chrome highlights. Measuring 4.2 x 2.4 inches, the Curve is just as slim as the Pearl (0.63 inches) and weighs in at 4 ounces. It features a bright 2.5-inch color TFT screen that provides 65,000 colors and a 320 x 240-pixel resolution, and it includes a light-sensing feature that automatically adjusts backlighting for indoor, outdoor and dark environments. Like the BlackBerry 8800, the Curve includes a trackball navigation system located on the top of the QWERTY keypad, and it also features an integrated spell checker with a customizable dictionary to help maintain accuracy while on the go. It has 96 MB of internal ROM memory, and is expandable using MicroSD/MicroSDHC memory cards (up to 8 GB in size).

You can snap vivid photos (though no video) using the 2-megapixel camera on the back of the Curve, which also features a 5x digital zoom, built-in flash, self-portrait mirror and full screen viewfinder. It can capture images in up to three picture quality and size resolutions that can be shared instantly by email, MMS or BlackBerry Messenger, or even uploaded to your Flickr account with the Yahoo! Go service. Photos can also be immediately set as a unique caller ID or Home Screen image. You can edit photos and create albums within the Curve using the PhotoSuite application. Pictures can be cropped, rotated and straightened, and flaws can be fixed by removing redeye or changing the brightness, contrast, and saturation levels.

Listen to your favorite music and watch downloaded videos using the included stereo headset, or use an optional wireless headphone thanks to the Curve’s support for the Bluetooth stereo audio profile (A2DP/AVRCP). The Curve is compatible with MP3 and WMA audio files, and dedicated volume controls are conveniently located on the side of the handset.

With the Voice-Activated Dialing (VAD) feature, you can initiate a call just by telling the Curve who to call from your contact list–either via the integrated speakerphone or using an optional Bluetooth wireless headset. Other advanced phone features include advanced sound technology that cancels out background noise and echo, dedicated volume and mute keys, and the ability to customize the Curve with polyphonic and MP3 ringtones.

The BlackBerry Maps application enables you to view maps and driving directions as well as email maps to other BlackBerry users and launch maps from your address book. It also includes a local search capability that allows users to find local businesses, such as banks, hotels and restaurants, within a short driving distance.

Other features include:

• Instant messaging and SMS text messaging
• Use the included USB cable to connect to laptops for a wireless modem, or choose to run this capability via Bluetooth with no USB cable requirement.
• 3.5mm headphone jack; stereo headset with microphone and mute switch included
• Make a voice note and send as an email .wmv file attachment
• Bluetooth version 2.0 with the following profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), DUN (dial-up networking)

Vital Statistics
The BlackBerry Curve 8330 weighs 4 ounces and measures 4.2 x 2.4 x 0.63 inches. Its 1150 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5.9 hours of talk time, and up to 264 hours (11 days) of digital standby time. It runs on the 800/1900 CDMA/EV-DO frequencies.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars One of the best things I’ve ever bought in my entire life…
I absolutely LOVE my new BlackBerry Curve 8330 from Sprint. I can finally keep track of all of the after-hours e-mail traffic associated with my job without being tied to my computer all evening–no more waking up to an overflowing inbox. And all four of my e-mail accounts (including two Microsoft-based accounts) were a breeze to set up.

Great picture, great sound, and a lot of available apps–including Sprint TV. Plus, I like having a real QWERTY keyboard (as opposed to the touch-screen).

Web pages show up great. Sure, they could load a little faster, and the trackball can be a bit aggravating (especially when trying to edit an e-mail or text). And it’s a little slow waking up in the morning (kind of like me). But those are my only complaints.

I’d recommend the Curve to anyone, especially if e-mail’s your thing. And Sprint offers unlimited data (and a reliable network) at a GREAT price.

4 Stars Very Nice!
This is my first time purchasing a smart phone and after much searching (I read and watched hundreds of reviews on various smart phones) I decided on the Blackberry Curve 8330 from sprint. After using it for the past month or so here are some of my thoughts.

