BlackBerry Curve 8900 Phone, Black (AT&T)

Non RIMM Consumer Changes Mind! May 31, 2009

Reviewer:  Always Samsung "ravereviews"  (New York, NY) -

I've been a long time AT&T costumer. I thought I could live without having an actual keyboard when it comes to texting, but after a week without my Sidekick Keyboard - I decided to ditch my Samsung Eternity for the Blackberry Curve 8900.

I was hesitant about purchasing this smart phone because I was never a fan of Blackberry's (RIMM). I had a BB during their initial boom in the early part of the new millennium. However, the poor browser, poor cell phone network, lackluster screen color, non desirable keyboard, awful battery life, whack OS, & lack of T9 predictive text just couldn't win me over.

After I realized that I couldn't text on a touch screen phone, unless it was the iPhone. I decided that I must have a cell phone device with an actual qwerty keyboard, if I expect to survive my text message & email addiction.

I picked up the Blackberry 8900 with my corporate discount and walked away with a nice high end phone at a very reasonable price. I have to say that I really enjoy the web browser on the new BB. You can zoom in & out with ease. I thought no browser could compare to the iPod Safari besides the Android G1, but after getting this device - I can safely say that this browser is also one of the best. Its right behind the safari and G1. Prior models were confined to small screens, thirty-five dollar internet only data plans, and no ability to zoom in or out. You were subjected to a small screen and reading small text till your eyes was squinting like grandmas.

Pros:
Big vibrant screen
3.5 MM headjack
New OS
Decent call quality (No issues yet)
Excellent new broswer
Mini SD up to 16GB (Wish it was 32GB)
Use your songs as ringers
Wi-Fi
Personal Email (Up to 10 accounts can be added)
IM
Themes
Applications (Coming on April 1st)
My Favs
Full HTML Web Browser (Sometimes)
Excellent Multimedia Player (Accepts every format possible)
Video & Camera (3.2 Megapixel as oppose to 2.0)
Includes 2 chargers (Wall Charger & USB charger)
Includes ear phones and leather carry case

Cons:
For long time BB users, this device is really just a cosmetic upgrade with a new OS (Flashier Icons)
Micro USB (No more Mini USB)
Non RIMM Consumer Changes Mind!

For anyone who has wanted a BB but held off on getting one, this is the model to get. Everything about it is an upgrade. The device is basically the BB Bold with a different casing. The battery life could still use some more juice. With excessive email checking & non stop texting, the phone usually needs a charge after a day and a half of usage. I did set the brightness of the phone to the lowest brightness available and it has lasted for a little over 2 days with no charge needed. Even on the lowest brightness, the screen is still very bright, sharp, & crisp. And i still do unlimited texting & web browsing. However, AT&T doesn't offer the best mobile minute plans on earth & their data plan is probably one of themost expensive around. They are fully aware that their signal is one of the best & in doing so, make up for it by charging their non-friendly services at non-friendly prices, which usually doesn't offers an abundant amount of minutes, unlimited data, internet, email, text etc will end up costing you a lot!

One complaint from other phone techs is the lack of 3G. Yes, i was disappointed that the device is only on EDGE & Wi-Fi, but if you have a 3G enabled phone with only 1 signal bar - The chances of having a 3G signal is pretty slim. The EDGE browser signal on this device is fine & works just fine. I havent encountered any issues & comparing it with a 3G phone - the thing almost runs at the same pace. NO major biggy at all! I have used the wi-fi a few times & i think its super fast on Wi-Fi.

I pay under seventy bucks a month for a decent amount of mins & unlimited everything else. My friend has a similar plan on Verizon, its not unlimited, and her bill is always over a hundred each month.

First BB ever, BB n00B review!!! June 15, 2009

Reviewer:  eknal "L"  (Massachusetts) -

I've wanted a BB for about a month now, and after reading the reviews of this new curve 8900, I decided I'd wait until it came in stock on amazon. I was fortunate, it came in stock sooner than I thought it would! I've only had it for 5 days, but I can honestly say, its the most addicting piece of technology I've ever had... other than my PS3...lol.

The Qwerty keyboard is fantastic, I was a little slow the first day, but now can go crazy typing on it. The Browser is a lot faster than I was expecting, since this BB is not on AT&T's 3G, its on the EDGE service, and its very sufficient in my opinion! The best thing about the BB is that I can communicate like 10 different ways with other people, Call, Text, Email, One of many messengers, including googletalk, AIM, BB messenger, etc. I think thats like the best thing EVER. Sure, you can do that on any other pda, but its so simple on BB, and the alerts when you have an incoming messenger are fantastic. Every message alert has a seperate icon, so you know whether you have a new email, txt, or IM. All in all, I'm glad I purchased this BB and couldn't be happier. Of course, that will be until my first bill gets here, but what can you do!

