BlackBerry Curve 8310 Phone, Titanium (AT&T)

Didn't fully meet my expectations.. November 18, 2007

Reviewer:  GDV  (Bay Area, California) -

I'm coming from a palm treo 650..I actually was pretty happy with it, but unfortunatly I lost it..So in my search for a new phone, I had narrowed it down to the iphone, palm treo 680 and the blackberry curve..After reading reviews and playing around with each phone (except the treo 680), I decided to go with the curve, my first blackberry.
Upon first recieving it, I absolutly loved the size and style as well as the keyboard. I wanted to like it so bad but unfortunatly after 30 days, I don't and will be going back to a treo.
Here's how I came to this decision..
TEXT MESSAGING: Coming from the treo which organizes your text conversations into a chat window, I hate the fact that on the curve each text is listed individually, and by the end of the day I have a long list of texts from so many different people, it's hard to keep track of each conversation or go back to a certain message without having to scroll all the way down and look for it.
CALLING OUT: Almost imposible while driving unless it's a speed dial (which isn't always responsive)The numbers are so small and navigating through the address book with that little ball is a pain, then you have to select whether you would like to dial home mobile or work..by the time I've done all this I'm suprised I haven't rear-ended the car in front of me! The treos huge touch screen dial pad and one tap address book is way more user friendly in my opinion.
INSTANT MESSAGING: Doesn't have aim, had to dl it from jivetalk for $20..happy with the way it works once I did so.
KEYBOARD: Probably one of my favorite things about this phone..makes text and im a one handed breeze!
CAMERA: Ok, better than the treo's and picture messaging is fast and easy with the curve. Nice that is has flash (although blinding at times).
PICTURE MESSAGING: Fast and easy sending/recieving, way better than the treo, which sometimes I would have a hard time opening pm as the touch screen wouldnt respond sometimes when I would tap on the link.
CALENDER: Probably my biggest pet pieve with the curve. Setting appointments, reminders and navigating through the calender with the treo was a breeze. The curve seems limited in it's reminder capabilities. Takes a lot longer to navigate through and actually make and appoinment..This is one of my main uses for the phone and is the main reason why I'm choosing to bring it back.
TASKS: Horrible reminder capabilities! Reminds you once and that's it! You're on your own after that! The treo would display tasks on the home screen at the start of that day and would keep reminding you until you physically check it off as done. I need that because I have so many things going on I need constant reminders or I will forget to do something.
CALCULATOR: Confusing and a little time consuming to use, the treos large touch screen calculator is like having an actual calculator in your hand.
EMAIL: Hands down the best feature of the bb curve. Emails arrive as they are sent, which is something the treo lacked. My emails would only arrive at scheduled intrevals, if they came at all. Emailing is not however something I use alot, but someone who does will love this phone.
WEB BROWSING: Slow, scrolling takes forever on a long page, most pages won't open completley..Also for frequent myspace users..you cannot reply to myspace emails from the curve for some reason. Maybe I just haven't figured it out yet, but I've never been able too. Basically using the bb curve as a web browser is useless, as it is with the treo as well..The only phone I've used with awesome web browsing is the iphone and the treo 750.
CALL/SOUND QUALITY/SPEAKERPHONE: All awesome, reception is great, call volume is nice and loud and speakerphone is the best I've experienced from a cell phone yet. I can set the phone on my center console in my car and speak with the window open and the radio on and my callers can still hear me perfectly.
BATTERY: SUCKS! I have to recharge daily, and if the battery is really low, you cannot even use the phone at all even if it is plugged into the charger, unlike most phones where even if the phone is dead, once you plug it into the charger you can still use it..Really inconvienient, especially in an emergency!

Conclusion..
PROS: Keyboard, camera, call sound/quality/speakerphone
CONS: Battery, calender, placing a call while driving, texting, web browsing
I'll admit there are alot of things I do like about the curve, but unfortunatly it's just not going to work for me for what I need it for. BB seems a little behind the times when it comes to certain things and hopefully in the future the technology will become better and the kinks will be ironed out. Imagine a bb with a touch screen, better time managment applications, chat style texting, video, and faster internet.. they would shut the other pda companies down! But until then I'm going back to my treo.

