BlackBerry 8900 Curve (Javelin) Review

Verdict

Given the fragile construction is the BlackBerry Curve 8900’s lowest point, all of its lesser sins (such as choppy video recording quality, a speaker that isn’t quite as awesome as the Bold, and a confusingly crowded right side) are all made up for by an excellent keyboard, sexy form factor, fine camera, and now-traditionally outstanding screen. The lack of 3G doesn’t seem like that much of a sacrifice to me, though it likely will for others. The fact is, BlackBerrys are still all about e-mail and for that, you only really need EDGE, and it’s an ample tradeoff for the upgraded camera.

The software remains in an uneasy transitionary period while RIM tries to pull over some of the cooler Storm tricks to their standard QWERTY line, but the Curve is still built on the baseline established by the Bold for the next generation of BlackBerrys. T-Mobile is rumored to be getting the BlackBerry 8900 Curve sometime in early February (best guess is the 18th. right now). Who should pick one of these up? Someone who doesn’t need the absolutely-everything-and-the-kitchen-sink that the Bold brings, who can’t get used to the Storm’s SurePress touchscreen, and who is looking for something a little more svelte and pocketable in a BlackBerry. The 8900 Javelin Curve is a fine spiritual successor to the old 8300 line of Curves and will be an easy transition for anyone who used them before.