The only negatives I can think of are:

The trackball - you can have some issues with it, if you're "Golden Tee Golfing" it like a mad man, of course its gonna have a slip-up. I've had only a few times when the trackball doesn't respond, but the next scroll over the trackball responds, and its all better. It isn't permanent or damaged, a minor glitch, understandable wear and tear, and not a real big problem for me...
Phone calls in car - it might have been the other person on the line, but the call quality was blah, speaker phone was fine, but its unfair of me to post this, because all other calls have been great quality.
UPDATE - I definately think it was the other persons phone, they had a sprint nextel, and were way out of range, and no other call has been that bad since!

5th Blackberry-Very Nice June 18, 2009

Reviewer:  Johnson  (Seattle, WA) -

September 2009 Update: Be very careful as this bb has an lcd screen that breaks easily. I dropped it (something I did a lot with the last bb I had) and the screen developed a very small crack that grew. Over the course of a day it grew so much that the screen became useless. I ended up buying another one because it is very easy to use and I love the clarity of the screen. I also purchased a 8gb micro card and loaded my music on it. To do this was very easy as it loaded the playlists I created in itunes for my ipod. The battery does drain when the WIFI is on so if you don't need it turn it off. The good news is I now have an extra battery :).

In the past 4 years I have owned 5 blackberry's with the 8900 being my favorite but not as FUN as my wife's iphone. I really wanted the iphone but because I use my bb for email 90% of the time I just couldn't give up the keyboard. So while the iphone has many more app's and fun stuff if you are a serious email user of your phone don't look any further. As usual with bb the setup was easy, using the phone is just like every other bb and the ability to have a small row of applications such as calendar, phone, messages right on the main screen is very convenient. I also like the way text messages actually go into their own folder, a huge bonus over previous models. The screen while very crisp and nice really doesn't look a ton different than previous models I have owned. The app store is really not that great unless you have never owned an ipod. All in all I am happy with the purchase and will continue to use bb for my work email as bb is really the leader in this area.

I am so jazzed!!! July 16, 2009

Reviewer:  Missy "Pilamaya yelo"  (Indy) -

I've been waiting for AT&T to offer the curve 8900 and it was so worth the wait! It does everything the 8310 does but so much more. Email, text, video, camera, Wi-Fi, music, organize, and yes it has a phone too! I love bells and whistles and if you love em too then this is the blackberry for you. It does take a while to set up and tranfer all data from one blackberry to the new one but don't let it get to you. After the setting up is all done you will be pleased. 3G what? You don't know what your missing if you've never had it to miss, that's all I have to say about that. Go ahead and test drive the 8900, I promise you, you will not regret it!

Nice Features, Poor Hardware September 6, 2009

Reviewer:  along came toad "along came toad"  (Boston, MA USA) -

I've had this phone for three days. When I got it I noticed what a nice looking phone it was and how crystal-clear the display was. Initially, it seemed like a great upgrade from the 8330. However, on Day 0, the "y" key went on the blink. It was working 8 out of 10 times I pressed it. On Day +1, I noticed that the keyboard was loose and moving around (not an uncommon issue, I guess). This really made me mad. Between that and the loose battery cover (another common complaint), it felt really awkward trying to type. On D +2, I noticed that the lower right-hand corner of the screen was loose. I could press it down and it would make a creaking sound. I should mention that I never dropped it, I treated it like gold, and always used the (lousy) holster it came with. Needless to say, this is a very flimsy product. Maybe I got a lemon, but I've heard a lot of similar complaints about the 8900.

Aside from the hardware issues, I was very dissapointed with certain features of the OS. When I got the phone, the Maps and Navigator icons were on the desktop. However, the Maps icon seemed to simply vanish and I've been unable to find it! When I clicked on the Navigator icon to set up the service, it went through the download and then that icon disappeared! I had to go through the web browser to get to the Navigator, and then it told me I needed to download Flashplayer. After waiting 20 minutes for that download, I gave up. My other chief complaint is the lag in opening and running some applications. It takes a full 10 seconds for the camera to load after launching it, then it hangs up quite a bit when navigating through the app. Very counterproductive to photography.

Overall, I am very dissapointed with this phone. It's too bad, since it is a nice looking phone and I like the overall setup of the OS, with the menus and ability to move from app to app. I think we'll be looking into the iPhone.

Very capable smartphone September 18, 2009

Reviewer:  Harold Kanter 

I upgraded from a 2-year old Blackberry 8800. Great improvement!


PROS:
Ergonomic factor- the 8900 is slimmer, and easier to type on.
Screen has great resolution, too.
Wi-Fi works well, automatically connects to wi-fi networks if you have programmed in any needed security keys.
Voice clarity on both ends is great, unlike the problems I've heard with the tour 9630 (that's the main reason I didn't switch to Verizon for the Tour).
Lots of bars in most areas, I ususally have the best cell phone reception of anyone around me.
The new operating system has a browser which makes it much easier to view different parts of a web page and zoom in on certain areas.
GREAT camera, very sharp pictures.
Battery life is pretty good, lasts about 3 days with lots of e-mailing and 1 or 2 calls a day.Battery will drain very quickly though, if you accidentally leave power-hungry apps running in the background (make sure to hit "CLOSE", don't just return to the home screen).
CONS:
Unfortunately, I still find PDF attachments very difficult to read since it seems impossible to move left and right if you've zoomed in. Luckily I don't have to read many PDF's on the Blackberry.
I have mixed results with watching you-tube videos. Usually works without a hitch, but once in a while they just won't run.