FIRST THE GOOD:

I am quite happy with my purchase. The Curve does a splendid job of nearly everything it promises to do. Setting up email was a piece of cake and they show up in my phone in real time. Call audio was crystal clear (probably the best I’ve ever heard). It syncs easily with my Lotus notes which is a huge plus for me since I can never remember what meetings I am supposed to be at and when when I am out of the office. It also syncs very quickly with my Bluetooth and my headset can go probably 30+ feet from my phone without hearing a lot of crackling. The battery lasts for a long time, even when using Bluetooth. I find that with my use, (about 90 minutes a day of talk time and another 20 minutes using the internet and maps functions) I can get about two days, possibly more on one charge. The OS works pretty quickly, I never feel like I am waiting on programs to open or anything. The camera is stellar. It is so nice to have a flash but don’t count on it lighting anything beyond 5 feet when it is dark out. The video is pretty cool too. GPS is functional, though it refreshes rather slowly compared to a Garmin (I’d say once every few seconds or so) and of course the voice commands cost extra from sprint. The QWERTY keyboard is sufficiently sized and I have no problem using it with my somewhat large fingers (my thumb is a little wider than a nickel).

NOW THE BAD:

I have to say that the user interface for Blackberry is not the most intuitive. I consider myself a pretty techy guy but customizing a lot of the options was a pain and took a while. I find the track ball skips at times when moving side to side which can be annoying when it happens but not too annoying. The curve that comes from sprint does not come with the handy dandy holster like the other curves (shame on you sprint). I also don’t like the reminder functions on the blackberry. It reminds you one time for each calendar entry. ONE TIME! I need something that will keep reminding me and reminding me until I say it’s done. I have heard there is an application out there for this, but haven’t bought one yet. Sigh. Lastly, the phone automatically turns off when you drop it (which is good) but sometimes it is too sensitive. For example: if I place the phone down on the desk to hard while I am on my headset it thinks it has been dropped and shuts off. This is annoying but I am slowly getting used to being more gently with it.

NOW THE UGLY:

I can’t stand the voice activated dialing from Blackberry. It is the WORST thing about the phone. The phone has the hardest time determing which person I want to call and gets it wrong about 70- 90% of the time depending on the name of the person. My old sprint Katana was ten times better. I tried adjusting everything from my voice tones and vowel sounds to setting different levels of sensitivity on the phone (nothing worked). FYI I have a very normal voice. I spent hours on the web looking for help, all to no avail. Blackberry would have done better by their customers had they stuck with the old voice software which allows you to program in your own voice for peoples names. This was a deal breaker for me and I nearly returned the phone had it not been for finding an awesome and free application (see next).

Applications worth getting:

1.OperaMini (free internet browser that replaces blackberry’s crappy one)

2.GoogleMaps (its free and does a better job of finding businesses then

the blackberry maps app.)

3.VLINGO (this voice recognition software is absolutely incredible, it recognized any command I could give it without a problem and gets better over time. It will even convert your audio into text messages or emails and is completely free and improves the curve experience drastically. This app made me truly love my blackberry. Even if it guesses incorrectly which word you used once you correct it, it almost never gets it wrong again. I have tried sending progressively more and more complicated texts and emails to friends and it gets the words right about 90% of the time)

OVERALL:

I give the phone 4

BlackBerry Curve 8330 Phone Titanium Sprint

Posted by Smartphone Review on January 11, 2010

BlackBerry Curve 8330 Phone Titanium Sprint

Adding a fashionable touch to Research in Motion’s formidable arsenal of telephonic, PIM, and media tools, the BlackBerry 8330 Curve for Sprint is also the smallest, lightest BlackBerry phone that includes a full QWERTY keyboard. This amalgam of the svelte BlackBerry Pearl and the more business-oriented 8800 combines RIM’s long-valued corporate email and messaging platform with a host of advanced multimedia features, including a 2-megapixel camera and stereo Bluetooth (for listening to music via wireless headphones). It also offers GPS navigation capabilities for accessing the optional Sprint Navigation turn-by-turn direction service. Compatible with MicroSD memory cards for expansion, this package includes a 1 GB MicroSD card to give you the room you need for larger work files, presentations, reports, documents or fun files like photos and music.

