The BlackBerry Curve 9320 is a decent and inexpensive smartphone. Here's the rest of our BlackBerry Curve 9320 review.
BlackBerry Curve 9320: calling, messaging and internet
BlackBerries live and die by their ability as messaging and calling devices, and the Curve 9320 is no exception. Synching and uploading contacts is a cinch: Google contacts are imported with nary a seond glance, and BES/BIS synching is supported. You can then edit contacts, should you wish to.
Calling someone up is intuitive: in essence you simply type their name from the home screen. Alternatively you can trawl through your contacts, or set up a shortcut on the home screen. Given the minimal camera hardware there's no video calling, but you can put callers on hold, or set up conference calls. We found call quality decent over the Vodafone network. Despite the handset's svelte features it's comfortable to use as a phone for a decent length of time.
Messaging is the Curve 9320's key skill: setting up email couldn't be simpler, for corporate or personal users (and we suspect more of the latter will use the Curve). Customisation options include the opportunity to change the look of your email inbox. You can have a single, unified message inbox into which you dump texts and BBM updates, as well as Facebook and Twitter messages. Alternatively, you may choose to keep your email inbox simply for emails (a radical move, we realise).
As with all things messaging, RIM has worked out how to make it easy and simple. You can also add third-party messaging options, including Windows Live Messenger and Google Talk, although the dedicated BBM button means most Curve-using IM addicts will likely stay true to RIM's own flavour of instant messaging.
Web browsing on the Curve 9320 is a different matter. When you've used high-end smartphones to internet surf, the Curve feels like a bog standard web browsing device (which, to be fair, it is). It's not bad, but like the camera the web-browsing experience on the Curve feels like a step back in time. You'll quickly tire of waiting for pages to load, as that single-core chip struggles to churn through the data. Given that it is perhaps a relief that the Curve makes no attempt to handle Flash media, but we were disappointed with the way pages look on screen. It may be the screen, or it may be an attempt to reduce the burden on the hardware, but we found that websites looked fuzzy and lacking in resolution.
BlackBerry Curve 9320: OS and software
The Curve 9320's interface will be familiar to users of recent BlackBerries, running as it does the BlackBerry 7.1 OS. It looks a little dated and confused on the Curve's tiny screen, but it is pretty straightforward to use. You can search for anything from the home screen, although the addition of voice search is poorly executed. Along the bottom of the phone's home page are six key options: Messages, Text messages, Contacts, Browser, Media and Calendar.
You get access to the BlackBerry App World so you can add to the software on the phone, but the Curve suffers from the same relative lack of apps that all BlackBerry devices must bear. Winners are grinners in terms of mobile platforms, and right now app developers are focussed purely on iOS and Android, in that order, because that is where the money is. As Windows Phone is promoted by Microsoft and Nokia, expect the pressure on BlackBerry as a platform to increase, and the BlackBerry App World to fall further behind in the apps arms race.
BlackBerry Curve 9320: media player
Before you consider using the Curve 9320 as a media player, you'll want to add to that 512MB internal storage. But if you have sufficient storage, there is plenty to the Curve as a media-playing device. There is a dedicated podcasts app, as well as access to Amazon MP3. You can also synch music files direct from your PC (even iTunes playlists play nicely). Music playback is decent quality.
Video is less satisfactory, as you might expect from a budget device with a small display, although it will do to watch the odd clip. And we do like the addition of an FM radio.
Comments
Laurence Harvey said: Hi all Ever wondered which phone to go for withoutspending a small fortune and ending up with something that is the size of abrick or thats as much use as a canoe with a a handbrake Well try thisBlackberry Curve 9320 because for simple texting a great fast email system good YES good battery life 1450mah battery which for a phone this size is verygood indeed approx 2 days depending on use maybe more good loud speaker faces out through the bottom of the phone and not the back notification led foremailstext etc custom ring notification tones for each contactemailtextetc avaragegood camera 32meg with flash fits great in the pocket and issimply a good all round phone to use without needing a flippin degree inscience on how to use it lol Weve gone through so many mobile phones testingetc etc but the curve 9320 is one of the best value for money phones to date just 9900 on o2 PAYG sim and that price is just 9900 only so no vat no delivery charge and no top up sim to buy either o2 website Hope thisreview has been helpfull and thanks for reading it from all MaxsoundCarAudioUk
guest said: you cantits not touch screen
Chelseahanson said: How do you get the touch screen activated
anonymous said: My volume button has gone to increase the sound does anyone know how to fix it
Ashraf Uddin82 said: This is a good phone and a huge improvement compared to its younger models if RIM can keep this up then they will have a great future financially if not then sorry it was nice knowing you
Notme said: Actually the browsing is not that bad at all plus it feels less like a kids phone than most android touchscreens The bold is pretty expensive too and this is a good substitute
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