Blackberry Phones

We like deals — we especially like deal that involve folks being able to pick up a brand new BlackBerry device on the cheap, and Koodoo is joining the ranks, if only for a limited time — of people we like offering good deals.

That’s right, if you find yourself needing a new BlackBerry device and contracts are not really your thing, then the fine folks at Koodoo will now offer you a BlackBerry Curve 3G (9300) for only $200. No idea exactly how long the deal will be on for but, best to take advantage of it while you still can.

Verizon Wireless on Tuesday made RIM’s latest BlackBerry operating system available for the BlackBerry Bold 9650 and BlackBerry Curve 3G smartphones. BlackBerry 6 is now available for both devices and will be pushed to customers as an over-the-air update beginning Tuesday evening at 8:00PM Eastern Time.

Customers may also update their smartphones using the BlackBerry Desktop Manager software. Updates compared to version 5 of the BlackBerry OS include a redesigned UI, universal search functionality and RIM’s highly anticipated HTML-capable browser.

If you’re in the market for a brand new BlackBerry Curve 3G  then you might want to hit up Best Buy (US) this weekend (November 12th and 13th). Their current pre Christmas sale that is going on now has all carriers BlackBerry Curve 3G offerings reduced to $1. That is of course, with a new 2 year contract from whatever carrier it is that you decide to roll with. Either way, still a good deal if you look at the actual carrier prices. T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon offer the Curve 3G for $49.99 while AT&T offers it for $99.99 so you’ll come out on top with the Best Buy deal.

If you’ve been holding out for a BlackBerry Pearl or Curve 3G, now is your chance to finally pick one up from AT&T. Announced previously while we were at DevCon10, AT&T has kept to the date listed in the initial press release. If you’re looking to grab either one of these devices the break down in pricing is as follows:

• BlackBerry Pearl 3G – $149.99 after instant rebate.
• BlackBerry Curve 3G – $99 after instant rebate.

Those prices assume a new 2 year contract and a data plan of at least $15 or more is required to be purchased as well. Remember, both of these devices are BlackBerry 6 capable despite coming pre loaded with OS 5. But what I really wanna is, any former 8100 users out there excited to finally see the 9100 arrive on a US carrier?

Three UK has launched two BlackBerry family smartphones into their market. They are the BlackBerry Torch 9800 and the BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300. Both RIM’s smartphones are now available for order.

Three UK is offers the BlackBerry Torch 9800 smartphone with price tag £249 on a £35/month plan, which is includes 5000 minutes inside the Three network, 2000 minutes to any network, 5000 texts, and 1GB of data access.

As noted, BlackBerry Torch 9800 smartphone is packs a 3.2-inch (480 x 360) touchscreen display, a 5MP autofocus camera with flash, slider full QWERTY keyboard, 4GB of onboard memory, a microSD card slot, and a 1,300 mAh battery.

The BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300 smartphone is selling on Pay As You Go (PAYG) offering. It costs £209.99 online (a £10 top-up, included) and £219.99 from Three stores (a £20 top-up included).

BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300 has brings new optical trackpad, 2MP camera with video recording, 2.44-inch display, a microSD card slot (up to 32GB), HSDPA, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11n, GPS, 256MB internal memory, and a 1,150 mAh battery.

Hands On Look at the new Verizon BlackBerry Curve 3G – an Entry Level BlackBerry that’s BlackBerry 6 Ready

Verizon’s latest offering comes in the form of the new BlackBerry Curve 3G. A near dead-ringer for its 8530 sibling, the Curve 3G (or 9330) is another “entry-level” device geared towards users just getting into BlackBerry or looking for a cheaper alternative to the more expensive models like the BlackBerry Bold 9650. The device features a full-QWERTY keyboard, Wifi, GPS, optical trackpad and the ability to run BlackBerry 6 thanks to its memory increase from up to 512MB from the standard 256MB found in the Curve 8530 and even the Curve 3G 9300 (upon release, which we have yet to see for a device other than the BlackBerry Torch). The Curve 3G obviously isn’t marketed toward seasoned BlackBerry users as most will feel it is a bit of a downgrade with a “cheaper” feel and lower resolution screen. If you’re checking out BlackBerry for the first time or looking to get in on the less expensive end, the Curve 3G just may be the device for you. Read on for our full review.

Hardware

The Curve 3G feels solid overall when first handled. It feels fairly well constructed and you can’t help but notice that it’s all plastic all around, with no chrome bezel to break things up. The 320×240 screen sits over top of the Send, Menu, Back and End buttons which are centered by the optical trackpad. The screen and button set flow together extremely well as they are all one piece that covers right down to the keyboard. The full-QWERTY keyboard goes back to the style of the old 83xx series which is one of my favorites. The keys are separated so even people like myself with fat fingers have no problems typing. They are a bit “clicky” at first and feel kind of cheap, but I think once you get into using the device you won’t really notice either.