More than just business October 12, 2007

Reviewer:  AreYouKidding? 

Like most tech-savvy professionals, I use and rely on a BlackBerry at work. In fact, I've been an addict for quite some time. I recently updated from an 8700 to this amazing phone. The email, calendar and address book are all what you expect and are accustomed to from BlackBerry. There are a ton of great improvements and I've outlined my likes and dislikes below.

Pros:

* The screen appears to be the same 320x240 screen that is found on the older 8700. It's outstanding and flat out huge. There are various levels of backlighting and there is a handy auto-DIM feature that adjusts the backlight according to room lighting conditions.
* The rollerball took a little getting used to, but after less than a day, I'm an expert. OK, not quite an expert, but I dialed in the sensitivity to suit my needs. I also turned off that annoying clicking sound. I guess that was supposed to simulate the audible "click" you would get from the old wheel.
* The keyboard is perfect. I was really scared about going to something new but the spacing and texture are dead-on. Typing is a breeze.
* Spell-Check; a warm welcome to something that has been missing for a LONG time. It's also super-easy to use. I get a prompt right before I send an email asking me to approve typos. Great job BlackBerry!
* The multimedia software is excellent; both on the device and on the desktop. You can watch movies, listen to MP3s and check out your photos on the handset. The Music software is not as good as what's on the Sony Walkman w580i phone, but it gets the job done. The Roxio-powered Media Manager software for the desktop offers super-easy drag and drop of MP3s and movies. It even converts files on the fly so they work with the Curve. This is one of the best additions to BlackBerry. The easy to use interface really turns this into a multimedia device.
* The camera is pretty good too. The LED flash is very bright and allows for a decent photo in low light. Full Screen view finder is a nice plus. There is even a little mirror on the back for self portraits.
* 3.5mm Stereo/Audio Jack is built-in. No adapter needed. Amen BlackBerry! Just plug my Shure buds in and I'm in audio bliss.
* Real GPS! This is awesome. I've just started to tinker with the TeleNav software. I don't like the fact there is a monthly fee, but the turn-by-turn directions rival standalone navigation systems I've used. It's awesome but pricey. I'll start hunting for alternative navigation software.

Cons:

* Doesn't record video
* No 3G or Wi-Fi
* Monthly fees associated with true turn-by-turn navigation software. The GPS does work great with BlackBerry Maps and Google Maps for location. Not quite the same as Telenav.
* Memory card is located under the battery. I find it very annoying that I have to power down the phone to remove and replace the card. Hey, at least it's MicroSD.
* It's a fingerprint magnet. Not iPod bad, but visible enough that I keep wiping down the body.
* No playlist support for the music software.

All in, this is the best BlackBerry I've ever owned. Highly recommended.

No problem with rebate as an existing customer....I'm in love! November 10, 2007

Reviewer:  BoomerGal50 "BoomerGal50"  (Chesapeake Bay) -

This is my first Blackberry. Two years ago I bought a Razr (Cingular) on Amazon, my two year contract had been fulfilled and I was on a month to month. I was concerned about the "fine print" in Amazon's description and read other postings online from folks wondering if they would qualify. I emailed Amazon as well as AT&T and received confirmation that yes, I would qualify if I renewed a two year contract. So, having been hesitant about giving up my beloved Razr, I went for the Blackberry. And am I happy about that decision! The first few days I couldn't receive email (there was a glitch on the Blackberry end) but the wonderful customer service people at AT&T helped me resolve it. (Prior to the Razr, I had been a Verizon customer for many years, I totally think that Cingular/AT&T service is a kazillion times better). I have downloaded a great free ringtone from www.crackberry.com, transferred some music files (it sounds great, and I'm a 57 year old female addicted to my iPod); the voice sound quality is much better on the phone than the Razr. I was concerned I would have to pull out my reading glasses every time I got an email but I reset the typeface to a larger font and hey, "no problemo". I also transferred all of my Outlook Contacts and Calendar and it's convenient having that info handy. I also like the voice dialing, which is useful when you're driving, plus it will auto dial a number plus the extension. So, if it sounds like I'm having a love affair, I am! I am totally enamored with my new Blackberry. Hope I am still into gadgets when I'm 90! Kudos to Amazon and Cingular/AT&T.