Sprint Service
Supporting the EV-DO high-speed data standard, this phone enables you to download and stream high-quality video, straight onto your phone. Where coverage is available, EV-DO connectivity provides average download speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps, with peak rates up to 2 Mbps. With Sprint TV, you can make your cell phone your always-on source for news, weather, sports and more. This comprehensive video service combines high-quality streaming audio and video from channels including the NFL Network, ABC, The Weather Channel, Fox Sports, E!, CNN, The Discovery Channel, and more.

Sprint brings you closer to this season’s NFL action with NFL Mobile Live, which enables you to listen to the live radio broadcasts of every NFL game throughout the 2008 regular season. Sprint is making it easier to follow a specific team by carrying a live radio broadcast for each game, including pregame and postgame reports in most instances. NFL Mobile Live also allows NFL.com fantasy owners to monitor the performance of every player in real time directly from their phone. Key information for individual players will be easily accessible, including real-time game and season cumulative stats, rankings, player profiles and photos. NFL Mobile Live is free of charge to Sprint data subscribers.

The Sprint Music Store enables you to buy, download, and then jam out wherever you are with new songs or old favorites. Offering a growing selection of more than 1.6 million songs, the store provides you two copies of each song–one for the phone and another for the PC, as well as the ability to burn songs to a CD using Windows Media Player. Save your songs to a memory card with a capacity that’s right for you.

The Curve’s full QWERTY keyboard and the innovative trackball navigation system (placed above the keyboard) makes accessing your data and writing email a breeze.

The 2-megapixel camera makes it easy to capture pictures to send via email or upload to your online photo collection.

This GPS-enabled phone provides optional access to Sprint Navigation for driving directions on your mobile phone–by voice and onscreen. Along the way, turn-by-turn directions will be announced in a clear voice and displayed on your phone. For example, Sprint Navigation will say, “Go 1.2 miles and turn right on Elm Street.” As you approach the turn, you will hear, “Turn right on Elm Street.” Sprint Navigation also provides proactive traffic alerts with one click re-routing. And it’s easy to find restaurants, banks, cafes, hotels and more from over 10 million points of interest across the U.S.

Phone Features
The Curve 8330 is fashioned with subtly curving corners and chrome highlights. Measuring 4.2 x 2.4 inches, the Curve is just as slim as the Pearl (0.63 inches) and weighs in at 4 ounces. It features a bright 2.5-inch color TFT screen that provides 65,000 colors and a 320 x 240-pixel resolution, and it includes a light-sensing feature that automatically adjusts backlighting for indoor, outdoor and dark environments. Like the BlackBerry 8800, the Curve includes a trackball navigation system located on the top of the QWERTY keypad, and it also features an integrated spell checker with a customizable dictionary to help maintain accuracy while on the go. It has 96 MB of internal ROM memory, and is expandable using MicroSD/MicroSDHC memory cards (up to 8 GB in size).

You can snap vivid photos (though no video) using the 2-megapixel camera on the back of the Curve, which also features a 5x digital zoom, built-in flash, self-portrait mirror and full screen viewfinder. It can capture images in up to three picture quality and size resolutions that can be shared instantly by email, MMS or BlackBerry Messenger, or even uploaded to your Flickr account with the Yahoo! Go service. Photos can also be immediately set as a unique caller ID or Home Screen image. You can edit photos and create albums within the Curve using the PhotoSuite application. Pictures can be cropped, rotated and straightened, and flaws can be fixed by removing redeye or changing the brightness, contrast, and saturation levels.

Listen to your favorite music and watch downloaded videos using the included stereo headset, or use an optional wireless headphone thanks to the Curve’s support for the Bluetooth stereo audio profile (A2DP/AVRCP). The Curve is compatible with MP3 and WMA audio files, and dedicated volume controls are conveniently located on the side of the handset.

With the Voice-Activated Dialing (VAD) feature, you can initiate a call just by telling the Curve who to call from your contact list–either via the integrated speakerphone or using an optional Bluetooth wireless headset. Other advanced phone features include advanced sound technology that cancels out background noise and echo, dedicated volume and mute keys, and the ability to customize the Curve with polyphonic and MP3 ringtones.