The Curve 3G is sporting Bluetooth, Wifi and GPS as well. The Curve 8530 was one of the first devices on Verizon to have Wifi available and it’s been a hit ever since. With so many college campuses being Wifi’ed out, having the option on a device is a huge plus and can potentially save a ton of money.

There is 512MB of internal memory, which is actually double what the Curve 3G 9300 (the GSM version has). It seems for BlackBerry 6 GSM devices can get away with 256MB of memory while CDMA devices require 512MB, hence the bump up compared ot the Curve 3G 9300. The Curve 3G supports up to a 32GB microSD memory card as well. The device isn’t bursting with memory, but it’s enough to get things done. Using a media card (a 2GB card is included) for photos, videos and music, you really don’t have to worry about eating up space on the device itself.

Software

The Curve 3G comes from Verizon loaded with OS 5.0 but is “BlackBerry 6 ready”. What does this mean? This means that should Verizon (and pretty much every other carrier) get their act together, you will be able to install BlackBerry 6 on this device. For now we’re stuck with OS 5.0 which still does what it does and does it well. Included are the default applications you would expect including email, SMS, MMS, phone, calendar, memopad, tasks, clock and BlackBerry Messenger. Other add-on applications like BlackBerry App World 2.0, AIM, Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger, Myspace, Facebook, Flickr and more are all available for download at launch as well. The web browser is a bit outdated at this point but with the new WebKit browser on the way as part of BlackBerry 6 things will be much better on that end.

I did load up a leaked version of OS 6  on my 9330 just to take it for a test drive. The OS is available as a leaked beta, but still hasn’t been officially released by Verizon. The revamped OS is a big redesign of the old 5.0, and really adds to the usability of the device. It adds amazing features like the WebKit browser, Universal Search, multiple views and more. OS 6 runs very well on the Curve 3G and is only held back by the low resolution screen. Don’t get me wrong I love OS 6, it just seems to drop a bit short on the 9330 when you go from using the Torch 9800 or even the Bold 9650 with the same OS. OS 6 does make things a whole lot easier as it is much easier to get around the device (mainly with Universal Search) and having the updated browser is a huge plus.

Conclusion

Overall I can say I do like the Curve 3G. As in the case of the Curve 8530 however, if you are switching from a newer BlackBerry you mostly likely won’t be satisfied. The Curve 3G is geared towards new to BlackBerry Users and those who don’t really need/want the “latest and greatest”. The device is solid and has all of the BlackBerry features you would expect, and with BlackBerry 6 is really gets the job done. New users will love the OS and won’t mind the low resolution as they get into the BlackBerry world, but may look to upgrade to a different device down the road.

Today we got out hands on the latest rebate form from Verizon and from the looks of it the Curve 3G should be heading the way of Big Red. Much like the 8530 followed its 8520 sibling to Verizon, the Curve 3G will be landing on the CDMA carrier after it has shown up on Rogers and T-Mobile. The entry-level device will come in both Charcoal Gray and Fuchsia and although this rebate is set to end on October 31st no exact release date is available.

Unboxing videos. Love em or hate em, you know we gotta do them! The BlackBerry Curve 3G  is available on Rogers now, and coming to other carriers soon, so it’s time to tear open the box and see what’s inside. The BlackBerry Curve 3G is RIM’s entry level smartphone, so while it gets decent internals (the same 624MHZ processor that’s in the Pearl 3G and Bold 9700), it skimps on other hardware – the low resolution 320 by 240 display is the same as the old Curve 8300 / 8800 series devices used to have and the camera is 2 megapixels without a flash (note, in the video I accidentally say that video recording resolution is the same as the Pearl 3G’s thanks to the update to the chipset, but it’s not… vid recording on the Curve 3G is still a lowly 320×240).

If you’re looking for a new BlackBerry and don’t really need all the bells and whistles the Torch offers, then maybe the BlackBerry Curve 3G  is the device for you. Rogers, having previously released the BlackBerry Curve 3G in grey now has the “Smokey Violet” version available for purchase. The BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300 specs are great for a cost effective BlackBerry purchase. QWERTY keyboard, 2.0 MP camera, built-in Wi-Fi, GPS, holds up to 32GB with a mircoSD card and a trackpad. It would have been nice to see a better screen but, as it stands the 320×240 display serves it’s purpose just fine. Picking one up will only set ya back $49.99 on a 3/yr contract with Rogers.

If you’re not feeling the BlackBerry Torch and just want a straight up, no frills BlackBerry; Rogers  will gladly offer you a BlackBerry Curve 3G. Previously only available via their website, the BlackBerry Curve 3G has now arrived at most retailers and can be picked up in store. Traditional Curve style exactly like the BlackBerry Curve 8520, preloaded with OS 5.0.0.832 for which, will eventually be replaced by BlackBerry 6.

As BBCool notes though, no case or holster is offered with the new BlackBerry Curve 3G so you may wish to consider picking one up. As it stands, you can grab the BlackBerry Curve 3G from Rogers on a 3yr contract for $79.99, 2yr for $299.99 and 1yr or no contract for $399.99.