Best Smartphone on the Market October 27, 2007

Reviewer:  Reader of History  (New York, NY) -

This device does it all. It is robust, has a great keyboard, bright screen and is intuitive. It is a productivity machine, but also thin and sports both GPS and a 2MP camera. I initially wanted the iPhone, but after trying both out, the keyboard on the 8310 is far superior. Also, the push email system is more advanced, and with removable battery, SIM card, storage, it is more flexible.

Great Phone but Rim Voids Warranty through Amazon January 4, 2008

Reviewer:  Another Bryan "Bryan"  (Phoenix, AZ) -

Its not very clear in the product description but RIM ONLY offers its one-year warranty as long as the product was bought through an actual service provider (like ATT). For devices sold through 3rd party resellers (like amazon) they offer NO warranty whatsoever (check out the return policy on Rims website)..

Unfortunately, amazon only offers 30 days warranty and AT&T wont offer anything for devices bought somewhere else. As it was explained to be my RIM a support manager, my best option is to pay 349 to AT&T for a refurbished replacement, which also happens to resets my 2 year contract.

Personally, the 175 cancellation fee seems much more reasonable.

The phone itself is great, but if it breaks you are clearly on your own.

Not for the new users of Blackberry March 5, 2008

Reviewer:  Dominic M. John "Dominic" 

Set the scene and then I can base the critism on my user profile. Note, this review is about the phone and not the service.

I get 200-250 e-mails a day and in 4-8 meetings a day. I am 35 years old. I spend 10-12 hrs a working day around a computer. I just used a small laptop for my organiser and e-mail. I have never used a PDA. Blackberry seems an obvious choice to make me more productive?

Why did I buy?
-Many people around me had PDAs either iPhone or Blackberry. I felt I was being left behind.
-Computing magazine review rated this phone the highest for e-mail
-I wanted easier access to my Outlook calendar and e-mail
-It's cool for my friends to see me with one?!

What's good about it?
It was easy to link to my Outlook exchange server and get e-mails. But the goodness stops there. It may be easy to put gas/petrol in the car but if the car is slow, incredibly difficult to steer and drive, what's the point of having easy filling?

What's bad?
-It crashes once a day.
-The keys are so rediculously small that writing text fast will not happen. You hit multiple and wrong keys. You often need the delete key and it is burried at the bottom under your thumb. Someone needs to think about usability!
-Usability is appauling!!! I expect to invest some time in learning new technology but the whole thing has been designed without a primary audience. I want a Blackberry to phone, see my calendar and read and answer short e-mails. I have an iPod for music.

You start the device and you have by default 20+ icons. I want 3!!! The first thing you need to work out is how to get rid of the usless items to make it quick to navigate to your primary use cases. (Blackberry, give me a set up wizard!)

When you want to dial a number you have to use the 9 '2' font keys on the screen. Doing this with one hand is painful. The numbers are also on the left hand side. Most of use will use our right thumb!

Then to chnage any settings most items are burried in very un-intuitive text on a 'left click' button. Further more, what you are after is often burried deep in the navigation. Read on for an example...

-The Noises!!!! The defaults drove me crazy!! 200 e-mails a day. I could have danced to the music the phone made. Every e-mail, every calendar invite the things buzzed beeped and chirped! It was killing the battery. I just needed to know if a phone call was coming in. The fun part was then turning the bleeps off! Read on for an example of crazy usability.

-Turning off beeps
I write this as an example of how bad it gets in places to do simple tasks
It took me about 15 minutes to find out how to do an obvious function.
1) Navigate to item 15 using the roller ball
2) Click using the roller- ball. This opens the drop down menu with 4 big items, normal, vibrate, Quiet and Loud. You would think you then use that 'left click' button to edit. Wrong.
3) Carefull observe there is a tiny indicator that you can scroll beyond these basic options- not obvious. Select at the very bottom 'Advanced' option. Click using the roller ball
4)Observe a new list of profiles which you just saw in just a smaller menu this time!!!
5)Navigate to the profil you wish to edit- say 'Loud'. Now click with the roller ball.
6)If you didn't realise, the 12 different items on this screen from 'Browser' to 'Tasks' are all individual functions on the balckberry with their annoying beep associations. Get this, you need to edit each one to set your desired noise. Here's how
7) Select the functionality you wish to change the noise on, say 'Messenger- New Message'. Who named it 'messenger'!!!
8) You now have a dialogue with 11 options per beep function!!! Change volumne, tune, number of beeps, LED, vibrartions and number etc
9) Click 'Out of Holster' using the roller ball, None, vibrate, Tone or vibrate plus tone.
10) Select an option by clicking with the roller ball.
11) Change any of the other 11 options per function by going to step 9)
12) Use the navigate back button to force a save. Save dialogue then pops up.
13) Select the save or discard button using roller ball.
14) Now go back to step 7 and repeat to 14 another 11 times for the other default beep and tune settings for the default 'Loud' profile!!!