The BlackBerry Maps application enables you to view maps and driving directions as well as email maps to other BlackBerry users and launch maps from your address book. It also includes a local search capability that allows users to find local businesses, such as banks, hotels and restaurants, within a short driving distance.

Other features include:

• Instant messaging and SMS text messaging
• Use the included USB cable to connect to laptops for a wireless modem, or choose to run this capability via Bluetooth with no USB cable requirement.
• 3.5mm headphone jack; stereo headset with microphone and mute switch included
• Make a voice note and send as an email .wmv file attachment
• Bluetooth version 2.0 with the following profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), DUN (dial-up networking)

Vital Statistics
The BlackBerry Curve 8330 weighs 4 ounces and measures 4.2 x 2.4 x 0.63 inches. Its 1150 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5.9 hours of talk time, and up to 264 hours (11 days) of digital standby time. It runs on the 800/1900 CDMA/EV-DO frequencies.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Blackberry Curve Magic
Maybe the reason you’re looking the Blackberry Curve(BR) is your dissatisfaction of your cell phone system like mine. Perhaps you don’t care if it is Windows based program or not as long as it will satisfy the very core of your needs.

BR is not Windows based but I think it is better. I was not convinced until I switched from Palm Treo 700 Windows to Blackberry Curve. BR system is quick, logical, intuitive, and productive. During office breaks, I accomplish a lot in BR than in my Palm.

BR has many heavy duty extras like Internet, Free TV/music, Camera, GPS, Calendar, Alarm, MMS, Text, Appointment, Tasks, Word, etc but all of it has no use if the core need is not covered. My needs are push email technology, E banking, dependable phone, Wake-up alarms,& Contact management. BR fully covered it and who would complain for those extras? Seriously, while standing in the line for postage, grocery, etc, I watch TV. My network is Sprint and it is solid in its delivery. I used BR for more than 3 monts now and below are the brief lists that separate it from others.

Advantages

1. Email System - the best and when you have multiple email addresses, the more it gets best. You can send/receive email in 3 ways by 1) through Yahoo web site for example; 2)using your email addresses in the blackberry phone; 3) go to Contact Lists and send/read email directly from there

2. Email Set-up - no brainer and blackberry will configure intuitively in few minutes. Mine was ready to go in less than 3 minutes.

3. Contact Management - it is as near good as my Palm Treo. 1 field default for email address but the system will add more field if needed.

4. Screen Video is superbly rich - reading the text under the sunlight is pleasing and the TV video is amazingly rich too. In the dark, I used it as flashlight to see the theater steps and seats.

5. Adjustable fonts

6. One Stop Access - the missed calls, in/out calls, in/out emails, in/out MMS or text are in one icon folder. Very productive to quickly glance especially in the office time.

7. E-Banking convenience - easy inquiries for incoming/outgoing funds, pending/clear transactions. Transfer of Funds and Bill Payments are avilable but I did not use such option so far.

8. Clearer natural sound - the phone calls are clearer, seemed closer, and strong volume. From office/home drive, I just use its speakerphone (no wire or bluetooth) and it’s more than clearer to both parties.

9. History of the Contact - it’s the best. Whatever is not deleted, will show up the in/out calls, MMS, text, & emails complete with time & date.

10. Home Screen - Critical info are there like time, day, date, number of unread emails, battery meter, signal strength, calendar, contacts, email folders, speaker, GPS signal, & menu command. Your own phone number and duration of call are added info on top of above during your phone conversation. If emails/text arrive, sound/icon alerts will pop up to notify you even during conversation.

11. Handy shortcut - play with Control Key and push the Trac Ball to execute the copy/cut command in all fields.

12. Excellent Communications Tracking - the Contact’s in/out calls and in/out emails are tracked generously

13. Strong speakerphone volume - just 1 key stroke and it is available. Often times I don’t need the wire just the speaker phone and so far no complaint from the callers.

14. Small Computer - I used my BR to surf the net, to shop, yahoo chat, and instant messaging. I used it also to watch multiple free TV shows during out of town trips. I listen to its free radio music in the office too.

