BlackBerry 9300 Curve 3G looks like a typical BlackBerry product. Its full physical keyboard sits under the 2.4-inch screen, while the 2-megapixel camera sits on the back. Offering 3G connectivity as well as Wi-Fi, the phone promises fast internet browsing and downloading apps and themes from the App World store.
Model overview
Big innovations in the BlackBerry 9300 (photo posted later in the article) did not happen. The iconic physical keyboard is housed in a body with rounded corners and a textured back, while a 'chrome' bezel surrounds a 480 x 360 pixel LCD screen and row of buttons near the touchpad. The microUSB port is placed next to the 3.5mm headphone jack and the left-handed key that invokes voice dialing by default. If the repetition of the phrase “Say the command” quickly gets bored, then this can be changed in the settings. The camera button is located on the other side of the phone, just below the volume rocker.
Controls are located on topmultimedia: play/pause, forward and backward keys. The keyboard and touchpad are almost identical to those used in previous Curve models such as the 8900 as well as the Bold 9700. The main difference is that the 9300 offers Wi-Fi, GPS and 3G.
RIM is keen on showcasing the media capabilities of its smartphones, and the 9300 is no exception. With dedicated buttons on the top, the phone is clearly meant to be used as a media player, just like the iPhone or the Sony Ericsson W395 Walkman. So it's nice to see the presence of a 3.5mm headphone jack, which gives you the freedom to choose any headset you like. The 2-megapixel camera is nothing special, it doesn't have the flash and autofocus of the Bold 9700.
As you would expect from any phone in the BlackBerry family, the Curve 9300 has enviable email and instant messaging capabilities with the Messenger app.
Interface
Experienced BlackBerry OS 5 users will feel right at home. Home screen icons can be customized to launch your most used apps, features, and web pages, and all menus can be easily organized into folders.
The interface shares the features of Windows software, but in addition to rows of icons, there is also a text menu for navigating within programs. It allows you to configure settings, execute functions, and stop the software. This menu can scare and confuse unconfident users,for example, when faced with endless lists of options, when the only thing required is to write a new text message. Because of these labyrinths, the interface is not as simple as iPhone 4, but similar to the Android OS.
The level of detail of the settings is high, but the principle of quick access to your favorite applications is the same.
App World, which can be launched from the phone menu or in the browser, provides access to several hundred downloadable programs. Customize your device with BlackBerry themes: you can purchase ready-made ones or create your own by setting fonts, background images, ringtones, and more.
Most of the standard functions are very easy to start. To make a call, you can either press the call button, or simply start dialing a number or contact name from the home screen.
Most manufacturer's phones make it too difficult to create new email or SMS messages. Instead of just going to the mailbox and choosing the appropriate option, you have to launch the internal menu by pressing the BlackBerry button, and then scroll through the list of options until you find the "Write SMS" item. It is a pity that such a simple task requires too many extra steps. You can also send an SMS to a specific contact from the address book, although for those who have not previously used a smartphone, this action will not seem natural.
Camera
BlackBerry 9300 Capabilities to take pictures andrecording video is pretty mediocre. When the camera app is launched, the only thing the user can do is zoom in and take a picture. To access additional and rather limited options, you must press a button and enter another extensive menu. Here you can change the white balance, image size and quality, as well as select black and white or sepia. It's nice to have this feature, but it's probably just highlighting the camera's limited functionality here.
To change the scale, just slide your finger over the optical sensor. If you want to take a picture in landscape mode, you can use the side shutter button, but if you want to take a picture in portrait mode, you need to click on the touch pad.
Magnified images noticeably lose quality. The camera isn't that bad at rendering colors when there's a big difference between them. Close-up shots are fuzzy due to the lack of auto focus, but photos at a distance are much better. Images aren't exactly sharp, but that's to be expected from a 2MP camera. Suffice it to say that this is not the ideal phone for amateur photographers.
Working with audio and video
The firmware on the Blackberry 9300 does not shine when working with multimedia. Although the phone displays track information and album art, the music player is very basic. True, it allows you to shuffle or loop albums, artists and tracks.
Another popular feature is to createyour own playlists or an automatic playlist featuring your favorite artists. There is no FM radio, so you will need to record a lot of tracks to have something to listen to.
Sound quality is average, although high quality Sennheiser headphones are included. But they are still better than the built-in speaker, which sounds terrible.
The media player can be controlled using the buttons on the top of the phone. This applies to both audio and video.
The following audio formats are supported: MP3, AAC-LC, AMR-NB, AAC+, WMA, eAAC+, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis.
Video playback on a 320 x 240 pixel screen isn't very impressive, but the video player is pretty fast. If there is little media content on the phone, then in a mobile browser you can visit YouTube. In this case, it is better to use Wi-Fi. Supports MPEG4, H.264, H.263, WMV9.
In the image gallery, all pictures are shown as thumbnails, but viewing them on such a small screen is not entirely satisfactory. Uploading photos to Facebook and other social networking applications is easy - this should be done through the internal menu option. True, this is not possible for video, but you can share it via email or Bluetooth.
Suffice it to say, this is not the best phone for vlogging on the go - iPhone 4 with its front camera makes video recording a lot easier.
The headphone jack is located on the side, just above the USB connector. The best place for it is the top or bottom of the phone,especially if you carry it in your pocket. It would seem, given the location of the media playback controls on the top panel, this should also be the place for the headphone jack.
Battery life
According to user reviews, BlackBerry 9300 3G can work on a full battery charge for two days. Photographs were taken, emails were used, web pages were surfed and applications were downloaded, and calls were made. This corresponds to the claimed battery life of 4.5 hours of talk time plus 29 hours of music playback or 19 days of standby time. The battery is tiny (1150 mAh), and this helps the smartphone to keep its low weight.
Hard reset
Blackberry 9300 Curve can be reset to factory settings if the application hangs or other software errors occur. It should be remembered that this procedure will also erase all downloaded files, software, images, ringtones and contacts in the internal memory. For a hard reset you need:
- Press Menu key, go to Options, Security Options and select Security Wipe.
- Select the type of data to be deleted.
- Enter the word blackberry and select Wipe.
You can also reboot the device by simultaneously pressing the Alt, Shift and Delete keys. In this case, no data will be lost.
What did you like?
It's hard to judge the BlackBerry 9300 as it looks a lot likeother members of the Curve family. But while its specs aren't quite as brilliant as competitors' smartphones, it's not a phone you should be embarrassed to own.
The main advantage of the BlackBerry 9300 is the presence of the keyboard, even if it is not as good as the Bold 9700.
As usual, BlackBerry's email and messaging apps are top notch, with users commenting on call quality and excellent device reception.
What didn't you like?
Users who are used to dealing with more powerful phones will be constantly disappointed by the poor performance of the smartphone.
The low screen resolution has reduced the cost of the device, but for owners this is little consolation. The 2-megapixel camera is extremely limited in its capabilities. The clumsiness of the menu system and built-in browser will be annoying until the software is updated to more powerful versions.
Verdict
If all your phone needs is email and web browsing and media playback are infrequent, then the Blackberry 9300 will cover your basic needs for a small price.