...another 15 minutes later...

-The e-mail text you get back has lost all formatting so often you loose context and it is impossible to read.

-The synchronization software using default installs on XP was slowing my machine start-up by 2 minutes, locking all access to the machine! It was the first thing I uninstalled.

- I can go on but hopefully you guys get the drift and won't make the same mistake as me


Final conclusion
For new users I would wait until a decent user interface comes along that hooks up with Outlook and addresses primary needs. Also a user interface that tries to do core jobs well and not everything from navigating the internet on a 2 inch screen, playing games, GPS, music and so on. For BlackBerry, they need to clean up their usability, software performance and stability. If iPhone get easy sychronisation and backup with Outlook and Lotus Notes, Blackberry will die as soon as their contracts expire.

GPS Tracking from BlackBerry® Enterprise Server February 16, 2008

Reviewer:  Bill Shen  (Randolph, NJ United States) -

As the title suggests, it's about location tracking from the GPS feature on the device. That is, tracking your location by someone else.

From BB8310 User Guide (SWDT203041-203041-05302007-001): "If your BlackBerry® device is associated with an email account that uses a BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, your system administrator might be able to track the location of your device". It followed by instructions to turn it off from the device: Options - Advanced Options - GPS - Location Tracking - No. The problem is that there is no "Location Tracking" under GPS.

After spending hours with Tech Supports from AT&T & BlackBerry, and Googling, here is what I can report.

*** From BlackBerry® knowledge base:
http://www.blackberry.com/btsc/dynamickc.do?externalId=KB14430&sliceId=SAL_Public&command=show&forward=nonthreadedKC&kcId=KB14430. In part it reads:
"The BlackBerry Enterprise Server includes options to allow the BlackBerry Enterprise Server administrator to control the GPS feature and the location-based services on supported BlackBerry smartphones that use the feature". In other words, someone else has control over monitoring your location.

*** Advices I received from ATT/BB/Others:
"You can turn off GPS" (yeah, well, can I have a $100 rebate? Besides, I don't see how); "it's not that easy to query location from BES" (give me the admin rights - Joe, looks like 9:36:51 last night you were at...); "well if you don't have anything to hide" (heard this one before, how about the government records you phone calls whenever it wants); "you can file a suggestion to BB" (obviously they already knew but it'd be good to know before I buy it); etc etc.

So my conclusion is, if you are ok with all of this, or at least can "live" with it, it's a pretty good device otherwise. If not, either disable BES support, or get another device.

Indispensable March 1, 2008

Reviewer:  JAD "TechMan"  (On Airplanes) -

What can I say - the Blackberry 8310 (my fourth BB) continues to be an absolutely indispensable tool for a professional on the go. My productivity remains super high because the BB integrates so well with both my lifestyle and workstyle and I have so much more flexibility to live and work where and how I want to. Some high points for this particular model:

1. Its slim and light. Smaller and lighter than an iPhone. No burden at all
2. Great Battery life. Runs well through a full day of calls and email.
3. Internet. Provides web access when you need it. [Need AT&T to get G3 on this device!]
4. Easy to use. Keyboard is very workable for even those lengthy, from the field reports.
5. Attachments. Big screen makes it easy to work with docs - even pdfs.
6. GPS. A good backup when you need to know where you area.
7. Audio Quality. Phone and Speakerphone are excellent
8. Bright Screen. Use it anywhere
9. Camera. Comes in handy for quick snapshots that you want to email on the fly
10. Email. The best, most reliable mobile email out there.