15. It is packed with practical multiple applications = Facebook, My Space, Voice Notes, Video, Music, Instant Messenger, Entertainment, Pocket Express,etc. I put-in the icons of my ebank, amazon, Google. It always remember my Garmin bluetoth.

Disadvantages

1. Battery drain - BR is designed not to turn it off to allow instant messaging. Mine needs every night charging.

2. Key pads are poorly lighted - hard to dial at night and to execute speed dials especially when driving.

3. The oral voice command instruction is partially Japanese lingo and then to English. It does not work.

4. The charger and the BR phone do not have a led light. You really need to investigate that your phone is being charged. A small arrow icon targeting the battery icon means it is charging - what a joke!

5. Commands are organized by icons and it needs patience to get acquainted. You’ll learn it quick because it is self explainatory too.

6. Users Guide Manual is incomplete but it is not needed anyway

7. One free boring game

8. Appointment Schedule - Big disappointment. You need to remember it because BR will display it only ONCE.

8. Additional Applications - I discourage you to add more apps for music/TV because it will considerably slow down the system. I deleted mine and be content with Sprint fast offerings.

9. SD Card - included is 1Gig HD card. I upgraded mine to 8 Gig (for $20 Transcend Amazon store) but the install took me 3 hrs. It will break if you forced it & you need 1 pair of small twizer. Is it worth it - not really.

10. Wire phone - my bluetooth is Garmin and occassionaly I need the wire. You can talk but the wire will not turm off the phone no matter how you depress the button.

4 Stars One of the best things I’ve ever bought in my entire life…
I absolutely LOVE my new BlackBerry Curve 8330 from Sprint. I can finally keep track of all of the after-hours e-mail traffic associated with my job without being tied to my computer all evening–no more waking up to an overflowing inbox. And all four of my e-mail accounts (including two Microsoft-based accounts) were a breeze to set up.

Great picture, great sound, and a lot of available apps–including Sprint TV. Plus, I like having a real QWERTY keyboard (as opposed to the touch-screen).

Web pages show up great. Sure, they could load a little faster, and the trackball can be a bit aggravating (especially when trying to edit an e-mail or text). And it’s a little slow waking up in the morning (kind of like me). But those are my only complaints.

I’d recommend the Curve to anyone, especially if e-mail’s your thing. And Sprint offers unlimited data (and a reliable network) at a GREAT price.

1 Star Big mistake
This is a terrible phone for a man to try to use. the keyboard is too small. the smart keys try to do too much for you and you end up calling people you never intended. I hate it.

4 Stars Very Nice!
This is my first time purchasing a smart phone and after much searching (I read and watched hundreds of reviews on various smart phones) I decided on the Blackberry Curve 8330 from sprint. After using it for the past month or so here are some of my thoughts.

FIRST THE GOOD:

I am quite happy with my purchase. The Curve does a splendid job of nearly everything it promises to do. Setting up email was a piece of cake and they show up in my phone in real time. Call audio was crystal clear (probably the best I’ve ever heard). It syncs easily with my Lotus notes which is a huge plus for me since I can never remember what meetings I am supposed to be at and when when I am out of the office. It also syncs very quickly with my Bluetooth and my headset can go probably 30+ feet from my phone without hearing a lot of crackling. The battery lasts for a long time, even when using Bluetooth. I find that with my use, (about 90 minutes a day of talk time and another 20 minutes using the internet and maps functions) I can get about two days, possibly more on one charge. The OS works pretty quickly, I never feel like I am waiting on programs to open or anything. The camera is stellar. It is so nice to have a flash but don’t count on it lighting anything beyond 5 feet when it is dark out. The video is pretty cool too. GPS is functional, though it refreshes rather slowly compared to a Garmin (I’d say once every few seconds or so) and of course the voice commands cost extra from sprint. The QWERTY keyboard is sufficiently sized and I have no problem using it with my somewhat large fingers (my thumb is a little wider than a nickel).

