The BlackBerry Curve 9320 released recently is a stylish, new smartphone for socially-connected customers featuring all of the core BlackBerry messaging and social-centric features that keep people connected, and it offers global 3G connectivity backed by long battery life to allow users to make the most of their day and make each moment count. That is how RIM describes the Blackberry.
Blackberry sent us a unit that we are using for this review. I have had it with me for two days now. I want to share with you a few quick first impressions. As described by RIM, I have found the BlackBerry to be a slim stylish device a suitable device for heavy texters and those who are heavy on social media use. Not just that, those who love to listen to music–either stored or from local radio stations–will find this device suitable.
Run down of the key features;
- Slim, stylish design with 3G connectivity
- Dedicated BBM key
- BlackBerry 7.1 OS which supports the full complement of BlackBerry services
- FM Radio
- 3.2MP camera with flash and video
- Built-in Wi-Fi® and GPS Best in class QWERTY keyboard for quick and easy typing
- Longest lasting battery yet in a 3G Curve model [With battery of 1430mAh]
The battery packs a capacity that is more than the one that you can spot of the Blackberry Bold Touch 9900. I find this surprising. I was able to get a full day use from the Blackberry 9320 even while being on 3G+.
Setting up the phone was smooth and easy
I set up my blackberry account and set up my email. Got all my contacts on the phone as soon as I added my Gmail account. This is one of the reasons I love storing my contacts in the cloud via Google. I did not have to start connecting the phone to laptop to transfer contacts. If you do not have your contacts in the cloud and you want to move from your old Blackberry to this one, you can backup your contacts on your computer using Blackberry Desktop software. After backing your contact and data up from your old Blackberry to your computer, you can then connect the Blackberry 9320 to your computer and do the transfer.
Let’s explore the phone a little more closely
Some features that will delight the socially connected user. There’s a dedicated BBM key. Just by hitting the BBM key, you’re pinging immediately.
The dedicated BBM key is on the side where you have the charging pot.
The camera is 3.2mp and it has flash. There has been times when I want to capture something immediately before the event passes. It has often been agreed that the best camera is the one that is present with you at the time you want to capture an experience. Not only that you can have your Blackberry 9320 with you at all time due to the size, hitting the same side with the volume control takes you straight to the camera and you can shoot whatever object you intend to shoot.
They QWERTY keyboard
It makes punching away and texting breezy. This is one area where Blackberry has always excelled. I know so many Blackberry fans who are ready to jump off the Blackberry ship the moment Blackberry discontinues its physical QWERTY keypads and go the way of Apple’s iPhone.
The Audio is impressive. Load you music and listen away. I did not have to bother about battery dying off on me during the day. I was on 3G and was still jamming music via the Spinlet app I downloaded.
In a future post I will explore the phone more deeply. I will be looking at the Blackberry browser, the camera, the speed and response rate, applications that I used, What I enjoyed and what I would have love RIM to add to the phone.
How much does it cost?
This is a question that I have been asked over and over. The Blackberry 9320 is not officially available in Nigeria. I went to a store in Lagos yesterday and saw it for N42,000. There are people who report that they bought it at N45,000.
If there’s anything you’d like to find out about the phone, ask in the comments. I will do as much as possible to cover it in the next post.
Before the next review after I have used the phone more extensively, enjoy the other photos I shot of the Blackberry 9320.
Image credits: flickr
