BlackBerry Curve 8310

Announced	August, 2007
Bluetooth	Yes
Camera Resolution	2 MP, 1600 x 1200 pixels, LED flash
Dimensions	107 x 60 x 15.5 mm
FM Radio	No
Form Factor	Bar
GPRS	Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
Touch Screen	No
Weight	111 g
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BlackBerry Curve 8310 Extras

BlackBerry Curve 8310 Games BlackBerry Curve 8310 Themes BlackBerry Curve 8310 Software

Blackberry 8310 Curve Review

The lean mean Apple and Android machines may be here, but the good old Blackberry is still a head-turner. It is no wonder that there is a fair amount of hoo-haa around the new Blackberry offering, the RIM Blackberry 8310 Curve. Check out the Blackberry Curve 8310 Review to see what it has got!

Back in 2007, the launch of the Blackberry Curve generated tremendous interest among buyers. The Curve took on from the Blackberry Pearl smartphones and continued the consumer-oriented approach. The new Blackberry Curve 8310 is the latest in the line of Curve cell phones from RIM. The Curve is our favourite smartphone. So we laid our hands on the 8310 to see if it keeps up the Curve reputation intact.

Blackberry Curve 8310 Design

Design wise, the 8310 sports the similar compact wide bar form factor that has become a trademark with Blackberry phones. There is nothing innovative here. However, we had to admire the compactness of the 8310. The Blackberry Curve 8310 body is solid, rounded around the edges, and features a 2.5 inch TFT display. The Blackberry Curve 8310 screen has a 320 x 240 pixel resolution and can show over 65,000 colors. The Blackberry Curve 8310 Dimensions are 107 x 60 mm. The 15.5 mm thickness indicates that you will not have a problem grabbing the phone. At only 111 grams, the phone is not heavy to hold and can be used very easily for long hour conversations.

The external QWERTY Blackberry Curve 8310 keyboard is as good as in previous Blackberry offerings. The compact Blackberry Curve 8310 keys are smooth and easily operable. We did not find any problem maneuvering the buttons. And yes, there is also an added trackball navigation capability thrown in.

Blackberry Curve 8310 Features

Whereas features are concerned, the Blackberry Curve 8310 Titanium is quite a solid phone though there are issues. The Blackberry Curve 8310 memory capacity on-board is only 64 MB. To extend the internal storage of Blackberry Curve 8310 memory cards are what you definitely need. However, the storage can be increased to a maximum of only 4GB. Which age are we in? Come on RIM. Look at Apple and pull up your socks.

But as far as basics are concerned, 4GB is enough to store practically unlimited amount of call information on your handset.

Blackberry Curve 8310 connectivity features are not up to the mark either. If you buy Blackberry Curve 8310 3G is something you are definitely going to miss. Want to know about Blackberry Curve 8310 WIFI performance? Go look elsewhere! Wi-Fi is not here either. Neither is Infrared. For buyers of Blackberry Curve 8310 Bluetooth v2.0 and miniUSB v2.0 is the only saving grace. Surfers have only GPRS and EDGE to rely on. The in-built HTML browser is however, a good piece. Browsing is awesome when speed is great.

Blackberry Curve 8310 Multimedia Capabilities

The media capabilities of the phone are pretty standard. MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA and MIDI are some of the audio formats supported on this phone. Playing music on this model is a decent experience. Audio quality is clear and free from distortions. The inbuilt MP3 player is a good piece and lets you navigate through your songs very easily. FM lovers beware! There is no radio included in this model.The inbuilt Blackberry Curve 8310 games are okay for time pass. You can download many Java games into the phone. This baby supports Java MIDP 2.0 and we had a ball playing some of the Java based games on the 8310. If the internal themes and images are not up to your mark, you may download several Blackberry Curve 8310 wallpapers from the net.

Blackberry Curve 8310 Camera Performance

Camera performance is strictly average. Saying anything more than this would be an overstatement we feel unless you are talking about images. The 2MP camera shoots still images in a fantastic 1600 X 1200 pixel quality. The 5X digital zoom is a bonus that lets you view pictures in a magnified way. There is also LED flash capability.

You can also use the 2MP shooter to capture videos. The Blackberry Curve 8310 video format is MPEG4. The video quality is at best passable. For video-lovers buying Blackberry Curve 8310 YouTube watching can bring some amount of disappointment. The average Joe on the street will not have a reason to complain about.

Blackberry Curve 8310 Applications

The plus points are the inbuilt applications. The 8310 boasts of a fair share of instant messenger apps like Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger, MSN, AOL, Jabber and ICQ for quick connectivity. There is also Skype for you. With the use of Corporate Data Access in Blackberry Curve 8310 emails and documents can be securely viewed and stored. There is support for IMAP, POP3 and Web-based e-mail accounts. There are also some other inbuilt Blackberry Curve 8310 software apps that you can use.

There is also an Office document editor tossed into this device. We could easily open, view and edit all our e-mail attached documents.

A highlight of this handset is the ease of using Google Maps and Vodafone Satellite Navigation. These wonderful apps helped us pinpoint our present location within seconds. This is a pleasant variation from most other smartphones under the sun that take ages to show locations.

But we had some issues regarding Blackberry Curve 8310 voicemail setup. We heard some of our friends had similar problems.

Blackberry Curve 8310 Release Date

The Blackberry Curve Titanium is available in the US and Germany from October 2010.

Blackberry Curve 8310 Accessories

In the package for Blackberry Curve 8310 headset, software CD and charger are some of the items you can expect. You can use the CD to install new themes, software’s and games into your phone.

There is also a Blackberry Curve 8310 user manual. The Blackberry Curve 8310 manual is easy to understand and we could easily use the inbuilt apps after having a look at it. Sadly there are no Blackberry Curve 8310 phone covers included. We would have loved to see at least one Blackberry Curve 8310 leather case thrown into the pack. You should ideally purchase a Blackberry Curve 8310 cover from the market. The mobile stores have possibly stocked up many cases for Blackberry Curve 8310, as with other phones.

Blackberry Curve 8310 Battery Performance

The 8310 is powered by a standard 1100 mAh Lithium Ion battery. With heavy usage we got a 4 hour talk time. RIM assures a maximum stand by time of 408 hours.

Blackberry Curve 8310 Price

In the US, the 8310 is priced at $316.87. The cell phone costs around 270 pounds in the UK. Mobile carrier AT&T has brought the 8310 to the UK. The Blackberry Curve 8310 cost in India is around 16,000 INR. If you are opting for a Blackberry Curve 8310 Vodafone buy, the set will come cheaper at around 14,000 INR.

The model is available in a variety of colors. The Blackberry Curve 8310 skins include colors like grey, pink, black and more. We liked the Blackberry Curve 8310 pink and Blackberry Curve 8310 red models.

Conclusion

All that raises the question – to buy or not to buy the Blackberry Curve 8310 Smartphone? As you might have guessed out already, the 8310 is a phone for basic business users and normal smartphone buyers looking for a Blackberry experience. If you want a feature-rich smartphone, this is not your thing. However, if you are looking for an affordable buy you can try the Curve. As your first Blackberry, this is not something to write home about. But as an entry-level smartphone, it can give you a decent feel.