Processing .....please wait..
The article has been forwarded....
Gadgets >> Mobiles & Accessories >> Expert Review
BlackBerry Curve 9380
14700 -
17000
The Good: Blackberry 9380 is the first touch screen curve phone from RIM. It is also the first Blackberry to have a FM radio as well.
The Bad: The disappointing features of this phone are the low screen resolution which is just 360 x 480 pixels and low internal memory. If these features were looked after then Curve 9380 would sure be a phone to look out for.
The Bottom Line: For the price that it is available, the phone is worth buying. But on many accounts it falls short when compared to its competitors with the same price.
Design: The Blackberry 9380 is a slim and sleek phone from RIM. It is just 109 X 60 X 11 mm. The phone only weighs 98 grams. When you compare the dimensions of this phone with its elder cousin Torch 9869 which is chunkier and heavier, Blackberry 9380 seems like a little sleek beauty. With its size and weight the phone is a pleasure to carry around and it fits in just about any kind of pocket.
This is the first touch screen curve phone from RIM. The usual signature four Blackberry buttons are present below the touch screen. The optical track pad is highly responsive and sensitive. The major fall out of this phone is the transition of using the sensitive touch screen and the awkward buttons is very smooth. Though the touch screen is sensitive, the keys are too crammed which makes smooth and fast typing a tedious and irritating job.
The handset is only available in the colour black.
Processor and Operating System
The Blackberry Curve 9380 is powered by an 806MHz processor. One wonders why RIM would opt for a slow processor when they are desperately trying to regain a foot hold in the smartphone market. While going through the menus and apps is slower than the Torch 9860.
The new Curve 9380 runs on the latest BlackBerry 7 operating system. The menu interface has an option of allowing you to customize your apps into different sections like; All, Favorites, Media, Downloads and Frequent. The updated BlackBerry Messenger 6 allows you to engage in free chats with fellow BBM friends from within certain apps and games.
Features and Performance:
Screen: The Blackberry 9380 has a 3.2-inch TFT capacitive touch screen. But the phone has very low screen resolution of just 360 x 480 pixels. The screen does provide itself for movie and video viewing but it may not be really sharp but we mustn’t forget this that this curve falls in the budget category.
The touch screen though sensitive does have a fall out. The virtual keyboard is crammed and typing does become slightly tedious and irritating.
Camera: The smartphone comes equipped with a 5 mega pixel camera which is similar to that of the Blackberry Torch 9850. The camera produces images with 2592 X 1944 pixels. It also has a LED flash, though the pictures which are taken in poor light conditions do not turn out all the great. The camera also has the features of face detection and image stabilization. Sadly the phone does not have a secondary camera.
Storage and Connectivity: The smartphone has an internal memory of just 512 MB, which is a lot lower than the competitor mobiles in the same price range. The phone does have a slot for the microSD card which allows the user of up to 32 GB memory space which comes as a relief to the user.
The phone is supported by a Li-Ion (JM-1) standard battery. It boasts of stand by battery time of up to 360 hours and talk time of up to 5 hours and 30 minutes. But to be on the safer side you should carry the charger along with you.
Price and Availability: The Blackberry 9380 is priced at Rs.17,000 in the market which makes it an affordable smartphone from RIM. But for those of you who want the phone at a lower price, online sites like Yebhi.com, Flipkart.com and Buytheprice.com are offering the phone at a price range between Rs.14,999 and Rs.Rs.16,999. So it looks like the online sites are offering us a better deal.
Wrap-Up: The phone does have its flaws but at the price that is available at it is a phone worth buying.
The Bad: The disappointing features of this phone are the low screen resolution which is just 360 x 480 pixels and low internal memory. If these features were looked after then Curve 9380 would sure be a phone to look out for.
The Bottom Line: For the price that it is available, the phone is worth buying. But on many accounts it falls short when compared to its competitors with the same price.
Design: The Blackberry 9380 is a slim and sleek phone from RIM. It is just 109 X 60 X 11 mm. The phone only weighs 98 grams. When you compare the dimensions of this phone with its elder cousin Torch 9869 which is chunkier and heavier, Blackberry 9380 seems like a little sleek beauty. With its size and weight the phone is a pleasure to carry around and it fits in just about any kind of pocket.
This is the first touch screen curve phone from RIM. The usual signature four Blackberry buttons are present below the touch screen. The optical track pad is highly responsive and sensitive. The major fall out of this phone is the transition of using the sensitive touch screen and the awkward buttons is very smooth. Though the touch screen is sensitive, the keys are too crammed which makes smooth and fast typing a tedious and irritating job.
The handset is only available in the colour black.
Processor and Operating System
The Blackberry Curve 9380 is powered by an 806MHz processor. One wonders why RIM would opt for a slow processor when they are desperately trying to regain a foot hold in the smartphone market. While going through the menus and apps is slower than the Torch 9860.
The new Curve 9380 runs on the latest BlackBerry 7 operating system. The menu interface has an option of allowing you to customize your apps into different sections like; All, Favorites, Media, Downloads and Frequent. The updated BlackBerry Messenger 6 allows you to engage in free chats with fellow BBM friends from within certain apps and games.
Features and Performance:
Screen: The Blackberry 9380 has a 3.2-inch TFT capacitive touch screen. But the phone has very low screen resolution of just 360 x 480 pixels. The screen does provide itself for movie and video viewing but it may not be really sharp but we mustn’t forget this that this curve falls in the budget category.
The touch screen though sensitive does have a fall out. The virtual keyboard is crammed and typing does become slightly tedious and irritating.
Camera: The smartphone comes equipped with a 5 mega pixel camera which is similar to that of the Blackberry Torch 9850. The camera produces images with 2592 X 1944 pixels. It also has a LED flash, though the pictures which are taken in poor light conditions do not turn out all the great. The camera also has the features of face detection and image stabilization. Sadly the phone does not have a secondary camera.
Storage and Connectivity: The smartphone has an internal memory of just 512 MB, which is a lot lower than the competitor mobiles in the same price range. The phone does have a slot for the microSD card which allows the user of up to 32 GB memory space which comes as a relief to the user.
The phone is supported by a Li-Ion (JM-1) standard battery. It boasts of stand by battery time of up to 360 hours and talk time of up to 5 hours and 30 minutes. But to be on the safer side you should carry the charger along with you.
Price and Availability: The Blackberry 9380 is priced at Rs.17,000 in the market which makes it an affordable smartphone from RIM. But for those of you who want the phone at a lower price, online sites like Yebhi.com, Flipkart.com and Buytheprice.com are offering the phone at a price range between Rs.14,999 and Rs.Rs.16,999. So it looks like the online sites are offering us a better deal.
Wrap-Up: The phone does have its flaws but at the price that is available at it is a phone worth buying.
14,775
