RIM BlackBerry Curve 8310

User reviews and rating

Above average, could be better

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  30 Apr 2008 by lwlamar

7.6 out of 10

I've had this phone almost a week now and believe I've had enough time to form an opinion.

Battery life is good - with fairly heavy data use and moderate phone use, I go 3 or 4 days between charges. I also like the QWERTY keyboard. It is as small as possible without being too difficult to use and provides good tactile response when you press the keys. Typing is easier than you would think.

The phone feels good in your hand and during calls. Sound quality for calls is very good. Reception is fine. Data speeds on EDGE are fine, though clearly faster would be better.

I'm new to Blackberries and smartphones in general, but I've had no trouble setting it up, discovering its features and using it. The user interface, though somewhat dated in its appearance, is simple and intuitive. The trackball works fine.

Email and text messages work well on this phone. I get my Gmail, Yahoo mail and work email delivered when I'm away from a computer, and that's useful. The standard BB email readers don't allow for HTML viewing, but there are HTML email programs available for download (for a charge). The PDF reader excellent.

I downloaded a few different RSS readers (Viigo, Newsgator, Google Reader and Berry Bloglines) and though I'm not overwhelmed by any of them, Viigo seems to have the best interface and I like the ability to peruse headlines quickly. I use Google Reader on my desktop and laptop and have used Bloglines and the Newsgator products in the past and while Google Reader works best for me on the desktop, it is not so great on Blackberry.

The Blackberry web browser is not as bad as I've read about in reviews. It is functional. I downloaded Opera 4.1 and have used it occasionally, but I'd have to say this phone is not so good for web browsing no matter which browser you use. If web browsing is what you are looking for, get something with Wi-Fi capability and a bigger screen.

I've been disappointed in the calendar feature or maybe more accurately the google calendar sync, because everytime I sync, it duplicates the appointments already on my calendar. If I can't get this resolved, I may have to trade the phone in before my 30 days expires and try a WinMo phone like the BlackJack II or wait for the new iPhones to come out.

There is a wealth of useful software available for download, both free and paid, and I've been trying to test a number of them. Yahoo Go 3.0 is cool, nice interface, could be quicker (but that is an attribute of EDGE data speeds, probably). The Facebook app is also very good. I also like the NYT app.

I haven't used the media features yet but there is a music player, video player, picture viewer and camera. The phone does not come with much memory standard and I have yet to purchase a microSD card. If I decide to keep the phone, I'll definitely put some of my music and photos on the phone to carry with me, and I'll update this part of my review.

What I'm still unsure about is the extra $30/mo. for the Blackberry Pesonal Use plan. That's alot of dough for mobile email (since web browsing is not all that useful on this phone). If web browsing was up to par with iPhone, and you could read your email in HTML,l the expense would be more worth it. As it is, I'm not sure the cost is justified by the usefulness.

Overall, I'd say this is a very good phone and a good smartphone. I got it free as refurb. from AT&T, and you can't beat that. I definitely think it is an improvement over your average non-PDA clamshell, candy bar or slider phone. It could stand an improved, up-to-date user interface, better browsing experience, HTML email reader

Best Phone I've Owned

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  30 Mar 2008 by aWhiteDude

9.6 out of 10

Ive been selling phones for a little over 2 1/2 years now and ive worked for at&t for 1 1/2 years now and this is the best phone I have ever owned. Built in GPS works really good and the speakers are the best that i have ever heard in a phone. If you hate windows mobile (like me) this is the phone for you. Its runs alot more smothly than windows mobile and its also alot more easy to use. The only con about this phone is that you can only use stero bluetooth for listening to music and not watching movies.

just got the curve i love it!

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  6 Jan 2008 by Timothy

10 out of 10

one of the best phones out there on the market, couldnt ask for a better phone, and the price on it is fair, email on it is great, cant wait until the 3g verison comes out....guys come check out my page i work for at&t so for any of you out there who are current customers and are looking to upgrade i may be able to get you a really great deal on this phone

www.myspace.com/att_mobility_solutions