Hardware
Construction
Now, the Curve line is one of the few BlackBerrys I haven’t had any proper time with. I started the old 7520 briefly, then the 8700, then the original Pearl 8100, then up to the 8800, then the Bold and the Storm, so this new 8900 Curve has a fairly foreign feel. The keys are much higher and audibly clicky-er than I’m used to, the body is the slimmest I’ve held since the Pearl, and is extremely light. A few things that I had heard second-hand from original Curve users is that the light construction actually works to its detriment, both leaving cracks through which dust can settle under the screen, and making the phone more prone to impact damage.
One friend who has been using his 8900 for awhile is already reporting hairline fractures along the center soft keys, which otherwise I felt were a little too soft – the Bold and Storm’s menu/back keys are much snappier. The keypad and battery door both feel loose, which can be disconcerting for the folks who are already aware of the Curve’s history. Speaking of the battery door, it’s plastic, despite looking nearly identical to the Storm’s nicer metal one – yet another sacrifice made in the name of cutting weight. (Update: Three months later, in April, my friend’s soft keys properly snapped off. Rogers wouldn’t offer service for it because RIM hadn’t reported any issues. Boo, hiss.)
What the new Curve lacks in solidity, it makes up for in style. As noted in our picture comparison, the Storm and the Javelin have a lot in common: beveled top with mute and lock keys, rubberized siding, and chrome edging. One Storm feature that didn’t make the jump was a reinforced headphone jack; although it’s hard to test, I’m under the impression the Storm’s jack is less prone to coming loose with ongoing usage, as I’m starting to see in my Bold. Eventually connections get weakened and can cut out your music unless your headphones are pressed in at just the right angle.
Being light also makes it feel really good in the hand and easy to tuck away, but as a personal preference, I prefer something heavier. As noted by others, the trackball is no different from any other BlackBerry’s, aside from being opaque. I kind of liked the soothing glowiness that the Bold and Pearl trackballs offered, but when the light shines around the rim of the Curve 8900’s, I like to see this new black trackball as the dour moon of office responsibility eclipsing the rest of your entire life – fitting for BlackBerry, no?