NOW THE BAD:

I have to say that the user interface for Blackberry is not the most intuitive. I consider myself a pretty techy guy but customizing a lot of the options was a pain and took a while. I find the track ball skips at times when moving side to side which can be annoying when it happens but not too annoying. The curve that comes from sprint does not come with the handy dandy holster like the other curves (shame on you sprint). I also don’t like the reminder functions on the blackberry. It reminds you one time for each calendar entry. ONE TIME! I need something that will keep reminding me and reminding me until I say it’s done. I have heard there is an application out there for this, but haven’t bought one yet. Sigh. Lastly, the phone automatically turns off when you drop it (which is good) but sometimes it is too sensitive. For example: if I place the phone down on the desk to hard while I am on my headset it thinks it has been dropped and shuts off. This is annoying but I am slowly getting used to being more gently with it.

NOW THE UGLY:

I can’t stand the voice activated dialing from Blackberry. It is the WORST thing about the phone. The phone has the hardest time determing which person I want to call and gets it wrong about 70- 90% of the time depending on the name of the person. My old sprint Katana was ten times better. I tried adjusting everything from my voice tones and vowel sounds to setting different levels of sensitivity on the phone (nothing worked). FYI I have a very normal voice. I spent hours on the web looking for help, all to no avail. Blackberry would have done better by their customers had they stuck with the old voice software which allows you to program in your own voice for peoples names. This was a deal breaker for me and I nearly returned the phone had it not been for finding an awesome and free application (see next).

Applications worth getting:

1.OperaMini (free internet browser that replaces blackberry’s crappy one)

2.GoogleMaps (its free and does a better job of finding businesses then

the blackberry maps app.)

3.VLINGO (this voice recognition software is absolutely incredible, it recognized any command I could give it without a problem and gets better over time. It will even convert your audio into text messages or emails and is completely free and improves the curve experience drastically. This app made me truly love my blackberry. Even if it guesses incorrectly which word you used once you correct it, it almost never gets it wrong again. I have tried sending progressively more and more complicated texts and emails to friends and it gets the words right about 90% of the time)

OVERALL:

I give the phone 4

BlackBerry Curve 8330 Phone Titanium Sprint

Posted by Smartphone Review on January 4, 2010

BlackBerry Curve 8330 Phone Titanium Sprint

Adding a fashionable touch to Research in Motion’s formidable arsenal of telephonic, PIM, and media tools, the BlackBerry 8330 Curve for Sprint is also the smallest, lightest BlackBerry phone that includes a full QWERTY keyboard. This amalgam of the svelte BlackBerry Pearl and the more business-oriented 8800 combines RIM’s long-valued corporate email and messaging platform with a host of advanced multimedia features, including a 2-megapixel camera and stereo Bluetooth (for listening to music via wireless headphones). It also offers GPS navigation capabilities for accessing the optional Sprint Navigation turn-by-turn direction service. Compatible with MicroSD memory cards for expansion, this package includes a 1 GB MicroSD card to give you the room you need for larger work files, presentations, reports, documents or fun files like photos and music.

Sprint Service
Supporting the EV-DO high-speed data standard, this phone enables you to download and stream high-quality video, straight onto your phone. Where coverage is available, EV-DO connectivity provides average download speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps, with peak rates up to 2 Mbps. With Sprint TV, you can make your cell phone your always-on source for news, weather, sports and more. This comprehensive video service combines high-quality streaming audio and video from channels including the NFL Network, ABC, The Weather Channel, Fox Sports, E!, CNN, The Discovery Channel, and more.

Sprint brings you closer to this season’s NFL action with NFL Mobile Live, which enables you to listen to the live radio broadcasts of every NFL game throughout the 2008 regular season. Sprint is making it easier to follow a specific team by carrying a live radio broadcast for each game, including pregame and postgame reports in most instances. NFL Mobile Live also allows NFL.com fantasy owners to monitor the performance of every player in real time directly from their phone. Key information for individual players will be easily accessible, including real-time game and season cumulative stats, rankings, player profiles and photos. NFL Mobile Live is free of charge to Sprint data subscribers.

The Sprint Music Store enables you to buy, download, and then jam out wherever you are with new songs or old favorites. Offering a growing selection of more than 1.6 million songs, the store provides you two copies of each song–one for the phone and another for the PC, as well as the ability to burn songs to a CD using Windows Media Player. Save your songs to a memory card with a capacity that’s right for you.

