BlackBerry Curve 8900 hands on
What’s that? Thought we were holding out on you? Never! The BlackBerry Curve 8900, also known to the BlackBerry faithful as the BlackBerry Javelin, is the much-awaited BlackBerry Curve replacement. It’s definitely been covered in depth so we won’t bore you and nitpick the handset. Instead, we’ll give you some of our very first impressions and let you decide the next steps.
- The size is awesome — totally small enough to be pocketable, but not too small where sacrifices on the keyboard had to be made.
- Unlike the Bold where some people had trouble hitting the right convenience key since it was too low, on the Curve 8900, it’s located perfectly.
- The screen, as we’re getting accustomed to now with RIM, is flawless! It’s smaller than the Bold as you know, and that’s an even denser, crisper, and sharper display in our books. Really a job well done.
- What about the keyboard? Even better than the first Curve. The keys feel more “fuller” and not hollow like the original 8300 did. They’re also decently spaced, and even after using a Bold for 5 months, the second we picked this up, we were off to the races. Another great execution by RIM.
- It might just be us, but the fake chrome bezel around the 8900 actually seems like it’s more equipped to handle rough usage than the Bold is. We could be wrong, but at first glance it looks like a tougher material or finish. You know how our original Bold fared…
So, do you guys want a full on review of the BlackBerry Curve 8900, or do you want one of our oh-so-popular battles? Maybe a Curve 8900 vs. G1? Hit us up in the comments and let your voice be heard. Word. Don’t forget to get jiggy with the BGR gallery and check out the pictures!
Click on over to our BlackBerry Curve 8900 hands on gallery!
what are the specs on this thing? I know they have been posted before, but I’m too lazy to look for them!
1st!
OK, 8900 vs G1. Seems like a no brainer, but would you please do the comparison?
I am in need of a new phone, but I am an IT pro and am VERY used to my BB.
Not first!
So when is this BB coming to AT&T? Also anything with that new trackball? Feel or anything?
What’s the obsession with saying “1st!” on the first comment? Isn’t it obvious since it’s first?
By the way… I love reading posts where the posts below the first one say “1st!”… EPIC FAIL!
Yeah, i’d love to know when this one is “supposed” to come out. Might have to skip the Bold and wait for this one.
After looking at the gallery, it looks like that chrome bezel already has some scratches? Is that true or are my eyes deceiving me?
BGR:
Aside from the STORM, CDMA release seem thin right now. Anything on the radar?
I may wait for this as well but I’m itching for my BOLD!!!! when is it coming out? I’ll add two months onto whatever you tell me to ensure accuracy
BlackBerry Niagara for Verizon Wireless in either January or February 2009.
I already know enough about it, I just want a release date, please! That’s all I care about.
Wish the Bold would have come in at a lower price with ATT to force this one lower. I’m a pretty casual phone user, never considered a BB before I played with the curve my girl’s stepdad has. Really nice feel to it physically and with the usability. This looks even better. I’ve also picked up texting in the last year or so and really want a physical qwerty.
3g?
If it has 3G, I’ll pick one up. That’s a nice step up from the Curve.
i’d love to see how this stacks up against my curve. is it really worth the upgrade? a bb and the g1 are apples and oranges… i wanna see how it goes against another bb… that’ll be even more worth reading
I’m with Brandon on this. There is only so much you can say and cover about a device. This device has been scrutinized alot already, but the one glaring omission has been the release date. Everyone is on the Bold/Storm bandwagon, but you her nothing about the 8900/Javelin. A release date would be nice. A T-mobile release date, I freaking hate the Death Star.
I’m still getting the Bold, however, this seems like a worthwhile replacement to the curve. I prefer the Curve style keyboards to the 8800 Keyboards and this does look like a better form factor if you park it in your pocket. I’ll upgrade when it comes out. I’m going to bet (don’t quote me) the Bold will come down anywhere between $50 – $100 after a couple months so if you’re too cheap to spend $300 on an ultra high end BB, you can wait. Perhaps they might delay the price drop when this comes out. The problem is going to be spotting the difference between these two from a distance.
I know this is coming to T-Mobile, but I’d like to get a general idea of when this bad boy is going to be released.
I’m not really into the 3G mania and for my needs a 2.5G device with WiFi/UMA, solid email capabilities and a great form factor suit me well.
All of us T-Mobile users with the $ 19.99 BIS plan will soon get free Hot Spot access to all 8,500 T-Mobile HS Locations Nationwide to use with our notebooks so I’m definitely excited and that’s already on top of the free PAM capabilities.
I hear this thing, like the Bold, also includes GPS capabilities. That’s awesome that I don’t have to choose between one model or the other to get both WiFi and GPS in the same device.
The 8900 isn’t really in the same camp as the G1. I’d say a point by point of how the Javelin is better than the original Curve. Keypad comparison, size, construction, OS, etc.
Oh, and what’s the big deal about the new trackball? Is it that much better?
You guys can have your Bolds and Storms. If I was a BB user, this is the one I’d get.
Just itching for this to release on T-Mobile……
I would love a full on review BGR to get your proper thoughts on this. Wonder if you could shed any light on a release date too?
I would also like a point by point comparison on 8900 vs old curve.
Thanks.
SPECS!