TechRadar Verdict
BlackBerry's low-cost Curve 3G is highly capable for traditional functions and web browsing, but won't satisfy the media-hungry consumer.
Pros
- +
Physical QWERTY keyboard is excellent for text
- +
Media controls are conveniently located
- +
BB OS 6 upgrade coming soon
- +
Battery life is good
- +
Optical trackpad is improvement on rollerball
Cons
- -
Camera is a little underpowered
- -
Feels a little cheap and plasticky
- -
Out-dated OS is not intuitive
- -
Apps are expensive and less varied
- -
Didn't handle low-reception areas well
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The BlackBerry Curve 9300 looks like yet another BlackBerry handset. Its full QWERTY keyboard sits below a 2.4-inch screen, with the 2-megapixel camera on the reverse.
Offering 3G connectivity as well as Wi-Fi, the handset promises fast internet browsing while apps and themes can be easily downloaded from the BlackBerry App World.
There's not much new to see on the BlackBerry Curve 3G. That famous physical QWERTY keyboard sits in a sensible-looking chassis with rounded corners and textured back, while the chrome-effect border panel houses the 480x360 LCD screen and a series of flush buttons alongside the optical track-pad.
The microUSB port nestles alongside the 3.5mm headphone connection and the left-hand convenience key, whose default option is the voice-dialer shortcut.
If you find yourself getting frustrated by repeated orders to "Say a command", you can easily change this in the settings. The camera button is housed on the other side of the handset, just below the volume controls.
The top panel features the BlackBerry Curve 9300's media controls – play/pause, skip forwards and skip back.
With BlackBerry's distinctive QWERTY keyboard and optical trackpad, the Curve 9300 is almost identical to the earlier Curve handsets like the BlackBerry Curve 8900, as well as posing as the younger sibling of the popular BlackBerry Bold 9700.
Connectivity is the name of the game, and the BlackBerry Curve 3G offers Wi-Fi and GPS along with its namesake 3G network (by which it's also known).
It's no secret that RIM is keen on showcasing the media features of its handsets, and the Curve 9300 is no exception.
With dedicated media buttons on the top of the handset, the BlackBerry Curve 9300 is clearly intended to be used as a media player, just as you would the iPhone or a Sony Ericsson W395 Walkman phone.
To this end, it's also reassuring to see a 3.5mm headphone jack giving you the freedom of using whatever headphones you like.
The 2-megapixel camera is nothing to write home about, and lacks the flash and autofocus found on the higher-spec BlackBerry Bold 9700.
As you'd expect from any handset in the BlackBerry family, the Curve 9300 features enviable email capabilities, and BlackBerry Messenger for instant messaging other BlackBerry users for next-to-nothing.
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