I finally got my 8900 Curve from T-Mobile, which I had been patiently waiting for… And to top things off, my area got hit by a huge ice storm. The worst we have had in almost 15 years. Lost power for 5 days. Yeah, not fun, I tell you. I keep saying I am going to migrate South for the winter, but it never happens.
You’re probably wondering what the ice storm has to do with all this? Well, my brand new 8900 spent about 4 days locked up in a UPS location and not being put to good use. So finally got to play with it in these last few days since I got power restored to most of my neighborhood.
I know by now you have probably seen and read many reviews about this device. I have to say I am really impressed by how well the 8900 is built. The screen resolution is nice. The device just fits into your hand nicely and, as a previous Curve 8310 owner, I can definitely see the difference. This new device is a bit lighter and thinner than my previous 8310, which didn’t have WiFi, but most of you T-Mobile Curve owners probably did with your 8320s. With WiFi, GPS and, best of all, a faster processor, RIM really packed this device with a lot of goodies.
| Change | 8310 | 8900 |
| USB port | left hand side, mini USB | right hand side, micro USB |
| Headphone jack | left hand side | top right hand side |
| SIM Card/SD Card | under the battery | next to the battery, but the SD card is removable without pulling the battery |
| Top Four Buttons | stick out above the screen level | flush with the screen, only the qwerty keys are higher |
| Wifi | only GPS, no wifi | both GPS and wifi |
The keyboard feels a lot better than on previous devices. Even the Bold’s keys don’t feel as nice as they do on this new Curve. The trackball is a big improvement. It is a lot tighter, with less room for dust and dirt to get in, and the black color gives it a cool look.
Some shortcuts I have found so far with the 8900 are:
- to change the profile to vibrate mode, hold the Q(#) key for about 2 seconds;
- to call 411, press and hold the P key;
- to lock the device, press and hold the A (*) key.
Let me know of any other shortcuts I left out on the comment section…
I haven’t really had much use for 3G since I don’t use my BlackBerry much to browse, only really to download themes and read Viigo, which doesn’t require a lot of data. Unless, of course, I am at home and I watch YouTube on it, which works perfectly while using WiFi. So, the 3G question? It’s not much of a problem while using T-Mobile’s Hotspot at Home. T-Mobile’s Hotspot at Home works great with this device.
I do prefer this Curve over the 9000 BlackBerry Bold. It just feels a lot better in your hand than the 9000 does. So far, I’ve been using it all day on my WiFi connection and haven’t noticed any battery drains or any issues.
This is just my opinion, but once you get your hands on one, you won’t want to let go of it.
Luis Merlos ( View Profile) - Posts: