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We managed to get the BlackBerry Curve 3G to last two full days on one full battery charge, although it was getting very touch-and-go towards the end of day two.
During this time, we were taking photos, using email, web browsing and downloading apps, as well as making several calls.
This is just about in line with what RIM has stated for the handset's battery life – it offers 4.5 hours of talk time, 29 hours of music playback or 19 days of standby time.
Physically speaking, the battery is tiny – which no doubt helps the BlackBerry Curve 3G retain its low weight.
The native Google Maps app on board the BlackBerry Curve 3G is not the worst we've seen – the Sony Ericsson Vivaz's poor efforts could well take that prize.
A recent update has vastly improved matters. Getting directions between locations has suddenly become much easier – a matter of simply filling in clearly marked boxes with your destination and locations.
Although accurate and much nicer to use post-update, the maps could still be a little slow to load when you're out and about and relying on the 3G network. The compass, however, is brilliant – quick, accurate and easy to navigate by.
It's just as well that Google Maps comes pre-loaded, given the monstrousness of BlackBerry's own native maps app, which is clunky, confusing, slow and generally makes life difficult for the user.
