Aiming high with a Javelin - Review Blackberry Curve 8900

I have been a BlackBerry user for about six years now and I still use my first model, the old and mighty 7290. My BlackBerry use is limited to emails and so the handset still looks new. It cost me a fortune then, but I still think you should look at a BlackBerry only if you are serious about emails.

My needs are very simple, I prefer a side scroller like the old BlackBerrys—that is no longer an option—a full QWERTY keyboard, a good camera and the latest Operating System which would allow me to use both Flickr and Facebook. I don’t really require fancy ringtones, but a music/video player is more than welcome.

But I have been looking at the new BlackBerrys. You might remember that I was not very gung-ho about the BlackBerry Storm, as I am used to a full QWERTY keyboard, and the Bold seemed a bit beyond my budget. So I requested BlackBerry to send across their latest 8900 Javelin for a review.

It felt like the lightest BlackBerry till date at just 109.9 grams and looked cool with a VGA resolution screen (480x360 pixels) and Transmissive LCD. The QWERTY keyboard is smaller than previous versions, and takes some time to get used to, but the trackball has been raised a little and is no longer in a recess.

Most new phones have a light sensor that changes screen brightness as per the ambient light, but the Javelin undoubtedly has the most soothing display indoors, backed up with sharp and bright display outdoors—you can even work on it with the sun shining right on top.

The Javelin also has the best phone camera I have seen till date. The camera even recognised that I was taking pictures of a document with text in it and automatically used the macro mode to zoom into the text and render it perfectly.

Another great feature is the built-in GPS with which I was able to Geotag pictures. Though photos get the coordinates required for Geotag enabled photo management softwares (like Picasa and iPhoto), getting the GPS to work requires a subscription from your provider and can cost up to Rs 199 a month.

However, since the BlackBerry is always connected to the Internet, you can also use Google Maps, though it is not as accurate as GPS.

The Javelin’s inbuilt wireless works real well. Though your emails keep switching to the services of your service provider, you can still browse, download and update Facebook and use Google Maps through wireless.

Though I have always been a fan of the BlackBerry’s email handling capacities and data networking, I have never liked the phone much. But the enhanced background noise cancellation and speakerphone—loud and clear with no distortions—on this version changed my perception to a certain extent.

However, I did not like the fact that I had to take out the battery every time to change the Micro SD Card. Moreover, such cards, if swapped from another phone, have to be formatted to be used on the Javelin. So there is no way you can move some MP3 from another phone to the Javelin using you card.

I really liked the Javelin, but would still to stick to my old 7290, primarily because it does not have a camera and I often have to go to offices where camera phones are banned.

But if you are looking for a BlackBerry with a wonderful GPS, a brilliant camera, lovely music and video playback, the Javelin is worth every penny of the Rs 27,990 you’d have to pay for it.

Some of the Photo's I took using the Blackberry 8900






For more information, visit the Blackberry Websiteor click here for Photos, and 360 Degree View.

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The above article appeared in the Indian Express, on Sunday 14th June 2009