The Curve’s full QWERTY keyboard and the innovative trackball navigation system (placed above the keyboard) makes accessing your data and writing email a breeze.

The 2-megapixel camera makes it easy to capture pictures to send via email or upload to your online photo collection.

This GPS-enabled phone provides optional access to Sprint Navigation for driving directions on your mobile phone–by voice and onscreen. Along the way, turn-by-turn directions will be announced in a clear voice and displayed on your phone. For example, Sprint Navigation will say, “Go 1.2 miles and turn right on Elm Street.” As you approach the turn, you will hear, “Turn right on Elm Street.” Sprint Navigation also provides proactive traffic alerts with one click re-routing. And it’s easy to find restaurants, banks, cafes, hotels and more from over 10 million points of interest across the U.S.

Phone Features
The Curve 8330 is fashioned with subtly curving corners and chrome highlights. Measuring 4.2 x 2.4 inches, the Curve is just as slim as the Pearl (0.63 inches) and weighs in at 4 ounces. It features a bright 2.5-inch color TFT screen that provides 65,000 colors and a 320 x 240-pixel resolution, and it includes a light-sensing feature that automatically adjusts backlighting for indoor, outdoor and dark environments. Like the BlackBerry 8800, the Curve includes a trackball navigation system located on the top of the QWERTY keypad, and it also features an integrated spell checker with a customizable dictionary to help maintain accuracy while on the go. It has 96 MB of internal ROM memory, and is expandable using MicroSD/MicroSDHC memory cards (up to 8 GB in size).

You can snap vivid photos (though no video) using the 2-megapixel camera on the back of the Curve, which also features a 5x digital zoom, built-in flash, self-portrait mirror and full screen viewfinder. It can capture images in up to three picture quality and size resolutions that can be shared instantly by email, MMS or BlackBerry Messenger, or even uploaded to your Flickr account with the Yahoo! Go service. Photos can also be immediately set as a unique caller ID or Home Screen image. You can edit photos and create albums within the Curve using the PhotoSuite application. Pictures can be cropped, rotated and straightened, and flaws can be fixed by removing redeye or changing the brightness, contrast, and saturation levels.

Listen to your favorite music and watch downloaded videos using the included stereo headset, or use an optional wireless headphone thanks to the Curve’s support for the Bluetooth stereo audio profile (A2DP/AVRCP). The Curve is compatible with MP3 and WMA audio files, and dedicated volume controls are conveniently located on the side of the handset.

With the Voice-Activated Dialing (VAD) feature, you can initiate a call just by telling the Curve who to call from your contact list–either via the integrated speakerphone or using an optional Bluetooth wireless headset. Other advanced phone features include advanced sound technology that cancels out background noise and echo, dedicated volume and mute keys, and the ability to customize the Curve with polyphonic and MP3 ringtones.

The BlackBerry Maps application enables you to view maps and driving directions as well as email maps to other BlackBerry users and launch maps from your address book. It also includes a local search capability that allows users to find local businesses, such as banks, hotels and restaurants, within a short driving distance.

Other features include:

• Instant messaging and SMS text messaging
• Use the included USB cable to connect to laptops for a wireless modem, or choose to run this capability via Bluetooth with no USB cable requirement.
• 3.5mm headphone jack; stereo headset with microphone and mute switch included
• Make a voice note and send as an email .wmv file attachment
• Bluetooth version 2.0 with the following profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), DUN (dial-up networking)

Vital Statistics
The BlackBerry Curve 8330 weighs 4 ounces and measures 4.2 x 2.4 x 0.63 inches. Its 1150 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5.9 hours of talk time, and up to 264 hours (11 days) of digital standby time. It runs on the 800/1900 CDMA/EV-DO frequencies.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars One of the best things I’ve ever bought in my entire life…
I absolutely LOVE my new BlackBerry Curve 8330 from Sprint. I can finally keep track of all of the after-hours e-mail traffic associated with my job without being tied to my computer all evening–no more waking up to an overflowing inbox. And all four of my e-mail accounts (including two Microsoft-based accounts) were a breeze to set up.

