by Jennifer Cotton

Created on: September 09, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2009

Research in Motion... Excellent! RIM has many different product lines, going back to the early models of the "Blackberry" to the most recent, with new features and PDA's scheduled for release all the time.

The "new age" in smart phones for RIM was with the Blackberry Curve. It has pages of new features and additions. As well as the phone itself is completely revamped from the last model. This is a great new phone!

When i first received one, i was upgrading from the last 8700 model. That model was very good. It had a better screen and it was durable like the model before - Nothing could top it. Until I started using the Curve.

It took some time to get use to the roller ball on the front compared to the side wheel - but what a difference. It was very smooth and accurate in the position that it landed. RIM has incorporated different options as well. The roller ball can be clicked for your meanu of options - not always the side convenience button needs to be pressed. The hardware itself is excellent. Very compact and small yet still user friendly. The screen has a great resolution that enables you to view what is on the screen even in poor lighting. On the back, the addition of a camera to the Blackberry is an excellent feature, which also comes with a flash so you can take pictures inside. The zoom on the camera goes up to 5x and is very sharp for a camera phone.

As for the GUI on the Curve. Wonderful. Now it hasn't strayed to much from the last version - but the additions are very nice. It has much smoother icons and several different default themes in this version. Several new applications have been added including Facebook and Google Maps. Incorporated into Google Maps is a GPS function.

The new GPS feature is very handy and accurate. The ability to zoom and pan across the map is extremely efficient. I have tested this feature when i was out in the middle of no where and in the city. The "Directions" option is very handy. It is very similar to a full sized GPS unit. You put in your starting and destination addresses and then it gives you turn by turn directions. You can pick the scenic route or the shortest route.

I would highly recommend the Curve for someone who wants a phone that does it all. It is very light weight and easy to use. The instructions that come with it are very well written for those who have not used a Smart Phone before. If you are looking for a Smart Phone and have never used one before - start with this one. It will give you a good feeling on how they are supposed to work. You will compare every other one to this Curve. RIM has done it again with an excellent product.

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