Blackberry knows its target customers - mobile professionals. they do a great job of steering clear of the consumer bells and whistles and have stayed on track with delivering a product that fits the way we work.

Good phone! Jack of all trades, master of too few January 29, 2008

Reviewer:  Globalaza "Globalaza"  (Washington, DC) -

I purchased my Blackberry Curve 8310 after two long painful years with the Motorola SLVR L7. Needlesstosay, I was glad to rid of it due to too many glitchy problems and incomplete features, although I liked the size, style and overall feel of the phone. I was looking for a non-flip phone that didn't feel like a kid's toy.

I narrowed my search to Blackberry Curve, Blackberry Pearl, and the Samsung BlackJack. I rejected the Pearl because it was a bit too small for my hands and the buttons felt flimsy. I could just see those keys popping off and the phone become useless. The BlackJack is a good, strong feeling phone. I especially liked the rubberized surface that prevents the inevitable slipping. I felt like a sturdy communications machine, not a toy, albeit with mixed reviews. But the Blackberry Curve felt good, lightweight, big enough to use easily but not too big like the Apple iPhone or the Palm Trios.

After a somewhat strange purchasing process at an AT&T store that still says Cincular on the door [AT&T REALLY should provide better training to its salespersonnel so it doesn't feel like you are making a backroom deal to simply buy a phone], I purchased the Curve and went through the fast and easy process of setting up the e-mail features and configuring it to my tastes.

The Curve is a good basic cellphone, with the typical features you would find in most phones such as various ringtones, alarm clock, calculators, camera, and the ability to play music. It is a good "smart" phone with features you would find in other smart phones such as web browsing. The camera is notable in that it has a flash, takes good photos (as phones go) and allows you to send them in only a few steps. Big improvement over most phones. But, who really buys a phone for its camera?

The e-mail features are superior and if you have a lot of e-mail accounts, like I do, this is the only device I have seen that will bring them all to one location and let you address them from once source. Bravo! I imagine others will want to adopt this capability as the technology becomes more commonplace.

Bottom Line: If you are looking to upgrade your current cellphone, and want to add new features such as web-browsing and a better camera, this is an excellent phone.

PROs: Sleek, modern, compact, sets the standard for smart phones. Capable, fully functional, and mostly intuitive. Uncomplicated, and simple to configure. Good sound, lightweight, a pretty cool camera.

CONs:

GPS requires extra money, on top of expensive "unlimited data" feature, adding a lot of additional costs per month.

When phone rings or message/e-mail comes in, and phone has keys locked, the screen does not light up so you can see who is calling. You have to press the trackball to see what's going on.

When phone is on Vibrate while charging, and call/e-mail comes in, a great feature is when the phone switches to loud/sound so you can hear it, and switches back to vibrate when you unplug it from the charger. Motorolas do that, and it is very convenient.

Some "Applications" can't be put on the main screen as an icon. It would be great if they could, although some websites are configuring icons just for Blackberry.

I get e-mails back in my Messages Inbox once I have sent them. I can't see how to turn off this feature. I just want the check mark to indicate that the message was sent. I don't need the message I sent filling up my inbox.

Speakerphone feature not readily accessible.

Blackberry needs a screensaver.

I would love to be able to remove the Blackberry Wireless signature. The manual says it can be done, but the phone has different ideas. The menu necessary to remove or change the notation just doesn't appear.

A review from a devoted blackberry user December 26, 2007

Reviewer:  Nicoletta Carlone "Nicoletta Carlone"  (Los Angeles) -

The 8310 is my third Blackberry, before this one I had the 8300, and got this one because it has a better screen and GPS. Blackberry is not fancy like the iphone, but it is easy to use and pretty self explainitory. Blackberries are great for people who are professionals, or even students. This a wonderful phone, everything is very organized and easy to understand, unlike the 8300, this has clearer, brighter more varied colors. The track ball is easy to use, and the full qwerty keyboard coming in handy for writing e-mails or texts. It offers the setup wizard which well easily help you set up the phone including linking it to your e-mail, it was very easy to link my yahoo mail onto this and check it in one click. The camera is pretty good, but not as good as something like the iphone, but cameras arn't really what people buy blackberries for.