Great picture, great sound, and a lot of available apps–including Sprint TV. Plus, I like having a real QWERTY keyboard (as opposed to the touch-screen).

Web pages show up great. Sure, they could load a little faster, and the trackball can be a bit aggravating (especially when trying to edit an e-mail or text). And it’s a little slow waking up in the morning (kind of like me). But those are my only complaints.

I’d recommend the Curve to anyone, especially if e-mail’s your thing. And Sprint offers unlimited data (and a reliable network) at a GREAT price.

4 Stars Very Nice!
This is my first time purchasing a smart phone and after much searching (I read and watched hundreds of reviews on various smart phones) I decided on the Blackberry Curve 8330 from sprint. After using it for the past month or so here are some of my thoughts.

FIRST THE GOOD:

I am quite happy with my purchase. The Curve does a splendid job of nearly everything it promises to do. Setting up email was a piece of cake and they show up in my phone in real time. Call audio was crystal clear (probably the best I’ve ever heard). It syncs easily with my Lotus notes which is a huge plus for me since I can never remember what meetings I am supposed to be at and when when I am out of the office. It also syncs very quickly with my Bluetooth and my headset can go probably 30+ feet from my phone without hearing a lot of crackling. The battery lasts for a long time, even when using Bluetooth. I find that with my use, (about 90 minutes a day of talk time and another 20 minutes using the internet and maps functions) I can get about two days, possibly more on one charge. The OS works pretty quickly, I never feel like I am waiting on programs to open or anything. The camera is stellar. It is so nice to have a flash but don’t count on it lighting anything beyond 5 feet when it is dark out. The video is pretty cool too. GPS is functional, though it refreshes rather slowly compared to a Garmin (I’d say once every few seconds or so) and of course the voice commands cost extra from sprint. The QWERTY keyboard is sufficiently sized and I have no problem using it with my somewhat large fingers (my thumb is a little wider than a nickel).

NOW THE BAD:

I have to say that the user interface for Blackberry is not the most intuitive. I consider myself a pretty techy guy but customizing a lot of the options was a pain and took a while. I find the track ball skips at times when moving side to side which can be annoying when it happens but not too annoying. The curve that comes from sprint does not come with the handy dandy holster like the other curves (shame on you sprint). I also don’t like the reminder functions on the blackberry. It reminds you one time for each calendar entry. ONE TIME! I need something that will keep reminding me and reminding me until I say it’s done. I have heard there is an application out there for this, but haven’t bought one yet. Sigh. Lastly, the phone automatically turns off when you drop it (which is good) but sometimes it is too sensitive. For example: if I place the phone down on the desk to hard while I am on my headset it thinks it has been dropped and shuts off. This is annoying but I am slowly getting used to being more gently with it.

NOW THE UGLY:

I can’t stand the voice activated dialing from Blackberry. It is the WORST thing about the phone. The phone has the hardest time determing which person I want to call and gets it wrong about 70- 90% of the time depending on the name of the person. My old sprint Katana was ten times better. I tried adjusting everything from my voice tones and vowel sounds to setting different levels of sensitivity on the phone (nothing worked). FYI I have a very normal voice. I spent hours on the web looking for help, all to no avail. Blackberry would have done better by their customers had they stuck with the old voice software which allows you to program in your own voice for peoples names. This was a deal breaker for me and I nearly returned the phone had it not been for finding an awesome and free application (see next).

Applications worth getting:

1.OperaMini (free internet browser that replaces blackberry’s crappy one)

2.GoogleMaps (its free and does a better job of finding businesses then

the blackberry maps app.)

3.VLINGO (this voice recognition software is absolutely incredible, it recognized any command I could give it without a problem and gets better over time. It will even convert your audio into text messages or emails and is completely free and improves the curve experience drastically. This app made me truly love my blackberry. Even if it guesses incorrectly which word you used once you correct it, it almost never gets it wrong again. I have tried sending progressively more and more complicated texts and emails to friends and it gets the words right about 90% of the time)

OVERALL:

I give the phone 4