Would definitely do it all over again. I was considering the I-Phone, but when it comes to my main requirement, which is e-mail, the Blackberry is a no-brainer! If you don't need to use a keyboard too much, or if you don't need the push e-mail, then the I-Phone is pretty slick.

Curve 8900 -- Best phone ever! September 12, 2009

Reviewer:  Jo Pfeffer  (St. Louis, MO) -

After managing to burn up SIX Palm Centro phones in less than a year, I opted to replace the Centro with something else. I am a research fiend and did my homework. I knew what I didn't want -- a phone that had to be turned off to charge, or risk blowing out its operating system, like the Centro. I also knew I had to have a normal keypad on the phone; somewhat old school, but so am I. *grin* I had played with iPhones belonging to friends; didn't like them, so they were not an option for me. My research kept coming back to the BlackBerry phone, and I finally purchased my first BlackBerry -- the Curve 8900.

I was totally impressed with the phone when it arrived! Gorgeous, easy-to-read screen for these "not young" eyes of mine, and a keypad that I quickly learned to be comfortable with. There was a learning curve (oops! how Freudian!!!) in changing over from the Centro to the Curve, but that was quickly accomplished in just a few days. I also had to find and replace quite a bit of software that I had on the Centro, with equivalent apps for the Curve. That took more research, and I have mostly replaced the apps that were installed on the Centro. The plus on that is that prices were alot less expensive than buying apps for the Centro.

I did have to make a trip to the AT&T store, to get my email set up on the Curve. The directions to do that were "less than illuminating", to say the least. Surprisingly, the rep at the store also took some time to determine how to get it done; once done though, haven't had any trouble since.

I did purchase a skin called "InTheKnow-Slide-8900" so that I could slide the icons across the bottom of the screen instead of having them splattered all over the screen. Best $8 I ever spent! I've customized my sliding dock, and am very happy with it. I also spent the money to purchase on Otter Box for my BlackBerry. I dropped it on a concrete floor a couple of days after I got it, it hit just right and slid across the floor, and I immediately went online to purchase the Otter Box for it. Again, excellent money spent for protection. Shop around; the Otter Box can be purchased for considerably less than at the website. (Hint, hint...)

Call quality is excellent; none of the problems that iPhone users are having with the AT&T network. It's superior to the Centro by a long shot. I have two Bluetooth headsets, one in the house and one in the car. Configuration was very easy, and either one will connect with no problems. The camera and video recorder in the Curve are excellent -- high quality pictures, and easily moved from the card to your computer with the Media Sync software from BlackBery, as well as any music that you want to carry with you. The sound is beyond excellent!!! I don't need the GPS; have a GPS unit that travels everywhere in the car, and it's paid for. Have yet to test out the Wi-Fi, but I don't doubt that it will work as well as everything else does on this phone.

This is, above and beyond, the BEST phone I have ever had, and I highly recommend it! (Probably should have done this a long time ago, after I burned up the second Centro.) I'm a "dyed in the wool" BlackBerry person now. Many thanks to RIM for producing such an outstanding product, and to Amazon for carrying it!!!

very fragile November 22, 2009

Reviewer:  Kim T.  (Los Angeles) -

I have had this phone for 3 months and have kept it in mint condition - 2 days ago I was texting on it when the screen when white and a small black spot showed up on the inside of the screen. When I took it to the warranty exchange they told me that they consider this damage that I created and won't honor the warranty. I have NO clue how this crack could have formed considering the outside doesnt even have the slightest hint at damage. Be careful when using this phone.

Blackberry Curve 8900 August 24, 2009

Reviewer:  The Baron  (New Jersey) -

Had a Curve 8300 for a couple of years and liked that. I like this phone even better. The user interface is more intuitive and user friendly. The screen is larger and the HD quality makes text more readable and photos brighter. Also like the better quality 3.2 MP camera.

nice phone but there is a catch February 25, 2010

Reviewer:  Cardin Ringelberg 

If you are not planning on using this phone for the phone browser, do not get an att phone. They will force a media package on you for the minimum of $30 on top of your regular phone charges. I already have att internet at home and I consider this excessive. I offered to be put on a data connect plan so that if I chose to use the browser on emergency situations that the charge would be rather expensive ($2 per mb or something)...so I tried to get around it but lay the responsibility on myself. I also tried calling in with a different phone and giving that IMEI number, but apparently they are tracking what phone I used even the day before. I am seriously considering going to another carrier in which I have been a customer since 2000. Now, if you want the extra charge and the browser package I think this phone is great. The color is unbelievable during a video. I enjoy the MP3 player alot. The layout is not so convenient but easy to handle once you figure it out. The reception is clear and I dont get any complaints. SO the phones great but att is forcing a payment for enjoying it. So I recommend not getting this phone with att.